The Amex Business Platinum vs. the Chase Ink Business Preferred

BY 

Christine Krzyszton

- UPDATED: February 13, 2021

1. Business Owners  / 
2. Credit Cards  / 
3. Strategies & Guides

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The value of having a business credit card is obvious. These cards can serve as a means to keep business and personal expenses separate, to keep track of expenses in real-time, and to offer annual reports that make it easier to gather needed information at tax time.

But over and above the practical aspects of using a business credit are the potential reward-earning possibilities. Rewards earned on a business credit card can help improve your business’ bottom line by offsetting business expenses such as travel.

Making the decision to secure a business credit card was probably easy but now you may need to decide which card to select.

That’s why we’re focusing on 2 of the most popular business credit cards and putting them head to head for the purpose of making a fair comparison.

We’ll look at every aspect of the cards including earning, redeeming, statement credits, benefits, and more.

Yes, the benefits of having a business credit card may be obvious, but it will also be clear as to which of these popular cards is a winner for your operation after you review our article today.

Let’s get started with our comparison of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express versus the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.

Welcome Bonuses

The Value of a Welcome Bonus

Welcome bonuses are often used by the credit card issuer as an incentive to sign up for a card. Bonuses vary in amount but they represent an opportunity to receive a lump sum of rewards upfront to jump-start your rewards account.

Bonuses can also be quite lucrative. You can receive hundreds, even thousands, of dollars in value when redeeming your welcome bonus points for travel.

These bonuses are deposited into your account after meeting minimum spending requirements that are required within the first 3 months after card approval.

Here is a snapshot of the current welcome bonuses for the 2 cards we’re comparing today.

Credit Card

Key Benefits & Info

New Welcome Offer The Business Platinum Card® from American Express Apply Now (at Amex's secure site)

New Welcome Offer: Earn 75,000 85,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card plus earn 5x points on eligible purchases in 5 select business categories, up to 80,000 bonus points per category, all within the first 3 months of Card Membership. These bonus categories include eligible U.S. purchases on shipping, wireless telephone services, advertising in select media, office supplies and gas stations. Terms Apply. Get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com. Access more than 1,300 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, including the amazing Centurion lounges. $200 Airline Fee Credit. Get up to $200 in statement credits annually by getting up to $100 semi-annually for U.S. purchases with Dell Annual Fee: $595 Bonus Valuation*: $1,870 Terms Apply. For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum card, click here. Must Reads: For more info on the Amex Business Platinum, see our insights on its benefits, top card FAQ's and the 24 best airport lounges you can access. Go here for our full review. This is one of several business credit cards from Amex. *This bonus value is an estimated valuation calculated by UP and not the card issuer.

Credit Card

Key Benefits & Info

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card Apply Now (at Chase's secure site)

Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Bonus Valuation*: $2,000 Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases—with no limit to the amount you can earn 25% more value when redeeming points through Ultimate Rewards® travel Annual Fee: $95 Must Reads: For more info on the Ink Business Preferred, see our guides on its benefits, 7 things to do as a new cardholder, and our full review. This is our favorite of Chase's business credit cards. *This bonus value is an estimated valuation calculated by UP and not the card issuer.

Membership Rewards Points Versus Ultimate Rewards Points

The Amex Business Platinum earns valuable Membership Rewards points while Ink Business Preferred earns equally valuable Ultimate Rewards points.

You’ll find extraordinary value with either type of rewards points, especially when redeeming for travel.

Comparing Earning Potential

When we compare earning potential, it’s clear that the Amex Business Platinum rewards heavily on travel purchases while the Ink Business Preferred adds additional bonus earning categories for other business-related purchases.

When selecting a business credit card, it’s important to identify your largest purchases and apply earning rates to determine which card gives you the highest return for your mix of spending.

For illustration purposes, let’s try an example. If your business spends $50,000 on flights and $50,000 on internet/cable/phone/shipping/advertising combined, you would earn equally ($3,000 total) on either of the 2 cards — $2,500 + $500 on the Amex Business Platinum and $1,500 + $1,500 on the Ink Business Preferred.

Change the scenario to $80,000 on flights and $60,000 on internet/cable/phone/shipping/advertising and the results change — $4,000 + $600 ($4,600 total) on the Amex Business Platinum  and $2,400 + $1,800 ($4,200 total) on the Ink Business Preferred.

This example is oversimplified but still an important exercise when selecting the right business card.

Bottom Line: It’s important to estimate your largest expenses before selecting a business credit card. Your mix of business spending determines which card will ultimately deliver the highest earnings for your business.

Comparing Redemption Options

Both Membership Rewards points and Ultimate Rewards offer flexible redemption options and have similar redemption processes.

Each rewards program has its own proprietary travel portal that offers incentives for redeeming points via these sites.

Redeeming points earned on either card via the associated travel portal results in fixed values of 1 cent for Membership Rewards and 1.25 cents for Ultimate Rewards. The Amex Business Platinum also rebates 35% of your points back when booking flights on your selected qualifying airline through Amex Travel.

It is possible to receive even greater value, however, by transferring Membership Rewards or Ultimate Rewards to airline partners and purchase award tickets with the resulting frequent flyer miles.

Membership Rewards has 18 airline transfer partners and 3 hotel transfer partners while Chase Ultimate Rewards has 10 airline transfer partners and 3 hotel partners.

The number of travel partners may be relevant, yet each program offers its own set of valuable opportunities. We’ll show you lots of ways to maximize your Membership Rewards transfers and Ultimate Rewards transfers in our creative guides.

Bottom Line: Each card offers the best potential value for your points when the points are redeemed for travel, either through the card’s proprietary travel portal or by transferring points to airline and hotel travel partners.

Airport Lounge Access

The Business Platinum is the clear winner for lounge access as the Ink Business Preferred doesn’t offer any complimentary lounge access benefit.

The Business Platinum provides access to over 1,300 lounges worldwide including prestigious Centurion Lounges. The value of lounge access alone justifies this card’s annual fee.

Enjoy complimentary access to the following lounge networks:

• Airspace
• American Express International Lounges
• Centurion Lounges
• Delta Sky Club
• Escape Lounges
• Plaza Premium
• Priority Pass Select

Hotel and Rental Car Program Benefits

Each of the cards we’re comparing offers benefits with select resort and hotel programs. In addition, the Amex Business Platinum offers hotel program elite status.

You’ll also receive member discounts, vehicle upgrades, and other benefits with each card’s rental car program perks.

Hotel Program Benefits — Amex Business Platinum

• Gold Elite status with Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy hotel programs.
• American Express® Fine Hotels and Resorts benefits that include:
  • Room upgrades when available.
  • Breakfast for 2 guests each day.
  • Early check-in and late check out.
  • Free Wi-Fi.
  • A unique property amenity (such as a spa, or food and beverage credit) worth a minimum of $100.
• The Hotel Collection benefits on 2-night stays:
  • $100 room credit per stay to use on spa, dining, or activities.
  • Upgraded room if available.

Hotel Program Benefits — Ink Business Preferred

Book your hotel directly through the Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection and receive several benefits. Chase partners with this brand that has over 900 properties worldwide.

• Complimentary daily breakfast for 2.
• Early check in and late check out.
• An upgraded room if available.
• Free Wi-Fi.
• A local amenity specific to the property.

Rental Car Program Benefits

The Amex Business Platinum offers the following rental car program benefits:

• Avis Preferred status benefits.
• Hertz Gold Plus Rewards.
• National Emerald Club Executive status.

The Ink Business Preferred offers discounts with several car rental companies including Dollar, Hertz, Silver Car, and more through Visa Signature benefits. Additionally, Ink Business Preferred cardholders qualify for upgrade and discount benefits with Avis Access Ink Insider after registering.

Bottom Line: While both cards provide benefits at resort and hotel program collection properties, the Amex Business Platinum comes with actual hotel program elite status with Hilton and Marriott. The Amex Business Platinum also offers broader rental car program benefits. 

Statement Credits and Additional Benefits

The Amex Business Platinum offers several additional benefits that translate into economic value if your business can use them.

• $200 annual statement credit for airline incidentals purchases
• $100/$85 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application
• One year Platinum Global access to WeWork workspaces
• Up to $200 annual statement credits for Dell purchases

The Ink Business Preferred does not offer any statement credits.

Both cards offer the additional business-related benefits of annual statements, zero liability and fraud protection, employee cards, and card management to track employee spending.

Travel Benefits and Protections

Travel benefits and protections can save you money and assist you in getting help when something goes wrong during your travels.

Here’s how the 2 cards compare when we look at key travel coverages.

Note that this is not an all-encompassing list of benefits and protections, just key coverages for comparison purposes. You can view full descriptions and the terms and conditions for each coverage in each card’s guide to benefits.

Bottom Line: The Amex Business Platinum offers complimentary premium roadside assistance and $100,000 in emergency evacuation coverage. The Ink Business Preferred shines with primary rental car coverage, cell phone protection, and baggage delay coverage.

Shopping Benefits and Protections

Here’s how shopping benefits and protections compare with the Amex Business Platinum and the Ink Business Preferred.

• Purchase Protection — Both cards offer 120 days of theft or damage protection of $10,000 per claim/$50,000 per account.
• Return Protection —  If an eligible item you purchase on the Amex Business Platinum declines in price within 90 days of the purchase date, you could receive up to $300 per item/$1000 per year. The Ink Business Preferred does not have return protection.
• Extended Warranty — The Amex Business Platinum extends the U.S. manufacturer’s warranty for eligible items for 2 additional years on warranties less than 5 years. The Ink Business Preferred extends for 1 year on warranties of 3 years or less.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees – Neither card charges foreign transaction fees.

Annual Fees and Adding Additional Users

Annual Fees

While annual fees can change, you’ll find that the Amex Business Platinum has a much higher fee than the Ink Business Preferred. The difference in annual fees, however, also parallels the difference in benefits.

As you read through the benefits of each card, just keep track of the ones that will provide value to your business. In the end, the value of the benefits you will use should exceed the cost of the annual fee, regardless of the card you choose.

Adding Additional Users

Adding authorized users to your card can increase your rewards earning and grant card benefits to the additional user.

The Amex Business Platinum charges $300 per additional authorized user (for rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum, click here). The additional person receives their own card, complimentary worldwide lounge access, hotel/car rental elite status and benefits, Global Entry/TSA Precheck fee credit, and more. They do not receive shopping statement credits.

The Ink Business Preferred does not charge a fee for adding an authorized user. The additional user can share in the card benefits provided, including cell phone coverage when their bill is paid for with the card.

Final Thoughts

Premium travel rewards cards come with high annual fees but they also come with premium benefits. If you’ll use the associated benefits, you can receive value beyond the cost of the annual fee.

The Amex Business Platinum comes with enough luxury travel benefits to make it worthy of the annual fee.

And while the Ink Business Preferred does not have all those luxury travel perks, it does come with a much lower annual fee. It also has strong earning power, flexible redemption options, and a nice welcome bonus.

The best card for you will be the one that matches your tolerance for an annual fee, provides value in the form of usable benefits, and aligns with your business spending patterns in order to maximize earning potential.