Ink Business Preferred vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve Card [2023]

Chase issues a dynamic collection of travel rewards credit cards. Whether you travel mostly for business, take a few family vacations each year, or a mix of both, you’ll find a Chase card that supports your unique travel profile.

The 2 Chase travel rewards cards we’re comparing today are some of the best Chase has to offer. You’ll find that both cards earn valuable Ultimate Rewards points, have elevated earnings on travel, and deliver up to 50% more value at redemption time.

While the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is a Chase business credit card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a personal credit card, we’ll tell you why they should both be contenders for consideration as your next travel rewards card. We’ll also explain how they can potentially work harmoniously together.

But let’s first talk about some differences between business credit cards and personal credit cards, in an effort to clarify which best fits your situation.

Let’s get started on the path to discovering the features and benefits of the Ink Business Preferred card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Table of contents

Ink Business Preferred Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve Card — Overview
Business Credit Cards vs. Personal Credit Cards
Pros of Running Your Business With a Business Card
Who Qualifies for a Business Credit Card
The Value of a Welcome Bonus
Comparing Earning Potential
Comparing Redemption Options
How the Cards Can Work Together Harmoniously
Airport Lounge Access
Hotel Program Benefits
Rental Car Program Benefits
Rideshare, Food Delivery, and Grocery Delivery Benefits
Statement Credits and Additional Benefits
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

Ink Business Preferred Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve Card — Overview
Business Credit Cards vs. Personal Credit Cards
Pros of Running Your Business With a Business Card
Who Qualifies for a Business Credit Card
The Value of a Welcome Bonus
Comparing Earning Potential
Comparing Redemption Options
How the Cards Can Work Together Harmoniously
Airport Lounge Access
Hotel Program Benefits
Rental Car Program Benefits
Rideshare, Food Delivery, and Grocery Delivery Benefits
Statement Credits and Additional Benefits
Final Thoughts

Ink Business Preferred Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve Card — Overview

Benefit	Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card	Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Earning	5x on Lyft (through March 31, 2025) 3x points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases on travel and select business categories every cardmember anniversary year 1x points on all other purchases	10x points on hotels, car rentals, and Chase Dining when you book through Chase Ultimate Rewards (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually) 10x points on Lyft (through March 31, 2025) 5x points on airfare when you purchase through Chase Ultimate Rewards (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually) 3x points on other travel 3x points on dining 1x points on all other purchases
Redemption Options	Transfer to travel partners Chase travel portal bookings with a 25% redemption bonus Pay Yourself Back with a 25% redemption bonus Gift cards Statement credits/cash-back Apple purchases Amazon.com PayPal.com Chase Experiences (including Sapphire Dining)	Transfer to travel partners Chase travel portal bookings with a 50% redemption bonus Pay Yourself Back with a 25% to 50% redemption bonus Gift cards Statement credits/cash-back Apple purchases Amazon.com PayPal.com Chase Experiences (including Sapphire Dining)
Travel Benefits and Protections	Primary rental car coverage when renting for business or outside of the U.S. (excludes exotic cars, up to $50,000 in coverage); secondary coverage for personal rentals in the U.S.	$300 annual travel credit $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership Primary rental car coverage (up to $75,000 in coverage) Emergency medical evacuation coverage Emergency medical and dental benefit
Additional Travel Benefits and Protections	Roadside assistance ($59.95 per service call for the Ink Business Preferred card, 4 free service calls for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card) Lost or delayed luggage insurance Trip cancellation insurance Trip delay and travel accident insurance (slightly enhanced on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card)
Shopping Benefits and Protections	N/A	Return protection
Additional Shopping Benefits and Protections	Purchase protection for up to $50,000 in claims per year (up to $10,000 per claim) Extended warranty No foreign transaction fees
Annual Fees and Authorized Users	Annual fee of $95 No authorized user fee	Annual fee of $550 $75 per year per authorized user

Business Credit Cards vs. Personal Credit Cards

Businessman paying with credit card — Entrepreneurs may qualify for a business credit card. Image Credit: Monkey Business Images via Shutterstock

You may not think you need a business credit card. Perhaps you’ve been doing just fine with your personal credit card running your small business. You may even be satisfied with having a separate personal card you use solely for business purposes.

If you have business activity, even with little cash flow, a business credit card can offer advantages over a personal credit card.

Pros of Running Your Business With a Business Card

Keep Expenses Separated — A primary reason for securing a business card is to keep personal and business expenses separate. Business credit cards come with organizational, management, and financial tools that personal credit cards may not offer.

Organization and Support at Tax Time — Business credit cards come with annual reports that break down your spending. When it comes time to file your taxes, having all your business expenses well-organized will make filing easier. You’ll also have supporting records should you face an audit.

Fund the Growth of Your Business — As your business grows, you may need emergency funding to purchase that next piece of equipment or cover a major expense. Business cards often offer a solution in the form of a short-term loan for financing a large expense.

Business Cards Have More Spending Power — Business credit cards generally have higher spending or credit limits than personal credit cards and allow you to add employees to your card so you can track all of your business’s spending.

Rewards — Earning rewards on all your business spending allows you to put that income back into your business or use rewards to offset travel expenses. Business credit cards often offer higher rewards earning on business category expenses.

Build Your Business Credit History — Initially, your personal credit plays a key role in whether you will be approved for a business credit card. This is because you will be personally responsible for the debt. Over time, your business can establish its own credit history.

The Difference in Protections — Personal credit cards are covered under the CARD Act of 2009 which limits APR increases and fraud liability. While business credit cards are not covered under the act, many issuers have altered their policies positively.

Bottom Line: There are many prudent reasons to have a business credit card, including separating business expenses from personal expenses, having higher credit limits, earning rewards on business purchases, and building your business credit history.

Who Qualifies for a Business Credit Card

You don’t have to be a corporate entity or have hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash flow to qualify for a business credit card. In fact, even the IRS recognizes that a small operation can qualify as a business by its own definition:

“A trade or business generally is an activity carried on to make a profit. You do not need to actually make a profit to be in a trade or business as long as you have a profit motive.”

With this statement as a guideline for what constitutes a business, activities such as part-time coaching, selling your artwork, repairing bicycles, or any other business pursuit, regardless of the size, may qualify. If you have a business activity and good credit, you could potentially qualify for a business credit card.

To learn more about business credit cards and to get tips on how to apply, access our complete guide to the best credit cards for small businesses.

The Value of a Welcome Bonus

Ink Business Preferred Card

The Ink Business Preferred card allows you to redeem your Ultimate Rewards points for 1.25 cents per point on the Chase travel portal. With this valuation, a welcome bonus of 100,000 points could be worth $1,250 when redeemed for travel.

You could receive even higher value by transferring points to airline and hotel partners.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

Welcome bonuses are ever-changing but you can count on each Ultimate Rewards point to be worth at least 1.5 cents when redeemed for travel via the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. A 50,000-point welcome bonus would equate to $750 in travel value.

And, like the Ink Business Preferred card, you may receive higher value by transferring points to Chase’s travel partners.

Comparing Earning Potential

Chase Sapphire Reserve Upgraded Points LLC 10 Large — Earn triple rewards on all your travel purchases with a Chase Ultimate Rewards earning card. Image Credit: Upgraded Points

Both the Ink Business Preferred card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card earn valuable Ultimate Rewards points. Ultimate Rewards points are valuable because of their redemption flexibility, which we’ll explain shortly.

Let’s first take a look at how you earn points on these 2 travel rewards cards.

Card	Earnings
Ink Business Preferred Card	5x points on Lyft purchases (through March 31, 2025) 3x points spent on travel, shipping, internet, cable and phone services, advertising with social media and search engines (up to $150,000 per card anniversary year) 1x points on all other purchases
Chase Sapphire Reserve Card	10x points on Chase dining, hotels, and car rentals booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal 10x points on Lyft rides (through March 31, 2025) 5x points on airfare booked through the Chase travel portal 3x points spent on other travel and dining worldwide 1x points on all other purchases

Earning 3x points on travel is a significant feature of these cards because Chase’s definition of travel is very broad. Included in the travel category are merchants and purchases such as airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, cruise lines, tolls, travel agencies, discount travel sites, transit providers, sightseeing activities, and much more.

Bottom Line: Whether you travel for business or pleasure, you’ll realize 3x earnings on all your travel purchases with either the Ink Business Preferred card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Since Chase defines travel quite broadly, it’s easy to accumulate rewards for these purchases.

Comparing Redemption Options

At redemption time, you’ll have several options for your Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Card	Best Redemption Options	Additional Redemption Options
Ink Business Preferred Card	Redeem for 1.25 cents per point on Ultimate Rewards travel portal Transfer to airline/hotel partners	Statement credits, gift cards, plus Amazon, Apple, and Chase experiences
Chase Sapphire Reserve Card	Redeem for 1.5 cents per point on Ultimate Rewards travel portal Transfer to airline/hotel partners

For examples of the best ways to redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you’ll want to look at our list of creative options.

Bottom Line: Both the Ink Business Preferred card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offer several flexible redemption options. You can redeem points for up to 1.5 cents per point on the Chase travel portal, transfer points to travel partners, and even receive 1 cent per point in value as a statement credit.

How the Cards Can Work Together Harmoniously

One advantage of earning Ultimate Rewards points is their flexibility. You’ll realize this flexibility at redemption time but another useful feature is that points earned on 1 card can be transferred to another Ultimate Rewards-earning card.

Points earned on the Ink Business Preferred card can be redeemed for 1.25 cents per point on the Ultimate Rewards travel portal. However, if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you can transfer points to that card and redeem them for 1.5 cents per point.

Additionally, if you have a lot of business travel expenses, you can earn big on the Ink Business Preferred card but still take advantage of the worldwide access to over 1,300 Priority Pass lounges that comes with your Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Both cards offer the advantage of transferring Ultimate Rewards points to airline and hotel partners.

Of course, Chase does have some rules when it comes to applying for their cards. You’ll want to review Chase’s 5/24 requirements prior to applying for any Chase card.

Now, with the possibility of having both cards on your mind, let’s look at the benefits each card has to offer.

Airport Lounge Access

Ink Business Preferred Card

The Ink Business Preferred card does not offer any complimentary airport lounge membership.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

Having access to a comfortable airport lounge when you’re traveling is a welcome benefit. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers complimentary access to over 1,300 worldwide lounges with a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership.

Enjoy complimentary access for yourself plus up to 2 additional guests. Subsequent guests can enter at a cost of $27 each, per visit.

Hotel Program Benefits

Receive VIP benefits at the Luxury Hotel Collection properties. Fairmont Orchid Hawaii. Image Credit: Luxury Hotel Collection

Ink Business Preferred Card

Book your hotel directly through the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection and receive special hotel benefits at over 900 properties worldwide.

Best rate guarantee
An upgraded room, if available
$25 food and beverage credit
Continental breakfast for 2 daily
Free Wi-Fi
Late checkout
VIP treatment

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card, being a premium Visa Infinite travel rewards card, has an elevated level of hotel benefits.

Luxury Hotels & Resort Collection

Enjoy special benefits at over 1,000 properties worldwide.

Daily breakfast for 2
Early check-in and late checkout, subject to availability
Room upgrade when available
Unique property benefit
Free Wi-Fi

Relais & Châteaux

Receive a VIP welcome and complimentary breakfast at participating locations.

Ennismore Hotels Program

Book 4 consecutive nights with your qualifying card and receive the fourth night free
Free breakfast for 2 people per room, per day
$30 food and beverage credit per stay
Free Wi-Fi for an unlimited amount of devices
Room upgrades, when available
Late checkout, when available

Rental Car Program Benefits

Rental car on road — Primary car rental insurance is a benefit offered on both the Ink Business Preferred card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Image Credit: Thrifty

Ink Business Preferred Card

As a Visa Signature card, your Ink Business Preferred card qualifies for discounts with Avis, Budget, and Audi on demand.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

National Emerald Club Executive Level membership
Benefits and discounts with Avis
Benefits and discounts with Audi on demand

Bottom Line: While the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers a few more hotel and car rental program benefits than the Ink Business Preferred card, the lower annual fee on the Ink Business Preferred card may make it a better value in this category.

Rideshare, Food Delivery, and Grocery Delivery Benefits

Ink Business Preferred Card

The Ink Business Preferred card earns 5x points on Lyft purchases (through March 31, 2025), but doesn’t offer any other rideshare or food delivery benefits at this time.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

Cardmembers receive a complimentary DashPass subscription. If activated by December 31, 2024, the subscription is active through December 31, 2024. If activated during the 2024 calendar year, the subscription will be valid for 1 year from the date of activation. There’s also a $5 monthly DashPass credit available.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card earns 10x points per $1 on Lyft (through March 31, 2025).

Cardholders are also eligible for a free 12-month Instacart+ membership plus a $15 monthly credit. This benefit must be activated by July 31, 2024.

Statement Credits and Additional Benefits

Statement Credits

The Ink Business Preferred does not offer any statement credits for specific purchases.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers several statement credits:

Up to $100 statement credit for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck
$300 statement credit each calendar year for travel purchases

The $300 travel statement credit offered by the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is easy to use as travel is defined broadly to include most travel categories.

Travel Benefits and Protections

Travel benefits and protections can save you money, provide needed assistance if something should go wrong, or give you peace of mind knowing you have coverage during your journey.

Here’s how the 2 cards compare on travel benefits and protections:

Benefit/Protection	Ink Business Preferred Card	Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
Car Rental Insurance	Primary coverage when renting for business or outside of the U.S.; secondary coverage for personal rentals in the U.S.	Primary coverage
Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance	Up to $5,000 per person per trip and $10,000 per trip overall	Up to $10,000 per person per trip and $20,000 per trip overall
Trip Delay Insurance	Up to $500 for trip delays of more than 12 hours	Up to $500 for trip delays of more than 6 hours
Lost, Damaged, and Delayed Baggage Insurance	Up to $3,000 for carry-on, $2,000 for checked baggage if stolen, lost, or damaged; up to $500 for delayed baggage more than 6 hours	Up to $3,000 for carry-on or checked baggage if stolen, lost, or damaged; up to $500 for delayed baggage of more than 6 hours
Roadside Assistance Coverage	Flat fee per service call ($69.95)	4 free service calls per year (limits apply)
Travel Accident Insurance	Up to $500,000 for dismemberment or loss of life	Up to $1,000,000 for dismemberment or loss of life
Emergency Evacuation Coverage	N/A	Up to $100,000 in coverage
Emergency Medical and Dental Coverage	N/A	$2,500 medical/dental coverage ($50 deductible per day), $75 per day for prescribed hotel needed due to covered loss for up to 5 days
Concierge and Emergency Travel Assistance	24/7 assistance worldwide
Foreign Transactions Fees	None

Shopping Benefits and Protections

Shopping Benefit/Protection	Ink Business Preferred Card	Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
Extended Warranty	1 additional year on manufacturer’s warranties of 3 years or less
Purchase Protection	Coverage for damage and theft up to 120 days from purchase date, $10,000 per qualifying item, maximum of $50,000 per year
Return Protection	N/A	$500 per item if a merchant will not accept a return of a qualifying item within 90 days of purchase
Cell Phone Protection	Up to $1,000 with a $100 deductible per claim, maximum of 3 claims/year	Limited coverage under the extended warranty coverage that comes with the card
Price Protection	N/A

We’ve abbreviated benefit descriptions here but you can find full descriptions and the terms/conditions in each card’s guide to benefits.

Bottom Line: While travel and shopping benefits alone are not key reasons for selecting a rewards-earning credit card, benefits and protections can save you money and provide assistance should things go wrong during your travel. As a result, they add value and can influence your card selection. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes out ahead in providing these benefits but it does have a higher annual fee than the Ink Business Preferred card.

Annual Fees and Adding Additional Users

The Ink Business Preferred card comes with a low $95 annual fee while the premium Chase Sapphire Reserve card has a much higher $550 fee that parallels the additional benefits that come with the card.

The Ink Business Preferred card does not charge a fee for adding an authorized user while the Chase Sapphire Reserve card charges $75 per authorized user.

Additional users on both cards can share in the card benefits provided, including key benefits such as cell phone coverage on the Ink Business Preferred card and worldwide lounge access on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Final Thoughts

Having a business credit card that earns rewards on all your purchases is a smart decision. The Ink Business Preferred card provides solid earning potential, along with flexible redemption options, and travel/shopping protections, all for a lower annual fee.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card pairs nicely with the Ink Business Preferred card as it provides elevated benefits and greater value at redemption time. It also offers an easy-to-use $300 travel statement credit each year which nicely offsets the annual fee.

If not as a pair, selecting either card can be a potential win when you match the card to your spending habits, benefit preferences, and an annual fee with which you’re comfortable.

Featured Image Credit: Upgraded Points

Frequently asked questions

Which card is better, the Ink Business Preferred card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve card?

The Ink Business Preferred card is, of course, a business credit card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is a premium personal credit card.

The best card for your situation will depend on if you need a business credit card or if a personal credit card is more of a match.

However, the 2 cards can work well in tandem because rewards earned on 1 card can be transferred to the other. This is a unique combination that allows you to earn the most rewards and redeem them for the best value.

For example, Ultimate Rewards points earned on the Ink Business Preferred card can be redeemed for 1.25 cents for travel and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card receives 1.5 cents per point when redeemed for travel. You can earn rewards for your business expenses on your Ink Business Preferred card and transfer the points for a higher redemption value.

If you travel a lot for business and value lounge access, your travel expenses can be paid for with your Ink Business Preferred card but you can still enjoy worldwide airport lounge access complimentary with your Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

How do Ultimate Rewards points work?

Ultimate Rewards points are earned on every purchase you make with a Chase Ultimate Rewards earning credit card. Some cards have bonus-earning categories that allow you to earn multiple Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent.

These bonus categories can include travel, dining, grocery stores, select business expenses, and more.

At redemption time, premium Chase credit cards, such as the ones mentioned in this article, allow you to redeem your points for travel, statement credits, merchandise, gift cards, or transfer your points to travel partners for potentially greater value.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points do not expire as long as you have a Chase Ultimate Rewards earning credit card that is active and you’ve transferred your points to that account.

How does cell phone coverage work on the Ink Business Preferred card?

Use your Ink Business Preferred card to pay your monthly cell phone bills and you will receive coverage automatically.

You could receive a benefit of up to $1,000 minus a $100 deductible if your cell phone is damaged or stolen. There is a limit of 3 claims per 12-month period.

Coverage is secondary to any other insurance you might have on the phone.

The primary cardholder is covered, as well as any employees. Only phones on which you pay the monthly bill with your Ink Business Preferred card are covered.

Can I have more than 1 Chase credit card?

Yes. Chase will allow you to have several credit cards.

However, Chase does have what is called a 5/24 rule that dictates whether they will approve you for a card. The rule limits the amount of any credit cards you have been approved for in the last 24 months to 5.

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About Christine Krzyszton

Christine was born in Northern Michigan but spent most of her career operating her own business developing and managing insurance and financial services offices throughout the state. Her previous experience involved building and writing business plans in the mergers and acquisitions sector in New York, as well as staffing in the insurance and financial technology software field. Her successful insurance and financial services career has been an excellent foundation from which to source her knowledge for many of Upgraded Points’ travel insurance articles.

kim December 27, 2020

I have both and if you have to keep ONE, which one?
I ended up keeping Sapphire Reserve for better benefit and larger (1.5 cents per point) travel reward.
You can also transfer from Business Ink points to Reserve!

- Christine Krzyszton December 27, 2020
  
  Hi Kim. I too kept the Sapphire Reserve for basically the same reason. Additionally, it’s a good decision if you find value in the other benefits: Pay Yourself Back, DoorDash, $300 travel credit, etc.

Ink Business Preferred Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve Card — Overview

Business Credit Cards vs. Personal Credit Cards

Pros of Running Your Business With a Business Card

Who Qualifies for a Business Credit Card

The Value of a Welcome Bonus

Ink Business Preferred Card

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

Comparing Earning Potential

Comparing Redemption Options

How the Cards Can Work Together Harmoniously

Airport Lounge Access

Ink Business Preferred Card

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

Hotel Program Benefits

Ink Business Preferred Card

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

Luxury Hotels & Resort Collection

Relais & Châteaux

Ennismore Hotels Program

Rental Car Program Benefits

Ink Business Preferred Card

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

Rideshare, Food Delivery, and Grocery Delivery Benefits

Ink Business Preferred Card

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

Statement Credits and Additional Benefits

Statement Credits

Travel Benefits and Protections

Shopping Benefits and Protections

Annual Fees and Adding Additional Users

Final Thoughts

Frequently asked questions

Which card is better, the Ink Business Preferred card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve card?

How do Ultimate Rewards points work?

How does cell phone coverage work on the Ink Business Preferred card?

Can I have more than 1 Chase credit card?

About Christine Krzyszton

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