The Ink Business Preferred vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve [Detailed]

BY 

Christine Krzyszton

- UPDATED: May 7, 2021   |    2

1. Credit Cards

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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 on 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® card 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 bests 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.

Business Credit Cards vs. Personal Credit Cards

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.

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 breakdown 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 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, it’s possible for your business to 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.

Welcome Bonuses

The Value of a Welcome Bonus

Ink Business Preferred Card

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 Good to Excellent Credit Recommended (670-850) 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 Chase business credit 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 50,000 points could be worth $625 when redeemed for travel.

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

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

Credit Card

Key Benefits & Info

Chase Sapphire Reserve® Apply Now (at Chase's secure site)

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Bonus Valuation*: $1,200 $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year. Through 12/31/21, gas station & grocery store purchases will also count towards earning your Travel Credit 3X points on travel immediately after earning your $300 travel credit. 3X points on dining at restaurants including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® Excellent Credit Recommended (740-850) Annual Fee: $550 Must Reads: For more on the Chase Sapphire Reserve, see our thoughts on its benefits, global airport lounge access, and travel insurance protection. Take a look here for our full review.

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

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.

Earning 3 points per dollar 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 or the Chase Sapphire Reserve. 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.

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 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 $32 each, per visit.

Hotel and Rental Car Program Benefits

Hotel Program Benefits — 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/beverage credit
• Continental breakfast for 2 daily
• Free Wi-Fi
• Late check out
• VIP treatment

Hotel Program Benefits — Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

The Chase Sapphire Reserve, 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
• Upgraded room when available
• Unique property benefit
• Free Wi-Fi

Relais & Châteaux

Receive a VIP welcome and complimentary breakfast at participating locations.

sbe 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/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 — Ink Business Preferred Card

Your Ink Business Preferred card qualifies for several benefits including discounts with several car rental companies. You’ll receive discounts with Dollar, Hertz, Silvercar, and more. You’ll also qualify for upgrades, accelerated earnings, and discounts via the Avis Access Ink Insider after registering.

Rental Car Program Benefits — Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

• National Emerald Club Executive Level membership
• Benefits and discounts with Avis
• Benefits and discounts with Silvercar by Audi

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 And Food Delivery Benefits

Rideshare And Food Delivery Benefits — Ink Business Preferred Card

The Ink Business Preferred Card earns 5 points per dollar on Lyft purchases, but doesn’t offer any other rideshare or food delivery benefits at this time.

Rideshare And Food Delivery Benefits — Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

The Sapphire Reserve card added a suite of rideshare and food delivery benefits in 2020.

On the rideshare side, the card now includes a free 1-year membership to Lyft Pink. This subscription service usually costs $19.99 per month and includes benefits like:

• 15% off car rides — 15% off all Lyft rideshare rides, regardless of type.
• Priority airport pickups — faster pickup at select airports.
• Relaxed cancellations – 3 free cancellations per month if you book a new ride within 15 minutes.
• Surprise offers — unspecified offers and seasonal discounts.
• Waived lost and found fees — no lost and found fee if you lose something in a Lyft car and it’s returned to you.
• Free bike and scooter rides – 3 free 30 minute rides per month on Lyft-operated bikes and scooters in select markets. You can view the full list of eligible cities on Lyft’s website.
• Free Grubhub+ and Seamless+ membership – free delivery over $12 and special discounts at over 200,000 restaurants ($120 annual value)

These benefits are especially valuable when paired with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card’s lucrative 10 points per dollar earning rate on Lyft purchases.

Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers also get a free DoorDash DashPass membership. This membership normally costs $9.99 per month and includes free delivery on select orders over $12 and discounted service fees. According to DoorDash, these benefits save members an average of $4 to 5 per order!

Plus, the card also includes a $60 annual DoorDash credit, so you can enjoy a few complimentary meals delivered to your door. This credit is automatically credited to your account as a statement credit after you charge a DoorDash purchase to your Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Statement Credits and Additional Benefits

Statement Credits

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

The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers several statement credits :

• Up to $100 statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
• $300 statement credit each calendar year for travel purchases
• $60 statement credit each calendar year for DoorDash purchases
• $120 Peloton Digital and All Access Membership statement credit (through December 31, 2021)

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.

update: As of June 1, 2020, the Chase Sapphire Reserves $300 travel statement credit can be applied to grocery store or gas station purchases through December 31, 2021.

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.

Shopping Benefits and Protections

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 annual fee while the premium Chase Sapphire Reserve card has a much higher fee that parallels the additional benefits that come with the card. Access current fee and rate information here for the Ink Business Preferred card and here for the Chase Sapphire Reserve 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 serves to nicely offset 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.