Ink Business Preferred Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve Card [Detailed Comparison]

Key Takeaways

• The Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card earns 3x points on up to $150,000 in combined purchases on travel, shipping, social media advertising, internet, cable, and phone services, and 1x points on everything else.
• The Chase Sapphire Reserve^® offers 8x points on travel booked through Chase Travel, 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly, and 3x points on dining worldwide, along with statement credits and excellent travel insurance benefits.
• Either card can be a great choice depending on your spending, preferred perks, and the annual fee you are willing to pay.

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 travel style.

The 2 Chase travel rewards cards we’re comparing today are among the best Chase offers. Both cards earn valuable Ultimate Rewards points, offer elevated travel earnings, and deliver elevated value at redemption time.

While the Ink Business Preferred 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 complement each other.

Overview

Business Credit Cards vs. Personal Credit Cards

You may not think you need a business credit card. Perhaps you’ve been doing 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 separate personal and business expenses. 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’s time to file your taxes, having all your business expenses well-organized make the filing process easier. You 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 such costs.
• Business cards have more spending power: Business credit cards generally have higher spending or credit limits than personal credit cards, and they allow you to add employees to your card, enabling you to track all of your business’s spending.
• Rewards: Earning rewards on all your business spending allows you to reinvest that income in your business or use the rewards to offset travel expenses. Business credit cards often offer higher rewards for business category expenses.
• Build your business credit history: Initially, your personal credit plays a key role in whether you are approved for a business credit card. This is because you are personally responsible for the debt. Over time, your business can establish its own credit history.

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 revised their policies for business credit cards in positive ways for customers.

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. Even the IRS recognizes that a small operation can be eligible as a business in its 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 business activity and good credit, you may be eligible 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.

Value of a Welcome Offer

We’ll begin the comparison of our featured cards by reviewing the welcome offers of each card.

Immediately after card approval, you have the opportunity to earn a welcome bonus offer by meeting minimum spending requirements within a specified period.

This is a unique opportunity to earn numerous rewards quickly. Here are the most current welcome offers on the Ink Business Preferred card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Ink Business Preferred Card

Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Ink Business Preferred card is hard to beat, with a huge welcome bonus offer and 3x points per $1 on the first $150,000 in so many business categories.

Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card

The Ink Business Preferred card is hard to beat, with a huge welcome bonus offer and 3x points per $1 on the first $150,000 in so many business categories.

Welcome Offer

Earn 90k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

90,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$1,800

Annual Fee

$95

APR

19.99% - 25.99% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

The Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card is a powerhouse for earning lots of points from your business purchases, especially for business owners that spend regularly on ads.

Plus the card offers flexible redemption options, including access to Chase airline and hotel transfer partners where you can achieve outsized value.

Business owners will also love the protections the card provides like excellent cell phone insurance, rental car insurance, purchase protection, and more.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 3x Ultimate Rewards points per $1 on up to $150,000 in combined purchases on internet, cable and phone services, shipping expenses, travel, and ads purchased with search engines or social media sites
• Cell phone protection
• Purchase protection

Cons

• No elite travel benefits like airport lounge access

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 90k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 cash back or $1,125 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠
• Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
• Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
• With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
• Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
• Points are worth more when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠
• Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.99% - 25.99% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

The Ink Business Preferred card allows you to redeem your Ultimate Rewards points for up to 1.75 cents per point on the Chase Travel portal with Points Boost offers. With this valuation, a welcome offer of 100,000 points could be worth $1,750 when redeemed for travel via a Points Boost flight offer.

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

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

NEW OFFER

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.

Welcome Offer

Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

125,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$2,500

Annual Fee

$795

APR

19.99% - 28.49% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Excellent

Why We Like This Card

If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® is one of the best options.

The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like worldwide airport lounge access, with excellent point earning and redemption options. Plus, it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to cover you at home or on the road.

Don’t forget the more than $2,000 in annual credits, which can offset the annual fee!

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 8x points on all Chase Travel purchases
• 5x points on Lyft rides
• 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly

Cons

• $795 annual fee

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Get more than $2,700 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
• Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
• $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge^® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck^® every 4 years
• Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
• Get complimentary Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music — all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 — a value of $250 annually
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.99% - 28.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Welcome bonus offers are ever-changing, but there is always the opportunity to receive great value. Each Ultimate Rewards point could be worth up to 2 cents when you use Points Boost to redeem for travel via the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. A 100,000-point welcome bonus could equate to up to $2,000 in travel value.

Like the Ink Business Preferred card, you may receive higher value by transferring points to the Chase Travel partners.

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 flexible redemption options, which we’ll explain shortly.

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

Earning 8x points on travel booked through Chase Travel and 4x points on direct bookings of airfare and hotels is a significant feature of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. If you spend heavily on dining or delivery, you’ll also appreciate earning 3x points on every dining purchase.

Business owners won’t have to decide where to earn rewards on travel purchases, as the Ink Business Preferred card earns 3x points on all travel and select business purchases.

Bottom Line: Both of our featured cards earn elevated rewards on select travel. You realize 3x earnings on all your travel purchases with the Ink Business Preferred card, while the Chase Sapphire Reserve card has strong earnings on travel through Chase Travel and when booking directly through the airline or hotel.

Redemption Options

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

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

Currently, 13 Chase travel partners allow transfers at a 1:1 ratio, including 10 airlines and 3 hotel partners.

Bottom Line: Both the Ink Business Preferred card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offer several flexible redemption options. You can redeem points for as much as 2 cents per point on the Chase Travel portal with Points Boost, transfer points to travel partners for even greater potential value, or receive 1 cent per point in value as a statement credit. 

How the Cards Can Work Together

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

Points earned on the Ink Business Preferred card can be redeemed for up to 1.75 cents per point on Chase Travel. However, if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you can transfer points to that card and redeem them for up to 2 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 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 for even greater potential value.

Of course, Chase does have some rules when it comes to applying for their cards. Review Chase’s 5/24 requirements before applying for any Chase card.

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

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 $120 statement credit for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck
• $300 statement credit each cardmember anniversary year for travel purchases
• $500 in credits with the Edit hotel collection. These are two separate $250 credits, one for January through June and the other for July through December. A minimum 2-night stay is required.
• $300 annual dining credit with Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables, available for booking on OpenTable, delivered in 2 separate $150 biannual credits.
• $300 annual StubHub credit for concert and event ticket purchases, delivered in 2 separate $150 biannual credits for StubHub and viagogo
• $250 annual in annual value with complimentary subscriptions to Apple TV+ and Apple Music (separate activation required)
• Up to $120 in annual statement credits toward Peloton memberships

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.

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 most of these locations accessible with the card’s complimentary Priority Pass Select membership.

Worldwide lounge properties include:

• Chase Sapphire Lounge by the Club (via Priority Pass)
• Priority Pass lounges
• Chase Sapphire Terrace
• Select Air Canada Maple Leaf lounges

Get complimentary access for yourself plus up to 2 additional guests, based on space availability. Any extra guests, if accepted, incur a fee.

Hotel Program Privileges

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 offers the Edit, a hotel booking platform through Chase Travel, which provides exclusive benefits for select Chase cardholders.

In addition to using the annual $500 Edit statement credit, cardholders receive additional benefits when booking a minimum 2-night stay.

The Edit Benefits

• Daily breakfast for 2
• Early check-in and late checkout, subject to availability
• Room upgrade when available
• $100 on-site property credit
• Free Wi-Fi

Rental Car Program Perks

Ink Business Preferred Card

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

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

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

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. 

Ride-Sharing Benefits

Ink Business Preferred Card

The Ink Business Preferred card earns 5x points or 5% cash back on Lyft purchases (through September 30, 2027), but doesn’t offer any other ride-sharing benefits at this time.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card earns 5 points per $1 on Lyft, plus a $10 monthly in-app credit, up to $120 in credits annually (through September 30, 2027).

Food and Grocery Delivery Benefits

The Ink Business Preferred card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card receive a complimentary DashPass subscription for at least 12 months (must be activated by December 31, 2027).

Ink Business Preferred Card

Cardmembers receive $10 in DoorDash credits for purchases other than restaurants each month.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

Cardmembers receive up to $300 annually in monthly DoorDash promotions. The credits include a $5 restaurant credit and 2 $10 nonrestaurant credits that can be spent on groceries, electronics, and more. Credits do not carry over from one month to the next.

Travel Benefits and Protections

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

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

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers better overall travel benefits and protections, including 4 free roadside assistance calls per year, limited medical and dental coverage, evacuation insurance, and higher limits on certain protections.

Shopping Benefits and Protections

Shopping benefits can help save you money, while protections can provide economic relief should something go wrong with an eligible purchase.

Here are the shopping benefits and protections on the Ink Business Preferred card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

The Ink Business Preferred card may have the edge if you can use your card to pay your monthly wireless bill, allowing you to receive valuable cell phone protection.

We’ve abbreviated benefit descriptions here, but each card’s guide to benefits contains full descriptions and the terms and conditions.

Bottom Line: While travel and shopping benefits alone are not key reasons for selecting a rewards-earning credit card, they add value and can influence your card selection. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers better overall travel insurance protection, while the Ink Business Preferred card has an edge in shopping protections, with cell phone protection.

Annual Fees and 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 $795 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 $195 per authorized user.

Additional users on both cards can share the card benefits provided, including key benefits such as cell phone protection 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 purchases is a wise decision. The Ink Business Preferred card offers solid earning potential, flexible redemption options, and travel and shopping protections, all for a lower annual fee.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card pairs well with the Ink Business Preferred card, offering elevated benefits and greater value at redemption time. It also provides an easy-to-use $300 annual travel statement credit, a $300 dining credit each year, and several other valuable credits that can help offset the annual fee. Complimentary worldwide lounge access is also a valuable perk for frequent travelers.

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.