Amex Business Platinum’s 150K vs. Chase Ink Business Preferred’s 90K Welcome Offer

We’re big fans of both The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express and Chase’s Ink Business Preferred^® Card. While both are excellent choices, they cater to different business needs.

Each program — Amex Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards — certainly has its own merits. For example, Membership Rewards are often better for flights, while Ultimate Rewards may be better for hotel stays.

When deciding on a business card, the welcome offer and annual fee are major elements to consider, especially since the yearly membership fee is due shortly after approval. Here’s a side-by-side comparison to help you pick the better business card for you.

Ink Business Preferred Card vs. Amex Business Platinum Card

The Ink Business Preferred card is more affordable, with a $95 annual fee. It also has better earning rates on regular business expenses like shipping and advertising. However, it doesn’t have travel perks like airport lounge access.

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

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.

Apply Now(at Chase's secure site)

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. That's $900 cash back or $1,125 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠.

90,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$1,800

Annual Fee

$95

APR

20.24% - 26.24% 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 cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

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

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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 25% 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: 20.24% - 26.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: $0

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

It earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which can be transferred to several loyalty programs, including Air Canada Aeroplan, United MileagePlus, and World of Hyatt. Alternatively, you can redeem at a fixed rate of 1.25 cents per point toward flights, hotels, and other travel booked with Chase Travel. However, when leveraging transfer partners, we value Ultimate Rewards points at 2.0 cents per point.

Meanwhile, the Amex Business Platinum card has more premium benefits but a much higher $695 annual fee (rates and fees). Some of these perks require prior enrollment but include airport lounge access, complimentary elite status with Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy, and business-friendly statement credits.

LIMITED TIME TRAVEL OFFER

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express

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.

This card is ideal for business travelers who enjoy luxury travel and are looking for a card loaded with benefits!

Apply Now(at Amex's secure site)

The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express

This card is ideal for business travelers who enjoy luxury travel and are looking for a card loaded with benefits!

Welcome Offer

Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Business Platinum Card^® within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, earn a $500 statement credit after you spend $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel with your Business Platinum Card^® within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You can earn one or both of these offers. Offer ends 6/30/25.

150,000 points + $500 statement credit

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $3,800

Annual Fee

$695

APR

18.49% - 27.49% 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 cardapplication.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express is a premium travel rewards card tailored toward business owners who are frequent travelers with a high number of annual expenses.

When you factor in the large number of perks that the card offers like the best airport lounge access at over 1,400 lounges, along with tons of annual credits, it’s easy to see why this card can is a top option for frequent traveling business owners.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x Membership Rewards points per $1 on flights, prepaid hotels, and short-term rentals and prepaid flight and hotel packages booked through Amex Travel
• Access to over 1,400 worldwide airport lounges as part of the American Express Global Lounge Collection (as of 10/2024).
• Get 50% more Membership Rewards points (1.5 points per $1) on eligible purchases in key business categories, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more (on up to $2 million per calendar year)

Cons

• High annual fee of $695 (rates & fees)
• Airline fee credit does not cover airfare, only incidentals like checked bags

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Card Highlights

• Limited Time Travel Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on your Business Platinum Card^® within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, earn a $500 statement credit after you spend $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel with your Business Platinum Card^® within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You can earn one or both of these offers. Offer ends 6/30/25.
• The American Express Global Lounge Collection^® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market as of 10/2024.
• Unlock over $1,000 in statement credits on select purchases, including tech, recruiting and wireless in the first year of membership with the Business Platinum Card^®. Enrollment required.
• Fly like a pro with a $200 Airline Fee Credit. Select one qualifying airline to receive up to $200 back per year on baggage fees and other incidentals.
• NEW! Make the Business Platinum Card^® work even harder for you. Hilton For Business members get up to $200 back per calendar year when you make an eligible purchase at Hilton properties across the globe. Benefit enrollment required.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards^® points for flights, prepaid hotels, and short-term rentals and prepaid flight + hotel packages booked at AmexTravel.com. 1X points on other eligible purchases.
• Earn 1.5X points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on each eligible purchase at US construction material, hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers, and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more, on up to $2 million per Card Account per calendar year. Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus.
• $199 CLEAR^® Plus Credit: Use your card and get up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year on your CLEAR^® Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use the Business Platinum Card^®.
• $695 Annual Fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 18.49% - 27.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

The card earns American Express Membership Rewards points, which we value at 2.2 cents apiece. You’ll get the best value when transferring Amex points to its loyalty programs, with some of our favorites being ANA Mileage Club and Avianca LifeMiles. You can redeem points through AmexTravel.com and get 1 cent per point toward flights, plus a 35% Pay With Points rebate on select flights, which we’ll talk more about later on.

Comparing Welcome Bonus Offers

New applicants can earn welcome offers that can provide thousands of dollars in value when redeemed for travel. Here, I’ll break them down and show you some creative ways to redeem each welcome offer.

Ink Business Preferred Card

Here is the Ink Business Preferred card’s current welcome offer:

• Earn 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.

This is worth $1,800 based on our Ultimate Rewards valuation of 2.0 cents per point.

This is an excellent welcome offer, especially for a card with a $95 annual fee. While the $8,000 spending requirement can be a lot to spend over 3 months, many business owners can earn the offer quickly by paying everyday business expenses with the card.

90,000 Ultimate Rewards points, plus the points you earn when spending toward the bonus, are enough to book a handful of luxury travel experiences. For example, you can fly from New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA) in Singapore Airlines business class for 81,000 points and $5.60 in taxes and fees if you transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.

Likewise, when you transfer to World of Hyatt, you can book high-end hotels like the Park Hyatt Chicago for as low as 21,000 points per night. This recently renovated 5-star hotel is one of the most luxurious in Chicago.

Or, if you’d prefer to take multiple trips around the U.S., you can transfer points to United MileagePlus and redeem them for low-cost domestic tickets. United award tickets are priced dynamically, but you can often find short-haul flights for as low as 8,800 miles.

Alternatively, you can redeem points at 1.25 cents per point through the Chase Travel booking portal. This means the 90,000-point bonus is worth $1,125 toward these reservations — not bad for a single welcome offer.

Amex Business Platinum Card

The Amex Business Platinum card is also offering a higher-than-usual welcome offer:

• LIMITED TIME TRAVEL OFFER: Earn 150,000 points after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Plus, earn a $500 statement credit after spending $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel in the first 3 months. Offer ends 6/30/25.

This is a much higher spending requirement than the Ink Business Preferred card, but it’s worth significantly more. The 150,000-point bonus is worth $3,300 per our Membership Rewards valuation of 2.2 cents per point. Plus, if you plan to spend $2,500 on eligible flights during the same time frame, the $500 back is effectively a 20% discount.

Amex Membership Rewards points can be transferred to 20+ partner loyalty programs, including Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, which we mentioned in the last section.

Other good options include transferring points to ANA Mileage Club, where you can redeem 100,000 points for a round-trip business class flight from the U.S. to Europe on Star Alliance airlines, such as United Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, and LOT Polish Airlines.

If you need to book a domestic flight, you might consider transferring to Delta SkyMiles. You can often find short-haul award tickets for under 10,000 SkyMiles on off-peak dates. However, Delta prices all award tickets dynamically, so expect to pay more on holidays and during the peak summer travel season.

If you’d prefer to redeem for hotel stays, Membership Rewards points transfer to Hilton Honors at a 1-to-2 transfer ratio. This means 150,000 points transfer to 300,000 Hilton points, enough to book high-end properties like the Conrad Maldives, which costs 140,000 points per night when Standard Room Awards are available.

The Amex Business Platinum card’s 35% Pay With Points rebate is another good way to redeem Membership Rewards points. When you book flights through AmexTravel.com at a rate of 1 cent per point, you’ll get 35% of your points back on eligible flights — including all business and first class tickets and any flights with your selected airline. The rebate typically appears in your account within 6 to 10 weeks.

Final Thoughts

The Ink Business Preferred card and the Amex Business Platinum card both offer limited-time welcome bonuses that can fund your upcoming travel. Before you apply, however, carefully consider which card is best for your business.

The Ink Business Preferred card offers a lower welcome bonus offer and a significantly lower annual fee. Meanwhile, the Amex Business Platinum card offers $3,300+ in value from its welcome offer and is packed with travel perks, but it does carry a much higher annual fee.