A $0-fee category card against a $895 premium travel-and-credit-stack card — the widest annual-fee gap in the Ink lineup's matchups. Ink Business Cash earns 5% at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone (up to $25,000/yr combined), plus 2% at gas and dining (up to $25,000/yr), for no fee at all. Amex Business Platinum earns 5x Membership Rewards on flights and prepaid hotels through Amex Travel and layers in Centurion + Priority Pass lounges plus a credit stack (Dell, Indeed, CLEAR+, hotel, airline incidentals) that only pays off if you actively work it.
Scored against our published methodology · Updated July 23, 2026
Take the 60-second quizSmall businesses with real office-supply and telecom spend. The 5% back at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services (first $25,000 combined per year) is the best $0-fee business earn rate for that spend profile — and the points are Ultimate Rewards when paired with a premium Chase card.
Find your match
American Express
Businesses with real travel volume and enough categorical spend to work the credit stack: 5x Membership Rewards on flights and prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel, 2x on eligible purchases of $5,000+ and on select business categories (up to $2 million/yr combined), Centurion + Priority Pass lounge access, and a credit stack built for operating expenses — Dell ($150 base, up to $1,000 more after $5,000 in eligible spend), Indeed (up to $360/yr), CLEAR+ ($219/yr), airline incidentals ($200/yr), and Fine Hotels + Resorts/Hotel Collection ($600/yr). At full utilization the $895 fee clears for a business that travels and spends into these buckets.
Find your matchBest for — by the numbers
Per-spec leads are computed from each issuer's published facts and our scored methodology — there is no single overall winner. Reviewed July 23, 2026. ClearValue Cards earns compensation solely through our CardRatings partnership, paid when a reader clicks out to CardRatings from our match tool. This compensation does not influence editorial scoring or ordering.
| Spec | Chase Ink Business Cash | American Express Business Platinum |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $0 | $895 |
| 0% intro APR period | 12 months | None |
| Ongoing APR (from) | 16.74% | 17.74% |
| Foreign transaction fee | 3% | None |
| Rewards score | 16/20 | 15/20 |
| Fee-structure score | 20/20 | 9/20 |
| ClearValue score | 85/100 | 67/100 |
| Late fee | Up to $40 | $39, or 2.99% of the past-due Pay in Full amount, whichever is greater |
A check marks the card that leads that spec on published figures. Rows with no marker are either tied or judgment calls (fee wording, late-fee terms) where a single "winner" would misrepresent the data.
Tap the spec you care about — we'll show which card leads on it.
For Annual fee, the Chase Ink Business Cash leads ($0).
Businesses with real office-supply and telecom spend that don't travel enough to justify a four-figure fee
The 5% office-supply/telecom rate and 2% gas/dining rate are the best $0-fee earn structure for that spend profile. There's no fee to recover, no credit stack to track, and no travel volume required — just spend that lands in the right buckets.
See your matchesBusinesses with real travel volume that will book flights/hotels through Amex Travel and can realistically use 70%+ of the credit stack
5x on Amex Travel flights and prepaid hotels plus Centurion lounge access is a different tier of benefit than anything in the Ink lineup — but only at genuine utilization. At partial credit capture, the $895 fee stops penciling fast, and Ink Cash's $0 floor starts looking better by comparison.
See your matchesBusinesses whose spend is payroll, rent, or SaaS-heavy — none of that earns a boosted rate on either card, so a flat 2% business card returns more without the category bookkeeping or the credit-stack homework. And a business with only occasional travel gets none of the Business Platinum's real value while still owing the full $895.
Weighing the numbers yourself? Run our free credit card vs. loan cost calculator.
Answer a few questions about how you spend and we'll point you to the cards that actually fit — no guesswork.
Take the 60-second quizAnnual fee
Chase Ink Business Cash: $0
American Express Business Platinum: $895
Top earn categories
Chase Ink Business Cash: 5% at office supply stores and on internet/cable/phone (up to $25,000/yr combined); 2% at gas and dining (up to $25,000/yr); 1% after caps
American Express Business Platinum: 5x on flights and prepaid hotels via Amex Travel; 2x on purchases of $5,000+ and select categories (up to $2M/yr); 1x else
Points currency
Chase Ink Business Cash: Ultimate Rewards — 1 cpp as cash; 1.5+ cpp only if paired with a Preferred or Sapphire to transfer
American Express Business Platinum: Membership Rewards — value varies by transfer partner; no fixed portal floor as strong as Chase's
Lounge access
Chase Ink Business Cash: None
American Express Business Platinum: Centurion + Priority Pass
Credit stack
Chase Ink Business Cash: None — there's no fee to recover
American Express Business Platinum: Dell (up to $1,000), Indeed (up to $360), CLEAR+ ($219), airline incidentals ($200), Fine Hotels + Resorts/Hotel Collection ($600) — merchant-locked, split across annual/semiannual timers
Foreign transaction fee
Chase Ink Business Cash: 3%
American Express Business Platinum: None
Intro APR
Chase Ink Business Cash: 0% on purchases for 12 months, then 16.74% – 24.74% variable
American Express Business Platinum: None (Pay Over Time; ongoing 17.74% – 28.49% variable)
Honest knock
Chase Ink Business Cash: The 5%/2% rates cap at $25,000/yr each, then fall to 1% — and it's a poor card abroad at 3% FX
American Express Business Platinum: The 2x tier only fires on single purchases of $5,000+ or select categories — most cardholders capture well under half the stated credit stack
Neither is universally better — it depends on how you spend. On our published 100-point methodology the Chase Ink Business Cash scores 85/100 (Solid pick) and the American Express Business Platinum scores 67/100 (Niche / conditional). Businesses with real office-supply and telecom spend that don't travel enough to justify a four-figure fee should lean Chase Ink Business Cash; businesses with real travel volume that will book flights/hotels through Amex Travel and can realistically use 70%+ of the credit stack should lean American Express Business Platinum. Take the 60-second quiz to see which fits your profile.
The Chase Ink Business Cash carries $0 (no annual fee), sourced from the issuer's published Schumer Box as of July 16, 2026. The American Express Business Platinum carries $895, as of July 22, 2026. Fees change — confirm the current number at the issuer before you decide.
For purchases outside the U.S., the American Express Business Platinum is the cleaner pick — it charges no foreign transaction fee, versus 3% on the Chase Ink Business Cash.
We score every card across five dimensions — effective rewards, fee structure, audience fit, transparency, and the weakness named — 0–20 each for a 100-point total. The Chase Ink Business Cash earned 85/100 and the American Express Business Platinum earned 67/100. Scoring follows our published methodology and is never influenced by compensation.
Independent editorial comparison. ClearValue Cards is not a card issuer, a bank, or a lender. ClearValue Cards earns compensation solely through our CardRatings partnership, paid when a reader clicks out to CardRatings from our match tool. This compensation does not influence editorial scoring or ordering. Card facts are sourced from each issuer's published Schumer Box and terms — confirm current numbers at the issuer. See disclosure.
