A mid-tier travel-earner against a premium credit-stack card, nine times the annual fee apart. Ink Business Preferred ($95) earns 3x Ultimate Rewards on travel, shipping, internet/cable/phone, and advertising (up to $150,000/yr) with no lounge access to speak of. Amex Business Platinum ($895) earns 5x 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 22, 2026
Take the 60-second quizSmall business owners spending $5,000+/yr on travel, shipping, internet/cable/phone, or advertising (search + social) — the 3x category at $150k cap annually transfers to United at our 1.5 cpp benchmark for real value. Chase cut Ultimate Rewards → Hyatt transfers from 1:1 to 4:3 for this card (June 2026); United remains 1:1.
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 22, 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 Preferred | American Express Business Platinum |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $95 | $895 |
| 0% intro APR period | None | None |
| Ongoing APR (from) | 17.74% | 17.74% |
| Foreign transaction fee | None | None |
| Rewards score | 17/20 | 15/20 |
| Fee-structure score | 16/20 | 9/20 |
| ClearValue score | 83/100 | 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" wouldn't be honest to the data.
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For Annual fee, the Chase Ink Business Preferred leads ($95).
Businesses spending $5,000+/yr on travel, shipping, internet/cable/phone, or advertising that don't need lounge access
The $150,000/yr 3x bucket is broad and the categories are common small-business spend. At 1.25 cpp in the Chase travel portal — or more via Hyatt/United transfers — the $95 fee clears itself many times over without any credit-stack homework.
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 than anything in the Ink lineup — but only at genuine utilization. At partial credit capture, the $895 fee stops penciling fast.
See your matchesBusinesses whose travel spend is occasional or low-dollar — neither card's earn structure rewards infrequent travel, and the Business Platinum's credit stack in particular requires calendar-year and semiannual activation discipline most owners won't maintain.
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Take the 60-second quizAnnual fee
Chase Ink Business Preferred: $95
American Express Business Platinum: $895
Top earn categories
Chase Ink Business Preferred: 3x on travel, shipping, internet/cable/phone, and advertising (up to $150,000/yr)
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 value
Chase Ink Business Preferred: 1.25 cpp in the Chase travel portal; more via Hyatt/United transfers
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 Preferred: None
American Express Business Platinum: Centurion + Priority Pass
Credit stack
Chase Ink Business Preferred: None — the fee is recovered purely through earn rate
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 Preferred: None
American Express Business Platinum: None
Honest knock
Chase Ink Business Preferred: The categories are narrowly defined — audit your P&L against them before the $95 pencils out
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 Preferred scores 83/100 (Solid pick) and the American Express Business Platinum scores 67/100 (Niche / conditional). Businesses spending $5,000+/yr on travel, shipping, internet/cable/phone, or advertising that don't need lounge access should lean Chase Ink Business Preferred; 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 Preferred carries $95, sourced from the issuer's published Schumer Box as of July 14, 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.
Businesses spending $5,000+/yr on travel, shipping, internet/cable/phone, or advertising that don't need lounge access tend to do better with the Chase Ink Business Preferred; businesses with real travel volume that will book flights/hotels through Amex Travel and can realistically use 70%+ of the credit stack with the American Express Business Platinum. If neither describes you cleanly, take the 60-second quiz for a match.
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 Preferred earned 83/100 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.
