The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card are both good choices for business cards.
The Blue Business Cash offers 2% cash back on the first $50,000 in eligible purchases annually, then 1% thereafter, with rewards automatically credited to your statement each billing cycle. This no-annual-fee card (rates & fees) provides a straightforward way for small businesses to earn cash back on expenses, though larger spenders may find more value in other options.
The Ink Preferred offers great rewards for small business owners. With bonus points on travel, shipping, advertising, and communication services, plus valuable travel protections, it’s a solid choice for companies looking to maximize their everyday spending.
This article will compare each card based on several factors to help you make an informed decision on which card is the best to add to your wallet.
Full Reviews: The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.
Overview: Blue Business Cash vs Ink Business Preferred
Welcome Bonuses
Blue Business Cash
The Blue Business Cash currently offers the following welcome bonus: bonus_miles_full
Ink Business Preferred
The Ink Business Preferred currently offers the following welcome bonus:
bonus_miles_full
Earning Rewards
Blue Business Cash
The Blue Business Cash allows business owners to earn 2% cash back on up to $50,000 in eligible purchases every calendar year. After that, the card earns 1% back.
Ink Business Preferred
The Ink Business Preferred offers several nice bonus categories that can be lucrative to small business owners, including:
- 3 points per dollar on travel;*
- 3 points per dollar on shipping purchases;*
- 3 points per dollar on internet, cable, and phone services;*
- 3 points per dollar on advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines;* and
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible spending.
The 3x bonus points are limited to the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases every account anniversary year. After reaching the $150,000 cap in these bonus categories, your earning rate drops to 1 point per dollar spent.
Winner
It depends on how you want to earn your rewards. The Blue Business Cash is perfect for business owners who don’t want to deal with spending categories.
The Ink Business Preferred is for business owners who want to maximize earning points. Your expenses should focus on travel, shipping, internet, cable, phone bills, and advertising.
Card Benefits and Perks
Blue Business Cash
The Blue Business Cash offers the following card benefits:
Intro APR: Enjoy 0% Intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening. After that, a reg_apr,reg_apr_type APR applies. APRs will not exceed 29.99%.
Expanded Buying Power: With this feature, you can flexibly spend above your credit limit based on factors like your payment history, credit record, financial profile, and other factors. While not unlimited, your spending capacity adapts as you use and manage your American Express Card.
Amex Offers: As an American Express cardholder, you can access Amex Offers. These targeted, limited-time promotions provide discounts or bonus points on purchases with select merchants. Offers are added to your card, and you’ll receive either a percentage or dollar amount back as a statement credit when you meet the offer terms. While offers vary and may not always align with your spending habits, this perk can be valuable when an offer matches your preferences.
Extended Warranty Protection: When you purchase items with your credit card, you’ll get an extra year of warranty coverage on eligible items that have original manufacturer warranties of up to five years. This valuable perk means you can protect expensive electronics and appliances that come with longer manufacturer warranties without paying extra for store protection plans*
90-Day Purchase Protection: Your new purchases are covered against damage and theft for 90 days when you use your card. This protection helps safeguard your eligible items right from the moment you buy them.*
Secondary Rental Car Insurance: This card provides backup protection for rental car damage or theft when you charge the full rental to your card.*
* Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions, and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.
Ink Business Preferred
The Ink Business Preferred offers the following benefits to cardholders:
Trip Delay Insurance: When your trip is significantly delayed due to covered reasons like equipment failures or severe weather, this protection reimburses you for reasonable expenses including lodging, meals, toiletries, and medication. The coverage activates when you pay for travel with your card and extends to family members on the same itinerary, though you’ll need to seek reimbursement from the travel carrier first.
Cell Phone Protection: When you use your card to pay your monthly phone bill, you’ll receive valuable coverage against damage or theft of your device.
Primary Rental Car Insurance: When you rent a car and pay with this card, you’ll receive comprehensive coverage including damage and theft protection. Simply decline the rental company’s collision damage waiver and charge the entire rental to your card to activate coverage. This insurance covers damage, theft, and valid loss-of-use charges worldwide.
Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance: This protection reimburses you for non-refundable, prepaid travel expenses if you need to cancel before departure or cut your trip short due to covered situations like severe illness or weather events. Coverage activates when you pay for your trip with the card, but it’s important to note that reimbursement only applies for specific covered reasons rather than any cancellation.
Extended Warranty Protection: Your purchases gain an extra year of warranty protection when bought with this card, extending manufacturer warranties of three years or less without the inflated prices of store warranty plans.
120-Day Purchase Protection: Get 120 days of protection against damage, theft, and even loss of your purchases – one of the longest windows available. This premium coverage automatically applies when you pay with your card.
No Foreign Transaction Fees: You’ll save money on every purchase while traveling internationally since this card doesn’t add the typical 3% surcharge that many other cards impose.
Winner
The Ink Business Preferred has travel protections and cell phone insurance unlike the Blue Business Cash.
Value of the Annual Fees
Blue Business Cash
The Blue Business Cash has no annual fee (rates & fees), making it an attractive option for business owners seeking a cost-effective credit card solution.
Additionally, authorized user cards can be added at no extra cost, and these users can also earn cash back rewards on their purchases.
Ink Business Preferred
The Ink Business Preferred carries a $95 annual fee, which aligns with industry standards for a business card offering this level of rewards and benefits. For most businesses, the card’s bonus categories, sign-up bonus, and additional perks will more than offset this moderate fee, providing a net positive value.
To illustrate, earning just 4,750 points annually (worth about $95 based on a 2.0 cent per point valuation) will cover the annual fee cost. This equates to spending $1,584 across the 3x bonus categories, an easily attainable target for many businesses. In fact, many businesses will earn far more than this in rewards each year, making the annual fee a minor investment for a substantial return. The key is to ensure your business spending aligns well with the card’s bonus categories and benefits to extract the maximum value possible.
Winner
The Blue Business Cash wins because it doesn’t have an annual fee.
Redeeming Rewards
Blue Business Cash
The American Express Blue Business Cash Card simplifies rewards redemption by automatically crediting earned cash back to your monthly statement.
This hands-off approach ensures you’re always benefiting from your rewards without needing to track or manually redeem them.
The cash back directly reduces your card balance, effectively lowering your business expenses with no additional action required.
Ink Business Preferred
The Ultimate Rewards points you earn with the Ink Business Preferred are among the most valuable and flexible rewards currencies available, providing many redemption options to suit your needs and preferences.
One of the simplest ways to redeem points is through the Chase Travel℠ portal, where each point is worth 1.25 cents towards travel purchases like flights, hotels, rental cars, and cruises. This option provides a straightforward way to get solid value from your points without having to worry about blackout dates, availability restrictions, or complex award charts. Plus, unlike traditional airline and hotel award bookings, you will earn points and miles on the flights and stays booked through the portal.
However, you can get more value by transferring points to Chase’s airline and hotel partners (listed below) can unlock even greater value. Points transfer to partners at a 1 to 1 ratio, such as United, Hyatt, Air Canada, and Air France. By strategically booking high-value award redemptions, you can often realize significantly more than 1.25 cents per point in value.
If you prefer simpler redemptions, you can also cash in your points for statement credits, direct deposits, gift cards, or purchases at Amazon or Apple, typically at a rate of 1 cent per point.
Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners [1 to 1]
|
||
|---|---|---|
Aer Lingus
|
Air Canada Aeroplan
|
|
Air France/KLM
|
British Airways
|
|
Emirates
|
Hyatt Hotels
|
|
Iberia
|
IHG Hotels
|
|
JetBlue
|
Marriott
|
|
Singapore
|
Southwest
|
|
United
|
Virgin Atlantic
|
|
Winner
The Ink Business Preferred is the clear winner since it offers flexible redemption options. You can even transfer your points to several airline and hotel partners. Plus, Chase points are just more valuable than cashback in general.
The Verdict
The Ink Business Preferred and Blue Business Cash cards are great options for earning rewards on business expenses.
But the Ink Business Preferred has a major advantage when it comes to redemptions. The card lets you transfer points to major airline and hotel programs like United, Air Canada, Iberia, and Hyatt.
The Blue Business Cash is also a good business card. It works well for any business because of its flat-rate rewards.
Which card are you going to choose?
- bonus_miles_full
- 2% Cash Back On Up to $50,000 Per Year (1% Thereafter)
- 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 12 Months. After that, reg_apr,reg_apr_type. APRs will not exceed 29.99%.
- No Annual Fee (rates & fees)
