Ink Business Premier Card vs. Ink Business Preferred Card [Detailed Comparison]

In this post, we put the New Business Card! Ink Business Premier℠ Credit Card up against the Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card to help you decide which Chase business card is a better fit for you.

We break down everything you need to know about each card, including their earn rates, benefits, redemption options, fees, and protection benefits. Let’s jump right in!

Ink Business Premier Card vs. Ink Business Preferred Card — Summary

Before we get into more detail, here is a quick breakdown of what each card can offer you.

Bottom Line: Both cards have a lot of similarities, but the key differences come down to their rewards structure, with the Ink Business Premier card more focused on cash-back, while the Ink Business Preferred card is tailored towards travel.

The Value of a Welcome Bonus

Credit card welcome bonuses are a great way to earn a sizeable sum of rewards rather quickly. Here is what each card can offer you.

Ink Business Premier Card

With the Ink Business Premier card, you can earn a generous cash-back bonus after meeting the minimum spend requirement. That said, while this cash-back will technically come in the form of Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you won’t have access to any of the Chase travel transfer partners, nor can you transfer your points to a card that does.

All points earned with the card are worth a fixed 1 cent per point, regardless if you decide to redeem them for cash-back, travel, or another option. That said, earning cash-back from the welcome bonus is certainly a great benefit.

Ink Business Preferred Card

New Ink Business Preferred cardholders can earn a considerable number of Chase Ultimate Rewards points after meeting the card’s minimum spend requirement. These points can be redeemed at 1 cent per point for cash-back, 1.25 cents per point through the Chase travel portal (a 25% bonus), or transferred to one of the Chase travel transfer partners where you can unlock redemptions that can easily yield 3+ cents per point.

Due to this flexibility, we value this form of Chase Ultimate Rewards points at 2 cents per point, making a 100,000-point welcome bonus, for example, worth $2,000 in our view.

Earning Potential

One of the most important items to consider when deciding on a new card is how many rewards it can help you earn on your purchases.

When it comes to travel, select advertising, and shipping, along with internet, cable, and phone service purchases, you’d fare better by using the Ink Business Preferred card on these purchases below $150,000 in combined annual spend. Even if you prefer cash-back rewards, the 3x points can be cashed out at 1 cent per point, giving you at least 3% cash-back on these purchases — though you can also get significantly more value when redeemed for travel.

Where the Ink Business Premier card shines is its flat 2% cash-back on all purchases and 2.5% cash-back on all purchases over $5,000. Given that, if your business expenses are quite diverse and don’t regularly fall within specific categories, or you often make purchases in excess of $5,000, then the Ink Business Premier card might be a great option for you.

Redemption Options

Ink Business Premier Card

While the rewards earned with the Ink Business Premier card are branded as Chase Ultimate Rewards points, they don’t have the same capabilities as those earned with the Ink Business Preferred card.

Your points will always be worth 1 cent per point and can be redeemed as cash-back to offset purchases made with the card, towards travel purchases made through the Chase travel portal, for gift cards with over 150 different brands, or for Apple products through the Ultimate Rewards store.

Ink Business Preferred Card

Cardholders of the Ink Business Preferred card have a plethora of redemption options, which is why the card is one of our favorite business credit cards.

At Upgraded Points, we love transferring our Chase Ultimate Rewards points to one of the high-value Chase travel transfer partners such as World of Hyatt, Air Canada, or Virgin Atlantic. This way, you can book luxury flights and hotel stays for a fraction of what the standard cash cost would be.

However, for those looking for solid travel redemption with more flexibility, you can redeem your points directly through the Chase travel portal to offset virtually any type of travel purchase for 1.25 cents per point — a 25% bonus. At this value, 100,000 points would get you $1,250 worth of travel toward flights, lodging, rental cars, and more.

Lastly, you still have the option of redeeming your points for cash-back at 1 cent per point, or even gift cards and direct shopping with select merchants at the same rate.

Bottom Line: In terms of flexibility and the ability to get outsized value, the Ink Business Preferred card really takes the cake here. That said, if you are only interested in cash-back rewards, then both cards can be a great option. 

Statement Credits

Neither the Ink Business Premier card nor the Ink Business Preferred card offers any sort of statement credits to help offset either card’s annual fee.

Hot Tip: If you’re interested in a credit card that offers a specific type of statement credit, read through our complete guide covering each type of credit card statement credit.

Travel Protections

Here is how each card keeps you covered during your travels:

Both cards offer some solid perks, like no foreign transaction fees, which is a must-have for any business owner who makes purchases internationally, and primary rental car insurance. However, we have to give a slight edge to the Ink Business Preferred card thanks to its inclusion of trip cancellation/interruption insurance, which can really come in handy if your trip is disrupted due to a covered situation.

Shopping Benefits and Protections

Both cards offer identical shopping protections, which can be incredibly useful to cardholders, including:

• Chase Offers — Discounts with select merchants
• Purchase Protection — Covers new purchases against damage or theft for up to 120 days from purchase with up to $10,000 in coverage per claim and $50,000 per account
• Extended Warranty Coverage — Extends a U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by an additional year on eligible warranties of 3 years or less
• Cell Phone Protection — Offers up to $1,000 in coverage per claim against covered theft or damage for you and any employees listed on your monthly bill when you pay it with your card, up to 3 claims in a 12-month period with a $100 deductible per claim

Annual Fees and Adding Authorized Users

Annual Fees

The annual fee for the Ink Business Premier card is $195, while the annual fee for the Ink Business Preferred card is $95. Be sure to keep this difference in mind when weighing the merits and benefits of each card to decide which is the better fit for you.

Authorized Users

Neither card charges for adding employee cards. This is a great option for business owners looking to earn the most rewards possible. Of course, you can easily monitor the transactions across all cards, along with setting individual spending limits.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there is plenty to like about both the Ink Business Premier card and the Ink Business Preferred card. Deciding which card is the better fit for you will come down to what rewards setup you prefer and what type of business expenses you have.

If you’re primarily looking for cash-back and you have diverse business expenses or a large number of expenses that exceed $5,000, then the Ink Business Premier card would likely be better suited for you.

On the other hand, if you prefer flexible rewards with access to travel transfer partners and have a large number of expenses that fall within the travel, shipping, advertising, and utility categories, you would likely fare better with the Ink Business Preferred card.