Ink Business Premier Card vs. Amex Blue Business Plus Card [Detailed Comparison]

As a business owner, you’re increasingly becoming aware of tools and products that will help you either run your business more smoothly or enhance your profit margins.

Luckily, credit cards are one of the best ways to achieve both goals. In this article, we’ll pit a top Chase business card against a top Amex business card to help determine which is right for you.

We’re going to be comparing the Ink Business Premier℠ Credit Card with The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express. We hope that by the end of this article, you’ll have an idea as to which of the 2 cards are best for you.

Ink Business Premier Card vs. Amex Blue Business Plus Card — Overview

The Ink Business Premier card and Amex Blue Business Plus card are both superb credit cards for the right business owner.

Here’s a bird’s eye view of what each card has to offer:

At the most basic level, the Ink Business Premier card is a cash-back rewards credit card that appeals mostly to high-spending business owners that need travel insurance and no preset spending limit.

The Amex Blue Business Plus card earns rewards more efficiently than the Ink Business Premier card for lower-spending business owners that can stay under the 2x points cap of $50,000 per calendar year.

The Value of a Welcome Offer

The best short-term way to get value from a credit card is usually in the form of an attractive welcome bonus.

In this case, the Ink Business Premier card will almost always offer a larger welcome bonus than the Amex Blue Business Plus card.

This is understandable since the Ink Business Premier card also has a higher ongoing cost in the form of a higher annual fee than the Amex Blue Business Plus card.

Here are the welcome offers currently available on both cards:

The Amex Blue Business Plus also currently offers an attractive 0.0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable rate, 18.49% - 26.49%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors at account opening. APRs will not exceed 29.99%, which is a huge pro for those looking for a business credit card with 0 APR. (rates and fees).

Cash-back vs. Amex Membership Rewards Points

When you use the Ink Business Premier card, you’ll earn cash-back instead of Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

This is both a blessing and a curse because, on one side of the coin, you won’t have to worry about the complexities of transfer partners and award availability.

On the other side of the coin, though, you’ll be reducing the value you’d be getting from your spending by sticking with cash-back rewards.

The Amex Blue Business Plus card earns coveted Amex Membership Rewards points, which are worth around 2.2 cents each.

Now, let’s take a look at the earning potential and redemption options for both cards.

Earning Potential

Since we value Amex Membership Rewards points at 2.2 cents each, we’re looking at a 4.4% return on spending on purchases for the first $50,000 in purchases from the Amex Blue Business Plus card, which outperforms the Ink Business Premier card.

Even so, the Ink Business Premier card offers 5% cash-back on travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal — and if you spend more than $50,000 per calendar year, the spending beyond that only earns a 2.2% return on spending with the Amex Blue Business Plus card.

One of the biggest value propositions of the Ink Business Premier card is that rewards are not capped at all, which means you can earn bonus cash-back on purchases year-round without worrying about hitting a ceiling.

Redemption Options

The rewards on the Ink Business Premier card can only be redeemed for a fixed value. Here are the ways to redeem your cash-back:

On the other hand, Amex Membership Rewards points can be used much more flexibly for potentially outsized value:

The most valuable redemption pathway for Amex Membership Rewards points is to transfer points to airlines and hotels to book luxury award travel on business and first class flights or 5-star hotels.

On certain flights, you can get more than 10 cents per point of value, which is multiple times more valuable than our 2.2 cents per point valuation.

Still, this represents a small percentage of flights overall, which makes it more restrictive to pursue award travel than simple cash-back through the Ink Business Premier card.

Travel Benefits and Protections

One of the major areas in which the differences between the Ink Business Premier card and the Amex Blue Business Plus card become most apparent is travel benefits and protections.

In this section, we’ll walk you through what each card offers in major travel features.

Rental Car Insurance

When you’re booking a rental car, you want to make sure you’re covered if your car is stolen or damaged. That’s where your credit card’s car rental coverage can come in handy.

The Ink Business Premier card offers primary rental car insurance when renting for business or outside of the U.S. Coverage is secondary for personal rentals in the U.S.

The coverage you’ll get from the Amex Blue Business Plus card is secondary — this is significantly inferior to the Ink Business Premier card.

Either way, you’ll get coverage by paying for your rental car booking using your card and declining the collision damage waiver/loss damage waiver (CDW/LDW).

Trip Interruption and Cancellation Insurance

If you suddenly have your trip interrupted or canceled due to a severe illness, injury, inclement weather, or death, your Ink Business Premier card gets you up to $5,000 per trip in coverage.

The Amex Blue Business Plus card offers no trip interruption or cancellation insurance.

Trip Delay Reimbursement

While you’re traveling, if your trip is delayed on a common carrier for more than 12 hours (or if the delay requires an overnight stay), you can get up to $500 per ticket in reimbursements using the Ink Business Premier card.

The Amex Blue Business Plus card has no trip delay reimbursement coverage.

Baggage Delay Insurance

The Ink Business Premier card has up to $500 in baggage delay insurance if you’re unfortunate enough to experience this while traveling.

Your baggage delay coverage kicks in if your baggage is delayed by more than 6 hours on a covered trip; you are eligible to get up to $100 per day for up to 5 days towards essentials, toiletries, and so on.

The Amex Blue Business Plus card doesn’t offer baggage delay insurance.

Lost Luggage Reimbursement

If your baggage is lost, not delayed, then you could be eligible for even more reimbursements.

When you use your Ink Business Premier card for your common carrier ticket, you’ll receive up to $3,000 per person per trip in reimbursements for lost or damaged luggage.

Keep in mind that for jewelry, watches, cameras, video recorders, and other electronics, there’s also another limit of $500 total per trip.

The Amex Blue Business Plus card has no lost luggage reimbursement policy.

Travel Accident Insurance

The Ink Business Premier card can get you up to $500,000 in travel accident insurance in the event that a terrible accident occurs on a common carrier ticket while traveling.

The Amex Blue Business Plus card has no travel accident insurance.

Roadside Dispatch

If you’re traveling and you need roadside assistance while you’re on the road, the Ink Business Premier card can help you get roadside service for a flat rate of $69.95 per service call, and this covers:

• Fuel delivery (up to 5 gallons, plus the cost of fuel)
• Jump starting
• Lockout service (key replacement not included)
• Standard towing (up to 5 miles)
• Standard winching
• Tire changing (must have a good, inflated spare)

The Amex Blue Business Plus card doesn’t offer roadside assistance.

Travel and Emergency Assistance Services

The last set of travel benefits and protections is travel and emergency assistance services.

If you suddenly find yourself in an emergency while traveling, you can use your credit card to get referrals to service providers that can help you while you’re away from home, 24/7, 365 days a year.

The Amex Blue Business Plus card also offers this in the form of the Global Assist Hotline.

Here are the types of services that are typically covered:

Remember, the Ink Business Premier card and Amex Blue Business Plus card only cover referral services — you are solely financially responsible for any services utilized.

Shopping Benefits and Protections

Now that we’ve parsed out which card offers various types of travel protections and insurance, let’s dive into the coverage you’ll get when you transact using your credit card outside of travel.

Purchase Protection

One of the most important protective benefits you can get from a credit card while shopping is purchase protection, which allows you to get reimbursed if you bought something and that item is damaged or stolen within a set number of days after the purchase is made.

The Ink Business Premier card allows you to enjoy coverage for up to 120 days after the date of purchase with a maximum reimbursed amount of $10,000 per claim and a maximum of $50,000 in total reimbursements per calendar year.

On the other hand, the Amex Blue Business Plus card covers you for 90 days after the date of purchase with a maximum reimbursed amount of $1,000 per claim and a maximum of $50,000 in total reimbursements per calendar year.

Extended Warranty

Did you know that your credit card can add an extra warranty on top of whatever manufacturer’s warranty is given to you from your purchased item?

Well, on eligible warranties of 3 years or less, the Ink Business Premier card adds 1 additional year, and this extended warranty policy could reimburse you up to $10,000 per claim and up to $50,000 per calendar year.

The Amex Blue Business Plus card adds 1 additional year for eligible warranties of 5 years or less, with a capped reimbursement amount of $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per calendar year.

Cell Phone Protection

When you charge your monthly cell phone bill to some credit cards, you can enjoy a cell phone protection policy that covers you in the event that your phone gets stolen or damaged.

The Ink Business Premier card offers cell phone protection with a maximum reimbursement amount of $1,000 per claim (with a $100 deductible per claim) and up to 3 approved claims every 12 months.

At the moment, the Amex Blue Business Plus card does not offer cell phone protection as a benefit.

No Preset Spending Limit

The Ink Business Premier card is unique in that it has no preset spending limit. In fact, this card is one of the few business cards out there that can facilitate large, frequent transactions, assuming Chase feels comfortable enough with your payment history, the nature of your business, and your income.

However, because the Ink Business Premier card is also known as a Pay In Full card, you usually can’t carry a balance with this card — you need to pay off your card’s balance in full every month.

There are some exceptions, though, because the Ink Business Premier card has a feature called Flex for Business, enabling you to use a portion of your credit limit for eligible purchases to carry those balances over time (with interest).

The Amex Blue Business Plus card enjoys a benefit known as Expanded Buying Power, which allows you to get certain purchases approved beyond your credit limit, subject to approval from Amex.

Foreign Transaction Fees

The Ink Business Premier card has no foreign transaction fees, while the Amex Blue Business Plus card has a 2.7% foreign transaction fee after conversion to U.S. dollars (rates and fees).

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

Annual Fees

The Ink Business Premier card has an annual fee of $195, while the Amex Blue Business Plus card has no annual fee (rates and fees).

Adding Authorized Users

There are no additional annual fees for adding employee cards on both the Ink Business Premier card and the Amex Blue Business Plus card (rates and fees).

Final Thoughts

The Amex Blue Business Plus card is probably the best fit for you between the 2 options if you spend $50,000 or less per calendar year. That way, your business purchases can all qualify to earn 2x points without paying an annual fee.

If you spend a lot of money on your business, you may need to use a card like the Ink Business Premier card, which earns you at least 2% cash-back and up to 5% cash-back on your purchases.

The Ink Business Premier card also has no preset spending limit, great travel insurance, cell phone insurance, and much more.

For the car rental collision damage coverage benefit of The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express, car rental loss and damage insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the commercial car rental company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car rental loss or damage coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.  For the extended warranty benefit of The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express, when an American Express^® card member charges a covered purchase to an eligible card, extended warranty can provide up to one extra year added to the original manufacturer’s warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. For the purchase protection benefit of The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express, purchase protection is an embedded benefit of your card membership and requires no enrollment. It can help protect covered purchases made on your eligible card when they’re accidentally damaged, stolen, or lost, for up to 90 days from the covered purchase date. The coverage is limited up to $1,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Coverage limits apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. For the global assist hotline benefit of The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express, – You can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.

For rates and fees of The Blue Business^® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.