American Express® Business Gold Card vs. Ink Business Premier® Credit Card
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Both of these cards are excellent choices for the right business. The American Express® Business Gold Card was just revamped to include new benefits (and a higher fee) and the Ink Business Premier® Credit Card is a fairly new pay-in-full card. Which one should you choose?
American Express® Business Gold Card vs. Ink Business Premier® Credit Card: Side-By-Side Comparison
Both of these cards made our list of the best business credit cards. Here are the details of each card:
Our Rating
Welcome Offer
Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points (Terms Apply)
Earn $1,000 bonus cash back
Rewards
1x - 4x points
2%-5%
Annual Fee
$375
$195
Regular APR
18.74% - 27.74%
Flex for Business APR: 18.74% - 26.74%
0% APR on Purchases
6 months from date of account opening
N/A
0% APR on Balance Transfers
N/A
Business Gold Card
Ink Business Premier
Welcome Offer Winner: Ink Business Premier
American Express® Business Gold Card has this offer for new cardholders: Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.* (Terms Apply.)Ink Business Premier® Credit Card offers this: Earn $1,000 bonus cash back after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
According to American Express, 100,000 points are worth between $700 and $1,000. They’re worth more if you redeem them for travel, but you can also redeem them for online shopping purchases, gift cards, statement credits or charitable contributions. You might get even more value out of your points if you transfer them to one of American Express’s 20 travel partners.
With the Chase offer, technically you get points, but those can be redeemed for cash back. Since the spends on both offers are the same and the Chase offer is worth about 30% more, we give the win to Chase.
Rewards Winner: Ink Business Premier
American Express® Business Gold Card offers cardholders 4x Membership Rewards® points in the two categories you spend the most on each month, up to $150,000 per year, then 1x points. Categories include:- electronic goods retailers and cloud and software system providers
- monthly wireless telephone service
- transit, including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, taxicabs, parking, buses and subways
- Purchases at U.S. Media providers for advertising in select media (TV, online, radio)
- Restaurants, including takeout and delivery
- Gas
The card also offers 3x points on flights and prepaid hotels booked with American Express.
There are also a number of business credits, including a $240 flexible business credit, good for purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and office supply stores, and a $155 Walmart+ credit ($12.95 a month, which covers the total cost).
Ink Business Premier® Credit Card is much more straightforward: 2.5% cash back on large purchases (purchases over $5,000) and 2% cash back on all other purchases. You also get 5% cash back on Lyft rides through March 2025 and 5% cash back on travel booked with Chase.The best choice for your business will depend on how much you spend and where you spend the most. However, earning an unlimited 2% cash back on purchases that don’t qualify for a higher rate is an excellent rate. We give Ink Business Premier the win.
Here are the details for each card
American Express® Business Gold Card Rewards
Ink Business Premier® Credit Card Rewards
Interest Rates Winner: Business Gold Card
Both cards offer similar interest rates. But the Amex Business Gold Card also has a 0% Intro APR offer for 6 months from date of account opening on purchases eligible for Pay Over Time, then a 18.74% - 27.74% variable APR. Neither has foreign transaction fees. Keep in mind that the Ink Business Premier® Credit Card is a charge card, which means you need to pay your balance in full every month. “Well, then what are these interest rates referring to?” you might ask. Purchases over a set dollar amount (which will be revealed to you when you’re approved for the card) will automatically be included in the Flex for Business balance, assuming you have enough credit to cover the whole purchase.
Business Gold Card
Ink Business Premier
Annual Fee
$375
$195
Foreign Transaction Fee
None
$0
Regular APR
18.74% – 27.74%
Flex for Business APR: 18.74% – 26.74%
Fee Winner: Ink Business Premier
The biggest difference between these two cards is the annual fee. American Express® Business Gold Card has an annual fee of $375, whereas Ink Business Premier® Credit Card has an annual fee of $195. That’s $180 more for the American Express card, so we give the win to Chase.
Features and Benefits: Ink Business Premier
For features and benefits, Ink Business Premier wins. The cards are similar with regard to benefits, but the Ink Business Premier has a few extra travel benefits. Also, the cell phone protection covers up to $1,000 per claim, whereas the American Express card covers up to $800.
Business Gold Card
Security | EMV Chip Enabled, Zero Liability, Alerts |
Contactless Payments | Tap to Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay |
Benefits | Cell Phone Protection, Extended Warranty Coverage, Purchase Protection, 24/7 customer service |
Travel Perks | Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Emergency Travel Assistance, Luggage Protection, Trip Delay Reimbursement |
Ink Business Premier
Security | EMV Chip Enabled, Fraud Monitoring, Zero Liability, Alerts |
Contactless Payments | Tap to Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay |
Benefits | Cell Phone Protection, Extended Warranty Coverage, Purchase Protection, 24/7 customer service |
Travel Perks | Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Emergency Travel Assistance, Luggage Protection, Trip Delay Reimbursement, Roadside Assistance, Travel Accident Insurance, Trip Cancellation Insurance |
Who the American Express® Business Gold Card is Best For
American Express® Business Gold Card is a great business credit card for business owners who don’t travel enough to justify the higher fee The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. American Express added some benefits to the revamp to include electronics retailers, transit, and wireless phone categories–categories where many businesses spend a great deal of money. Note that shipping as a rewards category was dropped.One benefit is that you don’t need to sign up or enroll to reap the higher rewards on any of the six rewards categories: American Express figures that out for you. You don’t need to choose a category and stick with it: your spending can vary, and you still get rewarded. There are some business credits that add value to the card if you use them. American Express added cell phone protection, which is handy.
Who the Ink Business Premier® Credit Card is Best For
Ink Business Premier® Credit Card offers a straightforward cash back structure for business owners who don’t want to fuss with categories. The welcome offer is one of the highest we’ve seen. One quirk on this card is even though you earn Ultimate Rewards points and can use them in the Chase portal; you can’t pool those points with points from other Chase cards.Compare more Chase cards: Chase Ink Business Credit Cards Comparison
Does it Make Sense to Get Both Cards?
Perhaps, if you can justify paying both annual fees. And to earn both bonuses you need to spend $20,000 in three months. But you could use the American Express card for the 4x points on reward categories and the Chase card for things that aren’t listed by American Express. That would earn you at least 2% cash back on every purchase. And you get the business credits from the Amex card, like the flexible business credit and the Walmart+ membership.
Approval Odds
American Express® Business Gold Card
Ink Business Premier® Credit Card
Both cards require good-to-excellent credit. Technically, business cards don’t count towards Chase’s 5/24 rule, but you must be below 5/24 to get approved for a Chase business card. American Express doesn’t have this rule, so if you are going to apply for both cards, apply for the Chase one first.
Bottom Line
Both of these cards are excellent business credit cards. The American Express card is more expensive but offers more value through credits, if you use them. The Chase card offers solid cash back on all business purchases. You can’t go wrong with either card.