American Express Business Gold vs. Ink Business Premier

American Express® Business Gold Card vs. Ink Business Premier® Credit Card

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:

American Express Business Gold Card
Chase Ink Business Premier

Our Rating

4.5
★★★★
4.9
★★★★

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

1x points
On all other eligible purchases
1X is earned for other eligible purchases.
3x points
Airfare
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card.
3x points
Hotels
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card.
4x points
Select Categories
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each month from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap.

Ink Business Premier® Credit Card Rewards

2% cash back
All eligible purchases
Earn unlimited 2% cash back on all other business purchases
2.5% cash back
All eligible purchases
Earn 2.5% total cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more
5% cash back
Travel
Unlimited 5% total cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel(SM)

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

SecurityEMV Chip Enabled, Zero Liability, Alerts
Contactless PaymentsTap to Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay
BenefitsCell Phone Protection, Extended Warranty Coverage, Purchase Protection, 24/7 customer service
Travel PerksAuto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Emergency Travel Assistance, Luggage Protection, Trip Delay Reimbursement

Ink Business Premier

SecurityEMV Chip Enabled, Fraud Monitoring, Zero Liability, Alerts
Contactless PaymentsTap to Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay
BenefitsCell Phone Protection, Extended Warranty Coverage, Purchase Protection, 24/7 customer service
Travel PerksAuto 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

App StatusDateCredit ScoreBureauCredit Limit
Approved02/01/2024
760
Not Provided
---
Approved07/15/2023
709
Equifax
---
Approved07/15/2023
715
Equifax
---
Approved07/15/2023
719
TransUnion
---
Approved07/15/2023
724
Experian
---
Approved07/15/2023
726
TransUnion
---
Approved01/10/2024
797
Experian
---
Approved10/13/2023
682
Equifax
---
Approved10/13/2023
721
Experian
---
Approved10/13/2023
732
TransUnion
---
Approved06/06/2023
780
Not Provided
---
Approved01/22/2024
725
Experian
---

Ink Business Premier® Credit Card

App StatusDateCredit ScoreBureauCredit Limit
Approved06/27/2023
690
Experian
$10,000
Approved01/03/2023
755
Not Provided
$20,000
Approved01/03/2023
766
Not Provided
$20,000
Approved01/03/2023
768
Not Provided
$20,000

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.