Two of the best small business travel cards on the market. One charges a $95 annual fee; the other charges $375. The cheaper one is not automatically the better choice—and the expensive one is not automatically the winner either.
Here's the honest breakdown of Chase Ink Business Preferred vs. Amex Business Gold for 2025, so you can stop second-guessing and start earning.
The Cards at a Glance
| Feature | Chase Ink Business Preferred | Amex Business Gold |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $95 | $375 |
| Welcome offer | 90,000 points after $8k spend/3mo | 100,000 points after $15k spend/3mo |
| Top earning rate | 3x on travel, shipping, ads, telecom | 4x on top 2 spending categories (auto) |
| Point currency | Chase Ultimate Rewards | Amex Membership Rewards |
| Transfer partners | United, Hyatt, Southwest, BA, others | Delta, Marriott, Hilton, BA, ANA, others |
| Cell phone protection | Yes ($100 deductible, up to $1,000) | No |
| Trip delay insurance | Yes | No |
| Purchase protection | $10,000/claim | $1,000/item |
Welcome Offers: How They Stack Up
Chase Ink Business Preferred
90,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $8,000 in the first 3 months.
At Chase's standard 1¢/point valuation that's $900 in travel. But redeemed through transfer partners—like Hyatt—those 90,000 points can be worth $1,800–$2,200+ depending on what you book.
The $8,000 spend requirement in 3 months is aggressive for smaller businesses. If you can hit it naturally, great. Don't manufacture spend for a bonus.
Amex Business Gold
100,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $15,000 in the first 3 months.
The points are nominally higher, but the spend requirement is nearly double. This bonus makes sense for businesses with high monthly expenses—$5,000/month is a real ask for a freelancer or small shop. For a growing agency or e-commerce operation doing $20k/month in operating expenses, it's fine.
Amex points are worth around 1.5–2¢ each when transferred to premium partners like ANA, Air France/KLM, or Marriott. At 1.8¢, 100k points = $1,800.
Winner: Roughly a draw—Ink edges ahead for smaller businesses due to the lower spend requirement.
Earning Rates: Where the Cards Diverge
Chase Ink Business Preferred
Earns 3x points on:
- Travel
- Shipping purchases
- Internet, cable, phone services
- Advertising on social media and search engines
Everything else earns 1x.
The 3x categories are locked in. You earn 3x on Chase Travel, flights, hotels, Lyft, and Uber. If you're spending heavily on Google/Facebook ads or shipping (Shopify sellers, listen up), this card earns at an exceptional rate—up to $150,000 in combined category spend per year.
Amex Business Gold
Earns 4x points on your two highest spending categories each billing cycle, automatically chosen from:
- U.S. purchases at restaurants
- U.S. purchases at gas stations
- U.S. purchases for advertising (online, TV, radio)
- U.S. purchases for shipping
- U.S. computer hardware, software, and cloud solutions purchased from select technology providers
- U.S. transit (Lyft, tolls, parking, trains)
The auto-selection is the key feature. If one month you spend heavily on software, that's your category. Next month it shifts to ads. The card adapts to your spending.
The catch: the 4x is capped at $150,000/year in combined category purchases. After that, you drop to 1x. The categories are also restricted to US purchases only—if you advertise internationally or buy from overseas vendors, those purchases earn 1x.
Winner: Amex Business Gold for businesses with concentrated spending; Ink for international spending or predictable categories.
Travel and Purchase Benefits
Chase Ink Business Preferred
Cell Phone Protection — Pay your monthly bill with the card and get up to $1,000/claim (3 claims/year, $100 deductible) for damage or theft. For a business with multiple employee phones, this alone can justify the annual fee.
Trip Delay Insurance — If your trip is delayed more than 12 hours, you're covered for up to $500 in expenses (meals, lodging). Most business cards skip this.
Trip Cancellation/Interruption — Up to $5,000 per trip if you need to cancel or cut short for covered reasons.
Purchase Protection — Up to $10,000/claim, $50,000/year. This is dramatically better than most cards.
Extended Warranty — Adds 1 year to manufacturer warranties.
No lounge access. No travel credits. No status. The Ink is not a luxury card—it's a practical, high-value card at a fair price.
Amex Business Gold
Business Travel Credits — Starting in 2025, Amex added a $395/year credit toward eligible purchases at select travel sites (flights, hotels, car rentals through Amex Travel). The fine print matters here—reimbursement is statement credit after the fact, and the list of eligible vendors is specific.
Airline Fee Credit — $100/year toward incidental fees on one selected airline.
No trip delay or cell phone protection — Unlike its consumer counterpart (the Gold card's newer iteration), the Business Gold doesn't include these benefits.
Global Assist — Emergency assistance hotline for travelers. Useful, not game-changing.
The Amex Business Gold premium ($375 vs $95) has historically been hard to justify unless you're maximizing the 4x categories or using the travel credits. The math only works if you're earning significantly more in Membership Rewards per dollar than you would with Ink.
Winner: Chase Ink Business Preferred on protection and practical benefits. Amex Business Gold on credits (if you use them).
Transfer Partners: The Real Value Question
Chase Ultimate Rewards Partners
- Hyatt (often the best redemption in the ecosystem)
- United Airlines
- Southwest Airlines
- British Airways (Avios)
- Air France/KLM (Flying Blue)
- Singapore Airlines (KrisFlyer)
- Air Canada (Aeroplan)
- Virgin Atlantic
Chase Ultimate Rewards is a strong ecosystem. The Hyatt partnership in particular makes Chase points exceptionally valuable—Park Hyatt properties can be booked at 25,000–35,000 points per night vs. $500–900 in cash.
Amex Membership Rewards Partners
- Delta SkyMiles
- Air France/KLM (Flying Blue)
- British Airways (Avios)
- ANA Mileage Club
- Singapore Airlines (KrisFlyer)
- Emirates Skywards
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Hilton Honors
- Avianca LifeMiles
- Etihad Guest
Amex has a broader partner list, including Delta, Marriott, and Hilton—which Chase lacks. If you're loyal to Delta or Marriott, Amex points are immediately more useful without any transfer gymnastics.
ANA and Avianca are frequently cited as the highest-value Amex partners for business class flights.
Winner: Depends entirely on your loyalty preferences. Hyatt loyalists → Chase. Delta/Marriott loyalists → Amex.
Which Card Is Right for Your Business?
Choose Chase Ink Business Preferred if:
- Your business spends on Google/Facebook ads, shipping, or telecom
- You want robust travel protection (cell phone, trip delay)
- You're newer to points and want a straightforward, lower-fee card
- You're loyal to Hyatt or United
- You want the highest purchase protection available
Choose Amex Business Gold if:
- You spend heavily in 1-2 categories that align with Amex's 4x list
- Your monthly spend is high enough to hit the welcome offer ($5k/month)
- You're a Delta frequent flyer or Marriott loyalist
- You'll use the Amex Travel credit and airline fee credit
- You want access to a broader international transfer partner list
Consider Both If:
Some business owners hold both cards—using Amex Business Gold for its 4x categories and Ink Business Preferred for its 3x on travel and cell phone protection. Both earn transferable points, so rewards stack across programs depending on your redemption strategy.
The Annual Fee Reality Check
The $280 gap between these cards is real. At the Amex Business Gold's $375/year, you need to earn roughly $280 more in value per year to break even over the Ink.
At 4x vs 3x (one extra point per dollar), you'd need to spend about $28,000/year in elevated categories at 1¢/point, or $18,700/year at 1.5¢/point in elevated categories to cover that gap. For many small businesses, that's achievable. For solo freelancers, it may not be.
Run your own numbers. The math matters more than the prestige.
Plan Your Next Business Trip with Faroway
Whether you're attending a conference in Tokyo or scouting a new market in Medellín, Faroway.ai builds personalized trip itineraries that account for your schedule, budget, and the way you actually travel.
Stop cobbling together an itinerary from six browser tabs. Faroway.ai puts it together in minutes—flights, hotels, timing, and local logistics. Your points are worth more when you use them on a trip worth taking.
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Written by
Faroway Team
The Faroway team is passionate about making travel planning effortless with AI. We combine travel expertise with cutting-edge technology to help you explore the world.
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