Chase Ink Business Cash vs Amex Blue Business Plus: Which Is Better?
One pays guaranteed cash in two specific categories. The other is one of the only $0-fee cards in America whose points can fly you somewhere. Six rounds. Real numbers. One honest scorecard.
The verdict
The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express takes it, 4–2 on rounds.
The free card with transferable points only wins if you actually transfer the points — cash it out at baseline and Chase's guaranteed categories can still come out ahead.
Choose Chase Ink Business Cash if…
- • You want guaranteed, simple cash back and a bigger welcome bonus
- • Your spend concentrates in office supplies, internet, phone, gas, or dining
Choose The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express if…
- • You're willing to transfer points to an airline or hotel partner for real value
- • Your spend is broad and diversified, with no dominant category
Round by round
- Round 1Welcome BonusChase Ink Business Cash winsChase Ink Business Cash8/10
$1,000
All-time-high offer, $8,000 spend in 4 months, fixed cash value
- Guaranteed, fixed dollar amount with no variability
- No redemption strategy required to realize the full value
Source: Chase Ink Cash welcome offer, mid-2026
The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express5/1015,000-50,000 pts
Standard offer worth less than Chase's; targeted 50K offer needs $5-8K spend
- Lower, faster spend threshold on the standard offer
- Standard offer worth meaningfully less than Chase's guaranteed $1,000
Source: Amex Blue Business Plus welcome offer, mid-2026
This round goes to Chase Ink Business Cash.
- Round 2Everyday Rewards RateThe Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express winsChase Ink Business Cash6/10
5% / 2% / 1%
High peak rates in two specific categories, 1% floor elsewhere
- 5% and 2% rates each apply on up to $25,000 of spend a year
- 1% floor on anything outside the two bonus categories
Source: Chase Ink Cash rewards structure
The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express7/102x (~2% baseline)
No categories required, double Chase's 1% floor on non-bonus spend
- Points carry transfer upside beyond the ~2% cash-equivalent baseline
- Drops to 1x after the $50,000 annual cap
Source: Amex Blue Business Plus rewards structure
This round goes to The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express.
- Round 3Points Value & RedemptionThe Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express winsChase Ink Business Cash4/10
1 cent/pt fixed
Cash-out only unless paired with a transfer-eligible Chase card
- No path to above-1-cent value on its own
- Would need to also hold an Ink Preferred or Sapphire Reserve to unlock any transfer value
Source: Chase Ink Cash points value
The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express9/101.5-2¢+/pt
One of the only $0-fee cards with real transfer-partner access
- Rare transferable-points access on a truly free card
- Transfer value can spike well above 2 cents/point for premium-cabin redemptions
Source: Amex Blue Business Plus points value
This round goes to The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express.
- Round 4Category Caps & FlexibilityThe Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express winsChase Ink Business Cash5/10
$25,000/yr cap x2
5% and 2% categories each capped separately
- Hitting one category cap doesn't affect the other category's rate
- Requires tracking two independent thresholds
Source: Chase Ink Cash cap structure
The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express7/10$50,000/yr cap
Single combined cap, no category matching needed to fill it
- Simpler single threshold, applies to all spend
- No preset spending limit in the traditional sense on many purchases
Source: Amex Blue Business Plus cap structure
This round goes to The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express.
- Round 5Foreign Transaction FeesThe Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express winsChase Ink Business Cash5/10
3% foreign transaction fee
- 3% foreign transaction fee can quickly negate rewards earned abroad
- Costs $30 in fees on a $1,000 foreign purchase, versus $27 for Amex's 2.7%
The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express6/102.7%
Slightly lower than Chase's 3%, still not fee-free
- Costs $3 less than Chase's fee on every $1,000 spent abroad
- Still a real cost on international spend
Source: Amex Blue Business Plus fee structure
This round goes to The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express.
- Round 6Who It FitsChase Ink Business Cash winsChase Ink Business Cash8/10
No strategy required
Full value realized with zero transfer or redemption knowledge needed
- No need to learn transfer partners or award charts to get full value
- Fits businesses with steady spend in office supplies, internet, gas, or dining
Source: Chase Ink Cash positioning
The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express6/10Strategy-dependent upside
Full value requires learning transfer partners and redemption strategy
- Rewards a business willing to build a transfer-partner strategy for outsized value
- Baseline-only redemption leaves the card's real advantage unused
Source: Amex Blue Business Plus positioning
So this round goes to Chase Ink Business Cash.
Which one is for you?
Business wanting simple, guaranteed cash with no strategy
→ Chase Ink Business Cash · Full value with zero transfer or redemption knowledge needed
Owner willing to learn transfer partners for outsized value
→ The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express · One of the only $0-fee cards with real transfer-partner access
Business with broad, diversified spend, no dominant category
→ The Blue Business Plus Credit Card from American Express · Flat 2x beats Chase's 1% floor on most non-bonus spend
Business with steady office-supply, internet, gas, or dining spend
→ Chase Ink Business Cash · 5%/2% category rates can outearn a flat 2x at baseline
Side by side
- No fee, no strings, no threshold to unlock the full rate
- All-time-high offer on this card as of mid-2026
- Realistic $2,000/month spend pace for most small businesses
- 5% and 2% rates each apply on up to $25,000 of spend a year
- Lower, faster spend threshold on the standard offer
- Points carry transfer upside beyond the ~2% cash-equivalent baseline
- Rare transferable-points access on a truly free card
- Transfer value can spike well above 2 cents/point for premium-cabin redemptions
- $25,000 annual cap applies to each of the two bonus categories
- Hard annual cap on bonus-rate earning
- Worth only 1 cent each on its own, without a second Chase card
- Only pays off if real spend lands in these categories
- Standard offer worth meaningfully less than Chase's guaranteed $1,000
- Drops to 1x after the $50,000 annual cap
- Still a real cost on international spend
- Baseline-only redemption leaves the card's real advantage unused