Chase Ink Business Premier vs Amex Business Platinum: Which Is Better?
A $195 card built for big single purchases against an $895 card built for frequent flyers with real travel spend. Six rounds. Real numbers. One honest scorecard.
The verdict
Amex Business Platinum takes it, 3–2 on rounds.
The Platinum's fee is nearly five times Chase's, and it's genuinely worth it for the right business — but only one that will actually use the lounges, the credits, and the travel booking, not just admire them on paper.
Choose Chase Ink Business Premier if…
- • You don't travel for business and want a low fee that's easy to justify outright
- • You make regular single purchases of $5,000 or more and want simple 2.5% cash back
Choose Amex Business Platinum if…
- • You fly for business regularly and will actually use the lounge access and travel credits
- • You're willing to transfer points and can justify an $895 fee with real usage
Round by round
- Round 1Annual Fee vs ValueChase Ink Business Premier winsChase Ink Business Premier8/10
$195/year
A fraction of Amex's fee, easy to justify outright
- $700/year cheaper than Amex Business Platinum
- NerdWallet rates it 4.8/5, easy fee to justify
Source: Chase Ink Business Premier product terms
Amex Business Platinum5/10$895 fee, credits require real usage
- Nearly 5x Chase's annual fee
- Employee/additional Platinum cards cost $400/year each
This round goes to Chase Ink Business Premier.
- Round 2Welcome BonusAmex Business Platinum winsChase Ink Business Premier6/10
$1,000 bonus
Guaranteed cash, lower spend requirement than Amex
- Lower spend requirement to earn ($10K vs $20K)
- Guaranteed cash, no personalized-offer variability
Source: Chase Ink Business Premier welcome-bonus data
Amex Business Platinum8/10Up to 300,000 points
Personalized offer; can be worth $2,250-3,000+ transferred well
- Substantially higher potential dollar value than Chase
- Double Chase's spend requirement
Source: Amex Business Platinum welcome-bonus data
This round goes to Amex Business Platinum.
- Round 3Everyday Rewards RateChase Ink Business Premier winsChase Ink Business Premier7/10
2% base rate
Applies broadly, no narrow category restrictions
- Higher base rate than Amex outside travel/narrow categories
- No 5x category like Amex's travel bookings
Source: Chase Ink Business Premier rewards structure
Amex Business Platinum5/101x outside travel/bonus
1.5x bonus categories are narrow and require $5,000+ purchases
- Strong 5x on Amex Travel flight/hotel bookings
- Only 1x on most everyday non-travel spend
Source: Amex Business Platinum rewards structure
So this round goes to Chase Ink Business Premier.
- Round 4Points/Miles Value & RedemptionAmex Business Platinum winsChase Ink Business Premier3/10
1¢/point, capped
Explicitly excluded from Chase's airline/hotel transfer partners
- No way to unlock higher value, ever
- No premium-cabin transfer upside available at any redemption path
Source: Chase Ink Business Premier product terms
Amex Business Platinum9/101.7-2¢+/point average
Premium-cabin transfers can reach 5-20+ cents/point
- Access to 20+ premium airline/hotel transfer partners
- Average value nearly double Chase's fixed 1-cent floor
Source: Amex Membership Rewards transfer-value data
This round goes to Amex Business Platinum.
- Round 5Travel Perks & Lounge AccessAmex Business Platinum winsChase Ink Business Premier4/10
No lounge access
Trip cancellation/interruption insurance, no foreign transaction fee
- No foreign transaction fee
- No lounge access or travel statement credits at all
Source: Chase Ink Business Premier product terms
Amex Business Platinum9/101,550+ lounges, $600 hotel + $200 airline credits
- Broadest lounge network of almost any card on the market
- Credits require enrollment and specific brand spend to capture fully
Round to Amex Business Platinum on that, thanks to massive lounge access and hefty travel credits.
- Round 6Credit Needed & Who It FitsTieChase Ink Business Premier7/10
720+ credit
Fits businesses with regular large single purchases
- Fits any qualifying business, not just frequent travelers
- No requirement to actively redeem travel-specific credits
Source: Chase Ink Business Premier credit requirements
Amex Business Platinum7/10700-720+ credit
Fits high-spending, frequent business travelers specifically
- Not a fit for occasional travelers who won't redeem the credits
- Built explicitly for high-spending frequent travelers, not a general small-business fit
Source: Amex Business Platinum credit requirements
So this round goes to Chase Ink Business Premier.
Which one is for you?
Business that doesn't travel and wants a low, justifiable fee
→ Chase Ink Business Premier · $195 fee, 2.5% on big purchases, no strategy required
Frequent business traveler who'll use lounges and travel credits
→ Amex Business Platinum · 1,550+ lounges plus $600 hotel and $200 airline credits
Business making regular single purchases of $5,000 or more
→ Chase Ink Business Premier · 2.5% cash back applies broadly, no narrow categories
Business willing to transfer points for premium-cabin flights
→ Amex Business Platinum · Transfers can reach 5-20+ cents/point on premium redemptions
Side by side
- 2.5% on any single $5,000+ purchase
- No foreign transaction fee; Flex for Business financing option
- Attainable spend requirement
- Still beats no-fee Ink Unlimited's 1.5% base rate
- $3,300+ in credits if fully captured
- Highest headline offer of the two, up to 300,000 points
- 5x points on flights and prepaid hotels via Amex Travel
- 1,550+ lounges including Centurion Lounges
- Highest fee in the Ink lineup by a wide margin
- Needs regular $5,000+ purchases to justify the fee
- Identical payout to the free card, for more spend and a real fee
- Only a 3-month window vs Ink Unlimited's 4 months to hit the spend
- Credits are narrow, brand-specific 'coupons'
- Real offer varies by applicant; $20K spend bar is steep
- No everyday bonus categories like dining or office supplies
- Most credits require enrollment and specific spend to unlock