Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ vs Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is the better Chase business card for most owners. The Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ is the better card for businesses that travel enough to use lounge access, credits, and higher travel earning rates.

This is not really a fair fight on annual fee. Ink Business Preferred costs much less and still unlocks Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners. Sapphire Reserve for Business costs much more, but it adds premium travel benefits that Ink Business Preferred simply is not trying to offer.

Analysis

Chase currently advertises 100,000 bonus points after $8,000 in purchases in the first 3 months for Ink Business Preferred. The annual fee is $95, and the card earns 3x points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases each account anniversary year across travel, shipping, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines, and internet, cable, and phone services.

The Sapphire Reserve for Business has a large bonus: earn 200,000 bonus points after spending $30,000 on purchases in the first 6 months from account opening. Its annual fee is $795, and the card earns 8x through Chase Travel, 4x on flights and hotels booked direct, 3x on social media and search engine advertising, and 1x elsewhere.

The Ink Business Preferred is the efficient card. It gives you transferable Chase points and useful business categories without asking you to justify a premium annual fee. Sapphire Reserve for Business is the luxury travel version: better if you use the lounges, credits, travel protections, and richer travel categories.

Quick read:

• Choose Ink Business Preferred if you want Chase transfer partners and strong business categories for $95 per year.
• Choose Sapphire Reserve for Business if your company travels often and can use the credits naturally or if you value unlimited 3x points on advertising spend