Costs & Pricing

Metric	Blue Business Cash® Card	Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Annual fee	$0 (no annual fee, ever)	$95 (no first-year waiver published)
Employee card fee	$0 (up to 99 Employee Cards)	$0
Purchase APR	16.74%–28.49% variable (Prime + 9.99% to +21.74%; cap 29.99%)	17.74%–26.74% variable (Prime + 10.99% to +19.99%; max 29.99%)
Intro APR (purchases)	0% for 12 months from account opening, then variable purchase APR	Not offered
Foreign transaction fee	2.7% of each transaction after conversion to USD	$0
Late payment fee	Up to $39 (cannot exceed Minimum Payment Due)	$40

Rewards & Value

Metric	Blue Business Cash® Card	Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Base earn rate	2% cash back on first $50,000 eligible purchases per calendar year; 1% thereafter	1 Ultimate Rewards point per $1 on all other purchases (uncapped)
Welcome bonus	$250 statement credit after $3,000 eligible purchases in first 3 months (standard public offer)	100,000 Ultimate Rewards points after $8,000 purchases in first 3 months (posts 6–8 weeks after qualifying)
Redemption value	Automatic statement credit — 1¢ per 1% of eligible spend (2% = 2¢ per $1 under cap)	1¢/point cash (RPA contractual floor); Chase Travel marketed at 1.25¢; transfers at partner ratios
Transfer partners	None — cash back only, not a points bank	Native transfers (airlines 1:1; IHG, Marriott, Wyndham 1:1). World of Hyatt 1:1 through 9/30/2026, then 4:3 from 10/01/2026 (1,000 UR → 750 Hyatt). Unlocks transfers for Ink Cash/Unlimited points moved onto this card.

Credit & Eligibility

Metric	Blue Business Cash® Card	Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Personal guarantee	Required — joint and several liability of Basic Card Member and Company (CMA)	Required — authorizing officer liable individually and jointly with the business for all balances
Credit check	No personal-score impact to learn if approved; may impact personal credit if applicant accepts the card	Hard pull on the authorizing officer (standard Chase practice)
Employee cards	Up to 99 Employee Cards, $0 AF; spend limits and merchant-type alerts	Free; number not capped in public copy; individual spend limits and real-time tracking
Product type	Revolving business credit card with stated credit limit and Expanded Buying Power	Revolving business credit card

Pros & Cons

Blue Business Cash® Card

Pros

• $0 annual fee on primary and up to 99 Employee Cards
• 2% automatic cash back on first $50,000 calendar-year eligible spend
• 12-month 0% intro APR on purchases
• Expanded Buying Power — no overlimit fee; rewards earn above limit if approved
• Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty included

Cons

• 2% earn ends at $50k; incremental spend drops to 1%
• 2.7% foreign transaction fee
• Joint-and-several personal liability of Basic Card Member
• Modest standard welcome bonus ($250 / $3k / 3 months) vs many competitors
• Over-limit balances due in full; missed Closing Date can trigger Penalty APR on entire balance

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Pros

• 100,000 UR / $8,000 / 3-month welcome bonus; authorized-user spend counts
• 3x on shipping, direct social/search ads, comms, and travel up to $150k per anniversary year
• Native Ultimate Rewards transfers; unlocks transfers for Ink Cash/Unlimited points
• $0 foreign-transaction fee and $0 employee cards
• Cell-phone protection plus purchase protection and primary business rental CDW

Cons

• $95 annual fee with no Global Entry, lounge, or travel statement credit
• No intro 0% APR — poor working-capital tool if a balance will be carried
• Personal guarantee + hard pull + unofficial 5/24 gate
• Advertising 3x is narrow (direct platform MCCs, not agencies); office supplies are not 3x
• Hyatt transfers drop to 4:3 on October 1, 2026; bonus likely unavailable if you ever held this card

Verdict

Blue Business Cash® Card

The Blue Business Cash Card is Amex's no-fee workhorse for modest spenders — 2% automatic cash back up to $50k, then 1%, paired with a 12-month 0% intro APR and Expanded Buying Power. It beats uncapped 1.5% cards on the first $50k but loses incremental dollars to Spark Cash Plus or Ink Unlimited above that cap. Best for domestic sole props and small firms who won't chase category bonuses or transfer partners.

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Ink Business Preferred is the transfer keystone of the Ink family — 3x on the spend categories many operators actually have, $0 FTF, and a 100k welcome bonus, all at $95. Pair it with Ink Cash or Unlimited if you want the rest of spend at cash-back rates with transferable points parked here. Skip it if you need 0% capital, no personal guarantee, lounges, or simple uncapped cash back.