Two of my favorite mid-range credit cards are the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (learn more) and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (learn more). Both of these cards have “Preferred” in the name, and they also have quite a bit of overlap. And with the Sapphire Preferred’s June 2026 refresh — a bigger bonus, new categories, and new credits — the cards are more competitive with one another than they’ve been in a long time, in terms of value proposition. In this post, I’d like to compare the two cards, and talk about which makes the most sense depending on your situation, including which to apply for first if you want both.
For context, I hold the Ink Business Preferred myself, as I applied as a sole proprietorship and was instantly approved a couple of years back. I also first applied for the Sapphire Preferred around 15 years ago, and held onto it all the way until 2016, when the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (learn more) was introduced, and then switched over to that card.
Link: Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Should you get the Chase Sapphire Preferred Or Ink Business Preferred?
The most basic difference between these cards is that the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a personal credit card, while the Ink Business Preferred is a small business credit card. As a result, you should use the cards for the appropriate spending.
I’d say the two cards could be complements or substitutes, depending on your spending patterns and your overall involvement in the Chase Ultimate Rewards ecosystem.
Let’s compare various aspects of these two cards, including welcome bonuses, eligibility, annual fees, rewards structures, redemption opportunities, and perks.
Comparing welcome bonuses: Sapphire Preferred vs. Ink Preferred
Both of these cards offer excellent welcome bonuses:
- The Chase Sapphire Preferred is offering a welcome bonus of 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $5,000 within three months — worth $1,700 at my 1.7 cent valuation
- The Ink Business Preferred is offering a welcome bonus of 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $8,000 within three months — also worth $1,700 at my valuation
Winner: As of June 2026, this is essentially a tie — both cards offer 100,000 points. The Sapphire Preferred has the lower spending requirement ($5,000 vs. $8,000 within three months), so if anything, it has a slight edge on the offer itself.
Comparing eligibility: Sapphire Preferred vs. Ink Preferred
Credit card application restrictions are a major consideration for prospective cardmembers. In addition to Chase’s 5/24 rule (though that’s not necessarily consistently enforced anymore), there are some other things to keep in mind:
- The Chase Sapphire Preferred bonus is once per lifetime on this exact card — you may not be eligible if you’ve previously held the card or earned its bonus, and you can’t be approved if you currently have it open; nowadays each Sapphire card is considered independently, though, so having had a different Sapphire card doesn’t disqualify you
- The Ink Business Preferred bonus comes with few eligibility requirements, as it’s available even if you have the no annual fee Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (learn more) and/or Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (learn more)
Winner: The Ink Business Preferred has the benefit of being available to those with other cards in the portfolio, while the Sapphire Preferred doesn’t have that benefit. However, be aware of the basics of applying for Chase business cards. I’d say this is mostly a tie.
Comparing annual fees: Sapphire Preferred vs. Ink Preferred
Both cards have identical annual fees:
- The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee
- The Ink Business Preferred has a $95 annual fee
Winner: As you can tell, this is a tie, as both cards have identical annual fees. One wrinkle, though, is that the Sapphire Preferred’s $100 annual hotel credit covers more than its entire fee if you use it, so its effective cost can run lower.
Comparing rewards structures: Sapphire Preferred vs. Ink Preferred
Both cards have bonus categories, though the rewards structures are still very different:
- The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers 5x points on Chase Travel℠ bookings, 3x points on dining, 3x points on online groceries and select streaming services, 3x points on gas stations, EV charging, and vacation rentals (added in June 2026), and 2x points on travel
- The Ink Business Preferred offers 3x points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases per account anniversary year on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable, phone services, and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines
Winner: I don’t think there’s an obvious answer here, and that it really depends on your spending profile. The Sapphire Preferred has some great bonus categories, but the Ink Business Preferred bonus categories are also awesome. I love how the Sapphire Preferred offers 3x points on dining, while I love how the Ink Preferred offers 3x points on travel. The Sapphire Preferred’s new gas and EV charging category widens its consumer-side footprint, while the Ink Preferred remains the clear pick for business expense categories like shipping and advertising.
Comparing points redemptions: Sapphire Preferred vs. Ink Preferred
For all practical purposes, the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred are identical when it comes to the ability to redeem points:
- Points with both cards can be transferred to the Ultimate Rewards airline & hotel partners, most at a 1:1 ratio — note that as of June 2026, World of Hyatt transfers at 4:3 on both of these cards, as that change applies to all Chase Ultimate Rewards cards except the Sapphire Reserve
- Points can be redeemed for up to 1.75 cents each toward the cost of a travel purchase with Points Boost through Chase Travel℠
- Both cards allow you to pool the points earned on other no annual fee Chase cards, like the Chase Freedom Flex℠ Credit Card (learn more) and Chase Freedom Unlimited® (learn more), so that you can maximize rewards
Winner: This is a tie, as redemption options are the same between the two cards.
Comparing perks & benefits: Sapphire Preferred vs. Ink Preferred
Both cards have different perks, which cardmembers will get different value out of:
- The Chase Sapphire Preferred has perks like a $100 annual hotel credit, primary rental car coverage, great travel protection (including emergency evacuation coverage as of June 2026), DoorDash perks, an up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit once every four years, a complimentary year of Apple TV, and more
- The Ink Business Preferred offers perks like cell phone protection, rental car coverage (primary globally when renting for business purposes, primary internationally for personal rentals, and secondary in the United States for personal rentals), and great travel protection
Winner: While it depends on the consumer, I’d say the Sapphire Preferred has the edge here, and the June 2026 refresh widens it — between the $100 hotel credit, the new Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, the Apple TV for a year, and the DoorDash perks. The Ink Preferred’s strongest point of differentiation is cell phone protection, which the Sapphire Preferred doesn’t offer.
Which Chase “Preferred” card should you get first?
If you’re planning to pick up both of these cards — and there’s a good case for that — the order matters. Credit card issuers have all kinds of application restrictions, and in the case of Chase, the most well-known is the 5/24 rule. With the 5/24 rule, you often won’t be approved for a Chase card if you’ve opened five or more new card accounts in the past 24 months. Now, there are some important things to note:
- The 5/24 rule is no longer consistently applied for everyone, but many are still subjected to it; there’s no way to know in advance whether this will impact you or not
- Generally business cards from most issuers don’t count toward that limit of five card applications, since the opening of the account doesn’t show on your personal credit report in the same way
- However, Chase business cards are subjected to the 5/24 rule, in the sense that if you’ve exceeded the limit, you may not be approved for a Chase business card
To simplify this advice as much as possible, it’s generally a best practice to apply for Chase business cards before applying for Chase personal cards. For example, if you’re “at” 4/24 (meaning you have four new open accounts showing on your credit report in the past 24 months) and you apply for the Ink Business Preferred, you’d still only be at 4/24. However, if you instead applied for the Chase Sapphire Preferred first, you’d suddenly be at the 5/24 limit, potentially locking yourself out of the Ink Preferred.
So if you have an eligible business and want both cards, the order is simple: Ink Business Preferred first, Sapphire Preferred second. Of course this won’t all impact everyone equally, depending on how many cards you’ve applied for recently, and whether you’re even subjected to the 5/24 rule.
Which Chase “Preferred” card is better?
I’d argue that the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred are the two most well rounded cards out there with annual fees of under $100. I think there are merits to having both of these cards, and then complementing them with other no annual fee cards.
If I had to choose between these two cards, which would I pick? Here are some things that come to mind:
- Both cards currently offer massive 100K welcome bonuses; the Sapphire Preferred bonus can be unlocked with less spending
- The Sapphire Preferred is awesome for offering 3x points on dining (and now gas and EV charging), while the Ink Business Preferred is awesome for offering 3x points on travel
- A major consideration is whether you are looking for a personal or business card
- If you can use the Sapphire Preferred $100 hotel credit, then it’s really great how that can basically help you offset the annual fee
Personally I think there’s merit to having both of these cards, as you’ll pay under $200 in annual fees, and get lots of value. Another strategy could be to pick up the Chase Sapphire Reserve in place of the Chase Sapphire Preferred, as the perks-rich card offers a $300 annual travel credit, Priority Pass™ Select membership, Chase Sapphire Lounge access, and much more — and it’s the Chase card keeping the 1:1 Hyatt transfer ratio.
Bottom line
The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred are both extremely compelling cards. Personally, I think there’s merit to having both of them, and which card makes the most sense for you depends on whether you need a personal or business card. If you’re getting both, apply for the Ink Business Preferred first, since Chase business cards don’t add to your 5/24 count. Both are also excellent Ultimate Rewards “hub” cards, allowing you to maximize the value of other Chase cards, like the Chase Freedom Unlimited and Ink Business Unlimited.
Which Chase “Preferred” card do you prefer — the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred?