Two strong business reward cards targeting different spend profiles. Chase Ink Business Cash earns 5% at office supply stores and on select telecom services with no annual fee — best for businesses with significant office and phone bills. Amex Business Gold earns 4X on your top two spending categories each billing period at a $375 fee — best for businesses with diverse and shifting category spend. Neither is a substitute for the other; pick by whether your top categories align with Ink Cash's fixed structure or Business Gold's flexible 4X. Terms verified at chase.com and americanexpress.com, Q2 2026.
Chase
5% on office supplies and telecom up to $25K combined.
Pros
American Express
4X points on your top 2 categories — premium tier earnings.
Pros
Per-spec leads computed from published specs — no single overall winner. Reviewed 2026-07-14.
| Spec | Chase Ink Business Cash | American Express Business Gold Card |
|---|---|---|
| Origination fee | ◈ $0 | $375 |
| Best for | Office-based SMBs with heavy spend on supplies, internet, cable, or phone. | Established SMBs with $100K+/year concentrated in 1-2 AmEx-eligible categories. |
◈ marks the stronger option for that row.
Pick Chase Ink Business Cash if: Office-based SMBs with heavy spend on supplies, internet, cable, or phone.
Pick American Express Business Gold Card if: Established SMBs with $100K+/year concentrated in 1-2 AmEx-eligible categories.
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See all picks, methodology, and side-by-side comparison in Best Business Credit Cards 2026.
Chase Ink Business Cash earns 5% cash back at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services — on the first $25,000/year combined in these categories, then 1%. It also earns 2% at gas stations and restaurants (first $25,000/year combined) and 1% on everything else. There is no annual fee. This card excels for businesses with meaningful telecom bills — a $2,000/month phone/internet bill earns $1,200/year at 5%. Verify current category definitions at chase.com.
Amex Business Gold automatically earns 4X Membership Rewards on the two categories where you spend the most each billing period, from a list of six: airfare from airlines, U.S. advertising, U.S. gas stations, U.S. restaurants, U.S. shipping, and technology hardware/software/cloud services. The card tracks your top two automatically — you don't pick them. The 4X is capped at $150,000/year combined across the two categories. For businesses with high and shifting category spend, this flexibility often outperforms fixed-category cards. Verify current category list at americanexpress.com.
Yes — Chase Ink Business Cash typically offers a cash back welcome bonus for new cardholders who meet a minimum spending threshold in the first few months after account opening. Bonus amounts and spend thresholds change periodically; as of Q2 2026, verify the current offer at chase.com. Chase Ink welcome bonuses have historically been among the most competitive in the business card segment. The bonus is earned as Ultimate Rewards cash back (redeemable for 1 cent each, or combinable with Sapphire points for travel transfers). (Verify current terms/offers at chase.com)
The Amex Business Gold Card has a $375 annual fee as of Q2 2026. Amex periodically adjusts annual fees, so verify the current fee at americanexpress.com before applying. The card includes statement credits that can offset the fee for high-spend businesses — including airline fee credits and other eligible category credits. Verify current credit structure at americanexpress.com. (Verify current terms/offers at americanexpress.com)
Chase Ink Business Cash earns Ultimate Rewards cash back. On its own, it does not transfer to airline or hotel partners — cash back redeems at 1 cent per point. However, if you also hold a Chase Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred card, you can combine your Ultimate Rewards balances and then transfer to 14 airline and hotel partners at 1:1 (United, Hyatt, Southwest, British Airways, and others). The Ink Business Cash is most valuable as part of a multi-card Chase Ultimate Rewards strategy. Verify current transfer partners at chase.com.
Yes — Amex Business Gold includes extended warranty protection that adds up to one additional year to the original manufacturer's warranty on eligible purchases made with the card (for warranties of five years or less). It also includes purchase protection against accidental damage or theft for a limited period after purchase. These benefits are subject to limits and exclusions — review the full benefit guide at americanexpress.com. Purchase protection and extended warranty are meaningful for business equipment purchases where manufacturer warranties are typically short. (Verify current terms/offers at americanexpress.com)
Chase Ink Business Cash caps the 5% cash back rate at $25,000 per year, combined across office supply stores and select internet, cable, and phone services. Above $25,000 in combined annual spend in those categories, purchases earn 1%. Similarly, the 2% rate at gas stations and restaurants is capped at $25,000/year combined. A business spending $2,000/month on telecom ($24,000/year) stays within the 5% cap. A business with $30,000/year in combined telecom and office supply spend would earn 5% on $25,000 and 1% on the remaining $5,000. Verify current spending caps at chase.com. Source: chase.com.
Amex Business Gold is a hybrid charge-and-credit card. It operates primarily as a charge card (no preset spending limit, balance due in full each billing period) but includes a Pay Over Time option that lets you carry a balance on eligible purchases — subject to interest charges. The Pay Over Time feature has a variable APR. This structure differs from Chase Ink Business Cash, which is a standard revolving credit card with a fixed credit limit. Businesses that need to carry balances should factor the interest costs into their card selection. Verify current terms at americanexpress.com. Source: americanexpress.com.
Yes — Amex Business Gold allows additional employee cards with no additional annual fee per employee card (as of Q2 2026). Employee spending earns points toward the primary account's Membership Rewards balance. Chase Ink Business Cash also offers employee cards at no additional cost, with spending contributing to the primary account's Ultimate Rewards balance. Both cards let you set individual spending limits on employee cards. Verify current employee card terms at americanexpress.com and chase.com before adding employee cards. Source: americanexpress.com, chase.com.
Yes — Chase Ink Business Cash offers cell phone protection when you pay your monthly wireless bill with the card. The benefit reimburses up to $1,000 per claim (with a $100 deductible) for covered damage or theft of your cell phone and employee phones listed on the plan, up to 3 claims per 12-month period. This is a meaningful benefit for small businesses with multiple employee phones. Amex Business Gold does not include cell phone protection as of Q2 2026. Verify current cell phone protection terms at chase.com. Source: chase.com.
Independent editorial comparison. ClearValue Lending is not the issuer of any product compared here; affiliate links may pay a referral commission at no cost to you — selection is independent of compensation.