Choosing the right business credit card is crucial for small business owners. Credit card spending bonuses can offer valuable rewards for making business purchases, while statement credits can instantly save you money on select expenses. Business credit cards can also provide significant value through other benefits such as airport lounge access and complimentary elite status with frequent flyer and hotel rewards programs.

Two of the most impressive business credit cards available today are the Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. These cards both offer a wide range of benefits and spending bonuses that can provide plenty of value. However, if you’re going to sign up for either of these business credit cards, you’ll want to ensure that you use these benefits to the full because both of these cards have high annual fees.

In this article, we’re going to compare the different features of the Sapphire Reserve for Business and the Amex Business Platinum Card to help you make an informed decision as to which of these two premium business credit cards is right for your business.

Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business

Sapphire Reserve for Business℠

Earn 200,000

bonus points

after you spend $30,000 on purchases in your first 6 months from account opening

Annual Fee: $795

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The Business Platinum Card from American Express

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

You may be eligible for as high as 300,000

Membership Rewards® points

after spending $20,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Learn more.

Annual Fee: $895

Terms Apply. | Rates & Fees

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Side-By-Side Comparison

Let’s begin with a side-by-side comparison of the main features of the Sapphire Reserve for Business and the Amex Business Platinum Card. The following table includes the most notable features of both of these cards, including their annual fees, spending bonuses and benefits:

The Business Platinum Card® from American ExpressSapphire Reserve for Business℠
Annual fee$895$795
Spending bonuses
  • 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through AmexTravel.com
  • 2X points on key business purchases (up to $2 million per year), including eligible purchases over $5,000 as well as eligible purchases at:
    • U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers
    • U.S. electronic goods retailers and software and cloud system providers
    • U.S. shipping providers
  • 1X points on all other eligible purchases
  • Purchases eligible for multiple additional point bonuses only receive the highest eligible bonus
  • 8X points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
  • 5X points on Lyft rides (through Sep. 30, 2027)
  • 4X points on flights and hotels booked directly
  • 3X points on social media and search engine advertising
  • 1X points on all other purchases
Other notable benefits
  • Up to $300 in statement credits semiannually (up to $600 annually) on prepaid bookings with Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection® (minimum two-night stay)
  • Complimentary benefits when you book with Fine Hotels + Resorts®, including daily breakfast for two, guaranteed 4 p.m. checkout, a $100 property credit and more
  • Complimentary access to Centurion Lounges, 10 complimentary Delta Sky Club visits when flying on an eligible Delta flight, Priority Pass Select membership (enrollment required) and other select partner lounges
  • Up to $50 quarterly (up to $200 annually) on eligible purchases made with Hilton (enrollment required). Gift cards are not an eligible purchase
  • Up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees charged by one selected qualifying airline
  • Up to $219 in statement credits annually for an auto-renewing CLEAR+ membership, excluding taxes and fees
  • Statement credit for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fee every four years 
  • Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status (enrollment required)
  • Automatic Hilton Honors Gold status (enrollment required)
  • Automatic Leaders Club Sterling status from The Leading Hotels of the World (enrollment required)
  • Up to $150 in annual statement credits on U.S. purchases directly with Dell Technologies (enrollment required) and an additional $1,000 in statement credits after you spend $5,000 or more on those purchases in a calendar year
  • Up to $300 in annual statement credits on U.S. purchases ofChatGPT Business (enrollment required)
  • $250 in annual statement credits after you spend $600 on U.S. Adobe purchases in a calendar year (enrollment required)
  • Up to $90 in quarterly statement credits (up to $360 annually) on Indeed purchases (enrollment required)
  • Up to $10 in monthly statement credits (up to $120 annually) on purchases with U.S. wireless telephone service providers (enrollment required)
  • Up to $200 in annual statement credits for Google Workspace through Dec. 31, 2027. Applies to qualifying purchases made directly with Google Workspace. 
  • Up to $200 semiannually (up to $400 annually) in statement credits for ZipRecruiter purchases through Dec. 31, 2027. It's $200 Jan–Jun + $200 Jul–Dec.
  • Up to $10 (up to $120 annually) in monthly in-app credits with Lyft (through Sep. 30, 2027)
  • Complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership for 12 months (must activate before Dec. 31, 2027)
  • Up to $25 in monthly in-app credits with DoorDash (through Dec. 31, 2027)
  • Up to $100 in annual statement credits for gift cards purchased through giftcards.com/reservebusiness through Oct. 31, 2028. It's actually split into up to $50 Jan–Jun and $50 Jul–Dec.
  • Up to $300 in annual statement credits for purchases made in the travel category
  • Up to $250 in statement credits for stays made through Chase Travel℠ with select hotels, including IHG Hotels & Resorts, Montage Hotels & Resorts, Pendry Hotels & Resorts, Omni Hotels & Resorts, Virgin Hotels, Minor Hotels and Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts (through Dec. 31, 2026)
  • Complimentary access to Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club and over 1,300 Priority Pass™ lounges worldwide with up to two guests
  • Up to $500 in automatic statement credits annually for bookings made with The Edit℠ (maximum of $250 per booking). Starting Jan. 1, 2027, this increases to up to $1,000 annually. Also requires prepaid stays of at least 2 nights.
  • Complimentary benefits when you book with The Edit℠, including a property credit, daily breakfast for two, a room upgrade (if available) and more
  • Statement credit for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fee every four years
  • Automatic IHG® One Rewards Platinum Elite status. Available through Dec. 31, 2027, but it must be activated by linking an IHG One Rewards account.
  • Unlock the following benefits when you spend $120,000 each calendar year: 
    • World of Hyatt Explorist status
    • IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite status
    • Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards A-List status
    • Up to $500 in statement credits for Southwest Airlines flights booked through Chase Travel℠
    • Up to $500 in statement credits for The Shops at Chase

As you can see, both of these cards offer plenty of value in statement credits, spending bonuses and other benefits. If used to their full extent, these benefits can easily offset the high annual fees charged by these cards.

Annual Fees

Both the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business and the Amex Business Platinum charge high annual fees. The Sapphire Reserve for Business charges an annual fee of $795, while the Amex Business Platinum has a slightly higher annual fee of $895. Before you sign up for either one of these cards, you’ll want to make sure that you’re going to use most of each card’s statement credits and benefits. Otherwise, the annual fees of these cards could outweigh the value you receive.

Spending Bonuses

Comparing the spending bonuses offered by the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business and the Amex Business Platinum, the Chase card is better suited to businesses that spend a lot on travel and social media advertising, while the Amex card is better for businesses that spend in more general business categories.

The Sapphire Reserve for Business offers 8X points on all travel purchases made through the Chase Travel℠ portal, whereas the Amex Business Platinum offers only 5X points for flights and hotels booked through Amex’s travel portal. It’s worth noting that rental cars booked through Chase Travel℠ will trigger the Chase card’s 8X spending bonus, while rental car bookings through the Amex travel portal will not trigger the Business Platinum’s 5X spending bonus. The Sapphire Reserve for Business also offers 4X points on flights and hotels booked directly. So, overall, the Chase card offers much better spending bonuses for travel purchases.

The Sapphire Reserve for Business also offers 3X points on social media and search engine advertising purchases. These purchases would only earn 1X points with the Amex Business Platinum card. However, the Amex Business Platinum offers 2X points on purchases (up to $2 million in combined annual purchases) in several key business categories such as U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers, U.S. electronic goods retailers and software and cloud system providers, and U.S. shipping providers, as well as eligible purchases over $5,000. So, if your business spends a significant amount in any of these categories, then the Amex Business Platinum’s spending bonuses might provide more value for you.

Finally, both cards offer a baseline earning rate of 1X points on all other purchases that don’t fit into any of their special spending bonus categories.

Person using a smartphone to search for and book a hotel room online.

Statement Credits

Both the Amex Business Platinum and the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business offer over $1,000 in statement credits. These statement credits will be automatically applied when you make a qualifying purchase with your card.

Both of these cards offer statement credits for online employment marketplaces, which are valuable if you use these sites to hire employees. The Amex Business Platinum offers $90 in quarterly statement credits for Indeed purchases, which means you can get $360 of value annually. The Sapphire Reserve for Business offers $400 in statement credits for ZipRecruiter purchases,provided in two semiannual credits of $200, through December 31, 2027.

If your business spends a lot with the tech companies ChatGPT, Adobe or Dell Technologies, then the Amex Business Platinum offers excellent statement credits for all three. With enrollment, the card offers $300 in annual statement credits for ChatGPT Business, $250 in annual statement credits for Adobe purchases after you spend at least $600 with Adobe in a year and $150 in annual statement credits for Dell Technologies purchases. Plus, you can unlock another $1,000 in Dell Technologies statement credits when you spend at least $5,000 with Dell Technologies in a year. On the other hand, the Sapphire Reserve for Business offers $200 in annual statement credits for Google Workspace purchases.

Both of these premium business credit cards also offer statement credits for travel. The Sapphire Reserve for Business offers an annual $300 statement credit that can be applied to all travel purchases, another $250 statement credit that’s applicable to bookings with certain hotel chains made through Chase Travel℠ and $500 in statement credits for hotel bookings with The Edit by Chase Travel℠.

The Amex Business Platinum offers up to $600 in annual statement credits for hotel bookings made with either Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection®, with enrollment. Additionally, this card offers up to $200 in statement credits for Hilton purchases annually (gift cards excluded) and $200 in statement credits for incidental fees charged by one qualifying airline of your choice.

The Sapphire Reserve for Business also offers $100 in annual statement credits for gift cards purchased through Chase’s website, through October 31, 2028. Meanwhile, the Amex Business Platinum offers $10 in monthly statement credits for purchases with U.S. wireless telephone service providers.

Finally, if you spend over $120,000 annually on your Sapphire Reserve for Business card, you’ll unlock even more benefits, including $500 in statement credits for Southwest Airlines flights booked through Chase Travel℠ and another $500 in statement credits for The Shops at Chase.

Ultimately, when deciding which of these two business credit cards offers the better statement credits for you, you should consider which of the aforementioned vendors you’re most likely to spend with.

Businesswoman using a smartphone while standing in a modern office or workspace.

Other Benefits

In addition to statement credits and spending bonuses, both of these top-tier business credit cards also offer a variety of other valuable benefits. First of all, both cards offer reimbursement credits for the application fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. Additionally, the Sapphire Reserve for Business offers reimbursement for a NEXUS membership, while the Amex Business Platinum offers reimbursement for CLEAR+ memberships.

Of course, both cards offer access to their respective airport lounge networks as well as Priority Pass memberships, which grant you access to over 1,300 airport lounges across the globe. Additionally, the Amex Business Platinum guarantees 10 annual visits to Delta Sky Club lounges, which gives this card the advantage when it comes to lounge access.

Both cards also come with automatic hotel elite status. The Amex Business Platinum offers Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status, Hilton Honors Gold status and Leaders Club Sterling status from The Leading Hotels of the World. The Sapphire Reserve for Business comes with IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status. However, if you spend over $120,000 annually on the Chase card, you’ll also unlock World of Hyatt Explorist status, IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite status and Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards A-List status.

Finally, both of these premium credit cards offer complimentary benefits when you stay at hotels that are part of their respective luxury hotel collections: Amex’s Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Edit by Chase Travel℠. These benefits include complimentary breakfast, space-available room upgrades and property credits.

Overall, many of the Sapphire Reserve for Business’s most valuable benefits are only unlocked when you spend at least $120,000 annually. So, if your business doesn’t reach that spending threshold, the Amex Business Platinum probably has the advantage when it comes to statement credits and benefits.

Point Value

Another major consideration when comparing the Sapphire Reserve for Business and the Amex Business Platinum is the relative value of Chase points versus Amex points. The value of these two rewards currencies is very similar. However, they do have different transfer partners. The following table includes all Chase and Amex transfer partners (all transfer ratios are 1:1 unless otherwise specified):

American Express transfer partners Chase transfer partners
  • Aer Lingus AerClub
  • Aeromexico Rewards (1:1.6)
  • Air Canada Aeroplan
  • Air France-KLM Flying Blue
  • ANA Mileage Club
  • Avianca Lifemiles
  • British Airways Club
  • Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:0.8)
  • Choice Privileges
  • Delta SkyMiles
  • Emirates Skywards (1:0.8)
  • Hilton Honors (1:2)
  • Iberia Club
  • JetBlue TrueBlue (1.25:1)
  • Marriott Bonvoy
  • Qantas Frequent Flyer
  • Qatar Airways Privilege Club
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
  • The Leading Hotels of the World Leaders Club (4:1)
  • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
  • Aer Lingus AerClub
  • Air Canada Aeroplan
  • Air France-KLM Flying Blue
  • British Airways Club 
  • Iberia Plus
  • IHG One Rewards
  • JetBlue TrueBlue
  • Marriott Bonvoy
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
  • Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
  • United Airlines MileagePlus
  • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
  • World of Hyatt (4:3)
  • Wyndham Rewards

As you can see, the American Express Membership Rewards program has significantly more transfer partners than the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. However, Chase does have access to some high-value transfer partners, including World of Hyatt and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

The Bottom Line

In summary, when deciding between the Amex Business Platinum and the Sapphire Reserve for Business, the choice comes down to your business’s spending habits. If your business spends a lot of money on travel for yourself and your employees, then the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business may be the better option. This card offers excellent spending bonuses on travel booked both through Chase Travel℠ and directly with airlines and hotels. Additionally, this Chase card includes more than $1,000 in statement credits for travel annually.

However, if your business tends to spend a lot with technology companies, then the Amex Business Platinum card may be the best option for you. This card offers hundreds of dollars in statement credits for purchases with Adobe, ChatGPT and Dell Technologies. Plus, if you spend at least $5,000 annually with Dell, you’ll unlock another $1,000 in Dell statement credits.

It’s also worth considering how much spending your business is going to put on either card. If you spend at least $120,000 on your Sapphire Reserve for Business card, you’ll unlock $1,000 more in additional statement credits as well as three different elite status tiers with airline and hotel loyalty programs. Overall, we recommend looking at your business expenses from last year and calculating the value of the rewards, statement credits and other benefits that each of these two premium business credit cards would provide you.