American Express currently dominates the premium business card market niche. Their flagship business card is the American Express Business Platinum Card, which has a lot of flaws. Their only other premium business card is currently the co-branded Delta Reserve for Business Card. These two cards the only premium business cards in the industry. However, there are many entrepreneurs and businesses that want the same earning opportunities and perks that come with personal premium cards. Because of the few cards in this niche, I figured that imagining a premium Chase business card would be fun.
JP Morgan Chase is the one of the largest banks in the United States. It issues a plethora of cards that earn transferrable and valuable Ultimate Rewards (UR) points. JP Morgan Chase’s size and number of business customers gives them another opportunity to compete with American Express. They already have a very successful mid-tier business card in the Ink Business Preferred. But they do not have a card above that. I predicted that Chase will release a premium business card in 2020. This post presents the details for that prediction.
Name & Annual Fee
The two most basic parts of any credit card are its name and its annual fee. I’m going to name this card the “Chase Ink Business Reserve” (or the “Ink Business Reserve” for short). This name implies that it’s a step up from the Ink Business Preferred and a counterpart to the Chase Sapphire Reserve. It also keeps Chase’s branding intact by combining the names of two successful cards.
Furthermore, the Ink Business Reserve would have an annual fee of $450. This is about 25% (or $145) less than the Amex Business Platinum Card. Such a fee puts the Ink Business Reserve on par with the Sapphire Reserve. It also gives business owners a lower barrier of entry to get the card.
Sign-Up Bonus
The Ink Business Reserve would have a sign-up bonus worth 100,000 Ultimate Rewards (UR) points. And those points can be earned by spending $10,000 within the first three months. This bonus is the same as that of the Sapphire Reserve when it was released in 2016. And offering 100,000 points right away would immediately let Chase take away Amex’s premium business card monopoly.
Plus, a $10,000 minimum spend is reasonable for a business card with a $450 annual fee. The Amex Business Platinum Card has a five-figure minimum spend for its sign-up bonus. Such a minimum spend can range from $10,000 to $25,000, depending on the amount of bonus points offered.
Earning & Burning
Fortunately, Chase UR-earning cards have great earning structures, especially the business cards. The Ink Business Reserve would be no different. It would earn 4x UR points on General Travel, Gas Stations, Restaurants, Advertising (of all sorts), and Shipping. Plus, it would earn one UR point for non-bonus spend. Selecting these categories was difficult because Chase’s current business credit card lineup is amazing. But all five categories are excellent for many businesses as they are common expenses.
Furthermore, the Ink Business Reserve would have all the same redemption options and transfer partners as the Chase Sapphire Reserve. This includes the 1.5 cent per point (CPP) flat redemption rate for Chase’s Travel Portal, which is 50% higher than Chase’s no annual fee cards.
Benefits
The Ink Business Reserve would be an excellent card for benefits. But it should be if it’s competing with the American Express Business Platinum Card.
General Travel Credit
The Sapphire Reserve (and by extension Chase) is famous for its $300 General Travel Credit. This credit is great because it is so easy to use. Business travelers would love this benefit too. Therefore, it would be a natural fit on the Ink Business Reserve.
The beauty of this benefit is its simplicity. Chase’s travel credit is unlike American Express’ credits because its not restrictive. As with the Sapphire Reserve, any travel purchase will count towards the credit (but will not earn 4x UR points). Such simplicity is what will give the Ink Business Reserve an advantage over the Amex Business Platinum Card.
Hyatt Explorist Status
Furthermore, the Ink Business Reserve would come with complimentary Hyatt Explorist Status. This is Hyatt’s second-highest tier of status aside from regular membership. Explorist Status comes with complimentary room upgrades (excluding suites), an annual free night, guaranteed availability, 2 PM late checkout, and a 20% points bonus on all Hyatt purchases.
The only other card to currently offer any Hyatt status is the Chase World of Hyatt Card.
United Premier Gold Status
Plus, the Ink Business Reserve will come with mid-tier United Premier Gold Status. Chase has a partnership with United and issues their co-branded cards. Therefore, including mid-tier United Airlines status would make sense for Chase, United, and businesses who would hold this card.
United Premier Gold Status comes with Economy Plus upgrades and higher chances of receiving Complimentary Premier Upgrades. More base points and full access to Premier Priority services also come with this level of status.
Airport Lounge Access
The Ink Business Reserve will include access to Priority Pass lounges and restaurants like the Sapphire Reserve. This is a common perk among premium cards. But that’s not all.
The Ink Business Reserve will also include access to United Clubs when flying on United Airlines. This is a huge perk that I think is missing from the Sapphire Reserve. It would let Chase better compete with American Express and expand Chase’s airport lounge offerings. Plus, Chase can add it onto the Ink Business Reserve as an exclusive perk.
Travel Insurances
The card will also come with a Global Entry / Pre-TSA Fee waiver credit. This perk is the most common among premium cards. So not including it would be strange. Plus, it is great for travelers who don’t want to wait in line for airport security.
Finally, the Ink Business Reserve will include all the Chase travel insurances. Such insurances include Primary Car Rental, Trip Delay, Trip Cancellation, and Trip Interruption Insurances. These insurances can be found on all of Chase’s mid-tier and premium UR-earning cards.
Final Draw
Imagining the possibilities of a potential future card is a fun mental exercise for any points and miles lover. And the opportunity to compete in the premium business card market is a great one for Chase.
I would love to see a card like the Ink Business Reserve become a reality. The monopoly that American Express has over the premium business niche can be busted open in a huge way if Chase develops such a card. Furthermore, I assume that there would be a huge demand for such a card given the success of the Sapphire Reserve and the Ink Business Preferred.
Under the terms that you mentioned, I’d get one.