Amex Business Gold vs Chase Ink Preferred for Ad Spend
This is the comparison every media-buying agency owner eventually runs. Both cards reward online advertising, both transfer to airlines and hotels, both have reasonable annual fees. The right choice depends almost entirely on your monthly Meta spend.
By Editorial Team · Media buyer research desk
Published May 13, 2026 · 7 min read · How we review
The headline numbers
Amex Business Gold pays 4x on the top two spending categories monthly (capped at $150K of combined category spend per year). Chase Ink Business Preferred pays 3x on travel, shipping, internet, phone, and online advertising — capped at $150K per cardmember year. The 4x vs 3x difference is real: at $10K/month of Meta spend, Gold generates 480K points/year vs Ink's 360K — a 33% gap.
Transfer partner value
Membership Rewards points (Amex) transfer to 19 partners including ANA, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Delta, and Hilton. Ultimate Rewards (Chase) transfer to 14 partners including Hyatt, United, Southwest, Air Canada, and Virgin Atlantic. The Hyatt sweet spot (1.7 cents per point) is a real edge for Chase. The Aeroplan and ANA sweet spots favor Amex.
Annual fee math
Gold: $375. Ink Preferred: $95. The $280 gap is meaningful at low volume but trivial at $15K+/month — the 1x of additional earn rate on Gold pays back the difference in under two months of typical advertising spend.
The $5K/month buyer
At this volume, Chase Ink Preferred wins. Lower fee, the 3x is still strong, and the 80,000-point welcome bonus (typical) covers the first 18 months of the fee. Reserve the Gold for when you scale past $8K/month.
The $15K/month buyer
Amex Business Gold wins clearly. The extra 1x on $180K/year of ad spend generates roughly $3,600 in extra transfer value annually — easily 10x the fee gap.
The $50K/month buyer
Run both. Put the first $12,500/month on Ink Preferred to max its $150K cap, route the remainder through Gold (also capped at $150K), then overflow to Business Platinum or Venture X Business. This three-card stack is what most serious agencies actually run.
Takeaway
Under $8K/month on Meta: Chase Ink Preferred. Over $8K/month: Amex Business Gold. Over $25K/month: stack both, then add Capital One Venture X Business or Amex Business Platinum for the overflow.