Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Amex Gold: Which one is best for you?

Editor’s be aware: This is a recurring put up, commonly up to date with new data and card particulars.

For many, the $500-plus annual charges that include ultra-premium journey playing cards such because the Chase Sapphire Reserve and The Platinum Card® from American Express aren’t justifiable. Unless you’re touring considerably commonly and using the complete lineup of perks and credit, it will not be value it so as to add these playing cards to your pockets proper now.

However, each Chase and Amex have glorious journey playing cards that fall beneath their premium variations — the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and the American Express® Gold Card.

Learn which card in your pockets will enable you attain your journey targets – simply obtain the free TPG App.

While each of those playing cards act as sister playing cards to their luxurious counterparts, there are a lot of variations between them. Today, we’re strolling via a side-by-side comparability of those playing cards that can assist you work out which is best for you — or whether or not each deserve spots in your pockets.

Sapphire Preferred vs. Amex Gold overview

Here’s a fast overview that compares the important thing perks on the 2 playing cards (be aware that enrollment is required for choose advantages):

*Point valuations are calculated by TPG, not the issuer.
**Eligibility and profit stage varies by card. Terms, situations and limitations apply. Please go to americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for particulars. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

Welcome supply

The Chase Sapphire Preferred presents a compelling sign-up bonus for first-time candidates. You’ll earn 60,000 bonus factors after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. TPG values Ultimate Rewards factors at a fair 2 cents every, making this bonus value $1,200. At the very least, you’re assured to get $750 of “free travel” if you happen to redeem immediately via the Chase portal — however extra on that later.

The Amex Gold Card presently has a nearly-identical welcome supply of 60,000 Membership Rewards factors after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first six months of account opening, value $1,200, based mostly on TPG’s valuations.

While the variety of factors you may earn is equivalent, remember that you could have a further three months to earn the Amex Gold’s supply in comparison with the Sapphire Preferred. Plus, you would be focused for a better welcome supply on the Amex Gold via the CardMatch software or via a referral hyperlink (presents topic to vary at any time).

Winner: Amex Gold, which supplies you twice as lengthy to earn the bonus. Plus, there’s the potential to earn a fair increased bonus via the CardMatch software.

Related: American Express Gold Card evaluation

Annual price

While each playing cards fall into the “mid-tier” class, the Amex Gold comes with a considerably increased annual price than the Sapphire Preferred, at $250 (see charges and charges). The Chase Sapphire Preferred solely costs $95 per 12 months. Of course, the Amex Gold comes with increased incomes charges alongside further perks to assist offset the annual price. But if you happen to aren’t spending sufficient to cowl the upper price of the Amex Gold, you could need to go along with the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

Winner: The Chase Sapphire Preferred solely costs $95 per 12 months, which is a extra modest annual price for anybody looking for a mid-tier bank card.

Related: Chase Sapphire Preferred evaluation

Earning

The Chase Sapphire Preferred presents helpful bonus classes, however the true spotlight isn’t simply the classes themselves however how broadly they’re outlined.

With it, you may earn 3 factors per greenback on just a few notable classes:

• Dining, together with not simply eating places however many bars, breweries, meals vehicles and even meal supply companies.
• Select streaming companies, together with Apple, Disney+, HBO Max, Netflix, SiriusXM, Spotify, and YouTube TV, amongst others.
• Online grocery shops, together with Instacart and plenty of meal supply companies however excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale golf equipment.

You’ll additionally obtain 2 factors per greenback on purchases Chase categorizes as journey, which incorporates apparent ones like motels, airfare and rental playing cards. However, this additionally extends to issues like Uber, parking meters, limousine leases and a bunch of different transactions. However, this jumps to five factors per greenback for journey booked utilizing the Chase Travel portal (excluding lodge reservations that qualify for the $50 credit score).

Finally, the Sapphire Preferred additionally earns 5 factors per greenback on Lyft via March 2025.

These are strong charges on all kinds of purchases. However, the Amex Gold might shine brighter with regards to its incomes construction:

• 4 factors per greenback at eating places worldwide.
• 4 factors per greenback at U.S. supermarkets (as much as $25,000 in spending per calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback).
• 3 factors per greenback on flights booked immediately with the airline or via Amex Travel.
• Terms apply.

These are extra beneficiant charges than the Sapphire Preferred, however the classes are a bit extra restrictive. In addition to the $25,000 cap every calendar 12 months on the grocery store bonus, it solely applies within the U.S. In addition, you may solely earn 3 factors per greenback spent on flights, whereas the Sapphire Preferred’s bonus

Winner: Amex Gold. It’s essential to have playing cards with robust bonus classes in your lineup, particularly for frequent purchases like groceries and eating. The incontrovertible fact that the Amex Gold additionally earns at a better fee places this card on prime, even when the class definitions are extra restricted than the Sapphire Preferred.

Related: Why the Amex Gold is the proper ‘in-between’ bank card

Redeeming

Both of those playing cards are related in that they earn a number of the most respected transferable factors currencies round. Chase Ultimate Rewards factors are a fan favourite, because of over a dozen helpful lodge and airline switch companions, together with United, Southwest, Hyatt and British Airways.

Meanwhile, American Express Membership Rewards has its personal suite of helpful companions. This contains some that overlap with Chase — like Air Canada Aeroplan and British Airways. However, some are completely different, together with Delta SkyMiles, Avianca LifeMiles and ANA Mileage Club.

TPG values each loyalty currencies at 2 cents every, however your journey habits would possibly make one foreign money higher than the opposite.

For instance, if you happen to dwell in a Delta hub, you would possibly get extra worth out of transferring your Membership Rewards factors to Delta SkyMiles, whereas those that have a coveted Southwest Companion Pass can get some unimaginable worth by transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards to Southwest Rapid Rewards.

If you are not all in favour of transfers, each playing cards supply an choice to pay with factors when reserving via their journey portals. However, the Sapphire Preferred has a bonus on this case, as you may get a 25% bonus when redeeming factors for journey. Amex factors used on this approach are solely value 1 cent apiece for flights — and fewer than that for motels.

Winner: The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a slight edge right here, nevertheless it’s simple to think about eventualities the place the Amex Gold Card and Membership Rewards factors could be extra helpful.

Perks and journey protections

In change for a $95 annual price, the Chase Sapphire Preferred presents many journey perks, together with a $50 annual lodge credit score for bookings via Chase Travel and a 10% factors bonus in your cardmember anniversary. You’ll additionally achieve entry to Chase Offers with the cardboard.

However, many of the different advantages fall into the class of belongings you hope you don’t have to make use of.

This contains protections like rental automobile insurance coverage, journey delay and cancellation insurance coverage and baggage loss and delay insurance coverage. These are a fantastic security web whilst you journey, however they don’t do a lot to boost your day-to-day life when every part goes in response to plan.

The Amex Gold presents a lot of glorious perks (enrollment is required for choose advantages):

• Up to $120 annual eating assertion credit score: Earn as much as $10 in assertion credit month-to-month once you pay with the Amex Gold Card at taking part eating companions, together with Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and choose Shake Shack areas.
• Up to $120 in annual Uber Cash: Earn as much as $10 in Uber Cash month-to-month for Uber Eats and Uber rides within the U.S. You should add the cardboard to the Uber app to obtain the Uber Cash profit. This perk is a month-to-month assertion credit score just like the Uber Cash on The Platinum Card® from American Express.
• Up to $100 in lodge credit: Cardmembers who use their card to guide a keep of two nights or extra via Amex’s The Hotel Collection obtain a $100 on-site credit score for qualifying actions. Depending on the property, this might embrace eating, spa remedies or different actions.

Cardholders will even obtain the next journey protections:

• Baggage insurance coverage: If your baggage is misplaced, stolen or broken once you’re touring with a typical provider and you bought your ticket with the Amex Gold, you’ll be eligible for as much as $1,250 in protection for carry-on baggage and as much as $500 for checked baggage. For New York State residents, there’s a $10,000 combination most restrict for all coated individuals per coated journey. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.**
• Trip delay reimbursement: If you buy your journey with the cardboard and your journey is delayed greater than 12 hours due to a coated motive, you’ll be eligible for reimbursement of as much as $300 for eligible bills corresponding to meals, lodging and toiletries per coated journey. You are allowed as much as two claims per eligible card account each 12 months. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.**
• Rental automobile insurance coverage: Use your card to pay for a complete automobile rental and decline the company’s collision harm waiver and you’ll obtain secondary protection for harm or theft. There are exclusions to what varieties of leases are coated, which areas or territories protection is on the market in and different situations to pay attention to, so you should definitely learn your advantages information. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is obtainable via American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.**

**Eligibility and profit stage varies by card. Terms, situations and limitations apply. Please go to americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for particulars. Policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

Another nice good thing about the Amex Gold Card is the power to entry Amex Offers, which supply helpful money again or bonus factors on purchases you already deliberate to make. While many Amex playing cards get you entry to Amex Offers, a number of the most rewarding presents are extremely focused, so having one other card couldn’t damage. And these presents are usually extra widespread than the same providing from Chase.

Winner: Toss-up. While the Sapphire Preferred is an effective worth for the value, the Amex Gold Card prices much less out of pocket if you happen to can benefit from its Uber and eating credit.

Don’t overlook: Bonus eligibility

Unfortunately, simply since you need a bank card and its bonus doesn’t imply you’ll be capable to get it. Chase and Amex every have their very own guidelines that may limit a unique subset of consumers from making use of for these playing cards.

With Chase, there’s the notorious 5/24 rule. Generally talking, which means if you happen to’ve opened 5 or extra bank cards throughout all issuers within the final 24 months, you’ll be robotically rejected for many Chase bank cards, together with the Sapphire Preferred.

Chase additionally has one other restriction particular to its Sapphire lineup of playing cards. Current holders of both the Sapphire Preferred or the premium Sapphire Reserve — and anybody who has obtained a bonus for both card within the final 48 months — shall be ineligible for a brand new bonus.

With Amex, the restriction is way easier, and it comes within the type of a “once-per-lifetime” bonus coverage. While Amex limits the variety of complete bank cards you possibly can maintain with the corporate without delay, when it comes to bonuses, the first query is if you happen to’ve ever had this card earlier than. Amex even has a software on its web site that ought to inform you if you happen to’re ineligible for a welcome supply earlier than you pull the set off and apply for the cardboard.

Related: Ultimate information to utility restrictions

Bottom line

Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Amex Gold playing cards are glorious mid-tier playing cards, providing terrific incomes charges, strong advantages and reasonably priced annual charges.

Which card is healthier for you depends upon your spending habits, however do not forget that it doesn’t should be a “this or that” choice; there’s room for each of those playing cards in a well-developed factors technique.

For charges and charges of the Amex Gold Card, click on right here.

Additional reporting by Emily Thompson, Ryan Wilcox and Madison Blancaflor.