Amex Gold vs Chase Sapphire Preferred

Our experts answer readers' credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess credit cards). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners; however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.

Savvy travelers know that having the right credit card can make a huge difference in their rewards earnings and, in many cases, save them a significant amount of money. Two of the best travel rewards cards — the American Express® Gold Card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — are fixtures in the wallets of frequent flyers, and for good reason.

Along with hefty welcome bonus offers, both cards offer handy statement credits and excellent travel and purchase protections that can be a lifesaver when things go awry. Both also come with excellent earning rates in popular categories that are easy to maximize whether you're at home or on the road.

The American Express® Gold Card has a American Express® Gold Card annual fee, but it can be well worth it if you make the most of the card's earning categories and benefits. Meanwhile, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card comes with a more moderate Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card annual fee, so it may be a better choice for those looking to minimize their upfront costs.

Either of these cards would be a good pick if you want to make the most of your travel rewards, but there are other significant differences to consider. Here's what to know if you're trying to decide between the American Express® Gold Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

We're focused here on the rewards and perks that come with each card. These cards won't be worth it if you're paying interest or late fees. When using a credit card, it's important to pay your balance in full each month, make payments on time, and only spend what you can afford to pay.

Amex Gold and Chase Sapphire Preferred welcome bonus offers

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is currently offering one of its highest welcome bonuses ever: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. That's 20,000 more points than the standard offer, and potentially worth Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card in travel, based on Insider's valuation of Chase points as worth 1.8 cents each.

The welcome offer on the American Express® Gold Card is less valuable than the Sapphire Preferred. You can currently earn American Express® Gold Card, worth around American Express® Gold Card in travel according to Insider's valuation of Amex points. 

Because of the elevated offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, it's a better choice if you're looking to open a card with the highest bonus possible — but there are many other factors you should also consider.

Chase and Amex offer different redemption options

The exact value you'll receive depends on how you redeem your points, but both cards offer numerous redemption opportunities, including transferring points to airline and hotel partners, using rewards to book travel through the bank's respective travel portals, and cashing in rewards for gift cards or statement credits.

The American Express® Gold Card earns Amex Membership Rewards points, which you can transfer to 20 airline and hotel partners like Delta, Air Canada, and Hilton to book award travel. That's usually how you'll get the highest value for your points, but there are other options, including:

• Redeem points for flights (1 cent per point) or hotels and car rentals (0.7 cents per point) through Amex Travel
• Use points to buy gift cards (usually 1 cent per point)
• Cash in points for statement credits toward purchases made on your card (0.6 cents per point)
• Pay with points at checkout at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Saks Fifth Avenue, Boxed.com, Dell.com, Staples, and more (0.7 cents per point)
• Redeem points for food delivery with GrubHub and Seamless (0.7 cents per point)
• Use points to pay for New York City taxi fares in vehicles using enabled point-of-sale devices (1 cent per point)
• Shop with points for merchandise and gifts through Amex (usually 0.5 cents per point)

With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, which transfer to 14 airline and hotel partners including United, British Airways, Southwest, and Hyatt. Again, you'll typically get the most value by transferring to partners and booking award travel, but other redemption options include:

• Redeem points for flights, hotels, rental cars, and more through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal (1.25 cents per point)
• Cash in your points toward a statement credit or direct deposit to your bank account (1 cent per point)
• Use points for takeout and dining experiences with Chase Dining (1.25 cents per point)
• Buy gift cards with your points (1 cent per point)
• Use points directly for Apple (1 cent each), PayPal (0.8 cents each), or Amazon (0.8 cents each) purchases; the latter options aren't a good value — you're better off paying for your purchase with the card, then redeeming points at 1 cent apiece toward a statement credit

Consider each card's ongoing rewards earning

It's important to look beyond a card's welcome offer and see if its bonus categories and earning rates are a good fit for your spending habits. Fortunately, both the American Express® Gold Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are heavy hitters in this regard, with excellent everyday spending categories that most consumers can easily use.

With the American Express® Gold Card, you'll earn:

• 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide
• 4 points per dollar at US supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in spending, then 1x)
• 3 points per dollar on flights booked with the airline or Amex Travel
• 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases

These bonus categories are the reason the American Express® Gold Card tops our lists of the best credit cards for buying groceries and the best dining credit cards. If you're a foodie, it's hard to beat the American Express® Gold Card, even with the 4x cap on US supermarket purchases.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is no slouch when it comes to earning, either. When the card got a makeover, it added new bonus categories and improved earning rates in others. Cardholders earn:

• 5 points per dollar on Lyft rides through March 2025
• 5 points per dollar on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• 3 points per dollar  on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out
• 3 points per dollar on select streaming services
• 3 points per dollar on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
• 2 points per dollar on other travel
• 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases

If travel is a priority for you, you could do better with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, especially if you book airfare, hotels, and rental cars through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal. Just keep in mind there are some pitfalls to purchasing travel through a third-party site like a bank portal, including the fact that you won't earn hotel points when you book this way.

Be sure to factor in statement credits and complimentary memberships

Statement credits can help offset a card's annual fee, and both of these cards offer the opportunity to make up for some or most of the yearly cost.

American Express® Gold Card cardholders receive up to $10 per month in statement credits toward purchases made with the card at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Wine.com, Goldbelly, Milk Bar, and participating Shake Shack locations**.

In addition, the Amex Gold card offers up to $10 per month in Uber Cash (applicable to U.S. Eats orders and Rides, and the Gold Card needs to be added to the Uber app to receive the Uber Cash benefit). Even if you don't use Uber for rides, you can take advantage of this perk to get up to $10 in free food per month with Uber Eats.

For its part, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card also comes with valuable credits — including up to $50 per year toward hotels booked through Chase, $10 per month in Gopuff rapid delivery service credit, perks with Instacart, and a complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership through December 2024 (worth $9.99 a month, activation required).

And, while not exactly a credit, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholders receive a 10% anniversary points bonus each year, equal to 10% of all purchases made in the previous year. For example, if you spent $25,000 on the card in an anniversary year, you'd receive a bonus of 2,500 points.

One card offers better travel and purchase protection

Both cards offer travel insurance and purchase protection, but the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card comes out on top for offering primary car rental insurance (versus secondary on the American Express® Gold Card). 

It also offers some protections you won't find on the American Express® Gold Card, including trip cancellation/interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, travel accident insurance, and roadside dispatch. 

The purchase protection on the American Express® Gold Card has a higher limit per claim, but keep in mind the protection timeframe is shorter (90 days versus 120 days on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card).

Be sure to check the benefits guides for the Amex Gold and Chase Sapphire Preferred (PDF link) for important terms and exclusions.

Amex Gold and Chase Sapphire Preferred annual fees

The annual fee of American Express® Gold Card on the American Express® Gold Card is more than double that of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, but you can easily offset most of it if you take full advantage of the card's dining credits (up to $120 a year) and Uber Cash benefits (also up to $120 annually). That's not even factoring in the value of the points you'll earn and the protections you'll get when you use the card.

Your upfront out-of-pocket cost is lower with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and you can shave off more than half the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card annual fee by using the $50 hotel credit each year. Plus, the card's welcome bonus is significantly bigger at the moment. Otherwise, perks like DashPass membership and top-notch travel and purchase protection can more than make the cost worthwhile.

Amex Gold vs Chase Sapphire Preferred: Comparison

*on up to $25,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 1x

***up to $10 in statement credits per month when you use the Amex Gold card at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Wine.com, Goldbelly, Milk Bar, and participating Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.

****up to $10 in Uber Cash per month (this is only applicable to U.S. Eats orders and Rides, and the Gold Card needs to be added to the Uber app to receive the Uber Cash benefit)

What you need to know about the Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Amex Gold

You can't go wrong with either the American Express® Gold Card or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card if you're looking for an excellent travel rewards credit card. Both offer substantial welcome bonuses, top-notch benefits, and earning rates that can help you boost your points balances quickly.

If you're a beginner in the world of travel rewards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is probably a better pick. Its annual fee is lower, and Chase's travel partners are easy to use for most US-based travelers. You'll also get a higher value for your points if you want to keep it simple and just book travel through the Chase portal.

That said, if you're a fan of Amex's transfer partners, spend a lot on dining and US supermarkets, or prefer a card with generous credits, the American Express® Gold Card is a terrific choice. Just keep in mind the American Express® Gold Card annual fee is due upfront, so it will take some time to offset the cost if you plan on doing so by maximizing perks like Uber Cash and dining credits.

Of course, there's no reason you can't have both cards — many folks do — and using both to take advantage of each card's bonus categories is a great way to supercharge your points earning.