The Platinum Card^® from American Express vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card: Which Travel Rewards Card Is Right for You?

Travel credit cards can help you offset the cost of your adventures, but in order to get the best possible value from your card, you need to choose one that makes sense for your wallet. The best rewards credit card for you will align with how you spend money and offer benefits that are important to you.

Both Chase and American Express offer travel rewards cards tailored to frequent travelers. Their cards have many similarities, but also significant differences. In this article, we'll compare two popular cards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card vs. The Platinum Card^® from American Express, so you can determine which is the best travel card that works for your situation. 

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Amex Platinum

	Chase Sapphire Preferred	Amex Platinum
Annual fee	$95	$695 (Terms apply)
Welcome bonus	Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening	Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 on purchases on your new card in the first 6 months
Earning rate	5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and eligible online grocery purchases; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points per $1 on all other eligible purchases	5X points per dollar spent on eligible airfare (on up to $500,000 per calendar year, after that 1X) and eligible hotel purchases, and 1X points per dollar on all other eligible purchases
Redemption methods	Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed for travel, gift cards, experiences, or a statement credit. It’s also possible to transfer to partner hotel and airline programs at a 1:1 rate. There is a 25% redemption bonus on travel booked through the Chase travel portal	Amex Membership Rewards points can be redeemed for statement credits, travel, gift cards, and purchases through the American Express portal. There is a 35% point rebate on flights when using Pay with Points. Rewards can also be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to a variety of airline and hotel programs.
Annual credits/bonuses	Up to $50 in statement credits for hotel stays booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards An annual points bonus worth 10% of your previous year's total card spend	Up to $200 Uber Cash each year Up to $240 annual digital entertainment credit Up to $300 annually in statement credits for an Equinox digital or club membership Up to $200 annual airline fee credit Up to $189 annual CLEAR Plus credit Up to $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit each year Up to $100 Global Entry every four years or up to $85 for TSA PreCheck every 4.5 years Select benefits require enrollment
Travel perks	Auto rental collision damage waiver Trip cancellation/interruption insurance Baggage delay insurance Trip delay reimbursement	Access to American Express Global Lounge Collection Fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry Status with Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors Fine Hotels & Resorts perks Collision damage waiver Trip cancellation/interruption insurance Trip delay insurance Baggage insurance Select benefits require enrollment
Other benefits	Purchase protection Extended warranty protection DoorDash DashPass benefits	Return protection Complimentary additional Gold Cards
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Excellent, Good
	Learn more	Learn more

What both cards excel at

Both Chase cards and American Express cards are known for providing a lot of value to their holders. For that reason, these two credit card offers have a number of common areas where they excel:

Bonus points on purchases

These rewards cards both have bonus categories that will be useful when you use these cards to book travel, and they're both considered to be among the best travel credit cards. When comparing the Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. the American Express Platinum, however, there are some notable differences.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred gives 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and eligible online grocery purchases; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points per $1 on all other eligible purchases. Amex Platinum cardholders earn 5X points per dollar spent on eligible airfare (on up to $500,000 per calendar year, after that 1X) and eligible hotel purchases, and 1X points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.

The Sapphire Preferred offers more flexibility in terms of how you can book your travel to earn that higher rewards rate. 

Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred review for more details.

Redeeming points

The points you earn in both rewards programs are flexible and can be used in multiple ways. You can use them to book travel through your card’s travel portal, transfer them to airline and hotel partners, or redeem them for statement credits, gift cards, and more.

For both the Amex Platinum and the Chase Sapphire Preferred, transferring points to airline and hotel transfer partners usually yields the most value. The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers three hotel and 11 airline transfer partners. World of Hyatt, United MileagePlus, and Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards are examples of Ultimate Rewards transfer partners.

The Amex Platinum also has three hotel partners, but it offers slightly more flexibility with its 17 airline transfer partners. Membership Rewards transfer partners include Hilton Honors, Qantas Frequent Flyer, and Delta SkyMiles. This provides loads of value, even with the $695 annual fee. Read our Amex Platinum review for more details.

Some airline and hotel transfer partners overlap between the two cards. For instance, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards points to the Flying Blue, JetBlue TrueBlue, and Marriott Bonvoy programs. As you compare the two cards, think about which partner airline and hotel loyalty programs appeal to you the most.

No foreign transaction fees

If you travel abroad often, you’ll be happy to know that there are no foreign transaction fees with either the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Amex Platinum. This benefit can save cardholders up to 3% on international transactions. For example, if you spent $3,000 on your credit card during a European vacation, having a card with no foreign transaction fees would save you $90.

Welcome bonus

New Chase Sapphire Preferred and American Express Platinum cardholders can earn a welcome bonus after spending a certain amount within a certain amount of time after opening the card. These offers are in addition to the points you'll earn on your purchases. We'll discuss the welcome bonus for each card in detail below.

Amex Platinum vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred: 4 important differences

Although there are a lot of similarities between the Amex Platinum and the Chase Sapphire Preferred, the details are crucial when you compare credit cards. As you look closer at these two cards and the benefits each credit card issuer includes, you'll notice that one of these travel rewards cards might work better for you than the other.

Welcome bonus

With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. These points are worth one cent each for gift cards or 1.25 cents each when you use them to book travel through the Chase travel portal. Points can also be transferred on a 1:1 basis to 14 airline and hotel partners.

With the Amex Platinum, new cardmembers also get a great welcome offer: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 on purchases on your new card in the first 6 months. The value of these points varies greatly based on how you use them. 

They are worth one cent each when booking or upgrading flights through American Express Travel, but other redemptions offer less value.

If your goal is to book travel with your points, the Chase Sapphire Preferred often has the most valuable sign-up bonus because your points are worth 25% more toward travel redemptions on this card.

Airport perks

When you compare airport perks with the Amex Platinum vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred, it is no contest. There is a long list when you start looking at Amex Platinum benefits. It offers access to more than 1,400 airport lounges around the world through the Global Lounge Collection. Lounges include the exclusive Centurion Lounge, Priority Pass, and the Delta Sky Club when flying on Delta. Select benefits require enrollment.

If airport perks are important to you, the Amex Platinum is a better choice than the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which offers no extras at the airport.

Read our Amex Platinum Card review for more details

Annual fee

There is a major difference in terms of annual fee cost between the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Amex Platinum. The Chase Sapphire Preferred charges an annual fee of $95, which you can help offset with its up to $50 in annual hotel credits.

The annual fee for the Amex Platinum is $695, but cardholders can receive a variety of perks and benefits that reduce the net cost. Not every Amex Platinum cardholder will use all of the annual credits, but there is significant value if you do. 

For example, you could receive up to $200 annual Uber Cash (good for rides or Uber Eats), up to $100 statement credit from Saks Fifth Avenue, up to $240 statement credit for digital entertainment, and up to $200 statement credit for airline fees. Select benefits require enrollment.

Uber Cash is $15 per month, plus an extra $20 in December. Uber Cash doesn't roll over, so you either use them or lose them. The Saks Fifth Avenue credit is split into two $50 credits – one used from January to June and the other from July to December. 

Hotel perks

Amex Platinum cardholders receive automatic Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status. To activate and enroll in this benefit, contact American Express customer service and provide your hotel loyalty number. If you don't already have one, it’s free to set up an account at Hilton.com and Marriott.com.

Additionally, the Amex Platinum offers benefits through Fine Hotels & Resorts (FH&R) and The Hotel Collection (THC). FH&R provides daily complimentary breakfast for two, free Wi-Fi, a unique amenity, and a room upgrade when available. THC offers a $100 resort credit and a room upgrade if one is available.

If hotel perks are important to you, the Amex Platinum comes out on top once again. The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers up to $50 in annual hotel credits, but that's where its hotel benefits end.

FAQs about the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Amex Platinum

Which card should you choose?

The case for Amex Platinum

Frequent travelers might opt for the Amex Platinum because of its airport lounge access, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee reimbursement, and automatic hotel elite status, as well as a slew of other premium benefits. (Note that select benefits require enrollment.)

The case for Chase Sapphire Preferred

People who spend a lot of money on dining out, travel, and other common expenses will benefit most from the Chase Sapphire Preferred. The 2X points and 3X will add up significantly over time. Although the Amex Platinum earns 5X points per dollar spent on eligible airfare (on up to $500,000 per calendar year, after that 1X) and eligible hotel purchases, and 1X points per dollar on all other eligible purchases, the ability to earn those points is limited.

If you’re an occasional traveler, you would be better off with the Chase Sapphire Preferred due to its lower annual fee. If you want additional perks such as airport lounge access, you can buy a day pass for $29 to $75 at many airports. With a $29 entry fee, you'd have to visit more than 15 airport lounges to justify the cost of the Amex Platinum’s annual fee.

Budget-conscious travelers may also want to choose the Chase Sapphire Preferred over the Amex Platinum. Although the perks of the Amex Platinum are attractive, it’s an expensive card if you’re on a budget. The Preferred card offers a way to earn extra points while still receiving travel protections, including primary rental car insurance, for a significantly lower annual fee.

Finally, if you simply prefer a Visa card to an American Express, then the Sapphire Preferred would be the choice for you also.