Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card vs. American Express^® Gold Card: A Detailed Comparison

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card and American Express^® Gold Card are often included on lists of the best travel credit cards, and for good reason. Both cards have incredible welcome offers, cardmember benefits, and redemption options.

But which card is right for you? We’ll unpack some of the most compelling benefits of each card to help you decide for yourself.

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Amex Gold

	Chase Sapphire Preferred	Amex Gold
Annual fee	$95	$250 (Terms apply)
Welcome offer	Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening of account opening	Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases within the first 6 months of card membership of account opening
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	4X Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, after that 1X) and at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 3X on flights booked directly with airlines or on Amextravel.com, and 1X on all other eligible purchases
Redemption methods	Gift cards Statement credits Booking travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer partners Shopping with points Bank deposit	Gift cards Statement credits Booking travel through Amex Travel Transfer partners Shopping with points
Annual credits and bonuses	$50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards A points bonus equal to 10% of your total purchases from the previous year	$120 dining credit for certain merchants in the form of $10 statement credit a month (Enrollment required) $120 Uber Cash in the form of $10 Uber Cash a month (Enrollment required)
Travel perks	25% more points value for travel redemption Trip insurance for delays, cancellations, interruptions, and accidents Lost and delayed baggage coverage Rental car collision damage waiver Roadside assistance	The Hotel Collection benefits Trip delay insurance Lost and delayed baggage coverage Rental car loss and damage insurance
Other benefits	DoorDash membership Instacart membership	ShopRunner membership (Enrollment required)
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Credit needed	Excellent, Good	Excellent, Good
	Learn more	Learn more

What both cards excel at

There are several similarities between the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Amex Gold cards, including excellent welcome offers.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers new cardmembers the chance to earn 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months.

With the Amex Gold, on the other hand, you can earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first 6 months.

At face value, the points you earn with the Chase Sapphire Preferred are worth $750 when redeemed toward travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.

One of the biggest areas of overlap between these two cards is their rewards structures. For example, both Chase and Amex points can be redeemed in similar ways through their respective rewards portals, but one of the best ways to redeem points is for travel through airline and hotel transfer partners.

Chase transfer partners	American Express transfer partners
Aer Lingus Air Canada British Airways Emirates Air France-KLM Iberia JetBlue Singapore Airlines Southwest Airlines United Airlines Virgin Atlantic InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Marriott Hyatt	Aer Lingus AeroMexico Air Canada Air France-KLM Alitalia All Nippon Airways Avianca British Airways Cathay Pacific Delta Air Lines Emirates Etihad Airways Hawaiian Airlines Iberia JetBlue Qantas Singapore Airlines Virgin Atlantic Choice Privileges Hilton Hotels & Resorts Marriott

You’ll notice a fair bit of overlap between transfer partners, but overall, American Express has a greater number of options. Depending on which airlines and hotels you frequent, you may find that one set of partners carries more value than the other.

Additionally, many of the travel insurances and coverages for the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Amex Gold overlap. There’s quite a bit of nuance around terms, uses, and benefits, but overall, the Chase Sapphire Preferred does have more comprehensive travel protections. Just make sure to read the issuer's terms and conditions for each benefit to make sure it works for your needs.

	Chase Sapphire Preferred	Amex Gold
No foreign transaction fees	✓	✓
Purchase protection	✓	✓6
Extended warranty	✓	✓5
Trip delay reimbursement	✓	✓3
Travel accident insurance	✓
Trip cancelation insurance	✓
Trip interruption insurance	✓
Roadside assistance	✓
Car rental collision damage waiver	✓	✓2
Lost, damaged, or stolen baggage insurance	✓	✓1
Delayed baggage insurance	✓
Travel assistance services	✓	✓4

Lastly, both cards offer opportunities for additional savings on purchases through Amex Offers and Chase Offers. Offers come in the form of targeted spend incentives or discounts from a variety of merchants, and typically offer cash back or bonus rewards points after completing a spending requirement. Amex Offers and Chase Offers are great ways to boost your rewards or get extra savings on your purchases. Do note Amex Offers require enrollment.

For a deeper dive into card perks, check out our complete guide to Chase Sapphire Preferred benefits and Amex Gold benefits.

3 important differences between the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Amex Gold

With so many similarities between the two travel credit cards, what are the key differences between the Chase Sapphire Preferred versus Amex Gold?

1. Statement balances and spending limits

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a traditional credit card, with a preset credit limit and the ability to carry charges and accrue interest. However, this is not the case with the Amex Gold.

Unlike typical credit cards, the Amex Gold allows cardholders to carry a balance for certain charges, but not all. So statement balances can be due in full each month, which means budgeting your cash flow accordingly (though paying balances in full is a best practice regardless of which card you have).

The Amex Gold has no preset spending limit, which gives you greater spending flexibility. The amount you can spend adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history.

So, although the Amex Gold may offer great flexibility, buying power, and short-term cash flow benefits, it comes with the added responsibility of ensuring certain balances are paid on time.

2. Annual credits vs. partner benefits

The Amex Gold wins the credits category with the fact that you can get up to $120 in dining credits each year, as well as up to an additional $120 in Uber Cash each year. 

Redeeming the dining credit is straightforward: Cardmembers can earn up to $10 in monthly statement credits at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar, and participating Shake Shack locations. Frankly, if you live near any one of these restaurants, taking advantage of this monthly dining credit is a piece of (cheese)cake. Plus, it’s a great excuse for date night. Enrollment is required for select benefits such as the dining credit.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers up to $50 in annual statement credits for hotel stays booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards and an annual points bonus equal to 10% of your previous year's total purchases. It also has two unique benefits:

• Bonus points on Lyft rides
• Complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership for a minimum of one year
• Complementary Instacart+ membership for six months and $15 in statement credits for Instacart purchases each quarter

Earning 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards® is a huge standout benefit, as it is the highest spend category between these two cards.

Check out our full Chase Sapphire Preferred review.

3. Rewards for spending

Overall, the Amex Gold appears like it has greater returns on regular spending, but it depends on your lifestyle and spending habits. Here's how a few common bonus categories break down:

Spend category	Chase Sapphire Preferred	Amex Gold
Restaurants	3X points per $1	4X points per $1
Travel	5X points per $1 on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®	3X points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or on Amextravel.com
U.S. supermarkets	1X points per $1	4X points per $1, up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year

However, keep in mind that both cards have more bonus categories than what's listed in this table. Overall, both cards can help you get enough value to justify their annual fees, thanks to their elevated rewards rates.

Check out our full American Express Gold Card review.

FAQs

Which card is right for you?

Choosing between the Chase Sapphire Preferred versus Amex Gold comes down to the value you place on their respective benefits, rewards, and transfer partners.

The American Express Gold Card

Earning 4X points with the Amex Gold at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets is excellent — and let’s face it, we all have to eat. If you’re shell shocked over the $250 annual fee, consider how much value you’ll get out of the dining credits. If you dine out frequently and can put that benefit to use, then the Amex Gold might not feel as expensive to you.

When it comes to redeeming rewards, American Express also has nearly twice as many transfer partners as Chase. Although more doesn’t always mean better, it’s important to know which transfer partners you value most. This will vary depending on your travel habits.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers a great welcome offer, especially when you consider the 25% in extra value when redeeming points for airfare, hotels, or rental cars through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. Despite earning only 3X points at restaurants versus 4X points with the Amex Gold, Chase points can go a little bit further when redeemed through the Ultimate Rewards portal.

Overall, if you’re a frequent traveler who dines out regularly and can make use of the dining credits and Uber Cash, the American Express Gold Card might suit your needs better than the Chase Sapphire Preferred. If not, the Chase Sapphire Preferred could be a safer choice with a lower annual fee and fewer credits to worry about.