Amex Gold Vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred

Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and American Express® Gold Card offer welcome bonuses for new cardholders. The welcome bonuses are usually similar but can fluctuate based on current promotions.

The American Express® Gold Card’s current welcome bonus is 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first 6 months of card membership.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card’s current welcome bonus is 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

With both cards, you’ll earn a minimum of 1 point per dollar spent on all purchases, plus you’ll have the opportunity to earn at elevated rates in bonus categories. However, the bonus categories differ by card, meaning one may be a more obvious fit for your spending type.

If you’re looking for a card that grants maximum rewards on dining and at U.S. supermarkets, the American Express® Gold Card is an excellent choice. The Gold Card earns an extremely generous 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per dollar), 3 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express travel and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases.

On the other hand, the Sapphire Preferred earns 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. This hits a variety of everyday spending categories and has the potential to be extra rewarding for travelers.

The Sapphire Preferred also provides an annual earnings boost after renewing your card. After your cardmember anniversary, you’ll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your annual spending. For example, if you charged $25,000 to your card over the course of the year, you’d receive 2,500 bonus points.

American Express® Gold Card

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Rates & Fees / Terms Apply

4.6

Forbes Advisor created additional star ratings so that you can see the best card for specific needs. This card shines for this use, but overall the star ratings may differ when compared to other cards.

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Up to 4X Reward Rate

Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.; Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points atRead More

Welcome Bonus

Earn 60,000 points

Annual Fee

$250

Regular APR

See Pay Over Time APR

Credit Score

Excellent/Good (700 - 749)

Editor's Take

Foodies and travelers can leverage the American Express® Gold Card to the hilt, earning up to 4x points. The annual fee may seem intimidating, but by using the included benefits and doing some spending, it’s easy to come out ahead.

Pros & Cons

• High rewards earnings possibilities
• Points transfer option to many partners
• Add up to 5 authorized users for no additional annual fee
• Can choose from regular or rose gold versions

• No lounge benefits
• Limited options to carry a balance
• High APR for pay over time feature
• High pay over time penalty APR

Card Details

• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
• $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
• Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
• Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $250.
• Terms Apply.

Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

One reason these cards are popular is because they earn flexible points, a currency that can be redeemed in multiple ways. Instead of being limited to a single type of reward, you can earn your points now and redeem them for cash, miles, travel or other options later based on your needs.

Cash Point Value

Cash is the most flexible and accessible point redemption option, making it the most useful reward for many people. In this area, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card shines. One of the many Ultimate Rewards redemption options is a statement credit or cash back. Chase Ultimate Rewards® are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for cash rewards.

If you redeem your points against travel purchases through Chase Travel, Chase will sweeten the deal and give you 25% more value for your points, making 10,000 points worth $125 toward eligible travel, for example.

American Express offers options to cover card charges or pay with points at various merchants, which is close enough to cash back to make a comparison. Unfortunately, these redemptions typically yield about 0.7 cents per point, which pales in comparison to the cash-back value you can get from Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Transfer Partners for U.S.-Based Travelers

Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the American Express® Gold Card offer a long list of airline and hotel transfer partners. Expert users of miles and points can find sweet spots in both programs, though beginners may find Chase Ultimate Rewards’ partners more intuitive.

Both cards offer transfers to international airlines like Virgin Atlantic, Air France-KLM and British Airways, which can be used to book international award tickets and domestic flights within the U.S. through each program’s partner airlines.

Chase has a slight edge with North American transfer partners. Its partners include United MileagePlus, Southwest Rapid Rewards and JetBlue TrueBlue—all programs you may already use. American Express offers 1:1 transfers to Delta SkyMiles, Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles and Air Canada Aeroplan. Unless you travel to Canada or Hawaii frequently, these are more specialized programs you may be less familiar with.

Finally, American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards offer point transfers to hotels. Both Chase and American Express partner with Marriott Bonvoy. American Express offers point transfers to Choice Privileges and Hilton Honors, whereas Chase allows point transfers to World of Hyatt and IHG One Rewards. Often, Hyatt is considered the most valuable option since reward prices can be considerably lower (and higher cents per point value) than other chains.

Most importantly, your travel patterns will determine how valuable each bank’s transfer partners are to you.

Annual Fee

Annual fees are not everything, but can eat up a significant chunk of premium cards’ value. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card’s annual fee of $95 is much lower than the hefty $250 per year that the American Express® Gold Card charges.

If you’re considering a card with an annual fee, weigh the value of the benefits you’ll receive from the card against the card’s annual fee to see if paying for a premium card is right for you.

Foreign Transaction Fees

Neither card charges foreign transaction fees, saving you about 3% on purchases made abroad.

However, in some countries, Amex is not as widely accepted as cards on the Visa network (the Sapphire Preferred is a Visa).

APRs

For customers who expect to carry a balance occasionally, neither card is an ideal fit. Neither offers a 0% intro APR, and the ongoing rates for both cards can be high.

Even if you plan to pay your balance in full monthly, check the potential interest rates before applying for a new card in case something unexpected pops up.

Gold Card by American Express interest rates:

• Regular APR: See Pay Over Time APR
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A

Chase Sapphire Preferred interest rates:

• Regular APR: 21.49%-28.49% Variable
• Purchase intro APR: N/A
• Balance transfer intro APR: N/A

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

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On Chase Bank USA, NA's Website

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5.0

Forbes Advisor created additional star ratings so that you can see the best card for specific needs. This card shines for this use, but overall the star ratings may differ when compared to other cards.

Apply Now

On Chase Bank USA, NA's Website

Up to 5x Reward Rate

Earn 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on allRead More

Welcome Bonus

75,000 bonus points

Annual Fee

$95

Regular APR

21.49%-28.49% Variable

Credit Score

Excellent, Good (700 - 749)

Editor's Take

Offering a rare mix of high rewards rates and redemption flexibility, this card is a dream for frequent spenders on travel & dining – while charging a modest annual fee.

Pros & Cons

• Earn high rewards on several areas of spending
• Transfer points to travel partners at 1:1 rate
• Many travel and shopping protections

• Annual fee
• No intro APR offer
• Best travel earning rates are only for bookings through Chase

Card Details

• Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 75,000 points are worth $937.50 toward travel.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
• Member FDIC

Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

Regarding benefits, the Gold Card is centered around dining and lifestyle benefits, while the Sapphire Preferred focuses on travel.

The American Express® Gold Card offers an Uber Cash benefit that grants up to $120 in Uber Cash annually. When you add your Gold Card to your Uber account, you will automatically receive $10 per month in Uber Cash. The Uber Cash granted by the American Express® Gold Card can be used for Uber rides or Uber Eats purchases in the U.S. but must be used before the end of the month in which it is awarded.

The Amex Gold also includes a $120 dining credit, payable in credits up to $10 monthly for eligible purchases at select partners including Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment is required.

Lastly, a sometimes overlooked benefit is Amex Offers, which are available on all American Express cards. These are merchant-specific promotions that cardmembers can enroll in, which may offer discounts, statement credits or bonus points when making select purchases. Past offers have featured popular brands like Best Buy, Carnival Cruise Lines and Sam’s Club. Offers come and go frequently, but have the potential to earn hundreds in statement credits every year.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred only has one statement credit offer: Earn up to $50 in statement credits when making hotel reservations through Chase Travel. Though the dollar value is far lower than what the Amex Gold offers, the credit can be used all at once rather than monthly. Chase also has credits available through Chase Offers, but its list of merchants is much less robust than Amex.

Both the American Express® Gold Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card include some travel insurance benefits that can protect you if something goes wrong during a trip booked with your card. Each card has car rental loss and damage insurance, but the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card’s benefit is primary insurance, whereas the benefit offered by the American Express® Gold Card is secondary insurance¹.

In addition to coverage for your rental cars, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card adds trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay insurance and lost and delayed baggage insurance. We believe the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has the best travel insurance you can get through a card with a $95 annual fee.

Both cards also offer a travel assistance service² which can make medical and legal referrals, but the costs of services provided are the responsibility of the cardholder.

An Everyday Rewards Card

If you want a single credit card that earns a generous flat rate of cash back or points on all your purchases, consider one of the many 2% cash-back cards available. Many of these cards are also available with no annual fee.

If earning 2 points per dollar on a credit card with robust travel benefits sounds ideal, look at the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, an ultra-premium credit card offering lounge access, travel and insurance benefits and travel credits. It also earns 2 miles per dollar on all eligible purchases, 5 miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25 and 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars when booking via Capital One Travel.

Earning Maximum Transferable Points on Travel

If you’re a road warrior who wants to earn the maximum number of transferable points on a mountain of travel spending, consider the American Express® Green Card* instead.

The Amex Green earns 3 points per dollar on travel and transit including flights, hotels, taxis, rideshare services, trains, parking and more, 3 points per dollar on eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. Rewards with this card can quickly add up if you travel often. The Amex Green has an annual fee of $150.

Earning Points With Your Preferred Airline or Hotel

If you want to maximize the points you earn on your travel spending with your preferred airline or hotel chain, consider one of the many airline co-branded credit cards or hotel co-branded credit cards available. These cards usually offer the most generous rewards and useful perks  for customers loyal to a particular airline or hotel chain.

Access to Airline-Branded Lounges

Although they offer increased rewards in some travel categories and insurance benefits targeted toward travelers, neither the American Express® Gold Card nor the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offer an airport lounge access benefit. If you’re a frequent traveler who values airport and airline lounge access, target one of the credit cards that offers lounge access.

If you’re loyal to a specific airline and looking for a premium credit card for access to your preferred airline’s network of airport lounges, consider an airline’s co-branded premium credit card.

Delta flyers should consider the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (terms apply. Effective February 1, 2025, cardholders will receive 15 Delta Sky Club visits per year; unlimited visits can be earned when total purchases exceed $75,000 in 2024 and each calendar year thereafter) or one of the many versions of The Platinum Card® from American Express (terms apply). United customers should look at the United Club℠ Infinite Card. American Airlines customers, meanwhile, can get lounge access through the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®*.

Either the American Express® Gold Card or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can be a rewarding addition to your wallet. If you value earning the maximum number of transferable points on your dining and U.S. supermarket spending and can use the Gold Card’s built-in credits, lean toward the Gold Card. If you travel frequently and want to have trip protections, stick with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

To view rates and fees for American Express® Gold Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card please visit this page.
To view rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express please visit this page.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

¹Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
²You can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.