SIDE A
A
Chase · Visa
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
VS.
×
SIDE B
B
American Express · American Express
American Express Gold Card
FILING
Head-to-Head · Plastic Quarterly
The Chase Sapphire Preferred and American Express Gold are the two premium travel cards competing for high-spend consumers. Both offer 60,000-point signup bonuses, no foreign transaction fees, and transfer partners, but they target different spending patterns. The key difference is structural: Sapphire charges $95 annually with broader bonus categories and 25% point multipliers on travel redemptions, while Gold charges $250 but offers $240 in annual credits plus concentrated rewards on dining and supermarkets. Your choice depends entirely on whether you value flexibility and travel focus (Sapphire) or maximized dining rewards with built-in credits that reduce net cost (Gold).
THE VERDICT
Our ruling.
“Choose Sapphire Preferred if you travel frequently and want a lower annual fee with broader rewards categories. Choose Gold if you spend $3,000+ annually on dining and supermarkets and can fully utilize the $240 annual credits, making the $250 fee worthwhile.”
CHOOSE A
Side A is for you if…
- 01You prioritize travel rewards and want 5x points on Chase Travel bookings plus 25% point value boosts when redeeming through their portal
- 02You spend across diverse categories (dining, streaming, online groceries) rather than concentrating on one or two spending areas
- 03You want a lower annual fee ($95 vs $250) and aren't a heavy restaurant diner who can offset Gold's cost
- 04You prefer simplicity—Gold's credits require active management ($10 monthly Uber Cash, $10 monthly dining credit) while Sapphire's $50 hotel credit is one-time
CHOOSE B
Side B is for you if…
- 01You eat at restaurants frequently enough to hit 4x points on $3,000+ annual dining spend, easily justifying the higher annual fee
- 02You value the $240 guaranteed annual credits (Uber Cash plus dining credit) that effectively reduce your net cost to just $10
- 03You shop at US supermarkets regularly—the 4x points on up to $25,000 annually is unmatched, and most premium cards cap this benefit
- 04You want flexibility with 20+ transfer partners and don't care about Sapphire's point multiplier advantage since both offer strong redemption options
THE LEDGER
Side by side.
- ISSUER
- Chase
- American Express
- NETWORK
- Visa
- American Express
- ANNUAL FEE
- $95
- $250
- APR RANGE
- 21.49% – 28.49%
- 0% – 0%
- INTRO APR (PURCHASES)
- None
- None
- INTRO APR (BALANCE TRANSFERS)
- None
- None
- REWARDS TYPE
- points
- points
- REWARDS RATE
- 1x points on all purchases
- 1x points on all purchases
- SIGN-UP BONUS
- 60,000 points
- 60,000 points
- BONUS VALUE
- $750
- $1,200
- MIN. CREDIT SCORE
- 700+
- 700+
- FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEE
- None
- None
A HIGHLIGHTS
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
- —Points worth 25% more when redeemed through Chase Travel
- —Transfer points to 14+ airline and hotel partners
- —$50 annual Chase Travel hotel credit
- —No foreign transaction fees
- —Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
B HIGHLIGHTS
American Express Gold Card
- —$120 dining credit ($10/month at select restaurants)
- —$120 Uber Cash ($10/month plus $20 in December)
- —4x at restaurants worldwide with no cap
- —Transfer to 20+ airline and hotel partners
- —No foreign transaction fees
QUESTIONS · ANSWERS
Frequently filed.
Gold edges ahead if you maximize its categories—4x dining with no cap and 4x supermarkets to $25K annually can generate substantially more value than Sapphire's broader but lower multipliers. However, Sapphire's 25% point boost on travel redemptions effectively makes its points worth more. The answer depends on your spending mix.