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Selecting a travel rewards card that matches your spending patterns and travel priorities is a challenge. It’s also a personal and time-consuming decision. When all the research is said and done, you may find that it takes a combination of cards to meet all your needs.
That’s precisely why we regularly select some of the most popular travel rewards cards and see how they stack up against each other. It’s important to look into the fine print to find the strongest benefits of each card, and also uncover any shortcomings.
No single travel rewards card is a one-size-fits-all solution, but some will be a much better fit for your lifestyle than others.
Today, 2 popular cards go head-to-head: the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the American Express® Gold Card. We’ll compare their earning potential, redemption options, and some of the benefits that make these cards unique.
As you read through the comparisons, think about how the bonus categories match your spending patterns, whether the redemption options align with your travel preferences, and ponder which benefits you value most. In the end, one of these travel rewards cards may be just the perfect fit.
Before diving into each card’s attributes, let’s start with a high-level overview comparison of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the Amex Gold card.
| Feature/Benefit | Chase Sapphire Preferred Card | Amex Gold Card |
| Welcome Offer |
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| Earning Potential |
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| Redemption Options |
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| Hotel Program Benefits |
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| Statement Credits |
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| Top Travel Benefits |
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| Top Shopping Benefits and Protections |
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| Annual Fees and Authorized Users |
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Bottom Line: Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Amex Gold card are packed with earning potential, flexible redemption options, statement credits, and travel/shopping benefits and protections.
Welcome bonuses vary greatly but are a key consideration when selecting a travel rewards card. Since these bonuses are earned after completing a minimum spending requirement in the initial months after card approval, you’ll want to make sure you can meet this requirement in the specified time period, which can range from 3 to 6 months depending on the current offer.
Securing this upfront bonus can jump-start the earnings process with hundreds of dollars worth of reward travel. For example, you may be able to get a 80k-100k welcome bonus offer with the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Here’s a look at the current welcome offers:
Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer of up to 90,000 points with the Amex Gold card. The current public offer is 60,000 points. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)
Comparing Chase Ultimate Rewards points with Membership Rewards points is like comparing Androids and iPhones. Each one provides great value to the right individual and there are passionate arguments on both sides as to why one is better than the other.
Here’s a look at the earning potential and redemption options for both rewards programs showing how they might match up to your spending patterns and travel priorities.
Every purchase you make on either card is going to earn at least 1 reward point per dollar spent with bonus category spending earning much more.
| Bonus Earning Category | Chase Sapphire Preferred Card – Ultimate Rewards Points | Amex Gold Card – Membership Rewards Points |
| Flights Purchased Directly From Airlines | 2x points per dollar spent | 3x points per dollar spent |
| Flights Purchased From the Card’s Proprietary Travel Portal | 5x points per dollar spent | 3x points per dollar spent |
| Other Travel Purchases | 2x points per dollar spent | 1 point per dollar spent |
| U.S. Supermarket Purchases | 1 point per dollar spent | 4x points per dollar spent on the first $25,000 per calendar year |
| Online Grocery Purchases and Select Streaming Services | 3x points per dollar spent | 1 point per dollar spent |
| Dining | 3x points per dollar spent | 4x points per dollar spent |
| Additional Earnings | 5x points per dollar spent on Lyft rides | Not applicable |
While the Amex Gold card may appear to have an edge when it comes to earning rewards, your individual spending mix and how you redeem your points play a key role in the bottom-line value each cardholder receives.
Both types of reward points offer several flexible options for redeeming your points.
| Redemption Option | Chase Sapphire Preferred Card – Ultimate Rewards Points | Amex Gold Card – Membership Rewards Points |
| Transfer to Airline and Hotel Partners | Yes | |
| Redeem for Travel via Card’s Travel Portal | Yes, at a value of 1.25 cents per point | Yes, at a value of 1 cent per point |
| Redeem for Cash | Yes | No |
| Statement Credits | Yes, with Pay Yourself Back, on select rotating categories at 1 to 1.25 cents per point
Redeem for general statement credits at 1 cent per point | Redeem for general statement credits at the rate of 0.6 cents per point |
| Gift Cards | Yes | |
| Shopping at Specific Retailers | Yes | |
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a solid travel rewards card with strong earning potential on travel and dining purchases. When it comes to redeeming points, you’ll find both the flexibility to transfer to the Chase travel partners and good value for travel redemptions via the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal.
The Amex Gold card strikes a balance between an everyday earning card and a travel rewards card. Its elevated earnings on worldwide dining, U.S. supermarket purchases, and flight purchases build rewards quickly, which can be redeemed directly for travel via Amex Travel or transferred to the long list of Amex travel partners.
Bottom Line: While both Membership Rewards and Ultimate Rewards can be transferred to airline and hotel partners, Membership Rewards has the edge with a greater number of transfer partners. Ultimate Rewards can be redeemed for travel at 1.25 cents per point while Membership Rewards can be redeemed for 1 cent per point. Finally, in a pinch, Ultimate Rewards can be redeemed for cash while Membership Rewards cannot.
You won’t receive complimentary hotel elite status with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or Amex Gold card, but each card has its own associated luxury hotel program offering a few elite-style perks when staying at affiliated properties.
Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders have access to special benefits at over 900 properties in the Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection. Reservations must be made through the program and paid for with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
Benefits include:
Amex Gold cardmembers enjoy access to American Express’ The Hotel Collection and receive special benefits. Book your stay of a minimum of 2 nights through Amex Travel and pay for the stay with your Amex Gold card or Membership Rewards points.
Benefits include:
Bottom Line: Hotel benefits with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Amex Gold card are limited to associated luxury hotel programs. If you don’t have hotel elite status but prefer high-end properties, you may find value in the hotel perks that come with booking these unique hotel stays.
The Amex Gold card comes with statement credits that are triggered when you make specific purchases with your card.
A valuable benefit that comes with many credit cards is complimentary coverage for damage and theft to your rental car. While both the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Amex Gold card offer this coverage, the specific benefit that comes with each card is quite different.
Both cards do require that you reserve and pay for your rental car with your card and decline the rental agency’s collision damage waiver coverage (CDW or LDW) to be covered.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card has one of the best car rental insurance benefits of any rewards card. This complimentary benefit covers you and other drivers listed on the rental agreement in nearly every country worldwide.
The coverage is primary rental insurance, which means you do not have to file a claim with your own insurance company first. Coverage is extended for the entire rental period not to exceed 31 days. Damage, theft, and loss of use of the rental car are covered. Certain vehicle types are excluded.
Rental car insurance on the Amex Gold card provides coverage for up to $50,000 if the rental car is damaged or stolen. Loss of use of the rental car due to a covered incident is also covered. This coverage is secondary, not primary, which means you must file a claim with your auto insurance before this coverage kicks in.
Fortunately, American Express does offer an option to purchase premium car rental coverage and it can be a good deal if you’re renting a vehicle for several days. Depending on your state of residence and the level of coverage you select, premium car rental insurance costs just $12.95 to $24.95 for the entire rental period up to 42 days.
Hot Tip: While the Chase Sapphire Preferred card provides complimentary primary car rental coverage, upgrading your Amex Gold card coverage to premium primary car rental insurance is not expensive and worth the peace of mind.
When you pay for your trip either partially or in full with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card or Ultimate Rewards points, you’ll receive trip interruption, trip cancellation, and trip delay benefits.
Receive up to $10,000 per claim, a maximum of $20,000 per trip, for prepaid expenses lost due to interruptions or cancellations to your trip caused by illness, weather, or other covered incident. Immediate family members are also covered even if you are not traveling with them.
There is a maximum of $40,000 per 12-month period.
If your trip is delayed you may need to purchase incidentals. Chase’s trip delay coverage provides up to $500 per person, per trip, if a covered delay is more than 12 hours.
Unfortunately, the Amex Gold card does not provide any trip interruption or cancellation insurance, but it does come with trip delay insurance. If your trip is delayed more than 12 hours, you could receive up to $300 per covered trip. There is a maximum of 2 claims per consecutive 12-month period.
Bottom Line: If supplemental trip insurance is important to you, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a good choice. The card provides trip cancellation, trip interruption, and trip delay insurance when you pay for your trip partially or in full with your card, Chase Ultimate Rewards points, or a combination of those.
When your baggage is delayed, you’ll probably need to replace some essential items. If the bags are delayed more than 6 hours, you’ll receive up to $100 a day for 5 days as reimbursement.
If your baggage is lost, there is an additional benefit that provides up to $3,000 per covered person, per trip, for lost, stolen, or damaged luggage.
The baggage insurance plan that comes with the Amex Gold card provides coverage for carry-on bags up to $1,250 per person, per trip, if bags become lost, stolen, or damaged. Checked bags have coverage of up to $500 per person, per trip.
The entire ticket must be paid for with the Amex Gold card or Membership Rewards points.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card provides complimentary Roadside Dispatch service that includes a dedicated hotline to call in case of roadside emergencies. For a flat fee per service call, the following services are included:
The Amex Gold card does not offer a roadside assistance benefit.
Your dedicated Travel and Emergency Assistance line will provide help when you need it. Receive assistance with emergency transportation, legal and medical referrals, and other travel emergency assistance.
Help is just one call away with the 24/7 Global Assist Hotline. Service is available when traveling more than 100 miles from home and provides help with medical and legal referrals, visa or passport help, emergency cash, help with lost luggage, and more.
Bottom Line: Emergency travel assistance is provided complimentary on both cards; however, cardholders are responsible for actual services provided.
If the unfortunate occurs during a covered trip and there is severe injury or even death, travel accident insurance will pay a stated benefit. Covered people include the cardholder, immediate family members, and domestic partners.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers 2 travel accident benefits including:
If a severe injury or death occurs, the benefit on the common carrier insurance pays up to $500,000. The 24-hour benefit pays up to $100,000. You must pay for at least a portion of the trip with your card or rewards points.
American Express does not offer travel accident insurance benefits on the Amex Gold card.
Your personal Visa Concierge can work with you to find a hotel, book tickets to a special event, help find a unique gift, or secure that elusive dinner reservation.
Receive 24/7 assistance with Amex Personal Travel Assistance. Get help with travel arrangements, transportation, hotel reservations, and more.
Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the Amex Gold card offer the opportunity to earn additional rewards for specific shopping purchases. Here’s how you can earn more with either card.
Earn bonus Ultimate Rewards of up to 20x points per dollar spent by using the Shop through Chase. Additionally, you’ll have access to Chase Offers that make it possible to receive cash-back on specific purchases. Chase Offers can be accessed by logging in to your online card account, reviewing the list of available offers, and adding the offers of interest to your card.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card also comes with a complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership for a maximum of 12 months when you activate the offer by December 31, 2024. The DashPass offers lower service fees and free delivery for orders of $12 or more.
Earn bonus Membership Rewards points or statement credits when you add Amex Offers to your card and make a purchase with your card at the featured retailer or service provider. It’s as simple as logging into your online account and adding the selected Amex Offers you plan to use to your card. Once you’ve made the required purchase, your bonus will show up as a statement credit or as bonus Membership Rewards points.
Eligible purchases made with your card may qualify for additional protections for covered losses. Here are the additional protections you’ll find on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the Amex Gold card.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Purchase an item with your card or rewards points and receive coverage against damage, theft, or “involuntary and accidental parting.” Coverage is provided for up to 120 days from the date of purchase up to a maximum of $500 per claim, $50,000 per account.
Amex Gold Card
Pay for an eligible item with your card or rewards points and receive protection for loss, theft, or damage for 90 days from the date of purchase. Receive the cost to repair, replace, or reimburse for the item up to $10,000 per incident to a maximum of $50,000 per calendar year.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Eligible items purchased with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card that have manufacturer’s warranties of 3 years or less will receive an additional year added on to that warranty.
Coverage is afforded up to $10,000 per claim and a maximum of $50,000 per account.
Amex Gold Card
Receive up to 1 extra year of protection on manufacturer’s warranties less than 5 years in length. Eligible items must be purchased with your card.
Coverage is provided for up to $10,000 per item, with a maximum of $50,000 per calendar year.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card charges an annual fee of $95 while the Amex Gold card has an annual fee of $250 (see rates and fees).
There is no cost to add authorized users to your Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
The Amex Gold card allows up to 5 additional cards at no extra charge. Each authorized user after 5 is $35 per person, per year (see rates and fees).
Hot Tip: While the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has a lower annual fee than the Amex Gold card, if you spend a lot at U.S. supermarkets and worldwide dining, the higher earnings on the Amex Gold card in these categories could potentially more than offset the annual fee difference. Maximizing the calendar year bonus spending at U.S. supermarkets alone, for example, results in earning 100,000 Membership Rewards points.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the Amex Gold card are quite different in the way the cards earn rewards, the value of rewards when redeemed, and the level of benefits offered by each card.
With that said, either card would be a good choice for your first rewards card as you can’t go wrong earning either Membership Rewards points or Ultimate Rewards points. Both have terrific value when redeemed for travel.
If you spend a lot on travel, can make use of the Chase travel portal, and want excellent travel insurance benefits, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card may have the edge. If your spending mix is heavy on everyday purchases at U.S. supermarkets and on dining worldwide, you’ll earn more on the Amex Gold card, receive earnings on flights, and have the option of redeeming your rewards for travel.
While this article has highlighted some of the key features and benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the Amex Gold card, this is not an all-inclusive list of all the benefits that come with these travel rewards cards. Also, the descriptions of benefits are abbreviated. You’ll need to review the actual terms and conditions in each card’s guide to benefits for complete information.
When it comes to benefits, you’ll find both strengths and downsides to each card. You’ll need to determine which benefits are the most important to you personally and which card provides the earning and redemption options that are a match for your lifestyle.
For the rental car insurance benefit of the American Express® Gold Card, car rental loss and damage insurance can provide coverage up to $50,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the commercial car rental company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility 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.
For the trip delay insurance benefit of the American Express® Gold Card, up to $300 per covered trip that is delayed for more than 12 hours; and 2 claims per eligible card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
For the baggage insurance benefit of the American Express® Gold Card, baggage insurance plan coverage can be in effect for eligible persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen baggage during their travel on a common carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the entire fare for a common carrier Vehicle ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible account. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked Baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the common carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus). For New York State residents, there is a $10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all Covered Persons per Covered Trip. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
For the Global Assist Hotline benefit of the American Express® Gold Card, you 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.
For the purchase protection benefit of the American Express® Gold Card, purchase protection is an embedded benefit of your card membership and requires no enrollment. It can help protect Covered Purchases made on your Eligible Card when they’re accidentally damaged, stolen, or lost, for up to 90 days from the Covered Purchase date. The coverage is limited up to $10,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Coverage limits apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
For the extended warranty benefit of the American Express® Gold Card, when an American Express® Card Member charges a Covered Purchase to an eligible Ccrd, Extended Warranty can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer’s Warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your Card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
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Christine ran her own business developing and managing insurance and financial services. This stoked a passion for points and miles and she now has over 2 dozen credit cards and creates in-depth, detailed content for UP.
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2 comments
Erin
November 12, 2019
I just saw that you have included TSA Pre-Check/Global Entry on the Amex Gold Card. I believe that you only get this credit through the Amex Gold Corporate Card. I’ve had the Gold card for two years now, but I don’t think that it comes with the Pre-Check/Global Entry. BTW, this is a thorough and GREAT post. Thank You.
Christine Krzyszton
November 12, 2019
You are correct Erin, the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit is only available on the Amex Gold Corporate. Thank you for taking the time to point that out and also thanks for reading.
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