Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Amex Blue Cash Preferred [Detailed Comparison]

In this guide, we are comparing the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express against the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card. The former is one of the best cash-back credit cards, while the latter is one of the best travel rewards credit cards — but which one is better for you?

To provide a full comparison, we will break down all of the most important details of each card, including the welcome bonus, earning rates, redemption options, card benefits, and much more.

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — Summary

Before we go through each category, here is a high-level overview of what each card offers.

Bottom Line: Unsurprisingly, you’ll find that the rewards and benefits of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card are tailored towards everyday purchases, while the offerings of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card are more focused on travel.

The Value of a Welcome Bonus

A good welcome bonus is a great way to kickstart your rewards earning on a new card. Here is what each card offers.

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

With the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you’ll earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points on all of your purchases, which we value at 2 cents per point.

Earning Potential

You can’t redeem points (or cash-back) without earning them first, so here is a breakdown of how each card rewards your purchases.

When it comes to the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, you’ll fair much better on purchases at U.S. supermarkets, select streaming services, and U.S. gas stations.

On the other hand, the Chase Sapphire Preferred shines when it comes to purchases through the Chase travel portal, dining, and general travel purchases, and while it doesn’t beat the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, it is still quite solid on online grocery store and select streaming service purchases.

It is also worth mentioning that the Chase Sapphire Preferred gives you bonus points on your account anniversary each year amounting to 10% of your annual spend from the previous year. For instance, if you were to spend a total of $30,000 on your card you would receive a bonus of 3,000 points.

Ultimately, both cards offer great bonus categories, and which is better for you will largely come down to what you happen to spend the most on each month.

Redemption Options

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card

All cash-back earned on the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card is earned in the form of Reward Dollars that you can redeem as a statement credit to offset the purchases you make with your card. You can redeem your cash-back rewards as often as you’d like and there is no minimum threshold required to redeem.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Chase Ultimate Rewards points are extremely flexible and that is why it is one of our favorite rewards currencies to earn.

When it comes to high-value redemptions, our top option is using one of the many Chase travel transfer partners to book luxury travel experiences for a fraction of what the cash cost would usually be.

While using transfer partners can result in a very high redemption value for your points, they do require a lot more legwork. For those who prefer simplicity, Chase allows you to redeem your Ultimate Rewards points through its Chase travel portal towards airfare, hotels, rental cars, or essentially any other travel purchase. Plus, Chase travel portal redemptions receive a 25% bonus, giving you 1.25 cents per point in value for your Ultimate Rewards points.

In terms of non-travel redemptions, cardholders can redeem points for cash-back, gift cards, or shop with merchants like Apple and Amazon at a rate of 1 cent per point.

Hot Tip: We really can’t understate just how much value you can receive by redeeming through the Chase travel transfer partners, so read through some of our favorite Ultimate Rewards redemptions to see for yourself.

Statement Credits

While both cards charge an annual fee, statement credits are a great way to receive some added value and help offset the annual fee you pay.

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card — Equinox+

With the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, you’ll receive a $10 monthly credit towards an Equinox+ subscription.

Equinox+ is the fitness brand’s at-home workout app that includes access to instructor-led live and on-demand classes … a great option for those who have a busy lifestyle or are always on the go and can’t always visit a gym in person.

The $10 monthly credit can save you up to $120 each year, which can more than offset the card’s $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 annual fee for those who find value in Equinox+.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — Annual Hotel Credit, GoPuff, and Instacart

Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders receive a $50 statement credit each year towards any hotel purchased through the Chase travel portal. The credit is quite flexible as there is no purchase minimum and it can be used towards any hotel you’d like so long as it is bookable through the portal.

Cardholders also receive a $10 monthly GoPuff credit, the delivery service specializing in snacks, drinks, and household essentials, through December 31, 2023. This can amount to up to $120 per year in credits towards the service.

Lastly, your Chase Sapphire Preferred card can score you a free 6-month membership to Instacart+, which offers free delivery and reduced service fees on grocery orders, along with a $15 quarterly credit on these orders — amounting to $60 each year if you use the full credit each quarter.

In total, these 3 separate credits can save you up to $230 each year, which is quite good given the annual fee for the card is $95.

Additional Card Benefits

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — DoorDash

Do you order food delivery often? Then you’ll be pleased to know that the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers a free year subscription to DoorDash DashPass. Usually, DashPass costs $10 per month and offers free delivery and reduced service fees on your DoorDash orders of $12 or more — so receiving the service free for a year can save you quite a bit if you order from DoorDash a few times each month.

Travel Protections

Here is how each card keeps you covered during your travels.

Unsurprisingly, it is far from a fair fight when it comes to travel protections as the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers significantly more, primarily because it is a travel rewards card. Given that, if benefits like no foreign transaction fees, trip delay insurance, and baggage delay insurance are important to you, then the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is the way to go.

Shopping Benefits and Protections

Both cards are relatively evenly matched when it comes to shopping benefits and protections.

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card offers these benefits:

• Amex Offers — Discounts and opportunities to earn more points with 100 merchants each month
• Return Protection — Return eligible purchases to American Express if the seller won’t take them back up to 90 days from the date of purchase, up to $300 per item and a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year
• American Express Experiences — Exclusive access to ticket presales

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers these benefits:

• Chase Offers — Discounts with select merchants
• Purchase Protection — Covers new purchases against damage or theft for up to 120 days from purchase with up to $500 in coverage per claim and $50,000 per account
• Extended Warranty Coverage — Extends a U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by an additional year on eligible warranties of 3 years or less

Annual Fees and Adding Authorized Users

Annual Fees

Both the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred card charge a $95 annual fee. That said, each card can be well worth it given the rewards you can earn and benefits you’ll receive.

Authorized Users

You can add an authorized user to either card without needing to pay any extra. Authorized users will receive all of the same card benefits as the primary cardholder, except any statement credits like Equinox+, GoPuff, or Instacart.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, both cards are excellent and have tons to offer cardholders, so when deciding which card is “better,” it comes down to what you are looking for in a new card along with your spending habits.

Those looking for a travel-rewards-focused card should without question go for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card as it is easily one of the best cards in this category thanks to its bonus categories, flexible rewards, solid benefits, and travel protections.

If you don’t travel much, or prefer a card that is focused on earning cash-back, then the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card would be a fantastic option, especially for those who spend quite a bit on groceries, streaming services, transit, and gas.

For the car rental collision damage coverage benefit of the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. 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 purchase protection benefits of the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. For the return protection benefit of the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. 

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred^® Card from American Express, click here.