Editor’s note: This post has been updated with current information.
It seems like almost every airline, hotel chain and credit card issuer has launched its own premium credit card, enticing customers with luxury travel perks to offset hefty annual fees. Many of these cards offer solid value, especially if you’re loyal to the underlying brand.
Despite more recent entrants like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, there are two undeniable titans of the premium card market: The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
The former built the market for premium rewards cards decades ago, while the latter is responsible for growing its mass appeal.
Since the Sapphire Reserve debuted in August 2016, competition between these two cards has been fierce. Today, we’re going to take a look at how they stack up against each other and whether you should consider adding one (or both) to your wallet.
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Welcome bonus
When considering a new card, especially one with a $500-plus annual fee, the first thing most people look at is the welcome offer to see how much of that annual fee they can start recouping immediately.
With its $695 annual fee (see rates and fees), the Amex Platinum is currently offering new applicants 100,000 Membership Rewards points after they spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
You’ll also earn 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines and flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com booked by both you and additional cardmembers.
TPG values American Express’ Membership Rewards points at 2 cents each, making the initial welcome offer of 100,000 points worth $2,000 alone. Since Amex only allows you to earn a welcome offer on each of its cards once per lifetime, it might be wise to hold off on applying for the Amex Platinum in hopes that you may be targeted through CardMatch for a higher bonus at some point in the future (offers are subject to change at any time).
Meanwhile, the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a sign-up bonus of 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months from account opening.
TPG also values Ultimate Rewards points at 2 cents each, making this bonus worth $1,000. That’s significantly lower than the Amex Platinum offer, though the spending requirement to earn the bonus is also lower.
Winner: The Amex Platinum takes the lead in this first category, especially if you are targeted for an elevated offer through CardMatch.
Earning
Long after your bonus has been earned and spent, you’ll want a card that will help you rack up valuable transferable points quickly.
Both of these cards get that done but in very different ways. Your best option depends on which other Chase or Amex cards you currently have in your wallet and how the bonus categories on those other cards overlap with the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum.
Here are the bonus categories for these two cards:
Bonus multiplier |
Amex Platinum |
Chase Sapphire Reserve |
| 10 points per dollar | N/A |
Lyft rides through March 2025.
Hotels and car rentals booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. Chase Dining purchases made through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. |
| 5 points per dollar | Airfare booked directly with airlines and airfare booked with American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
Prepaid hotels booked with Amex Travel. |
Airfare booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. |
| 3 points per dollar | N/A | Travel and dining. |
| 1 point per dollar | On other purchases. | On other purchases. |
Chase offers a broader range of bonus categories, including everyday purchases like travel and dining.
While the Amex Platinum does pull ahead in the short term and on most airfare purchases, the Chase Sapphire Reserve pulls ahead for dozens of other travel expenses, including most hotels, ride-sharing services, parking fees, tolls, tours and more. It also has an equally broad 3 points per dollar spent on dining category that the Platinum can’t match.
Winner: The Chase Sapphire Reserve is the best for earning, thanks to its favorable everyday bonus categories that help you earn more points in the long term.
Redemption options
With Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards tied at 2 cents apiece in TPG’s valuations, it’s up to you to look at the different transfer partners and decide which ones best suit your needs.
Let’s start with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. In addition to 11 airline and three hotel transfer partners, Sapphire Reserve customers get a 50% bonus when redeeming points for travel directly through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. This gives you a minimum redemption value of 1.5 cents per point, meaning you can book a seat on any flight that’s for sale, even if there isn’t award space available.
Better yet, these bookings are treated like cash tickets, so you’ll earn redeemable and elite miles on them, further increasing your value. You can also redeem points at a rate of 1.5 cents per point on purchases at Airbnb and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services) with Chase’s Pay Yourself Back feature.
That said, you’ll often get a better value by transferring your points to the loyalty programs of airlines and hotels instead. All partner transfers occur at a 1:1 ratio, and most of them are nearly instant. Ultimate Rewards has a real edge for hotel bookings because of its partnership with World of Hyatt, where free nights start as low as 5,000 points per night during standard pricing or as low as 3,000 points during off-peak pricing.
On the airline side of things, popular Chase transfer options include United MileagePlus, Southwest Rapid Rewards, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Avios, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Flying Blue (Air France-KLM), though the last four also partner with Amex Membership Rewards.
Amex Membership Rewards has a whopping 20 transfer partners, including 17 airlines and three hotels, but not all of them are worth your attention. Some have transfer ratios below 1:1, or longer transfer times (which means you risk watching award space disappear), while some simply don’t have reasonably priced redemption options.
Some of the best are ANA Mileage Club, Air Canada Aeroplan and Avianca LifeMiles, each of which offers attractively-priced options for booking Star Alliance tickets. Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Etihad Guest and Delta SkyMiles are also popular transfer options.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve comes out on top for redemption options since it offers a 1:1 transfer ratio for all of its airline and hotel partners, the Pay Yourself Back feature and more flexibility with its 50% bonus (1.5 cents per point) for travel booked in the Ultimate Rewards portal.
Perks and benefits
The Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum are two of the most valuable rewards cards on the market, but they’re also two of the most expensive.
You’ll pay a $550 annual fee with the Sapphire Reserve and a $695 annual fee with the Amex Platinum (see rates and fees).
So, what do you get in exchange for those upfront costs? For starters, both cards feature airport lounge access and additional travel and food delivery credits, among other benefits. Let’s take a look below at the most popular and valuable benefits available with each card:
Benefit |
Amex Platinum |
Chase Sapphire Reserve |
| Annual statement credits and partner benefits |
Up to $200 annual airline incidental fee statement credit. Up to $200 annual prepaid hotel statement credit. Up to $200 annual Uber Cash for eligible U.S. purchases ($15 each month, with a $20 bonus in December). Up to $100 Saks Fifth Avenue statement credit ($50 Jan.-June and July-Dec.). Up to $240 in digital streaming credits ($20 per month). Up to $300 in Equinox membership credits ($25 per month). $300 statement credit after purchasing a SoulCycle bike — up to 15 bikes per year. Up to $155 in statement credits for Walmart+ memberships ($12.95 per month). Enrollment is required for select benefits. |
$300 annual travel credit.
Complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership, plus a $5 monthly DoorDash in-app credit, through Dec. 31, 2024. |
| Lounge access | Access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass (excluding restaurants), Delta Sky Clubs when flying on same-day Delta flights, Airspace and Escape lounges.
Enrollment is required for select benefits. |
Priority Pass Select membership (including restaurants) and forthcoming Sapphire Lounges. |
| Travel insurance | Secondary car rental insurance.*
Lost, damaged or stolen baggage insurance.* Trip delay insurance.* Trip cancellation/interruption insurance.* Enrollment is required for select benefits. |
Primary car rental insurance.
Baggage delay insurance. Trip delay insurance. Trip cancellation/interruption insurance. Emergency medical and dental benefits. |
| Hotel elite status | Gold status with Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors.
Enrollment is required for select benefits. |
None. |
| Hotel perks |
American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts. Enrollment is required for select benefits. |
Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection. |
| Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit | One credit every four years for Global Entry or every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck. | One credit every four years. |
| Clear membership credit | Up to $189 annual Clear membership statement credit. | None. |
| Cell phone protection | Pay your monthly cell phone bill with your card and get up to $800 per claim (with a $50 deductible) with a limit of two claims in a 12-month period.* | None. |
*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. See our complete guide to travel protections on American Express cards. The trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay insurance and cell phone protection are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. Baggage insurance plan, car rental loss and damage insurance and extended warranty coverage are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
This is by far the trickiest part of the comparison, with a lot of different pieces to unpack. It’s also the section where your own personal preferences are most likely to sway you toward one card versus the other.
Let’s start with the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
It still has an edge over Amex regarding the $300 annual travel credit. Not only is it a higher amount than the up-to-$200 airline fee credit that comes with the Amex Platinum, but it’s also much less restrictive, meaning it will automatically apply to a broad range of travel purchases. You can’t use the $200 Amex airline credit for airfare — only for select fees, such as seat assignments or checked bags — and you can only use it to cover charges from one U.S. carrier that you must designate each year.
When it comes to ride-hailing services, some people see the up-to-$200 annual (U.S.) Uber Cash (broken into $15 a month, with a $20 bonus in December) that comes with the Amex Platinum card as a cash-like credit. However, not everyone uses a ride-hailing service once a month, which means the 10 points per dollar spent on Lyft rides might be a more interesting option.
On the flip side, if you live in a smaller city or never order food delivery, you might find the DoorDash partnership to be entirely useless. The same can be said of the up-to-$100 Amex Platinum Saks Fifth Avenue credit. If you already shop at Saks: great. If not, you may find that this isn’t a real value-add relative to the annual fee, even when using the credit at Saks.com.
The Amex Platinum is widely considered the most comprehensive card when it comes to airport lounge access for good reason. Although the Priority Pass Select membership that comes with this card no longer allows you to access participating restaurants (you can with a Chase-issued Priority Pass membership), the access to Amex’s growing collection of Centurion Lounges and Delta Sky Clubs on same-day Delta flights should be enough to make up for that. Another area where Amex excels is by offering Gold elite status with both Marriott and Hilton to Platinum cardholders. Chase offers no equivalent benefit. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Chase has historically been the leader in travel insurance, with a multitude of different policies and generous terms. Amex has partially closed the gap, adding a new suite of travel insurance benefits to the Amex Platinum card. You should also remember that both cards offer rental car elite status with a few programs, which you can then use to status match to other rental car programs.
Winner: Amex Platinum is the clear winner when it comes to perks and benefits, which include its $1,400-plus in potential annual statement credits, expanded airport lounge access, new travel protections and elite status with Marriott and Hilton.
Bottom line
The Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum are two of the most popular premium rewards cards on the market, but they offer slightly different value propositions.
Between hotel elite status and Centurion Lounge access, the Amex Platinum is better suited for those looking to enjoy a more luxurious travel lifestyle. If you frequently purchase airfare that would qualify for the 5 bonus points per dollar earning rate, this card deserves a spot in your wallet.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve, by comparison, is a premium card that’s simple enough for beginners and pros alike to maximize. The $300 annual travel credit is automatically applied to a wide range of purchases. Plus, your 3 points per dollar earning rate on travel (excluding purchases covered by the $300 travel credit) and dining bonus categories are broad enough that you won’t be scratching your head trying to decide if you’re tapping the right card.
Some people may even find that there’s enough room for both cards in their wallets. If you can take advantage of all the annual statement credits and luxury perks, these cards can actually complement each other well.
Official application link: Amex Platinum.
Official application link: Chase Sapphire Reserve.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum, click here.
Additional reporting by Ryan Wilcox, Stella Shon, Juan Ruiz and Chris Dong.
Featured photo by The Points Guy.