Amex Platinum vs Chase Sapphire Reserve

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The Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Platinum Card® from American Express are two of the best premium travel rewards cards. While each comes with a high annual fee, both cards offer more than enough rewards to make up for the upfront cost, including benefits geared toward those who aren't traveling right now. Before you apply, you'll want to make sure that the perks match up with your lifestyle.

In the past two years, these cards have added additional perks, ranging from improved bonus categories to statement credits for lifestyle products and services. Depending on your spending and travel habits, it's possible to get a value that far exceeds the annual fee on either card.

Both the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Platinum Card® from American Express are currently offering excellent welcome bonuses:

The cards have a lot in common, but there are also distinct features unique to each of them. Here's a guide to help you compare the The Platinum Card® from American Express and Chase Sapphire Reserve and decide which card is best for you. 

Amex Platinum vs Chase Sapphire Reserve: Which card is best?

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the The Platinum Card® from American Express both have high annual fees, but they have several significant differences. 

One key difference is that the The Platinum Card® from American Express earns points in the Amex Membership Rewards program, which has 17 airline transfer partners and three hotel transfer partners. Meanwhile, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® earns points in the Chase Ultimate Rewards® program, which has 11 airline partners and three hotel partners. The two cards have different bonus categories as well.

Also, while both the The Platinum Card® from American Express and Chase Sapphire Reserve® offer Priority Pass airport lounge access, the The Platinum Card® from American Express's access is limited to airport lounge locations, while Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardholders can use Priority Pass to get food and beverage credits at participating airport restaurants.

Welcome bonus offers

With either card, you can earn a ton of extra points when you open a new account and meet the requirements.

• The Chase Sapphire Reserve® comes with 50,000 points (worth around Chase Sapphire Reserve® in travel, based on Insider's valuation of Chase points)
• The The Platinum Card® from American Express has a welcome bonus offer of 60,000 points after your spend at least $5,000 in your first 3 months of account opening (worth around The Platinum Card® from American Express in travel, based on Insider's valuation of Amex points)

Both Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards points are transferable — which is the most valuable type of points — although there are some other ways to use them, too. For example, you can redeem points for statement credits or use them toward travel booked through each card's travel website — however, Chase will value your points at a higher rate in these scenarios than Amex will. 

While the The Platinum Card® from American Express welcome bonus is more valuable, there are two other things to consider: First, do you think you'll spend $8,000 in the next few months? If not, you might want to go for the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

Second, do you already have a stock of either rewards currency from another card? Since you can pool points from different cards in the same rewards program, it could be worth opening another card from that issuer so you can build up your balance.

Winner: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Travel and shopping credits 

Both cards come with generous travel and shopping credits that go a long way toward offsetting the annual fee. Of course, you'll still have to pay the fee upfront before making some of it back from the credits. 

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® comes with a straightforward and easy-to-use $300 travel credit. The first $300 you spend on travel-related purchases every cardmember year is credited back to your account. The travel category is expansive, including everything from subways, taxis, parking, and tolls to airfare and hotels. When you subtract that credit from the annual fee, the card effectively costs $250 per year.

It also comes with a handful of other perks, including:

• Complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership through December 31, 2024
• $5 monthly DoorDash in-app credit from April 2022 to December 2024
• $10 per month in Gopuff credit through December 2023
• One year of Instacart+ free plus up to $15 per month in statement credits on Instacart.com purchases (activation required by July 31, 2024)
• Two years of complimentary Lyft Pink All Access membership (activate by December 31, 2024)

The The Platinum Card® from American Express, meanwhile, has numerous valuable credits:

• Up to $200 in annual credit toward prepaid hotels booked through Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts or The Hotel Collection (minimum two-night stay)
• Up to $189 per year in credit toward CLEAR® Plus membership** (expedited security screening at select airports and stadiums)
• Up to $240 per year in digital entertainment credits**, broken into up to $20 per month chunks (Hulu, ESPN+, Disney+, SiriusXM, Peacock, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal subscriptions qualify)
• Up to $300 per year in Equinox credits**
• $12.95 (plus taxes) in credit each month toward Walmart+ membership** (which now includes a free Paramount+ Essential subscription)
• $300 credit when you purchase a SoulCycle At-Home Bike

Other benefits include up to $200 in airline fee credit** each calendar year. Every January, you pick one eligible airline for that credit to apply toward. While the credit doesn't cover airfare or airline gift cards, it covers incidental fees like checked bags, seat assignments on basic economy tickets, change fees, and more. 

Cardholders also get up to $200 in Uber Cash credits** each cardmember year, which is broken down into monthly chunks. Each month, cardholders receive $15 in Uber Cash to use on Uber rides or for food or merchandise delivery with Uber Eats. In December, that's boosted to $35. 

You can get up to $100 in Saks shopping credits** each calendar year, broken into two chunks: You'll get up to $50 during the first six months of the year, and another $50 during the second.

When you subtract all of these credits, you can offset the Platinum card's entire annual fee and then some. And since the airline fee is each calendar year, you can actually collect it twice if you open your card mid-year and maximize the credit before and after January of that first cardmember year.

Winner: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Airport lounge access

Both cards come with a Priority Pass Select membership, which grants access to a network of more than 1,300 airport lounges all around the world. However, if you're mostly flying within the US, you may be better off with the The Platinum Card® from American Express. 

That's because many Priority Pass lounges within the US are in international terminals. Fortunately for domestic flyers, the Platinum Card also comes with access to Amex's proprietary Centurion Lounges, which can be found at some of the busiest airports in the US — plus Hong Kong — with more locations on the way. In addition, cardholders can enter Delta Sky Club lounges whenever they're flying with the airline.

Winner: If airport lounge access is important to you, especially when flying within the US, or if you frequently fly Delta, the The Platinum Card® from American Express is the clear winner.

Rewards on everyday spending

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is one of the most rewarding cards out there for your everyday spending. You'll earn 5x total points on air travel and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards (after earning the $300 travel credit) and 3x points on all other travel and dining, and both of those categories are defined fairly broadly, with the dining category including things like bars, cafes, and in many cases, bakeries and ice cream shops.

You'll also earn 10x points on Lyft rides through March 2025, as part of the latest batch of new card benefits. 

The The Platinum Card® from American Express, meanwhile, earns 5 points per dollar on flights purchased directly through the airline or through Amex Travel (starting January 1, 2021, earn 5x points on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year) and prepaid hotel reservations made through the Amex Travel portal. That's useful if you fly a lot, and you can book your own work travel, but tough to maximize otherwise.

Winner: Unless you spend more money on flights than other travel and dining, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® wins this category. Earning 3x points on your commute, lunch, and drinks after work makes it easy to stockpile a ton of points quickly.

Other travel benefits

Both cards come with other benefits, too, which are worth considering. While these are generally discussed less often, they're still valuable features of the cards.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® includes:

• Primary car rental insurance
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance (covering you for up to $10,000 per ticket if a trip is canceled or interrupted due to things like illness, personal sickness, etc.)
• Trip delay insurance (which reimburses up to $500 per covered ticket when your travel is delayed 6+ hours or overnight)
• Baggage delay coverage
• Various purchase and shopping protections
• Baggage loss and damage coverage
• Travel accident insurance
• Up to a $100 credit for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS

The The Platinum Card® from American Express, meanwhile, offers:

• Gold elite status at Marriott and Hilton** hotels
• Top-tier Hertz President's Circle elite status**
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance (up to $10,000 per ticket if a trip is canceled or interrupted due to things like illness, personal sickness, etc.)
• Trip delay coverage (up to $500 per covered ticket when your travel is delayed 6+ hours or overnight)
• Various purchase and shopping protections
• Concierge service
• Baggage loss and damage coverage
• Credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry ($100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or up to $85 statement credit every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck®)

These perks are all potentially useful, and even though they differ between cards, both offer strong options. The The Platinum Card® from American Express added trip delay and cancellation coverage, though the Chase Sapphire Reserve® stands out for offering primary car rental insurance — which means you can waive the insurance offered by a car rental company and still be covered for damage and loss through your card before your personal car insurance kicks in.

The The Platinum Card® from American Express's hotel elite status, meanwhile, can get you a ton of valuable extras during hotel stays. 

Winner: Tie — it depends on which benefits are the most important to you.

Comparison of the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum

***Eligible digital subscriptions include Hulu, ESPN+, Disney+, SiriusXM, Peacock, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal**

Bottom line

The best option for you depends on the benefits you care about. If you want complimentary hotel elite status, statement credits for things like Uber, Saks, and digital subscriptions, and as many airport lounge access options as possible, the The Platinum Card® from American Express is likely a better fit.

If you prefer to keep it simple with a core set of travel protections and strong rewards for dining and travel, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a great choice.

No matter which card you choose, both the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Platinum Card® from American Express are excellent cards that come with a ton of value.