Amex Gold vs Chase Sapphire Preferred: Why We Choose Preferred for Travelers

The card_name and the card_name are mid-tier premium rewards cards that you might consider adding to your wallet if you’re looking for an elevated level of credit card benefits and rewards.

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The card_name offers increased rewards for dining and grocery store purchases, plus statement credits that some people will find useful. Although Amex is usually associated with travel credit cards, this card is best for people who spend heavily at grocery stores or enjoy dining out.

The card_name offers a robust set of travel and consumer insurance protections, plus increased earnings on travel purchases, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services. For people who travel, even infrequently, the card_name offers a compelling combination of rewards and insurance protections.

For most people, the card_name is the better choice.

In this overview, we’ll highlight both cards, break down their respective benefits and rewards, and help you decide which one is right for you.

How the cards stack up

Here’s how the card_name and card_name stack up:

Welcome bonus winner

With the card_name, card holders can bonus_miles_full With the card_name, you can bonus_miles_full American Express gives you six months to meet your welcome bonus spending requirement; Chase only gives you three.

Both welcome bonuses have their strengths. The points you earn with the card_name can be redeemed for up to 1.25 cents each toward travel ,whereas the card_name’s welcome bonus only requires an average spending of $666.67 per month over half a year to earn.

At the time of publication, we have to give this category to the card_name, owing to the cash value you can get out of the welcome bonus. Both Amex and Chase periodically increase their welcome bonuses, so be on the lookout for better welcome bonuses on both of these cards.

Winner: card_name

Rewards winner

Both Chase and Amex offer several different redemption opportunities for their points. You can redeem both Membership Rewards and Ultimate Rewards for cash back plus a variety of cash-like awards. Ultimate Rewards can be redeemed for cash back at one cent each, or for travel at 1.25 cents each. Membership Rewards on the card_name, on the other hand, can be redeemed for 0.8 cents each toward cash back.

Probably the best uses of both Membership Rewards and Ultimate Rewards points involve transfers to airline and hotel partners. Some airline and hotel partners offer opportunities to get great value for your points, particularly through redemptions for luxury travel.

Here are the transfer partners of each card:

Winner: card_name

Annual fee winner

The card_name’s annual fee is annual_fees, which is much lower than the annual_fees annual fee (Rates & Fees) charged by the card_name. Of course, the annual fee is only one of the elements of a card’s value proposition. But in this category, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is the winner.

Winner: card_name

APR winner

Both cards offer a range of APRs based on your creditworthiness that will apply if you choose to carry a balance.

The card_name’s APR range for purchases is reg_apr,reg_apr_type , which is slightly lower than the card_name Regular APR range of reg_apr,reg_apr_type (Rates & Fees).

Comparing the other APRs for cash advances and balance transfers, the card_name offers slightly better interest rates for cash advances. The Amex Gold card does not offer any option to transfer a balance.

Although the differences are slight, the card_name emerges victorious here.

Winner: card_name

Foreign transaction fee winner

Neither the card_name nor the card_name charge a foreign transaction fee (Rates & Fees). That makes both of these cards a good option while traveling.

Winner: Tie - Neither card charges a foreign transaction fee

Additional perks

The card_name offers a robust suite of travel-related insurance perks, including trip cancellation/interruption insurance, primary auto rental collision damage waiver insurance, baggage delay insurance and trip delay reimbursement. The card also offers both purchase protection and extended warranty protection. Notably, the extended warranty protection increases the warranty of items you purchase with the card by an additional year, meaning that it is a better option for purchases with warranties of less than a year. In contrast, the Amex extended warranty doubles the warranty up to an additional year.

The perks of the card_name come mostly in the form of cash-back credits. The card comes with up to $120 in dining credits each year, awarded as $10 in monthly statement credits when you dine at The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Shake Shack, or Milk Bar (Enrollment required wherever applicable). Cardmembers also get $10 in Uber Cash each month, which can be used toward either UberEats orders or rides with Uber, baggage insurance¹, car rental loss and damage waiver insurance², purchase protection¹ and extended warranty protection¹.

For the frequent traveler, the primary auto rental collision damage waiver insurance and trip delay reimbursement offered by the card_name are hard to beat. Yes, some cardmembers will be able to get more cash value out of the credits offered on the card_name, but maximizing those credits requires at least 24 purchases at a small set of merchants. This one goes to the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

Winner: card_name

Which card earns the most

How much you earn in rewards will depend heavily on your spending patterns and how you use the card. Consider your own spending patterns in the context of the card’s bonus categories to get an idea of how much you could earn in rewards.

The card_name has the edge when it comes to earning points at U.S. supermarkets and ìn restaurants. But if you are willing to book travel through a bank portal, the card_name offers the best rewards for your travel spending, plus a very decent three points per dollar on dining and online grocery store purchases.

Here is what each card earns in its spending categories:

Our Take

Why we recommend card_name

For most consumers, the card_name is the better choice. You will earn elevated rewards on travel, dining, online grocery purchases and streaming services. And the Ultimate Rewards you earn with the Chase Sapphire Preferred can be converted to cash at one cent per point, used for travel at 1.25 cents per point or transferred to travel partners for a chance to extract even more value.

Moreover, when you use your card to book your travel, you’ll be covered by market-leading credit card travel insurance protections and the extended warranty offered by Chase bests Amex’s offering for all purchases with warranties of a year or less. Finally, the annual_fees annual fee of the card_name is a much more appealing price point.

Yes, the card_name offers 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants and when spending up to $25,000 per year in U.S. supermarkets. And you can transfer Membership Rewards points to travel partners. However, getting cash value out of the points is difficult. You’ll only get 0.8 cents each when you redeem your points for cash-back awards.

Why you might still prefer card_name

For some consumers, the card_name can still be a good option and there is plenty of opportunity to get value in excess of the card’s annual_fees annual fee (Rates & Fees).

The card_name offers 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants, 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 in spending, and 3x Membership Rewards points for flights when you book with the airline or on amextravel.com. If your spend heavily in these categories, the card_name might be worth considering.

Also, if you are a regular Cheesecake Factory diner or frequently find yourself in an Uber, you can likely get close to $240 in value out of the card’s statement credit offers.

Bottom Line

card_name offers a great combination of benefits and rewards for frequent and infrequent travelers. If you travel, you’ll be covered by market-leading travel insurance benefits. The extended warranty benefit gives you an additional year of warranty on many of your purchases closer to home. And the card’s annual_fees annual fee is reasonable. For most consumers, the card_name is the right choice.

For rates and fees of the card_name, please visit this URL.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Is it worth having both card_name and card_name?

In some cases, it could be worth getting both the card_name and the card_name. If you travel frequently, want the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s travel protections and also want to earn maximum rewards on groceries and dining, consider getting both cards.

How does the card_name credit limit work?

The card_name comes with no preset spending limit, but that does not mean unlimited spending. The amount you can charge to your card will vary based on your account history. If you are making a large purchase and want to see if it will be approved, contact Amex customer service.

What credit score do you need for card_name?

The card_name is offered to consumers with good-to-excellent credit. Typically, you should have a "annual_fees" credit score when applying for the card_name.

¹ 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.

² 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.