American Express Platinum Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve: Which is the Best Luxury Card? (2023)

The American Express Platinum Card® offer below is no longer available.

The American Express Platinum® Card andReserva Chase Sapphire®two are populartravel cardswith high annual rates of $695 and $550 respectively (see Plans and rates) and many luxury benefits. If you're in the market to upgrade to a higher-end card, you should take the time to understand the pros and cons of each so you can choose the right one for your wallet.

Both Chase and Amex continue to make changes to these two cards, offering new perks and benefits to suit different types of customers, such as:

These cards also have two very different ones.Awardprograms and annuallyaccount statusoffers

Low,Choosereview both cards to help you choose the one that offers the most value for your spending habits.

Both Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum have hefty annual fees: $550 and $695, respectively (see Pricing and Fees). The Sapphire Reserveincreased your annual contributionby $100 from $450 to $550 in 2020, and Amex increased the Platinum card's annual fee from $550 to $695 in mid-2021.

Each card offers a variety of benefits that help offset the annual fee. But before you incur such a hefty fee, you need to make sure all credits, rewards, and benefits fit your lifestyle and spending habits.

winner: If you get all the advantages, it's a tie. However, if you don't want to take full advantage, Chase Sapphire Reserve is the winner as you'll need to spend less to take full advantage of the card's rewards program.

Both cards offer higher rewards for travel purchases, and Sapphire Reserve also offers more points for dining:

• Platino Amex:Earn 5 Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (as of January 1, 2021, this applies up to $500,000 per calendar year), 5 points on prepaid hotels, booked with American Express Travel, 1 point on all other purchases
• Saphir-Reserve:to deserve 5x total points on air travel and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after spending the first $300 annually on travel purchases, 3x points on travel and restaurant dining, 1 point on all other purchases

At first glance, you might think the Amex Platinum card is better.travel rewardssince the win rate is 5X, but there are many exclusions. Travel purchases are only valid if flights are booked directly with the airlines or prepaid hotels are booked through American Express Travel. This means that trips booked through discount sites like Expedia or Hotels.com only earn 1X points.

Meanwhile, Sapphire Reserve has a wide travel category including: airlines, hotels, car rentals, cruises, buses, taxis, bridges and turnpikes, and more. And if you prefer to book travel through discount websites, you can still earn 3X points for those purchases.

winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve: Your points go further when redeemed through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal and the travel bonus level is more flexible.

The rewards earned with these two cards can be redeemed in a similar way, for example: B. travel, gift cards and merchandise, although Sapphire Reserve offers a unique bonus: when you redeem points for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, they are worth a 50% more.

For example, 60,000 points are typically worth $600. But if you pay for your flight or hotel through the rewards portal, the value of your points increases by 50% to $900.

The Amex Platinum card does not offer redemption of bonus points.

Both cards also allow you to transfer points to participating airline and hotel partners, such as JetBlue and Marriott.

HeThe number of points or miles required to redeem for awards variesdepending on the exchange chosen. For example, 1 point is worth $0.015 for redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards® travel (for example, airline tickets and hotels) with Sapphire Reserve, but 1 point can be worth one penny for redeeming gift cards. With Amex Platinum, 1 point is worth one cent on flights booked through American Express Travel, but 1 point is only worth $0.006 toward statement redemption.

winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve® as travel redemptions receive 50% more value through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Both cards come with strong welcome bonus offers:

• Saphir-Reserve:Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
• Platino Amex:Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on purchases with your new card in the first six months of your card membership.

The Sapphire Reserve voucher can be worth up to $900 for travel, while the Amex Platinum voucher is worth around $1,000 for eligible flight and hotel reservations.

winner: Amex Platinum wins as you can redeem up to $1,000 travel bonus.

Both cards offer more than a dozen premium benefits, but differ when it comes to bill credits. Here's a breakdown of the benefits both cards offer:

Consumers with both cards benefit from:

• No foreign transaction fees
• Eligible loss or damage rental car insurance
• Transfer points to frequent travel programs
• First Class Customer Service
• Deals from Amex and Chasethat offer discounts on purchases
• Up to $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee (every 4 years with Sapphire Reserve and every 4 (Global Entry) to 4.5 years (TSA PreCheck) with Platinum) (Readhow to apply for global entry.)
• Exclusive pre-sale entertainment access and preferred seating for concerts, sporting events and more in select cities

Amex Platinum cardholders enjoy these additional benefits:

• Up to $200 Uber credit:Get Uber VIP status and a $15 credit per month toward US rides, plus a $20 bonus in December.
• Up to $200 airfare credit:Receive up to a $200 annual credit for incidentals like checked bags, inflight snacks and other charges after you select an eligible airline.
• Up to $100 Saks Credit:Receive up to a $50 credit from January through June and up to a $50 credit from July through December on purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue or Saks.com. Registration is required.
• $200 hotel credit:Receive $200 in statement credit each year toward Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection prepaid reservations that require a two-night minimum stay through American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit:Receive up to $20 in statements each month when you pay for eligible Platinum Card® purchases at your choice of one or more of the following providers: Audible, Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock and SiriusXM The New York Times. Registration is required.
• $300 Equinox Credit:Receive up to $300 a year in the Equinox+ digital fitness app or qualifying Equinox Club memberships when you pay with your Platinum Card®. Registration is required.*Beginning in 2023, $300 Equinox Credit payoff credits will be repaid annually up to $300 per year and no longer monthly up to $25 per month. See Offer Terms for more information.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit:Cover the cost of a $12.95 Walmart+ monthly membership with a statement credit after paying for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Also, whoops! They are excluded.
• $189 CLEAR® Credit:Use your card and recover up to $189 per year in your CLEAR® membership.
• American Express Global Lounge-Sammlung:Access to more than 1,200 airport lounges in more than 130 countries around the world.
• Fine Hotels and Resorts:Book hotel stays with Fine Hotels & Resorts to receive complimentary benefits including: room upgrades, complimentary breakfast for two, late check-out, early check-in and up to $100 hotel credit where available.
• Complimentary Gold Status on Select Travel Programs:Cardholders can upgrade to Gold status in the Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors programs.
• Global Food Collection:Get special access to reservations and experiences at popular restaurants, and the chance to meet the chefs at exclusive events.
• Invitation-Only® Events:Enjoy exclusive events ranging from sports and fashion to fine dining, art and shows.
• Free 2-Day Shipping:On eligible items at over 100 online stores with ShopRunner after a one-time sign-up.

Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders enjoy these additional benefits:

• Up to $300 in travel credit per year:Receive a credit of up to $300 a year for travel expenses like airfare, hotel stays and car rentals.
• Up to $200* for aFree DashPass Membership: Free delivery and lower service fees at hundreds of restaurants on orders over $12 (*depending on when you order before March 31)^calle, 2024).
• Acceso al Priority Pass™ Select Lounge: Access to more than 1000 VIP rooms in more than 500 cities around the world.
• free year fromElevator-PinkMembership:Includes 15% off car travel, hassle-free cancellations, and priority airport pickup (a $19.99 per month value).
• Additional rewards at Lyft:Earn 10x points until March 31^calle, 2025.
• Die Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection:Special perks like free room upgrades, early check-in, and late check-out.
• Travel protection:Benefit from lost baggage reimbursement, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, travel delay insurance, travel accident insurance, baggage delay insurance, travel and emergency assistance services, and emergency evacuation and transportation.
• Roadside assistance:If you have a roadside emergency, you can request towing, jump starters, tire changes, lockout or gas four times a year and receive coverage of up to $50 per incident.
• Purchase of protection:Protect your new purchases against damage or theft for 120 days up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per year.
• Extended Warranty Protection:Extends the US manufacturer's warranty period by an additional year for qualifying warranties of three years or less.

The conditions apply to all services.

winner: Tie. Both cards offer more than a dozen benefits, so the winner depends on which benefits you want.

The American Express Platinum® Card andReserva Chase Sapphire®are two premium cards that can offer value to frequent travelers and foodies. Both cards have high annual fees, so the best card for you depends on how you spend your money and what kind of benefits you want (see rates and rates).

If you prefer Uber to Lyft, the Amex Platinum Card is a better option, while Lyft drivers do better with the Sapphire Reserve. If you want more value for points, Sapphire Reserve stands out with 50% more value on travel redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards. However, if you frequently book direct flights with airlines or don't mind booking prepaid airfare and hotels through Amex Travel, the Platinum card offers 5X competitive points.

After all, both cards offer luxury benefits that allow you to travel comfortably and safely. But if you don't want to spend as much on a card, there areTravel cards with no annual feeor lower annual fees, such asChase Sapphire Preferred® Karte.

To determine which credit cards offer the best value, Select looked at the popular credit cards available in the United States. We compared each card on a variety of features including rewards, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APRs, funds transfer fee and foreign transaction fees as well as factors such as required creditworthiness and customer reviews where available. We also consider additional benefits, the application process, and the ease of redeeming points for the consumer.

Select has partnered with a location intelligence companyEsri. The company's data development team provided the most up-to-date and comprehensive consumer spending data based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2019 Consumer Spending Surveys. You can read more about his methodologyHere.

Esri's data team created a sample annual budget of approximately $22,126 in retail spending. The budget is divided into six main categories: Groceries ($5,174), Gas ($2,218), Dining Out ($3,675), Travel ($2,244), Utilities ($4,862), and General Shopping ($3,953). General purchases include items such as household items, clothing, personal care products, prescription drugs and vitamins, and other vehicle expenses.

Select used this budget to estimate how much the average consumer would save over the course of one year, two years, and five years, assuming they tried to maximize their rewards potential by earning all of the welcome bonuses offered and the card for everything that was offered. apply. used purchases. All estimated total premiums are net of the annual fee.

While the five-year estimates we include are derived from a budget similar to what the average American spends, you may see a higher or lower return depending on your shopping habits.

For rates and fees for the American Express Platinum Card®, click here.