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If you’ve searched for a travel rewards card, chances are you’ve considered both Chase and American Express cards. Both issuers are known for providing cards that earn valuable rewards you can redeem for travel and benefits that save money or make travel more enjoyable.
Today, we’re highlighting a pair of popular travel rewards cards issued by these financial institutions. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card and the Amex Gold card earn valuable rewards, offer good value at redemption time, and have travel and shopping benefits that add even more value.
While on the surface it may seem that both cards would serve you equally well, the cards do have their differences.
To find out which card is a better fit, we’ll look closely at how rewards are earned on each card. We’ll also check out the differences in redemptions to see which card provides benefits that save you travel dollars or add some comfort to your journey.
It can be helpful to review a high-level comparison before we expand on some of the details of our featured cards.
Here is a quick comparison of the key features and benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card and the Amex Gold card.
Feature or benefit
Chase Sapphire Reserve^®
Welcome offer
Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
Earning
Top redemptions
Top travel protections and benefits
Top shopping protections and benefits
Annual fees and authorized users
Card issuers frequently offer incentives to apply for their cards. These welcome bonus offers can typically be earned by meeting minimum spending requirements within the first few months after being approved for the card.
Welcome offers change periodically, so check out the most recent offers before applying for any card.
Here’s a snapshot of what welcome bonus offers could be worth on our featured cards:
A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.
If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® is one of the best options.
The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like worldwide airport lounge access, with excellent point earning and redemption options. Plus, it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to cover you at home or on the road.
Don’t forget the more than $2,000 in annual credits, which can offset the annual fee!
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Ultimate Rewards points earned on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card can be redeemed for travel for up to 2 cents each when using the Points Boost feature. Using this valuation, a 50,000-point welcome bonus offer could be worth up to $1,000 in travel when redeemed on the Chase Travel portal.
Ultimate Rewards points can also be transferred to Chase airline and hotel partners, where you may receive even more value.
This is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
The American Express^® Gold Card is a game-changer.
With this card, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants, up to $50,000 per calendar year, and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1x.
There isn’t another card on the market that offers a 1-2 punch like this. Of course, there are several other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.
American Express Membership Rewards
Hot Tip: Apply and find out if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer as high as 100,000 points with the Amex Gold card. Welcome offers may vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

You can redeem Membership Rewards points earned on the Amex Gold card for flights via AmexTravel.com for 1 cent each. For this reason, we value the current welcome bonus offer at up to $2,200.
Since Membership Rewards points can also be transferred to the Amex transfer partners for potentially increased value, the welcome bonus offer could be more than $1,000 in value. This is why we value Amex points at more than 1 cent each.
Both of our featured cards earn points for every $1 spent, and each has bonus-earning categories that earn multiple points per $1 spent.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card earns Ultimate Rewards points, and the Amex Gold card earns Membership Rewards points. Both points currencies are very valuable because of their flexibility at redemption time.
We’ll talk about redemption options next, but first, let’s look at how you earn rewards on each of these cards. Pay particular attention to how each card matches up with your spending patterns.
Card
Earnings
Chase Sapphire Reserve card
Amex Gold card
If you spend a lot on travel, you’d appreciate the elevated earnings on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Booking travel through Chase Travel results in the most earnings, but you can also earn well on flights booked with the airline or hotels booked directly. Use your card for dining anywhere you travel, as you’ll always earn 3x points.
The Amex Gold card delivers 3x earnings on airfare purchased directly from the airline or AmexTravel.com. The card excels at earning in more everyday purchase categories, as supermarket and restaurant purchases earn 4x points. U.S. supermarket earnings have a maximum of 4x $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, and worldwide 4x restaurant earnings are capped at $50,000 per calendar year. Earning 1x thereafter for both.
If you spend a lot on travel using Chase Travel, booking flights and hotels directly, and dining, you’d earn more with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. If your spending is focused more at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants, the 4x earnings on the Amex Gold card could be a better match for you.
Discover how to accelerate your earnings on either card with our take on the best ways to earn lots of Ultimate Rewards points and lots of Membership Rewards points.
Bottom Line: The best rewards-earning card for your situation depends on your spending profile. If travel through Chase Travel, direct bookings of flights and hotels, and dining are your most significant expenses, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card would be better. If your spending is more in everyday categories such as supermarkets and dining, the Amex Gold card would earn more and offer nice travel redemptions. 
Regardless of how you earn your rewards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card or the Amex Gold card offers several desirable redemption options.
Card
Best redemptions
Additional redemptions
Chase Sapphire Reserve card
Statement credits, Chase experiences, gift cards, shopping on Amazon, and with Apple
Amex Gold card
Transferring points earned on either card has the potential to earn the most value for your rewards.
It’s worth noting that Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed for 1 cent each for a statement credit, while Membership Rewards points can be redeemed at 0.6 cents per point for a general statement credit.
We’ll walk you through the best ways to redeem your Ultimate Rewards points or your Membership Rewards points with our guides for maximizing redemption value.
At redemption time, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card has the edge with the opportunity to redeem points for up to 2 cents each with Points Boost through Chase Travel. Both cards allow you to transfer points to airline and hotel partners, with the Amex Gold card having more travel partners.
Statement credits provide direct value in return for making a specific purchase. The bottom line value you receive depends on how many you can utilize.
Here are the statement credits offered by the Chase Sapphire Reserve card and the Amex Gold card.
Card
Statement credits
Chase Sapphire Reserve card
Amex Gold card
The shining star of this comparison is the $300 travel credit on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. This benefit is easy to use and directly offsets some of the card’s higher annual fee.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers many more statement credit opportunities than the Amex Gold card. Even if you can use just 2 or 3, you’d receive sufficient value from the card.
The Amex Gold card’s statement credits focus on dining, which may make the card’s credits easier to use.
Adding up the value of the statement credits you’ll actually use quickly tells you which card is better for you in this category.
Cardholders who spend $75,000 on a Chase Sapphire Reserve card in a calendar year unlock several perks, including IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite status, Southwest Airlines A-List status, a $500 Southwest Airlines credit (for bookings made through Chase Travel), and a $250 credit for the Shops at Chase.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card is one of the best premium credit cards and comes with some extraordinary travel benefits. One such benefit is worldwide airport lounge access to over 1,300 lounge properties.
The complimentary Priority Pass Select membership allows complimentary access for the cardholder plus up to 2 guests. Additional guests can gain access for $35 per person, per visit, based on capacity.
We find this one of the key benefits of having the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, as Priority Pass membership generally costs $469 for an annual pass. Also, unlike the Priority Pass Select membership that comes with the card, the purchased membership does not include complimentary guest access.
The Amex Gold Card does not come with any airport lounge access membership.
Bottom Line: The Chase Sapphire Reserve card has complimentary worldwide airport lounge access for the cardholder and 2 guests. This Priority Pass Select membership, which grants access to over 1,300 properties, can be valued at a minimum of $469 (the cost of purchasing a single annual membership). The Amex Gold card does not offer lounge access. 
Receiving perks during your hotel stay is always a welcome experience. Both cards have teamed up with hotel program partners to deliver complimentary benefits when you book with your eligible card.
Here are some of the benefits you can expect:
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card has hotel program benefits that will make you feel like a VIP.
You have access to over 1,000 worldwide hotel and resort properties in the Edit. To receive benefits, use your card to book your 2-night stay, or longer, directly with Chase Travel.
The card comes with an annual statement credit of up to $500 through the Edit, delivered in 2 separate $250 credits.
You can redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for up to 2 cents each to book Edit properties.
Amex Gold Card members receive several hotel program benefits, including guest privileges at the Hotel Collection and the lowest-rate guarantee.
Amex Gold cardmembers enjoy privileged benefits at American Express Hotel Collection properties. Pay for your 2-night stay or longer with your Amex Gold card and receive the following benefits:
Book your hotel room on AmexTravel.com using your Amex Gold card, and if you find an identical room for less, before taxes and fees, you could receive a refund for the difference.
Bottom Line: If you like booking independent and boutique hotels, either card will meet your desires, as both provide elite-type perks with their partner hotel programs. Note that many hotel loyalty programs exclude benefits when booking through a third party rather than directly through the hotel chain. However, booking through the Edit can afford loyalty program benefits at some properties.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card earns 5x points on Lyft ride-sharing purchases, plus a $10 monthly in-app credit through September 30, 2027.
The Amex Gold card offers member discounts and benefits with most major car rental companies, such as National, Avis, and Alamo.
You can review car rental benefits and discounts by logging in to your account online and selecting the Benefits section.
While earning and redeeming rewards may be the prime motivation for selecting a specific card, travel benefits and protections can provide significant economic benefits when needed.
Here are the travel protections offered by our featured cards:
Travel benefit or protection
Car rental insurance coverage
Primary auto rental coverage
Secondary car rental loss and damage insurance with the ability to purchase primary rental car insurance through Amex
Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
Receive up to $10,000 per person and up to $20,000 per trip for your prepaid, nonrefundable travel expenses.
None
Trip delay insurance
Delays over 6 hours, up to $500 in coverage per trip
If your trip is delayed more than 12 hours for a covered loss, you could receive up to $300 for reasonable additional expenses.
Baggage insurance
Pay for your common carrier ticket with your card and receive coverage for lost, stolen, or damaged luggage up to $1,250 for carry-on and $500 for checked.
Emergency medical and dental
Up to $2,500 in coverage for emergency medical and dental, up to $75 for 5 days at a prescribed hotel
None
Roadside assistance
4 free service calls per year, up to $50 each
None
Emergency evacuation
Up to $100,000
None
Concierge service
24/7, included
24/7 included
Emergency travel assistance
Travel and emergency assistance services hotline
Global assist hotline
Foreign transaction fees
None
None
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers primary rental car insurance versus the Amex Gold card’s secondary coverage. However, a simple, inexpensive purchase of Amex’s premium car rental protection gives you the same primary car rental insurance when using the Amex Gold card. Coverage ranges from $12.25 to $24.95 and covers you for the entire rental period. Limits apply.
Bottom Line: The Chase Sapphire Reserve card has valuable travel benefits. With primary rental car insurance; trip interruption, cancellation, and delay coverage; roadside assistance; emergency evacuation; and emergency medical coverage, the card is a better choice for travel benefits and protections over the Amex Gold card.
While you wouldn’t select a travel rewards card for its shopping benefits and protections, it’s valuable to know what each card offers.
Receive a complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership and up to $300 in DoorDash credits each calendar year. Cardholders receive a $5 monthly credit for restaurants, and 2 $10 credits for uses other than restaurants (activate by December 31, 2027).
The Amex Gold card comes with $10 Uber Cash per month (up to $120 annually) that can be used for Uber Eats. Just remember to add your card to your Uber account.
The card also has a monthly dining credit of up to $10 that can be used on purchases at Grubhub, the Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment is required. Just charge your order to your Amex Gold card, and up to $10 will be automatically refunded as a statement credit.
The most recent credits added include the up-to-$100 Resy annual statement credit ($50 semiannually), redeemable at any U.S. Resy restaurant and other eligible Resy purchases. Enrollment is required through your Amex account. The up-to-$84 Dunkin’ statement credit (up to $7 per month) is redeemable at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment is required.
While the Chase Sapphire Reserve card has a fee that is significantly higher than the Amex Gold card, at $795 compared to $325, it also comes with more usable benefits, including worldwide lounge access and the $300 travel statement credit. These more than make up for the annual fee difference.
You can add authorized users to your Chase Sapphire Reserve card at $195 each. While this may seem expensive, keep in mind that authorized users receive many of the benefits as the primary cardholder. These benefits include Priority Pass Select membership; trip interruption, cancellation, and delay insurance; and car rental insurance. However, authorized users do not receive their own $300 travel credit.
There is no additional annual fee for adding up to 5 authorized users to the Amex Gold card. The sixth card and beyond costs $35 per year.
While the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is a premium credit card with plenty of earning power, flexible redemption options, and a long list of benefits, the Amex Gold card presents a respectable alternative with a much lower annual fee.
If you value worldwide lounge access, spend a lot on travel in general, and want to redeem your rewards for travel, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is an excellent choice.
The Amex Gold card provides a balance between being an everyday spending card and a travel rewards card. If your spending is focused on groceries and dining out, the card allows you to earn plenty of rewards on those purchases. However, you can also receive elevated earnings on flight purchases. Additionally, you have several options at redemption time.
You can’t go wrong with either card when your highest spending matches the card’s specific bonus categories, and the redemptions available can help you realize your travel goals.
You’ll also want to evaluate which statement credits, benefits, and protections you’ll take advantage of to determine which card provides greater bottom-line value.
For the trip delay insurance benefit of the American Express^® Gold Card, up to $300 per covered trip that is delayed for more than 12 hours; and 2 claims per eligible card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
For the global assist hotline benefit of the American Express^® Gold Card, you can rely on Global Assist Hotline 24 hours a day / 7 days a week for medical, legal, financial or other select emergency coordination and assistance services while traveling more than 100 miles away from your home. Third-party service costs may be your responsibility. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Card Members are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.
For the purchase protection benefit of the American Express^® Gold Card, purchase protection is an embedded benefit of your card membership and requires no enrollment. It can help protect covered purchases made on your eligible card when they’re accidentally damaged, stolen, or lost, for up to 90 days from the covered purchase date. The coverage is limited up to $10,000 per occurrence, up to $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. Coverage limits apply. 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.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card has a higher annual fee than the Amex Gold card, so the better card for you will be the one that earns the most rewards, offers benefits that offset the annual fee, and allows you to redeem rewards for your preferred travel.
The Amex Gold card will reward your supermarket, dining, and spending for flights, while the Chase Sapphire Reserve card focuses more on travel booked with Chase Travel, flights and hotels booked directly, and dining. The better card for earning will be the one that matches your spending habits.
Each card also earns different rewards currencies. The Amex Gold card earns Membership Rewards, while the Chase Sapphire Reserve card earns Ultimate Rewards. Fortunately, both currencies can be transferred to airline and hotel partners, where you can potentially get excellent value.
Membership Rewards points are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for flights on AmexTravel.com, while Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed for up to 2 cents per point with Points Boost through Chase Travel.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers a better collection of travel benefits, including primary car rental insurance and trip interruption and cancellation coverage. However, it does have a higher annual fee.
When you make a qualifying purchase using your card, you receive a statement credit. Statement credits appear on your monthly bill just like a payment, but as a credit on your account.
For example, if your card comes with a $300 travel statement credit, once you use your card for a qualifying purchase (like an airline ticket), you receive a credit for the same amount. If the purchase was $179, you receive an offsetting credit for that exact amount. Each subsequent travel purchase triggers a statement credit until the $300 limit is exhausted.
Some credits are valid for a calendar year, and some for a card anniversary year. A new credit will be available once the applicable time frame has expired.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes with a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership. Membership allows access to over 1,300 Priority Pass airport lounge properties worldwide, including access to Minute Suites.
A Priority Pass membership normally costs $429 per year for a single membership that does not include guest access. The Priority Pass Select membership with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card provides access for the cardholder and up to 2 guests at most locations.
You must register for the Priority Pass Select membership when you receive your new Chase Sapphire Reserve card, as the credit card cannot be used to access the lounges. To do this, access your online Chase card account and register under “Benefits.” You will then be given a digital Priority Pass membership card and mailed one to use for access.
No, the Amex Gold card does not provide any lounge access membership. The Platinum Card® from American Express, however, does offer excellent worldwide lounge access membership to several lounge networks.
For rates and fees of the American Express^® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Platinum Card^® from American Express, click here.
For the baggage insurance plan benefit of the

, baggage insurance plan coverage can be in effect for eligible persons for eligible lost, damaged, or stolen baggage during their travel on a common carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) when the entire fare for a common carrier vehicle ticket for the trip (one-way or round-trip) is charged to an eligible account. Coverage can be provided for up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the common carrier (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus). For New York State residents, there is a $10,000 aggregate maximum limit for all covered persons per covered trip. 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.
For the car rental loss and damage insurance benefit of the

, car rental loss and damage insurance can provide coverage up to $75,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the commercial car rental company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. geographic restrictions apply. 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.
For the extended warranty benefit of the

, when an American Express® card member charges a covered purchase to an eligible card, extended warranty can provide up to one extra year added to the original manufacturer’s warranty. Applies to warranties of five (5) years or less. Coverage is up to the actual amount charged to your card for the item up to a maximum of $10,000; not to exceed $50,000 per card member account per calendar year. 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.
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Christine ran her own business developing and managing insurance and financial services offices. This stoked a passion for points and miles and she now has over 2 dozen credit cards and creates in-depth, detailed content for UP.
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