Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. AmEx Green: Sapphire Comes Out Ahead

Both are excellent midlevel travel cards with good rewards and perks, so your decision boils down to a few factors.

Many or all of the products on this page are from partners who compensate us when you click to or take an action on their website, but this does not influence our evaluations or ratings. Our opinions are our own.

Updated · 1 min read
Profile photo of Gregory Karp
Written by Gregory Karp
Senior Writer
Profile photo of Erin Hurd
Edited by Erin Hurd
Fact Checked

With a makeover that added more value to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, it emerges as the winner in a head-to-head lineup against the American Express® Green Card, although the latter will still appeal to AmEx loyalists.

Why does the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card come out ahead?

In addition to having a lower annual fee and larger sign-up bonus, it also earns more rewards across a greater number of categories. Still, the American Express® Green Card offers some additional benefits that warrant a closer look.

Here’s how to decide which travel card is best for you.

American Express® Green Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Annual fee

$150.

$95.

Sign-up bonus

Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

Get up to $1,050 in Chase Travel℠ value. Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. That’s worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year.

Rewards

  • 3X Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide.

  • 3X Membership Rewards points on travel worldwide including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, travel purchases on third-party travel websites, and travel purchases on amextravel.com.

  • 1X Membership Rewards points on other purchases.

  • 5X points on travel booked through Chase, excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 annual hotel credit.

  • 2X points on other travel purchases.

  • 3X points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out.

  • 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).

  • 3X points on select streaming services.

  • 1X points on all other purchases.

APR

None

The ongoing APR is 20.99%-27.99% Variable APR.

Clear credit

$199.

None.

Hotel credit

None.

$50 annual hotel credit on stays purchased through Chase.

LoungeBuddy credit

$100.

None.

(Terms apply.)

Why the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is better for most people

Annual fee

The lower fee on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card makes it more appealing to the casual card user, especially since it doesn't correlate with lower value.

Sign-up bonus

While the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a higher spending requirement, it also offers greater value. Points are worth 1.25 cents each when redeemed for travel booked through Chase. AmEx Membership Rewards points are generally worth from 0.7 cent to 1 cent each, depending on how you redeem them. Terms apply.

Rewards

The rewards structure for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card makes it a more versatile card than the American Express® Green Card. Naturally, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card holders will earn elevated rewards on travel, including 5X points on travel booked through Chase. But its other bonus categories — dining, online grocery purchases and select streaming services — make the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card a more rewarding card for some everyday expenses.

On the other hand, the highest bonus rate on the American Express® Green Card is 3X points, and it earns those bonus rewards in two categories: travel and restaurants. Terms apply.

Acceptance abroad

Though American Express has expanded the number of merchants that accept its cards worldwide, Visa is still more widely accepted, giving the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card the edge. Neither card charges foreign transaction fees.

Who might prefer the American Express® Green Card

Perks from partners

Added extras from partner services are where the American Express® Green Card shines, especially if you want to make your time at the airport more tolerable.

American Express® Green Card holders get a $199 credit for Clear, a service that allows travelers to move more quickly through security lines. The credit completely covers the cost of a Clear membership for one year, an excellent deal for frequent travelers. The Clear credit alone more than makes up for the American Express® Green Card’s annual fee. The American Express® Green Card also comes with a $100 LoungeBuddy statement credit, which could pay for a few lounge visits every year.

Lastly, the American Express® Green Card offers a free membership to ShopRunner, the online delivery service. Enrollment is required.

In contrast, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card currently offers just one partner perk, and it’s not a permanent feature of the card. Until March 31, 2025, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card holders receive 5x points on qualifying Lyft rides. Of course, if you don’t use ridesharing services, or prefer Uber to Lyft, this limited-time offer won’t be useful.

Potential tiebreakers

Both cards allow you to transfer points to travel partners such as airlines and hotel companies. Transferring points to partners can provide outsized value toward travel. A decision between the American Express® Green Card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card could come down to your preference for travel partners, which is often influenced by what airports are closest to you.

For example, if your favorite airport is a Delta hub, you may be persuaded to pick the American Express® Green Card because Delta only partners with AmEx, not Chase. On the other hand, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines are strictly Chase partners.

Check out our comprehensive lists of all of the travel partners for American Express and Chase.

Airlines

  • Air Canada Aeroplan.

  • Aer Lingus.

  • Air France/KLM.

  • British Airways.

  • Emirates.

  • Iberia.

  • JetBlue.

  • Singapore.

  • Southwest.

  • United.

  • Virgin Atlantic.

Hotels

  • Hyatt.

  • InterContinental Hotels Group.

  • Marriott.

Airlines:

  • Aer Lingus.

  • AeroMexico.

  • Air Canada.

  • Air France/ KLM.

  • Alitalia.

  • ANA.

  • Avianca.

  • British Airways.

  • Cathay Pacific.

  • Delta Air Lines.

  • El Al Israel Airlines.

  • Emirates.

  • Etihad Airways.

  • Hawaiian Airlines.

  • Iberia Plus.

  • JetBlue Airways.

  • Qantas.

  • Singapore Airlines.

  • Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Hotels:

  • Choice Hotels.

  • Hilton Hotels & Resorts.

  • Marriott Hotels & Resorts.

For transfer ratios, see AmEx's website.

Which card should you get?

The American Express® Green Card is a nice travel card with competitive rewards and perks. But unless you can fully use its statement credits for Clear and LoungeBuddy over several years, you’re likely to get more value from the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. If you want to redeem your points for travel directly through the issuer, rather than transfer to partners, points from the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are worth considerably more at 1.25 cents each rather than 0.7 cent to 1 cent a piece at AmEx.


All information about the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The American Express® Green Card is no longer available through NerdWallet.

Find the right credit card for you.

Whether you want to pay less interest or earn more rewards, the right card's out there. Just answer a few questions and we'll narrow the search for you.

Get Started
Get more smart money moves – straight to your inbox
Sign up and we’ll send you Nerdy articles about the money topics that matter most to you along with other ways to help you get more from your money.