In the rarefied air of premium travel cards, two lead the pack when it comes to offering a chance for big rewards and a ton of travel benefits — for huge price tags. They are the American Express Platinum Card®, with an annual fee of $895 (terms apply), and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® with an annual fee of $795.
These are cards for people willing to pay a lot because they expect a lot. Both cards offer generous rewards for travel, healthy welcome offers and a slew of benefits. But they have differences, both big and small.
In a head-to-head matchup, the better card will be the one that you, personally, can extract the most value from.
Comparison at a glance
Annual fee
$795
$895
Welcome offer
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
American Express Platinum Card®
You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Terms apply. Terms apply.
Rewards
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- 8 points per dollar spent on travel bookings purchased through Chase, including flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises, activities and tours.
- 4 points per dollar spent on bookings made directly with an airline or hotel.
- 3 points per dollar spent at restaurants, including eligible food delivery.
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Through Sept. 30, 2027: 5 points per $1 spent on Lyft.
American Express Platinum Card®
- 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express (on up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotels booked through American Express.
- 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
- Terms apply (see rates and fees).
Still not sure?
AmEx Platinum vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Deciding factors
Both of these products have fully embraced the “coupon book” trend, in which cards offer tons of credits in exchange for high annual fees. A decision between the two will largely hinge on which card’s credits are the best match for your spending and lifestyle.
Here’s more on that, plus some other factors to consider.
Statement credits
These are key benefits. When credits are used, they essentially help to cover part of the annual fee.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- $300 annually, automatically applied to travel spending.
- Up to $120 every four years for application to Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS.
- Up to $500 in credit for The Edit, Chase’s high-end hotel portal. Terms apply.
- Up to $300 in credit at restaurants in the Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables program. This, too, comes as two separate credits — $150 in each half of the year.
- Up to $300 in statement credit for StubHub, in the form of two $150 credits a year.
- Up to $250 toward Apple TV+ and Apple Music subscriptions.
- Up to $120 in credit toward Peloton membership, available at $10 a month.
- Two $10 credits every month on non-restaurant DoorDash orders, and a $5 monthly credit for restaurant orders.
American Express Platinum Card®
- $200 annually for airline incidentals, like bag fees.*
- $600 annually for prepaid hotel bookings through American Express at more than 3,100 hotels. (Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection properties.)
- $209 annually for CLEAR+® membership.
- Fee credit for either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
- Add your Platinum Card to your Uber account, and you'll automatically get $15 in Uber Cash each month ($35 in December), for a total of up to $200 per year.
- $120 a year for an Uber One membership.
- $300 a year for Equinox gym memberships.
- $12.95 each month for a Walmart+ membership.
- $400 annual Resy credit. You’ll get $100 credits each quarter for eligible purchases with Resy.
- $300 lululemon credit. You’ll get $75 credits each quarter for in-store and online purchases in the U.S.
- $200 annual credit when you purchase an Oura Ring through ouraring.com.
- $300 a year for digital entertainment. Get up to $25 per month toward eligible subscriptions for Peacock, Disney+, The Disney Bundle+, ESPN+, Hulu, Paramount+, YouTube Premium, YouTubeTV, the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
- Terms apply. Enrollment is required.
If you’re deciding between the two cards, you’ll have to figure out which credits have the most value and utility for your lifestyle.
Annual fee
The AmEx Platinum’s annual fee is exactly $100 more than that of the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
If you’re already comfortable spending a six-figure sum on a premium travel credit card, maybe an extra $100 per year isn’t a big deal. But if you’re comparing value, you’ll have to wring out more dollars from the AmEx Platinum.
Welcome offer
Bonuses can change, so examine the current offers and the required spending. You’ll get big upfront value from both.
Travel bonus reward rates
Both cards incentivize you to book travel through their issuer’s portals with big rewards rates. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has the edge here. Reserve cardholders get 8 points per $1 on travel booked through Chase. The AmEx Platinum earns only 5 Membership Rewards per $1 on flights and hotel stays booked through American Express, and flights booked directly with airlines. The Platinum also has a cap on this rate for flight purchases, albeit a big one of $500,000 per year. Terms apply.
Redemption value
In this comparison of reward rates, points aren’t created equal with these cards.
Through Chase’s Points Boost redemption program, 1 point with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is worth 2 cents each when redeemed through Chase for travel — a reasonable redemption option to expect for people who use a premium travel card. (Non-Points Boost redemptions earn just 1 cent per point.)
In addition, Chase has a program called Pay Yourself Back, in which points are also worth 50% more when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories or the annual membership fee.
Generally, points earned with the American Express Platinum Card® are worth 1 cent each. Notably, if you redeem your points for most hotel stays through AmEx Travel, they'll be worth only 0.7 cent a piece.
Airport lounge access
The American Express Platinum Card® gives access to American Express' own well-regarded Centurion Lounges, as well as Delta Sky Clubs and other select partner lounges. You also get complimentary membership in Priority Pass Select when you enroll, which grants access to more than 1,700 airport lounges worldwide. Terms apply.
The offering is somewhat sparse by comparison for the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. It offers Priority Pass Select membership and access to Chase Sapphire-branded lounges — but at the moment, only a handful of the latter are open yet (though more are on the way). The American Express card wins here, especially for Delta Air Lines flyers, when it comes to seeking refuge from the usual commotion at the boarding gates.
Hotel status
If you’re getting a luxury card because you expect preferred treatment at hotels, the American Express Platinum Card® is the better choice. It offers complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold Status and Gold Elite status with Marriott, which can grant you things like bonus points on each stay, plus other perks like complimentary Wi-Fi. Terms apply, and enrollment is required.
By contrast, the Sapphire Reserve offers complimentary IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Status, but only through Dec. 31, 2027. You can bump up to Diamond Elite status — but you'll need to spend $75,000 on the Sapphire Reserve per year.
Transfer partners
Tough call here because it depends on which transfer partners you prefer, based on what airlines and hotel companies you use. Compare these lists to see which partners appeal more to you.
Full list of Chase transfer partners
Airlines
- Aer Lingus (1:1 ratio).
- Air Canada (1:1 ratio).
- Air France-KLM (1:1 ratio).
- British Airways (1:1 ratio).
- Iberia (1:1 ratio).
- JetBlue (1:1 ratio).
- Singapore (1:1 ratio).
- Southwest (1:1 ratio).
- United (1:1 ratio).
- Virgin Atlantic (1:1 ratio).
Hotels
- Hyatt (1:1 or 4:3 ratio; varies by card).
- IHG (1:1 ratio).
- Marriott (1:1 ratio).
- Wyndham (1:1 ratio).
Full list of AmEx transfer partners
Airlines
- Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1 ratio).
- AeroMexico Club Premier (1:1.6 ratio).
- Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1 ratio).
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue (1:1 ratio).
- ANA Mileage Club (1:1 ratio).
- Avianca LifeMiles (1:1 ratio).
- British Airways Club (1:1 ratio).
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (5:4 ratio)
- Delta SkyMiles (1:1 ratio).
- Emirates Skywards (1:1 ratio).
- Etihad Guest (1:1 ratio).
- Iberia Plus (1:1 ratio).
- JetBlue TrueBlue (2.5:2 ratio).
- Qantas Airways Frequent Flyer (1:1 ratio).
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1 ratio).
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1 ratio).
Hotels
- Choice Hotels (1:1 ratio).
- Hilton Hotels & Resorts (1:2 ratio).
- Marriott Hotels & Resorts (1:1 ratio).
For details on transfer ratios, see AmEx's website.
Card ecosystem
If you’re considering one of these cards, you might be willing and savvy enough to use multiple credit cards to optimize rewards within the American Express Membership Rewards program or the Chase Ultimate Rewards® program. They’re both good programs, so this might hinge on cards you already have. For example, Chase has a suite of cards that work well together.
Meanwhile, the American Express® Gold Card's high rewards on restaurants and U.S. supermarkets dovetails nicely with American Express Platinum Card®.
Restaurant rewards
Outside of travel, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® wins easily for its triple points on spending on dining, including eligible food delivery, a useful bonus category even when you’re not jetting off somewhere.
The American Express Platinum Card® has no bonus rewards for restaurants.
AmEx Platinum vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Minor features to consider
Both cards offer a slew of travel and purchasing protections.
For example, while both have car rental perks, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers primary rental car insurance, meaning you might not have to use your personal auto insurance.
On the other hand, the American Express Platinum Card® offers complimentary cell phone protection when you use the card to pay your monthly cell phone bill. Coverage for a stolen or damaged eligible cellular wireless telephone is subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions and limits of liability of this benefit. The maximum liability is $800, per claim, per eligible card account. Each claim is subject to a $50 deductible. Coverage is limited to two (2) claims per eligible card account per 12-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.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers no cell phone protection.
Credit required
Neither card is appropriate for someone with poor credit. But they differ in the credit score ranges that will be accepted.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Your credit should be firmly in the excellent range (above 720) before you apply for this card. If you've opened five credit cards in the past 24 months, Chase may reject your application.
- American Express Platinum Card®: This card is available to a wider range of applicants. Credit needs only to be good, not excellent, to have a reasonable chance of approval.
Overseas acceptance
American Express cards are widely accepted, but less so abroad. The Visa network, which the Chase Sapphire Reserve® runs on, has near-universal acceptance where you can use payment cards.
A split decision
There’s hardly any overlap in the key benefits of each card such as the statement credits and transfer partners. That’s why it’s nearly impossible to declare a winner between the American Express Platinum Card® and Chase Sapphire Reserve®. If your goal is luxury travel and perks, either can be a solid addition to your wallet — as long as you don’t mind putting in the work to extract full value out of the card, or paying a triple-digit annual fee.
*More from American Express
American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details
To view rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, see this page. To view rates and fees of the American Express Platinum Card®, see this page.
