Amex Gold Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred: Both Have Their Places, but Gold Shines a Bit Brighter
Review
Updated
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I keep both of these cards in my collection, as they serve different roles. But if you're not interested in paying for both, Amex Gold Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred is a tight battle.
Thanks to more flexible credits and higher rewards rates, I have to give the win to the American Express® Gold Card. It's not a landslide victory, however, and there's definitely a case for choosing the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees). I'll look at both sides below.
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| American Express® Gold Card | Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card |
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Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5
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Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
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Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = Poor
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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= Excellent
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Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Good/Excellent (670-850) |
Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Good/Excellent (670-850) |
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Welcome Offer: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points |
Welcome Offer: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. 100,000 bonus points |
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Rewards Program: Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 per calendar year in purchases), and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. 1X-4X Membership Rewards® Points |
Rewards Program: Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more. 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases |
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Intro APR: Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A |
Intro APR: N/A Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A |
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APR: See Pay Over Time APR |
Regular APR: 19.99% - 28.24% Variable |
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Annual Fee: $325 |
Annual Fee: $95 |
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Highlights:
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Highlights:
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• 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. • Trip delay insurance underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. • Extended warranty, baggage insurance plan, car rental loss & damage insurance, and purchase protection warranty underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.
You might fork over less cash for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, but you may have to try a bit harder to get that fee back. The American Express® Gold Card (see rates and fees) makes it simple to cut your effective fee to about $10 -- and that's before we talk about the rewards.
The American Express® Gold Card offers 4X points per $1 in two huge purchase categories: dining at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 per year) and groceries at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, terms apply). Its Chase competitor earns just 3X points on dining, and only earns bonus rewards for online groceries.
Besides my mortgage, groceries and dining are my two largest expenses. My Amex card has a permanent place in my wallet.
Although the Chase Sapphire Preferred has generally lower rewards rates, the broader travel rewards category, plus the inclusion of a streaming category, make this a more suitable card for a one-card wallet. (That said, I'd still pair it with something like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® or another flat-rate card.)
You may also simply have a preference for the Chase Ultimate Rewards ecosystem over the Amex Membership Rewards program. The Ultimate Rewards program has some travel partners that Amex lacks (and vice versa), so which brands you prefer could play a role in which rewards program you want to focus on.
We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.
| Offer | Our Rating | Welcome Offer | Rewards Program | APR | Learn More |
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Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = Poor |
Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. | 1% - 5% Cashback Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. |
Intro: Purchases: 0%, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months Regular: 18.24% - 27.24% Variable APR |
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Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = Poor |
$200 cash rewards Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. | 2% cash rewards Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. |
Intro: 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers Purchases: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening Balance Transfers: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers Regular: 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR |
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Apply Now for Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
On Bank of America's Secure Website. |
Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair = Poor |
25,000 points 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases | 1.5-3 points per dollar Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases booked through the Bank of America Travel Center. |
Intro: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers will apply. A 3% fee for 60 days from account opening, then 4% fee applies to all balance transfers. Balance transfers may not be used to pay any account provided by Bank of America. Purchases: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days Regular: 18.24% - 28.24% (Variable) |
Apply Now for Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
On Bank of America's Secure Website. |
With such a close fight, it can help to break things down on a categorical level. Let's see some details.
Yes, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card's $95 annual fee is less than half the $325 you pay for the American Express® Gold Card (see rates and fees). But that's not the full story. The interesting part is how much of that fee you can make up with credits.
The American Express® Gold Card has two monthly statement credits that, when maximized, cut your effective annual fee down by $240. If you already use Uber (or UberEats, in my case) and GrubHub, these credits are easy to use organically, which makes them worth more or less full value (terms apply).
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a few credits, but the most valuable one -- the quarterly Instacart credit -- expired in July 2024. There is also the annual $50 hotel credit for Chase Travel bookings, which could cut your annual fee in half. Unfortunately, my personal (negative) Chase Travel experience soured my desire to go after that credit anymore.
Winner: Amex Gold Card
The outcome of this category varies a ton based on two factors:
For the first point, both Amex and Chase welcome offers vary based on everything from the browser you use to the time of year to whether you have a referral link. I've seen both cards offer 100,000-point welcome offers at various times, so it's a matter of luck more than anything.
As to the second point, only you can decide which rewards program better fits your travel needs. I've transferred both types of rewards with no issues, and I happily collect both currencies to this day.
Winner: Tie
Neither card has any kind of intro APR offer, so everyone loses this round.
Winner: Nobody
From a maximization standpoint, the American Express® Gold Card wins. You can earn:
Most folks probably spend a good chunk of their budget on food, and these are some of the best rates on dining and groceries I've seen.
On the other hand, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has more bonus rewards categories, giving you broader coverage. The rates are much lower for everything except Chase Travel, however:
I personally don't put much value on the rewards for Chase Travel, as I don't care for the portal. But if you like Chase Travel, this could give the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card more of an edge here.
Winner: American Express® Gold Card
For ease of use and sheer rewards volume, the American Express® Gold Card scores the victory. If you're put off by the annual fee -- or the extra steps to get it back -- or want a simpler one-card wallet strategy, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is still a great option.
Personally, I use these two credit cards together. Non-airline travel and streaming purchases go on my Chase card, and groceries and dining on my Amex. Judicious use of credits keeps my fees down, and I enjoy having access to both rewards ecosystems.
2025 Award Winner
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR N/A
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
19.99% - 28.24% Variable
Rewards Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases
Annual Fee
$95
Welcome Offer Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
100,000 bonus points
This card easily justifies the (very reasonable) annual fee with benefits that deliver real value. For a limited time, earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months, which we estimate is worth $1,250 in Chase Travel℠ value. Plus, enjoy bonus travel and dining rewards, a $50 annual hotel credit, and 25% more value when booking through Chase Travel. With added travel protections like rental car insurance and trip reimbursement, we think this card is a game-changer for any traveler.
Read Full ReviewGood/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
APR
See Pay Over Time APR
Rewards Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 per calendar year in purchases), and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
1X-4X Membership Rewards® Points
Annual Fee
$325
Welcome Offer Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
60,000 Membership Rewards® Points
This card offers considerable value, as it earns 4X points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X) and 4X points at restaurants. Plus, earn 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on American Express Travel. Meanwhile, the value of its annual benefits can potentially offset its entire annual fee. (Terms apply.) Overall, it’s an incredibly lucrative card for those who spend a lot in its bonus categories and can use its spend credits.
Read Full ReviewWe're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. Motley Fool Money does not cover all offers on the market. Motley Fool Money is 100% owned and operated by The Motley Fool. Our knowledgeable team of personal finance editors and analysts are employed by The Motley Fool and held to the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.
For rates and fees for the American Express® Gold Card, click here
The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Visa. The Motley Fool recommends Amex.
