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The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees) and The Platinum Card® from American Express are two of the most popular rewards cards in the ultra-premium / luxury category.
While both cards come with hefty annual fees that you'll need to pay each year, both cards provide a wide array of benefits. Many people find that the total value of the benefits they receive each year from holding one of these luxury rewards cards more than offsets the cost of the annual fee — justifying keeping the card for another year.
But, when comparing the Chase Sapphire Reserve® vs. the Amex Platinum card, it's important to understand the differences between these two cards to determine which one might be best for you.
Today, we'll help you determine which of these heavy-hitting cards might best fit your unique spending and travel habits. In this post, we'll take a look at the welcome bonus, benefits, spending categories, and other perks.
Page Contents
- Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Platinum Welcome Bonus
- Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Platinum Annual Fee
- When To Use Amex Platinum vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Chase Sapphire Reserve Benefits vs. Amex Platinum
- Amex Reward Points vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve Point Value
- Should I Have Both the Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve?
- Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve Better Than Amex Platinum?
Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Platinum Welcome Bonus
- 10X points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 10X points on Chase Dining (including prepaid reservations and prepaid takeout purchased through Chase)
- 5X points on airfare purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on all other travel
- 3X points on dining at restaurants
- 1X points on all other purchases
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
The welcome bonus for both the Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum varies over time. Thus, it's important to make sure that you're comparing the most recent bonus. You'll also want to understand that it will be a while before you can earn a welcome bonus more than once on either of these cards. Because of this, you'll want to apply when the bonus is higher than average.
These are the current welcome offers:
- Sapphire Reserve: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Amex Platinum: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
You can earn more points overall with the Amex Platinum, but you'll pay a higher annual fee on this card and need to spend more to unlock the welcome bonus. However, the value of the bonus is what we're evaluating.
Winner: Amex Platinum
- Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
- With American Express Global Lounge Collection® eligible Card Members can enjoy access to over 1,400 airport lounges globally, including The Centurion® Lounge, Unlimited Delta Sky Club® Access when flying an eligible Delta flight, Escape Lounges, Lufthansa Lounges when flying Lufthansa Group, Plaza Premium, Priority Pass™ Select Lounges, & Additional Global Lounge Collection Partner Lounges subject to visit limitations. Lounges may have their own rules, like additional access rules and guest fees, and for Priority Pass Select, you need to enroll and there are unlimited airport lounge visits for Card Members. With Delta Sky Club Access, Card Members will receive 10 Visits to the Delta Sky Club to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year and can unlock Unlimited Delta Sky Club Access by spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on their Card in a calendar year. To find a lounge, visit the membership section in the American Express® App or visit http://www.americanexpress.com/findalounge#/loungefinder.
- A Walmart+ membership can get you free shipping with no order minimum on eligible items shipped by Walmart. Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) and receive one statement credit for up to $12.95 (plus applicable taxes. Plus Ups not eligible) each month. Free Shipping excludes most Marketplace items, freight & certain location surcharges. Paramount+ Essential plan only, separate registration required.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card® Account. 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.
- $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card® Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. Use the dedicated CLEAR Lane to confirm your identity without taking out your passport or ID - this can mean shorter lines, less waiting. Receive up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for your CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the Platinum Card®.
- Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
- Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- Use Global Dining Access by Resy to access premium dining experiences. Receive Priority Notify and unlock insider access to some of the world's most sought-after restaurants with Global Dining Access by Resy. Download the Resy iOS app or log into Resy.com and add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile to take advantage of your special benefits and discover restaurants near you.
- $695 annual fee.¤
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Platinum Annual Fee
The Sapphire Reserve has a $550 annual fee, while the annual fee on the Amex Platinum is $695 (Rates & Fees). While the two cards both charge high annual fees, the Sapphire Reserve charges a significantly lower annual fee.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $120 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 10X points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 10X points on Chase Dining (including prepaid reservations and prepaid takeout purchased through Chase)
- 5X points on airfare purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on all other travel
- 3X points on dining at restaurants
- 1X points on all other purchases
When To Use Amex Platinum vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve
One key to maximizing the value of your miles and points is to know when and where to use your card to boost your point earnings. The Sapphire Reserve offers:
- 10X points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 10X points on Chase Dining (including prepaid reservations and prepaid takeout purchased through Chase)
- 5X points on airfare purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on all other travel
- 3X points on dining at restaurants
- 1X points on all other purchases
Note that bonus earning on travel purchases happens only after the first $300 in travel purchases each year. You get a $300 annual travel credit to offset those purchases, so Chase doesn't allow you to double dip by earning extra points on spending that was offset by the credit.
In contrast, the earning rates on the Amex Platinum include 1 point per $1 spent on purchases other than these:
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
The Sapphire Reserve seems like the clear winner for most spending patterns. Not only do you get the same 5x on flights booked through the card's travel portal, but you also get a higher earning rate on hotels booked through the travel portal. In addition, you get additional bonus points on other travel and dining purchases.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Chase Sapphire Reserve Benefits vs. Amex Platinum
Now, let's compare the Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Platinum in terms of cardholder benefits. We'll break this down into a few different categories.
Airport lounge access
Both the Sapphire Reserve and the Amex Platinum card come with a Priority Pass Select membership. This membership allows you access to over 1,300 airport lounges throughout the world. However, Priority Pass memberships through Chase allow you access to non-lounge amenities like select airport restaurants, while Priority Pass memberships through American Express do not.
Amex Platinum eligible cardholders also get access to the Global Lounge® Collection, including American Express Centurion lounges, Plaza Premium lounges, Airscape and Escape lounges, as well as Delta Sky Clubs® when traveling Delta (subject to 10 visits per year starting on February 1, 2025). There are a few Chase Sapphire Lounges at this point, with more being built, but these are currently much less common than Amex-exclusive lounges.
Winner: Amex Platinum
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Travel credits
Both the Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve offer annual travel credits. The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a $300 travel credit each year.
This credit is quite valuable since it can be used on just about anything that codes as “travel.” That means it's quite easy to redeem, and there's a relatively little chance of “breakage” (where you don't use the full value of your available credit).
On the other hand, the Amex Platinum offers two annual travel credits:
- A $200 annual airline incidental fee credit that can be used to pay for ancillary charges on one specific airline, including seat selection, wifi, baggage fees, or other similar charges.
- A $200 credit on select prepaid hotel bookings.
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
While the face value of the annual travel credits is higher with the Amex Platinum, the ease of use of the $300 Chase travel credit gives it a slight nod.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Other monthly and annual credits
The Sapphire Reserve offers a $5 in DoorDash credit each month.
The Amex Platinum card, on the other hand, has a wide array of available credits, including:
- $20 monthly (up to $240 per year) as a digital entertainment credit
- A $155 Walmart+ credit (up to $12.95 per month plus applicable taxes)
- $200 in Uber Cash towards rides or Uber Eats orders in the U.S. ($15 each month, plus a $20 bonus in December) when you add your card as a payment method in your Uber account
- $300 annually in statement credits on a digital or club membership at Equinox
- $50 twice a year to shop at Saks Fifth Avenue
- $199 per year as a statement credit for CLEAR® Plus membership
Both cards offer a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit when you pay the application fee with your card. The Amex Platinum offers a reimbursement for TSA PreCheck once every 4.5 years or once every 4 years for Global Entry. The Sapphire Reserve makes this benefit available every four years for either program and also can reimburse your application fee for NEXUS, the cross-border program between Canada and the U.S.
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Winner: Amex Platinum
Partner benefits
Sapphire Reserve cardholders are also eligible for:
- Access to The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection
- Complimentary access to DashPass – a membership for both DoorDash and Caviar (activate by December 31, 2027)
Related: Is the Sapphire Reserve Worth the $550 Annual Fee?
Here is a look at some of the partner benefits available to Amex Platinum cardholders:
- Access to the Fine Hotels + Resorts® program and The Hotel Collection
- Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
- Hilton Honors Gold status
- Premium car rental status with several programs
Both cards offer:
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
- Lost luggage reimbursement
- Trip delay reimbursement
- Extended warranty
- Purchase protection and return protection
- The Amex Platinum card offers secondary car rental coverage, while the Sapphire Reserve offers much more valuable primary car rental coverage.
However, there are benefits that they don't have in common as well:
- The Amex Platinum offers cell phone insurance
- The Sapphire Reserve offers baggage delay insurance (in addition to lost luggage coverage), travel accident insurance, and emergency medical/dental coverage
Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
Winner: Amex Platinum
Amex Reward Points vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve Point Value
While it's possible to compare the amount of rewards you'll earn with both cards, it's important to note that the two cards earn different currencies: American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Thus, the card you choose may depend on the value you place on either of these currencies. Generally, both of these currencies are quite valuable, so your card choice might depend on your travel and redemption habits.
As a point of comparison, AwardWallet users have redeemed Membership Rewards points for an average of 1.96¢ and Ultimate Rewards points for an average of 1.95¢.
Winner: Tie
Related: Chase Ultimate Rewards vs. American Express Membership Rewards: Which Is Better?
Should I Have Both the Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve?
Since both the Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve have solid benefits, you might wonder if it makes sense to have both cards. While the exact answer will depend on your unique spending, travel, and redemption habits, it probably doesn't make sense for most people. The reason is that many card benefits overlap.
After all, if you already have a Priority Pass Select membership from the Sapphire Reserve, you won't gain additional benefits of having Priority Pass with your Amex Platinum.
In addition, if you earn 5x points for flights booked with your Sapphire Reserve, you can't also earn 5x points for booking with your Amex Platinum.
That is why for most people, it probably makes the most sense to find one of these luxury rewards cards that best suits you and stick with it. Focus on the differences, such as Amex's expanded number of lounges or the Chase lounges, or consider the differences in spending credits and insurance protections.
You can read our Sapphire Reserve review and our Amex Platinum review to learn more about both cards.
Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve Better Than Amex Platinum?
The Amex Platinum and Sapphire Reserve are two premium rewards cards. Both offer an array of travel and cardmember perks and benefits while also charging annual fees of hundreds of dollars.
Yes, the annual fees are pretty high. That means savvy travelers will compare the value of the benefits they receive to the cost of the annual fee to decide which of these luxury cards makes the most sense for them and which annual fee is justified year after year, based on the value obtained from holding the card.
Both cards are likely to give more value than their annual fee at least in the first year, thanks to the welcome offers. After that, make an informed decision and cost–benefit analysis to determine what is your best path forward. While the Amex Platinum did come out ahead in one more category than the Chase Sapphire Reserve, that's close enough to indicate you should dig deeper before deciding on which card is right for you.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), and The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees)
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