The Platinum Card® from American Express vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Editorial reviews
What we think of The Platinum Card® from American Express
The Amex Platinum Card is perfect for travelers who love fancy travel perks and valuable benefits. It gives you access to exclusive airport lounges like the Centurion Lounges and Delta Sky Clubs, helping to make your travel experience more comfortable and luxurious.
Plus, with Amex Platinum, you can access annual statement credits worth over $1,500 to help justify that hefty $695 annual fee (see rates and fees). However, this card isn’t as flexible as others when it comes to earning and using points for non-travel categories. It’s great if you can take advantage of its specific benefits and credits, but not so great if you want more spending flexibility.
What we think of Chase Sapphire Reserve®
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a great option for travelers who want a mix of luxury perks and flexibility. One of the best things about it is the $300 annual travel credit, which can be used for a wide variety of travel purchases, making it easier to use than the Amex Platinum’s more specific credits. This card really shines with its versatile redemption options through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® program, including transfers to lots of airline and hotel partners. When you redeem points for travel through Chase Travel℠, they’re worth 50% more, so your points go even further.
While the Sapphire Reserve doesn’t offer as much in terms of exclusive lounge access, partner benefits or hotel perks as the Amex Platinum, its lower annual fee and flexible travel credit make it more appealing for travelers who don’t need every luxury perk but still want solid rewards for travel and dining.
Where Amex Platinum wins
Airport lounge access
The Amex Platinum Card offers unmatched airport lounge access, including entry to over 40 American Express Centurion lounges, Delta Sky Clubs, and Priority Pass Select lounges (enrollment required). This extensive network makes it ideal for travelers who prioritize premium lounge access during layovers. Terms apply.
While the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers access to over 1,300 Priority Pass lounges and the Sapphire Lounge by the Club, it doesn’t include Centurion or Delta Sky Club access, making it less comprehensive and exclusive in this category.
However, as a Chase member, you can bring two guests to each lounge for no additional charge. On the other hand, with The Platinum Card, card members have to pay a $50 fee for each adult guest and a $30 fee for each guest between the ages of 2 and 17 to access the Centurion lounge.
Hotel perks
The American Express Platinum Card comes with several hotel benefits. You can enjoy special treatment at The Hotel Collection, with perks like late checkouts, free breakfasts, a $100 experience credit, and a complimentary room upgrade (when available, a 2-night minimum stay is required). Plus, you’ll get complimentary Marriott Gold Elite status and Hilton Gold status, both of which entitle you to additional benefits at these hotel chains. On top of that, you can get up to a $200 annual hotel statement credit when you book with Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection and use your card to pay the bill (minimum two-night stay required for The Hotel Collection).
On the other hand, in addition to 10X points on hotels booked through Chase Travel℠, the Sapphire Reserve comes with a $300 annual travel credit and gives you access to numerous perks at properties in The Luxury Resort & Hotel Collection. It doesn’t come with any hotel elite status perks, however.
Partner credits
Amex Platinum wins hands-down for the value of its partner credits.
Amex Platinum Card:
- $300 a year Equinox credit
- $300 for a SoulCycle at-home bike
- $240 a year for eligible digital entertainment purchases (Up to $20 monthly)
- $155 a year for a Walmart+ membership ($12.95 per month plus sales tax)
- $100 a year at Saks Fifth Avenue ($50 between January and June and $50 between July and December. Enrollment required.)
- $200 per year in Uber Cash ($15 per month, plus a $20 bonus in December)
- Terms apply.
▶︎ Read more: Amex Platinum Card benefits
To receive the Uber Cash benefit, you must have your eligible card added as a method of payment in your Uber account. This benefit is only good for Rides and Eats orders in the U.S.
Chase Sapphire Reserve:
- Lyft Pink All Access membership for two years (must be activated by Dec. 31, 2024)
- Free DoorDash DashPass membership for at least a year (when you activate by December 31, 2027)
▶︎ Learn more: Chase Sapphire Reserve benefits guide
Where Chase Sapphire Reserve wins
Flexible travel credit
The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a $300 annual travel credit that applies to any travel purchase, making it incredibly easy to redeem. This flexible credit can be used for everything from airfare to car rentals and is automatically applied to the first $300 spent on travel each year. It also offers up to a $120 fee credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS every four years.
In contrast, Amex Platinum’s credits are more restricted to specific purchases like:
Dining rewards
The Chase Sapphire Reserve shines in its dining rewards, offering 3X points on dining worldwide and 10X points on Chase Dining purchases. This makes it a great choice for foodies or anyone who dines out frequently. Sapphire Reserve cardholders can also enjoy a minimum of 1 year of complimentary DashPass when activating this benefit by December 31, 2027.
The Amex Platinum doesn’t offer any elevated rewards for dining, offering only 1X points on restaurant purchases (as part of the “other eligible purchases” category), giving the Sapphire Reserve a clear advantage here. However, Amex Platinum does have the added benefit of up to $200 in Uber Cash per year.
Travel insurance coverage
Sapphire Reserve offers far superior travel insurance through Chase, including up to $1 million in travel accident insurance, $3,000 per person per trip in lost luggage coverage and more.
While the Platinum Card offers decent Amex travel insurance coverage, its benefits are not as extensive as Chase’s. For example, Amex provides $500,000 in travel accident insurance and only $1,200 per trip in lost luggage coverage which is lower than what the Sapphire Reserve offers.
Here’s how the two stack up:
| Benefit |
The Platinum Card® from American Express |
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
|
| Travel accident insurance |
$500,000 |
$1 million |
| Rental car coverage |
Up to $75,000 for damage or theft, secondary |
Up to $75,000 for damage or theft, primary |
| Baggage delays |
N/A |
$100 per day for a maximum of five days for delays over six hours |
| Emergency medical evacuation |
N/A |
Up to $100,000 |
| Emergency medical and dental |
N/A |
Up to $2,500 in coverage, $50 deductible |
| Lost luggage |
Up to $1,200 per trip |
Up to $3,000 per person for each trip |
| Trip cancellation/interruption |
Up to $10,000 per covered trip or up to $20,000 in a 12-month period |
Up to $20,000 per eligible trip |
| Trip delay |
Up to $500 per trip if delayed for more than six hours |
Up to $500 per trip if delayed for more than six hours |
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.
Redemption value
Chase Sapphire Reserve’s Ultimate Rewards® points are worth 1.5 cents each when redeemed for travel through Chase Travel℠. Points can also be redeemed for cash back at 1 cent each. The 1.5-cent rate is far superior to that of almost any travel credit card. Transferring points to travel partners can increase their value to over that 1.5-cent rate as well. Additionally, points from other Ultimate Rewards earning cards can be pooled together and redeemed at the elevated rate of the Sapphire Reserve via the Chase Trifecta.
Conversely, Amex Platinum points can be redeemed for travel at roughly 1 cent per point, but the value increases when transferring points to partners. For the equivalent of cash back through American Express Membership Rewards, your points will only net 0.6 cents each.
Where there’s no clear winner
Transfer partners
The Amex Platinum card allows you to transfer points to a wide array of airline partners, including Delta, Emirates, and Virgin Atlantic, as well as hotel partners like Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy.
Chase Sapphire Reserve also offers excellent point transfer options, with partners like Southwest Airlines, United, and British Airways, along with hotel partners including World of Hyatt and Marriott Bonvoy. Both cards provide valuable transfer opportunities to maximize travel rewards, with no clear edge for either.
No foreign transaction fees
Amex Platinum doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees), making it a solid choice for international travelers. However, Amex is less widely accepted outside the U.S., so it’s best to have a Mastercard or Visa credit card just in case a merchant doesn’t accept American Express cards.
Similarly, Chase Sapphire Reserve waives foreign transaction fees, providing an equally great option for those traveling abroad. Both cards are equally competitive here, but Chase credit cards are more widely accepted overseas.
Consumer protections
Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve both have benefits like:
Purchase protection
-
Platinum: Up to $10,000 per incident, up to $50,000 per calendar year for purchases made within 90 days on your eligible card.
-
Reserve: Up to $10,000 per incident, up to $50,000 per calendar year for purchases made within 120 days.
Return protection
-
Platinum: Up to 90 days after purchase on eligible items that stores won’t accept returns for. Up to $300 per item, up to $1,000 annually.
-
Reserve: Up to 90 days after purchase on eligible items that stores won’t accept returns for. Up to $500 per item, up to $1,000 annually.
Extended warranty
-
Platinum: An additional year on top of manufacturer warranties of five years or less. Up to $10,000 per item, up to $50,000 per year.
-
Reserve: An additional year on top of manufacturer warranties of three years or less. Up to $10,000 per item, up to $50,000 per year.
Fraud monitoring
- 24/7 fraud monitoring on both cards.
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.
Amex Platinum vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve: Rewards
Welcome bonus
The Amex Platinum Card offers an 80,000-point welcome bonus after spending $8,000 in the first six months, worth between $560 and $1,600, depending on how points are redeemed.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in three months, valued between $600 and $900 ($600 for cash back, $900 through Chase Travel℠) Although the Sapphire Reserve has a lower spending requirement, the Amex Platinum’s welcome bonus can potentially be more valuable.
Earning rewards
The Platinum Card gives you more points on flights, but the Chase Sapphire Reserve gives you more points on prepaid hotels and rental cars. We’re giving this one to the Sapphire Reserve since it has more categories than just travel.
Amex Platinum Card:
-
5X points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 spent on these purchases per calendar year)
-
5X points on prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel
-
1X points on other eligible purchases
Chase Sapphire Reserve:
-
10X points on hotels and car rentals through Chase Travel
-
10X points on Chase Dining purchases
-
5X points on flights booked through Chase
-
3X points on non-Chase travel and dining
-
1X points on all other purchases
Note, however, that on the Reserve, you won’t start earning points on travel until the $300 annual travel statement credit is fully spent. The first $300 spent on travel each year will automatically go toward the statement credit.
Which is better, Amex Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve?
Neither card is objectively better, but we prefer the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
If you’ve gotten to the end of this article and don’t have a clear choice in mind, consider this: what benefits do you prioritize— luxury perks to make your travels more comfortable or flexible rewards to choose what you want to do with them?
If you want luxury perks, your answer is the Amex Platinum Card, as it has benefits like exclusive airport lounge access, valuable statement credits and hotel elite status.
If you prefer flexible rewards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is where it’s at. With a $300 flexible annual statement credit and rewards in categories that go beyond travel, the Chase Reserve gives you the flexibility to choose how you want to earn and redeem your rewards.
Does it make sense to have both Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve?
Due to the high annual fee for each card and an overlap in some benefits, it probably doesn’t make sense to have both the Amex Platinum and the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
The Amex Platinum has an annual fee of $695, while the Sapphire Reserve has an annual fee of $550, a total of $1,245. Most people won’t get more than $1,245 worth of benefits, so it’s best to pick one card and stick with it.
If you’ve decided neither of these cards is what you’re looking for, consider these other travel card options:
Or maybe you want to compare these same cards to other cards. If so, consider checking out these articles:
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For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please visit this page.
