Amex Gold vs Sapphire Preferred compared

Cost and value $325 fee$95 fee

Annual fee

$325 Best: Sapphire Preferred

$95 Best

Credits you can use a year, if you use every one

$424 Best

$250 Best: Amex Gold

Fee after credits

$99 back credits beat the fee Best: Sapphire Preferred

$155 back Best credits beat the fee

Point value per point or mile

2.00¢ Estimate Best: Sapphire Preferred

2.05¢ Best Estimate

Rewards currency

Membership Rewards points

Ultimate Rewards points

Foreign transaction fee

None

Rates and fees

On the issuer's site APR, balance transfer and cash advance vary by applicant

Sign-up bonus 100,000 points, about $2,00075,000 points, about $1,538

Bonus

100,000 points

75,000 points

Estimated value

$2,000 Best

$1,538 Best: Amex Gold

Spend to earn it less a month is easier

$8,000 in 180 days Best about $1,333 a month

$5,000 in 90 days about $1,667 a month Best: Amex Gold

Varies by applicant

Yes the issuer may show you a different offer

No

Earning rates Top rate 5xTop rate 5x

Return is points per dollar times that card’s point value, so 3x and 4x on different currencies compare fairly.

Dining

4x Best about 8.0% back, on up to $50,000/yr

3x about 6.1% back Best: Amex Gold

Groceries

4x Best about 8.0% back, on up to $25,000/yr

3x about 6.1% back Best: Amex Gold

Flights

3x Best about 6.0% back

1x about 2.0% back, the everything-else rate

5x via the issuer portal, about 10.2%

Best: Amex Gold

Hotels

1x about 2.0% back, the everything-else rate

5x via the issuer portal, about 10.0%

Best: Sapphire Preferred

1x Best about 2.0% back, the everything-else rate

5x via the issuer portal, about 10.2%

Travel (ground only)

1x about 2.0% back, the everything-else rate Best: Sapphire Preferred

1x Best about 2.0% back, the everything-else rate

5x via the issuer portal, about 10.2%

Gas

1x about 2.0% back, the everything-else rate Best: Sapphire Preferred

3x Best about 6.1% back

Streaming / Subscriptions

1x about 2.0% back, the everything-else rate Best: Sapphire Preferred

3x Best about 6.1% back

Everything else

1x about 2.0% back Best: Sapphire Preferred

1x Best about 2.0% back

Only on this card

2x Car rentals and cruises (issuer portal)

5x Transit and rideshare
5x Peloton equipment and accessories
3x Vacation homes at top brands

Statement credits $424 a year$250 a year

Trusted traveler

None

$120 every 4 years
What counts
Receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS.

Rideshare

$120 a year $10 every month
What counts
Get $10 in Uber Cash each month when you add your Gold Card to your Uber account, usable on Uber rides and eligible orders in the U.S.

None

Dining and delivery

$120 a year $10 every month
What counts
Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. Annual savings of up to $120.
$100 a year $50 every 6 months
What counts
Get up to $50 in statement credits from January through June and up to $50 from July through December at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants. Enrollment required.
$84 a year $7 every month
What counts
Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment required.

$120 a year $10 every month
What counts
DashPass members get a $10 promo each month ($120 annually) to save on groceries, retail orders, and more.

Travel booking

$100 per stay
What counts
Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when booking The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or Amex Travel App. Requires two-night minimum stay.

$100 a year resets every card anniversary
What counts
Earn up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel.

Monthly credits to track fewer is less work

3 Best: Sapphire Preferred

1 Best

Transfer partners 20 partners14 partners

Partners

20 Best

14 Best: Amex Gold

Alliance reach

Oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance

Aer Lingus AerClub

1:1

Air Canada Aeroplan

1:1

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

1:1

British Airways Club

1:1

Iberia Club

1:1

JetBlue TrueBlue

5:4

1:1

Marriott Bonvoy

1:1

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

1:1

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

1:1

ANA Mileage Club

1:1

None

Aeromexico Rewards

5:8

None

Avianca LifeMiles

1:1

None

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

1:1

None

Choice Privileges

1:1

None

Delta SkyMiles

1:1

None

Emirates Skywards

5:4

None

Hilton Honors

1:2

None

IHG One Rewards

None

1:1

Leaders Club

4:1

None

Qantas Frequent Flyer

1:1

None

Qatar Airways Privilege Club

1:1

None

Southwest Rapid Rewards

None

1:1

United MileagePlus

None

1:1

World of Hyatt

None

4:3

Wyndham Rewards

None

1:1

Status, lounges and travel Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five StarNo status or lounges

Elite status

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards: Five Star after you enroll

None

Travel benefits

Enjoy every trip abroad with no foreign transaction fees from American Express.
24/7 emergency assistance and coordination services when traveling more than 100 miles from home, including medical/legal referrals, emergency cash wires, and missing luggage assistance. Third-party costs are Card Member's responsibility.

Provides legal and medical referrals and access to other travel and emergency assistance services while traveling.

Protection and insurance 6 coverages9 coverages

Rows line up by coverage type. "Not listed" means the terms we track do not mention it, not that the card lacks it.

Trip delay

If a round-trip is paid for entirely with your Eligible Card and a covered reason delays your trip more than 12 hours, Trip Delay Insurance can help reimburse certain additional expenses, up to $300 per trip, maximum 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period.

Covers unreimbursed expenses such as meals and lodging up to $500 per covered traveler if common carrier travel is delayed more than 12 hours.
Reimburses up to $100 a day for up to 5 days for essential purchases when baggage is delayed over 6 hours.

Baggage

Covers lost, damaged, or stolen baggage when the Entire Fare for a Common Carrier ticket is purchased with the Card; up to $1,250 for carry-on and $500 for checked baggage.

Provides reimbursement up to $3,000 per covered traveler for lost, damaged, or stolen checked or carry-on baggage during a covered trip.

Rental car

Coverage for damage to or theft of a rental vehicle when using your Eligible Card to reserve and pay for the entire rental and declining the CDW. Secondary coverage, no liability coverage. Not available in Australia, Italy, New Zealand.

Primary coverage providing reimbursement up to $60,000 for theft and collision damage when declining rental company's collision insurance.

Extended warranty

Extended Warranty can provide up to one extra year added to the Original Manufacturer's Warranty on warranties of 5 years or less; coverage up to the amount charged, not to exceed $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year.

Extends manufacturer's U.S. warranty by an additional year on eligible warranties of three years or less, up to four years from purchase date.

Purchase protection

Covers eligible purchases for up to 90 days from purchase date if accidentally damaged, stolen, or lost; up to $10,000 per purchase, up to $50,000 per calendar year.

Covers eligible new purchases for 120 days from date of purchase against damage or theft up to $500 per item.

Emergency evacuation

Not listed

Covers medical services and transportation up to $100,000 for emergency evacuation during a trip 100 miles or more from home.

Travel accident

Not listed

Up to $500,000 in accidental death or dismemberment coverage when paying for air, bus, train, or cruise transportation with card.

Roadside assistance

Not listed

Roadside emergency service dispatch with fees billed to card at time of dispatch.

Other coverage

Send money and split purchases with Venmo or PayPal users in the American Express App, without standard Venmo/PayPal credit card fee. Enrollment required.

Reimbursed up to $10,000 per covered traveler and $20,000 per trip for pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses if trip is canceled or cut short.

Lifestyle and other perks 2 perks2 perks

Lifestyle and entertainment

Enjoy an enhanced experience at select stadiums and arenas including dedicated entrances or fast lanes; enroll your Card and get 10% back on qualifying concessions purchases up to $250 per calendar year.
Access to Amex Presale Tickets and Amex Reserved Tickets for select sports, music, and other events, plus additional perks at select events.

Get a complimentary DashPass membership, a $120 value for 12 months, with $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible DoorDash orders when activated by 12/31/27. $120
Get a year of complimentary Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 - a value of $180. $180

Authorized users Some freeFree

Cost

The first 5 are free, then $35 a year each.

Authorized users are free.

Each one gets

Baggage insurance plan
Car rental loss and damage insurance
Extended warranty
Hertz five star status
Purchase protection
Trip delay insurance

Auto rental coverage
Baggage delay insurance
DoorDash DashPass membership
Emergency evacuation and transportation
Extended warranty protection
Lost luggage reimbursement
Purchase protection
Travel accident insurance
Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
Trip delay reimbursement

Application rules 2/905/24

Issuer approval rules

2/90 Community-reported
What counts
American Express generally approves at most 2 of its credit cards per 90 days.
5 credit card limit Community-reported
What counts
American Express generally limits you to 5 of its credit cards at once.
10 charge card limit Community-reported
What counts
American Express generally limits you to 10 of its charge cards at once.

5/24 Community-reported
What counts
Chase generally declines applicants who have opened 5 or more credit cards from any issuer in the past 24 months.

Bonus eligibility

Once per lifetime Issuer-stated
What counts
American Express welcome offers are generally once per lifetime for each card, unless your specific offer omits the lifetime language.

Sapphire 48-month rule Community-reported
What counts
You can earn a Sapphire sign-up bonus only once every 48 months.

Card type

Personal

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