Amex Gold vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred: The Ultimate Comparison

The Amex Gold ($250/year) and Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95/year) are two of the most popular rewards cards — but they're built for different types of spenders. Here's how to decide which one belongs in your wallet (or whether you should have both).

Dining & Groceries: Amex Gold Wins

For restaurants and supermarkets, the Amex Gold is in a league of its own: 4x at restaurants worldwide and 4x at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000/year). The Sapphire Preferred earns 3x at dining and 3x at online groceries only. If food is your largest spending category, the Gold wins decisively.

Travel: Sapphire Preferred Wins

For travel, the Sapphire Preferred earns 5x on Chase Travel bookings and 2x on all other travel. The Amex Gold only earns 3x on flights booked directly with airlines. The Preferred also includes primary rental car insurance — the Gold does not.

Side-by-side value comparison

Key Benefits

Restaurants4x

Groceries4x

Flights3x

Everything else1x

$250/yr$600 bonusNo FTF

American Express

American Express Gold Card

AlertNo FTFSign-Up Bonus

Foodies and grocery shoppers

Annual Fee$250

Rewards1x base

Sign-Up Bonus$600 value

4.6(1,654)

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Key Benefits

Travel (Chase)5x

Dining3x

Online Groceries3x

Everything else1x

$95/yr$750 bonusNo FTF

Chase

Chase Sapphire Preferred

NewNo FTFSign-Up Bonus

Frequent travelers who dine out often

Annual Fee$95

Rewards1x base

Sign-Up Bonus$750 value

4.7(1,842)

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Annual Fee Reality Check

Amex Gold ($250) comes with $120 dining credit + $120 Uber Cash = $240 in automatic credits. Effective cost: $10. Sapphire Preferred ($95) has a $50 hotel credit. Effective cost: $45. The Gold costs MORE on paper but LESS in effective out-of-pocket if you use the credits.