Chase Sapphire Reserve® vs. The Platinum Card® from American Express

The Platinum Card® from American Express offers a top rewards rate of 5x points, but only on eligible flights and hotels, while the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers a lower rate — 3x points on dining and travel after earning your annual travel credit — but on a wider variety of travel purchases. Both cards require a $550 annual fee, but this is offset by each card’s perks and statement credits: Amex Platinum Card offers up to $200 in annual airline fee credits, while Chase’s card offers a $300 annual travel credit. Here’s a closer look at how these cards compare.

However, starting January 1, 2021, your 5x points on flights with the Amex Platinum will be capped on up to $500,000 annually, reverting to 1x points after that.

The winner: Tie

The cardholder perks on the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Platinum Card® from American Express are both mighty valuable. And while it’s worth considering the limited-time bonus categories added to each card when making a decision, these bonuses will presumably go away once the US economy returns to a state of normalcy. Between the two titans, you’ll want to make your choice based on the card’s base features, your way of spending and which perks you think you’ll use most.

If you’re not in the market for a top-tier luxury card though, keep comparing travel cards until you come across the one that you fall in love with. With so many unique credit cards out there, you should be able to find the perfect piece of plastic with the help of our head-to-head comparisons.

Who should get the Chase Sapphire Reserve®?

Consumers who value flexible earning capabilities more than pure earning power will find a lot to love with the Sapphire Reserve. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is also the final piece of the puzzle for the Chase trifecta earning strategy.

Who should get The Platinum Card® from American Express?

If you value utmost earning power and doing a little extra work to gain those points, the Amex Platinum Card is the card for you. This is also the card of choice if you love an unmatched smorgasbord of highly valuable perks.

Best for annual fee: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Typically, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and The Platinum Card® from American Express both have an annual of $550. However, Chase has recently lowered the annual fee for the Chase Sapphire Reserve® down to $450 to help cardholders who might not be able to make up for the card’s cost through travel. Both Amex and Chase have also allowed you to earn each card’s travel credit on purchases besides travel as well, helping to make up for the card’s costs.

Best for rewards: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® ekes a win out over the Amex thanks to some temporary earning bonuses. In addition to standard earning bonuses, Chase cardholders currently earn 10x points on Lyft purchases through March 2022, 3x points on Instacart and gas station purchases, and 10x points on streaming services until September 30, 2020. While some of these bonuses end soon, Chase is likely to cycle them out for similar bonuses for the duration of the pandemic.

While Amex has also introduced measures to help cardholders maintain card value through the pandemic, you won’t find these measures in the Platinum’s rewards categories as of this writing.

Best for features and perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Both The Platinum Card® from American Express and Chase Sapphire Reserve® are chock-full of features and benefits perfect for travelers. These include various statement credits, access to airline lounges, travel protections and more.

Amex has also incorporated some assistance for those traveling less due to the pandemic. They’re currently offering bonus statement credits on streaming and wireless phone services, up to $20 a month on each category through December 2020. Combine this with a few unique features available on The Platinum Card® from American Express, such as gold elite status in Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors, and access to the premier Centurion Lounge and Amex pulls ahead.

Best for welcome offer: The Platinum Card® from American Express

The Platinum Card® from American Express sports one of the leading general travel card welcome offers on the market as of this writing. While some cobranded cards might offer a higher number of points, Amex Membership Rewards points are valuable on their own and can be stretched even further if you transfer them to a partner airline.

Compare Chase Sapphire Reserve® vs. The Platinum Card® from American Express