Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Amex Gold
By Alex Compton · Updated
The Sapphire Preferred and Amex Gold are the two best mid-tier points cards, and they specialize differently. The Gold is the stronger earner, with 4x at restaurants and US supermarkets. The Preferred is the cheaper, better-protected travel anchor with the stronger domestic transfer list. Many serious players eventually hold both; the question here is which comes first.
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase
- Our rating
- 9.0/10
- Welcome bonus
- 75,000 points
- Bonus value
- ≈$1,538
- Annual fee
- $95
- Credits, max/yr
- $50
- Foreign txn fee
- None
Top earning rates
- 5x Chase Travel purchases
- 3x Dining, online groceries, select streaming
- 2x All other travel
- 1x All other purchases
American Express Gold Card
American Express
- Our rating
- 8.8/10
- Welcome bonus
- 100,000 points
- Bonus value
- ≈$2,000
- Annual fee
- $325
- Credits, max/yr
- $424
- Foreign txn fee
- None
Top earning rates
- 4x Restaurants worldwide (up to $50k/yr)
- 4x US supermarkets (up to $25k/yr)
- 3x Flights booked direct or via Amex Travel
- 1x All other purchases
Where Each Wins
Earning power
Amex GoldThe Gold's 4x at restaurants worldwide (up to $50k a year) and US supermarkets (up to $25k) out-earns the Preferred's 3x dining and online groceries on the two categories most households spend most on.
Annual fee
CSPThe Preferred costs $95. The Gold costs $325, offset by up to $424 in Uber, dining, Resy, and Dunkin credits, but only for people who actually use those monthly drips.
Transfer partners
CSPMembership Rewards and Ultimate Rewards are both elite currencies, but Chase's 1:1 Hyatt and Southwest access gives the Preferred the edge for domestic travelers. Amex counters with strong international airline partners.
Travel protections
CSPThe Preferred brings primary rental car insurance and solid trip delay, cancellation, and baggage coverage. The Gold's travel protections are minimal.
Welcome offers
Amex GoldThe Gold's 100,000-point offers, worth roughly $2,000 transferred, beat the Preferred's 75,000. Never take the Gold below 75k; big offers cycle regularly.
Fee honesty
CSPThe Preferred's $95 is simply cheap for what it does. The Gold's effective fee depends on credit discipline: harvested fully it nets positive, ignored it costs $325.
The Compound Verdict
Get the Preferred first if you travel: it is the cheaper anchor, carries the protections, and its transfer list is stronger for US redemptions. Get the Gold first if your spending is dominated by restaurants and groceries and you will use the monthly credits, because 4x in transferable points on those categories compounds faster than anything the Preferred earns. The endgame for many is both, with the Gold earning at the table and the Preferred booking the flights.
Our ratings give it to the Chase Sapphire Preferred (9.0 vs 8.8). On current welcome offers, the Amex Gold brings the bigger first-year haul at ≈$2,000. The fee gap is $230 a year, so make sure the extra credits and multipliers actually fit your spend.
Read the full reviews for the complete math: CSP review and Amex Gold review, or put them side by side in the comparison tool.
Common Questions
Is the Amex Gold worth $325 when the Sapphire Preferred is $95?
If you dine out and buy groceries heavily and use the credits, yes: the 4x categories can out-earn the Preferred by tens of thousands of points a year, and the Uber and dining credits can claw back over $200 of the fee. If your spending is lighter or you ignore monthly credits, the Preferred's $95 is the safer hold.
Which has better transfer partners, Chase or Amex?
Both lists are excellent. Chase wins for domestic-focused travelers on the strength of Hyatt, United, and Southwest at 1:1. Amex wins for premium international flights with partners like ANA and Air France Flying Blue. Serious points collectors usually end up wanting access to both.
Can I hold the Sapphire Preferred and the Amex Gold together?
Yes, and it is one of the most popular two-card setups in the hobby: Gold for restaurants and supermarkets at 4x, Preferred for travel booking, protections, and Hyatt transfers. Combined fees of $420 are easily covered by the earning spread across both bonus category sets.