The Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Amex Gold Card are the two most-compared mid-tier travel and dining cards on the market. This is the question that fills every points-and-miles forum: "I eat out a lot and travel a few times a year — should I get the CSP at $95 or the Gold at $325?" The answer is genuinely nuanced, and it depends on three specific things: how much you dine out, whether you can capture the Gold's monthly credits, and whether you're a Hyatt loyalist.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Chase Sapphire Preferred® | Amex Gold Card® |
|---|
| Annual Fee | $95/yr ✓ | $325/yr |
| Welcome Bonus | 75,000 pts after $5,000/3 mo | Up to 100,000 pts after $6,000/6 mo ✓ |
| Dining Rate | 3x worldwide | 4x worldwide — no cap ✓ |
| U.S. Supermarkets | 3x online groceries only | 4x (up to $25,000/yr) ✓ |
| Travel Rate | 5x Chase Travel · 2x other travel ✓ | 3x flights · 2x prepaid hotels via Amex Travel |
| Everything Else | 1x | 1x |
| Annual Credits | $50 hotel credit (Chase Travel) | $120 dining + $120 Uber + $84 Dunkin' + $100 Resy = $424+ ✓ |
| Anniversary Bonus | 10% of prior year's spend in points ✓ | None |
| Primary Rental Car Insurance | Yes — primary coverage ✓ | Secondary only |
| Transfer Partners | 14 (incl. Hyatt, United, Southwest) | 20+ (incl. Delta, Air France, ANA, Avianca) ✓ |
| Foreign Transaction Fee | None | None |
| Point Currency | Chase Ultimate Rewards | Amex Membership Rewards |
| Credit Required | Good–Excellent (670+) | Good–Excellent (670+) |
Earning Rates: 4x vs. 3x on Dining Makes a Real Difference
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase Travel℠5x
Dining + streaming + online groceries3x
All other travel2x
Everything else1x
Anniversary bonus10% of spend in pts
Amex Gold Card
Dining worldwide4x (no cap)
U.S. supermarkets4x (up to $25K/yr)
Flights (direct or Amex Travel)3x
Prepaid hotels via Amex Travel2x
Everything else1x
On $500/month in restaurant spending, the Gold earns $120/year more than the CSP at 1.5¢/point (4x vs. 3x × $6,000 × 0.005¢ difference = $300 in points, worth $150 more at 1.5¢). Add $400/month in groceries at 4x vs. effectively 1x, and the Gold outearns the CSP by another $360/year on food alone. The Gold's superior earning rates on food cover a significant portion of its $230 fee premium for heavy grocery and restaurant spenders.
The Amex Gold's Credits: $424/Year in Potential Offset
The Gold's effective annual fee of $325 drops substantially when you capture its annual credits:
- $120 dining credit — $10/month at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Use-it-or-lose-it each month.
- $120 Uber Cash — $10/month for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats. Must add Gold as payment method in the Uber app.
- $84 Dunkin' credit — $7/month at eligible U.S. Dunkin' locations.
- $100 Resy credit — $50 semi-annually at eligible U.S. Resy restaurants.
Total potential offset: $424/year. If you use all credits, your net effective fee drops to –$99 — meaning the Gold actually costs less than the CSP after credits. The catch: credits are monthly, location-specific, and use-it-or-lose-it. If you live somewhere without these restaurant partners or don't use Uber regularly, captured value drops significantly.
The Gold's Credits Require Real Effort to Capture
The Dunkin' credit requires visiting a Dunkin' every month. The Grubhub/dining credit requires ordering from specific partners. The Uber credit requires an active Uber account. For cardholders in dense urban markets who already use these services, the credits feel effortless. For suburban or rural cardholders, some credits may effectively be dead weight — reducing the Gold's real value considerably and tipping the comparison back toward the CSP.
Round-by-Round Breakdown
Round 1: The Sapphire Preferred's Unique Advantage — Primary Rental Car Insurance
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Primary rental car collision damage waiver — meaning if your rental is damaged or stolen, you file through Chase first, before your personal auto insurance. This prevents a claim on your personal insurance that could raise your rates. A rental CDW from the car agency typically costs $15–$30/day. Even two rentals per year avoiding that fee justifies significant value — and protecting your personal insurance record is worth far more over time.
Amex Gold
Secondary rental car insurance — covers what your personal insurance doesn't. You must file with your personal insurer first, which could trigger a rate increase. For frequent renters, this distinction is material. The Gold is not a strong rental car card; for road trips and rental-heavy travel, the CSP is the superior companion.
Round 2: Transfer Partners — Hyatt vs. Delta
Depends on your loyalty programs
Chase Sapphire Preferred
14 transfer partners including World of Hyatt, United MileagePlus, Southwest Rapid Rewards, JetBlue TrueBlue, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Marriott Bonvoy. The Hyatt transfer is widely considered the most valuable hotel transfer available — Hyatt points routinely value at 2–2.5¢, meaning your CSP points effectively become worth 4–5% at Hyatt properties.
Amex Gold
20+ transfer partners including Delta SkyMiles, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, ANA Mileage Club, Turkish Miles&Smiles, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Avios, and others. More airlines than Chase, particularly strong for international premium cabin redemptions. If you're loyal to Delta or frequently find deals on Air France or Turkish, Gold points may reach 3–4¢ in redemption value — clearly exceeding cash back value.
The Most Common Strategy: Get Both
Many advanced travel cardholders hold both — using the Amex Gold for 4x dining and groceries, and the Chase Sapphire Preferred for travel bookings and primary rental car coverage. Combined annual fee: $420. Combined earning: 4x on all food, 5x on Chase Travel, 2x on travel elsewhere, 3x on flights via Amex. This is the dominant setup among serious points earners who don't want to pay for premium cards like the Amex Platinum or CSR.
Our Verdict
Choose Chase Sapphire Preferred if you...
- Want the best entry-level travel card at the lowest price — $95 is easy to justify with the $50 hotel credit and 10% anniversary bonus
- Rent cars frequently and value primary rental insurance over filing through personal auto coverage
- Transfer to World of Hyatt — the single most valuable hotel transfer in the industry
- Book travel frequently through Chase Travel and want 5x on every booking
- Already have a grocery card and don't need 4x at supermarkets
- Don't use Grubhub, Dunkin', or Uber regularly enough to capture the Gold's credits
Choose Amex Gold if you...
- Dine out regularly ($400+/month) — 4x vs. 3x generates $72–$120+ more per year per $400 spent
- Spend heavily on groceries and don't already have a 4x–6x supermarket card
- Live in a city where you can naturally capture the $120 Uber + $120 dining credits monthly
- Want to transfer to Delta, Air France, Turkish, or Avianca for international flights
- Can use all four annual credits — the math makes it cheaper than the CSP if you do
For new travel card holders or anyone who doesn't dine out heavily, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is the right entry point. Lower fee, easier to justify, better rental car coverage, and the Hyatt transfer alone can unlock extraordinary value. For food-focused spenders who already use Uber and can capture the monthly credits, the Amex Gold delivers more raw earning power per dollar of food spending despite the higher sticker price.
Chase Sapphire Preferred®
75K pts after $5K · primary rental car · $95/yr
Full Review →
† Terms apply. We may earn a commission.
American Express® Gold Card
Up to 100K pts · 4x dining + groceries · $424+ credits · $325/yr
Full Review →
† Terms apply. Welcome offers vary. We may earn a commission.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which card has better travel insurance?
Both offer trip cancellation/interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, and travel accident insurance. The Chase Sapphire Preferred's primary rental car insurance is the clearest difference — Amex Gold only provides secondary. For most other travel protection categories, the cards are comparable at their respective price points.
Can I have both cards?
Yes. The CSP and Amex Gold are from different issuers and different points ecosystems. Many cardholders hold both, using the Gold for food categories and the CSP for travel bookings and rentals. Note: Chase points and Amex Membership Rewards do not combine — they're separate currencies used with separate transfer partners.
Which card has a better welcome bonus?
The Amex Gold's potential 100,000-point welcome offer is larger in quantity, though the spending requirement ($6,000/6 months) is also higher. The CSP's 75,000-point offer requires $5,000 in 3 months — a faster earn window. At roughly equal valuations (~2¢/pt for both currencies at their best transfer redemptions), the Gold's bonus is worth more in absolute terms if you qualify for the full offer.
