By Austin Christensen · Last updated: October 18, 2026
Gold vs Sapphire Preferred
Get the Chase Sapphire Preferred first, then the Amex Gold. Chase denies applications from people who have opened 5 or more personal cards in the past 24 months. The Gold is a personal card, so it uses one of those slots. Amex does not use that same rule.
What does each card cost and earn?
Chase · Chase Ultimate Rewards
75,000 points after $5,000 spend in 3 months · Annual fee $95
Earn rates
- 5x Chase Travel
- 3x dining
- 3x gas stations, EV charging, and vacation homes at top brands
- 3x top streaming and online grocery, excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs
- 2x other travel
- 1x everything else
- 5x total on Lyft through September 30, 2027
- 5x total on Peloton equipment and accessories over $150 through December 31, 2027
Credits
- Up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel.
- Up to $120 every four years for one Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee.
Also on the card
- No foreign transaction fee
- A year of Apple TV if activated by December 31, 2026
- DashPass if activated by December 31, 2029, plus a $10 monthly promo
Issuer offer terms · Checked 2026-10-18. Public issuer terms. Referral offers may differ; confirm your offer at the application destination.
American Express · Amex Membership Rewards
Personalized offer: as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards points after $8,000 spend in 6 months; maximum not guaranteed · Annual fee $325
Earn rates
- 4x restaurants worldwide, up to $50,000 a calendar year, then 1x
- 4x U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 a calendar year, then 1x
- 5x prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel
- 3x flights booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel
- 2x prepaid cars and cruises booked through Amex Travel
- 1x everything else
Credits
- Up to $10 a month, $120 a year, at named dining partners. Enrollment required.
- Up to $10 a month, $120 a year, in Uber Cash.
- Up to $50 twice a year, $100 a year, at U.S. Resy restaurants. Enrollment required.
- Up to $7 a month, $84 a year, at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment required.
Also on the card
- Car rental coverage is secondary
Issuer offer terms · Checked 2026-10-18. Personalized offer; maximum not guaranteed. Referral offers may differ; confirm your offer at the application destination.
Sapphire Preferred earns 5x on Chase Travel, 3x on dining, 3x on gas stations, EV charging, and vacation homes at top brands, and 3x on top streaming and online grocery. Chase excludes Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs from online grocery. Other travel earns 2x, and everything else earns 1x. In-store grocery that is not online grocery is not in the 3x list. The hotel credit is Up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel. Gold earns 4x at restaurants worldwide on up to $50,000 a calendar year, then 1x, and 4x at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 a calendar year, then 1x. It also earns 5x on prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel, 3x on flights booked directly or through Amex Travel, and 2x on prepaid cars and cruises booked through Amex Travel. Gold's credits are Up to $10 a month, $120 a year, at named dining partners. Enrollment required., Up to $10 a month, $120 a year, in Uber Cash., Up to $50 twice a year, $100 a year, at U.S. Resy restaurants. Enrollment required., and Up to $7 a month, $84 a year, at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment required..
What does the dining and grocery gap look like?
This is an example, not a recommendation of how much anyone spends. At $700 a month in restaurants and $400 a month in U.S. supermarkets that are not online grocery, the rates above work out like this. Online grocery on Preferred is 3x, with Chase's exclusions. This $400 is the in-store supermarket spend that is not in that 3x list.
Example month
Gold: (700 × 4) + (400 × 4) = 4,400 Membership Rewards
Preferred: (700 × 3) + (400 × 1) = 2,500 Ultimate Rewards
Year: 52,800 Membership Rewards vs 30,000 Ultimate Rewards
The currencies are not the same point. World of Hyatt is on the Chase transfer list. It is not on the Amex Membership Rewards list. Sapphire Reserve transfers to Hyatt at 1:1, and Sapphire Preferred transfers at 4:3. The transfer partner directory and the Hyatt 1:1 page have the ratios.
The published Preferred review lists trip delay, trip cancellation, primary rental car coverage, and baggage coverage. Those dollar caps were not rechecked for this page. Gold's car rental coverage is secondary. Gold's advantage in the example is the grocery and dining rate, not travel insurance.
What if you already have one of them?
If you have the Gold and not the Preferred, check how many personal cards you have opened in 24 months before you apply. The approval rules lesson is the longer explanation of 5/24. If you have the Preferred and not the Gold, the Gold does not consume a Chase slot the way another Chase personal card would.
Both reviews stay up: Sapphire Preferred and Amex Gold. The fee breakeven calculator is where the credits get marked as used or skipped.
Key takeaways
- Apply for Sapphire Preferred while you are under 5/24.
- Gold earns more on dining and U.S. supermarkets. Preferred reaches Hyatt.
- The Gold offer is personalized. Personalized offer: as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards points after $8,000 spend in 6 months; maximum not guaranteed