The American Express® Gold Card is one of the best travel rewards credit cards when it comes to earning points on dining and U.S. supermarket purchases while the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is one of the best travel rewards credit cards when it comes to dining and travel purchases.
Rewards Rates
As part of the Chase-Lyft Partnership, the Chase Sapphire Reserve also earns 10X points on Lyft purchases until March 2025.
Do note that you will not earn bonus points on travel purchases until after you use the annual $300 travel credit. Once the credit is exhausted, you'll then earn the 5X/10X bonuses on travel purchases.
Current Intro Bonus
Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months.
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Key Cardholder Benefits
- $120 in annual Uber Cash, split up into $10 per month.
- $120 in annual Dining credit, split up into $10 per month good at select retailers. Enrollment required.
- Access to The Hotel Collection. Book 2-night minimum stays for a $100 hotel credit and room upgrade upon arrival (when available).
- Complimentary ShopRunner membership for 2-day shipping and free returns at 100+ stores. Enrollment required.
- Receive up to $300 in statement credits as reimbursements for travel purchases charged to your Chase Sapphire Reserve card each account anniversary year. You will not earn points on travel purchases until you have used the full $300 credit.
- Receive a statement credit of up to $100 every 4 years as reimbursement for the Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee charged to your Chase Sapphire Reserve.
- Receive complimentary Priority Pass Select membership which grants access to over 1,000 VIP lounges worldwide so you can rest before your flight.
- Enjoy special benefits such as complimentary room upgrades, early check-in, late check-out, and more when you book your stays at top hotels and resorts worldwide through The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection.
- Receive a 50% boost to point value when you redeem your points through Chase Ultimate Rewards (1.5 cents per point).
- Use Pay Yourself Back℠ for 50% more in point value during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories.
- Get complimentary access to DashPass – a membership for both DoorDash and Caviar – which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024. With DashPass you also get $5 in DoorDash credits each month, redeemed at checkout.
- Be protected with travel insurance including Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- You will pay no foreign transaction fees when you use your card for purchases made outside the United States.
Rewards Value
| Redemption Option | Average Value (in cents) |
|---|---|
| Point transfers to airline and hotel partners | 0.6 - 2 |
| Booking flights through American Express Travel | 1 |
| Booking other travel through American Express Travel | 0.7 |
| Paying with points at checkout | 0.7 |
| Using points for card charges (statement credit) | 0.6 |
| Redeeming points for gift cards | 0.5 - 1 |
Membership Rewards points earned with the American Express Gold Card can easily be redeemed for 1 cent each towards airfare booked through American Express Travel. You can obtain higher values transferring points to AMEX's airline and hotel partners.
| Redemption Option | Average Value (in cents) |
|---|---|
| Point transfers to airline and hotel partners | 0.6 - 2.1 |
| Booking travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards using the Chase Sapphire Reserve | 1.5 |
| Pay Yourself Back using the Chase Sapphire Reserve | 1.5 |
| Redeeming points for cash back | 1 |
| Redeeming points for gift cards | 1 |
| Using points for Amazon.com purchases | 0.8 |
Ultimate Rewards points earned with the Chase Sapphire Reserve can be redeemed for a value of 1.5 cents each towards travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards. You can also obtain higher values transferring points to Chase's airline and hotel partners.
Transfer Partners
Annual Fees
The American Express Gold Card has an annual fee of $250. Additional users can be added at a cost of $0 for the first five cards, then $35 per card for the sixth card onward.
If you can make use of the $240 in annual credits the American Express Gold Card offers, you'll be able to offset the majority of the fee. On top of that, the 4X earning rates offers an exceptional return if you plan on transferring points to AMEX's airline and hotel partners.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve has an annual fee of $550. Additional users can be added for an annual fee of $75 per additional card.
You can offset a big chunk of the annual fee with the $300 in annual statement credits. If you spend moderately on the card and make use of the lounge access, it won't take long to make up for the annual fee especially with points being worth a minimum of 1.5 cents each towards travel.
Card Value Calculator
Calculate how many points you can earn with the Chase Sapphire Reserve and AMEX Gold Card side by side based on your spend. You'll also be able to calculate the average cash value of the points earned, the transfer of points to partners, and the cash value of each card.
