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Comparing the Chase Sapphire Reserve® vs the American Express Platinum Card® is a fun exercise in comparing two of the ultimate luxury travel cards available.
We made two great podcast episode covering the 2025 service member credit card update and which card to get if you only want one card.
Let's compare the Amex Platinum Card vs the Chase Sapphire Reserve on several different factors:
- Chase Ultimate Rewards vs Amex Membership Rewards®
- Hotel and airline transfer partners
- Spending bonus categories
- Value of welcome bonus
- Annual benefits like travel credits
- Rental Car and Trip Insurance
- Airport Lounge Access
- Annual fees and foreign transaction fees
Check out my full Chase Sapphire Reserve® review and the Amex Platinum Card® review.
These travel credit cards offer excellent transfer partners, card membership rewards, annual recurring benefits like travel credits, lounge access, travel and rental car insurance. Let's get into it…
In this post:
Chase Ultimate Rewards vs Amex Membership Rewards
Ultimate Rewards and Membership Rewards points are the most valuable credit card reward points because of how flexible they are. You can use these flexible credit card points to:
- Pay for items on Amazon with points
- Pay for charges on the credit card account
- Buy gift cards
- Cash out the points and receive a check through the mail
- Book travel with the points through the Amex or Chase Travel℠
- Transfer the points to airline or hotel travel partners to maximize value
When you first get into the credit card travel hobby, it can be tempting to cash out your points for cash. While this can be a quick and easy way to earn some extra money, it does not extract the best value from your points.
The cash value of Chase points is 1 cent when cashed out in the Chase Travel℠, available at UltimateRewards.com.
Amex points are a bit harder to cash out, but you can cash them out if you have an American Express Platinum Card for Charles Schwab. The Schwab Platinum is a separate card and product to the regular Amex Platinum. The cash value of Amex points is 1.1 cents when cashed out through a Schwab Amex Platinum.
Best Use of Chase or Amex Points
The most valuable use of credit card points is transferring the points to the Amex or Chase transfer partners. I have received anywhere from 3-11+ cents per point, making 100,000 Amex or Chase points worth $3,000 to $11,000+ of travel value!
Currently Chase has 14 Ultimate Rewards transfer partners and American Express has 22 Membership Rewards transfer partners.
Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue
- British Airways Executive Club
- Emirates Skywards
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
- United MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Iberia Plus
- World of Hyatt
- IHG Rewards Club
- Marriott Bonvoy
Amex Membership Rewards Transfer Partners
- Aer Lingus
- AeroMexico
- Air Canada
- Alitalia
- ANA
- Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles)
- Avianca
- British Airways
- Delta
- El Al
- Emirates
- Etihad
- Flying Blue (Air France / KLM)
- Iberia
- Hawaiian Airlines
- JetBlue
- Qantas
- Singapore Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- Choice Hotels
- Hilton Honors
- Marriott Bonvoy
Since both credit card reward programs offer different transfer opportunities, it makes sense to to have both cards. Which card you should get first depends on where you are more likely to transfer points to.
For instance, many US government flights are operated by United Airlines. It might make sense to have some Chase points stocked up so you can transfer the UR points to United and upgrade your ticket.
You can combine Chase UR points between accounts in the same household, like a husband and wife. With Amex you cannot combine MR points but you can transfer points to the same frequent flyer or hotel loyalty program account, effectively allowing you to combine points with your spouse.
CSR vs Platinum Card® Reward Categories
Both cards earn extra reward points in different but similar categories. The main Sapphire Reserve earning category is 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly and 3x points on dining.
The Amex Platinum Card® earns 5x points on airfare purchased directly with the airline or booked through amextravel.com.
If you value MR and UR points at about 2 cents per point, that means you can make about a 6% return on dining and travel spending and a 10% return on airline tickets.
Amex Platinum Card® vs Chase Sapphire Reserve Travel Credits
Chase Sapphire Reserve is the clear winner in this category. The $300 annual travel credit is extremely flexible, easy to use, and doesn't require any registration. It refreshes every year on your card membership anniversary.
Here's an example of how quickly the CSR travel credit posts and how easy it is to use:
I pre-paid for a rental car on Priceline for $203.50 and I took an Uber and paid $30.31. My CSR travel credit reloads in December every year. The day the charges posted to my account, the $300 CSR travel credit kicked in and zeroed out those charges. Easy!
The Amex Platinum Card® airline incidental fee credit is more unwieldy and difficult to maximize the value from. You can only select one airline a year to use the credit on. You must sign up for the benefit and activate it on americanexpress.com before you use it.
Airline incidental fee charges that count towards the Amex Platinum Card® credit include:
- Airline tickets
- Upgrades
- Mileage points purchases
- Mileage points transfer fees
- Gift cards
- Duty-free purchases
- Award tickets
Which is better – Amex Platinum Card® or Chase Sapphire Reserve?
The cash value of American Express Membership Rewards Points vs Chase Ultimate Rewards Points:
If you have the Schwab Platinum Card®, you could cash out 100,000 Amex Membership Rewards points for 1.1 cents per point or $1,100.
100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be cashed out for $1,000
If you transfer Chase and Amex points to a travel partner, you can get significantly more value from the points. Here are some examples:
I recently booked 2 ANA first class tickets from Honolulu to Tokyo. $27,000 tickets for 240,000 AMEX points. That's 11 cents per Amex Membership Reward point!
The Park Hyatt New York starts at $1,200 per night. You can transfer 30,000 Chase points to your Hyatt account and book a room to earn 4 cents per Ultimate Reward point.
Chase and Amex points are consistently valued at about the same 2 cents per point across the web. I usually use this as a benchmark when trying to make a travel redemption.
If I'm not getting 2 cents per point, I will frequently make the booking with cash and save my points for a big redemption, like ANA first class at 11 cents per point or luxury Hyatt hotels at 4+ cents per point. You can learn more about maximizing your points and miles in my 100% free course.
CSR and Amex Platinum Annual Benefits
Amex Platinum Card®
- Enrollment required for some of these benefits
- $200 Uber or UberEats credit
- $200 airline incidental fee credit
- $600 annual hotel credit ($300 semi-annually) on select prepaid hotel bookings through Amex Travel™️
- $300 lululemon credit ($75 every quarter), in store or online
- $400 resy credit ($100 per quarter)
- $120 Uber One membership (must be annual)
Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Up to $300 in annual DoorDash promos for restaurant, grocery or retail, plus complimentary DashPass membership worth $120 annually
- Up to $300 annual travel credit—still the most flexible travel credit available
- Up to $500 annually for prepaid bookings made with The Edit*
- Up to $120 in annual Lyft in-app credits
- Up to $120 in one statement credit every 4 years towards Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS
The Uber Cash is paid at $15 per month and $35 in December. Because my wife and I have multiple Amex Platinum Cards®, we received $175 in December Uber Cash last year. Hard to justify cooking when delivery is free!
Other recurring benefits for both cards include airport lounge access and travel insurance.
CSR vs Amex Platinum Card® Airport Lounge Access
American Express Platinum Card® grants you access to many airport lounges.
- American Express Centurion Lounges
- Delta Sky Club Lounges
- Priority Pass Select Lounges
- Escape Lounges
- Airspace Lounges
- Plaza Premium Lounges
- International American Express Lounges
- Lufthansa Lounges
For Lufthansa and Delta Sky Club, you need to be flying that airline to access the lounge. Otherwise, you just show your Platinum Card®, a government ID, and your boarding pass for that day.
The CSR gives you access to Priority Pass lounges. When you open the Priority Pass app, you can see a list of lounges where you can access for free, usually with up to 2 guests.
The Amex Platinum Card® and Chase Sapphire Reserve cut the Priority Pass restaurant benefit. You'll need the Amex Platinum Card® to access Centurion, Delta, and Lufthansa lounges, so make sure you apply for both cards!
Chase Sapphire Reserve vs Amex Platinum Card® Travel Insurance
To keep it simple, use your CSR for booking rental cars and either card for booking airfare.
The Sapphire Reserve rental car insurance is primary car rental coverage, meaning it kicks in and covers your damages before your regular auto insurance, like USAA or GEICO. Amex Platinum Card® only offers secondary coverage, meaning it only steps in when your regular car insurance is exhausted.
Amex Platinum Card® Travel Insurance
- Trip cancellation and interruption: up to $10,000 per trip
- Trip delay: up to $500 for lodging, meals, etc if your trip is delayed by more than 6 hours
- Lost luggage: up to $2000 per person per trip for loss of checked bag and $3000 for carry-on
- Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide
Chase Sapphire Reserve Travel Insurance
- Trip cancellation and interruption: up to $10,000 per person per trip
- Trip delay: up to $500 for lodging, meals, etc if your trip is delayed by more than 6 hours
- Lost luggage: up to $3000 per person per trip
- Travel accident insurance: up to $1,000,000 per person
Is It Worth Having Both the Amex Platinum Card® and Chase Sapphire Reserve?
Yes! Every service member and their spouse or partner can have their own Amex Platinum Card® and Chase Sapphire Reserve Card®.
Both cards have their strengths and weaknesses. Together they have very complementary reward categories, so you can earn much more than 1 point per dollar spent on airlines, hotels, travel, and restaurants.
My wife and I both have our own Amex Platinum Card® and Chase Sapphire Reserve cards.
Here is one of the best ways to maximize your points earning with these cards after you receive your welcome bonus:
- Book all airline tickets and airfare directly with the airline or through amextravel.com with your Amex Platinum Card®: 5x points
- Pay for your flights and hotels directly on your Chase Sapphire Reserve to earn 4x points
- Put all of your restaurants, cafes, bar tabs, and other dining on your CSR to earn 3x points
- Everything else put on the card (CSR or Platinum Card®) that earns the flexible points (MR or UR) you need the most
Best Travel Credit Card
Uniformed service members and their spouses should each get their own Amex Platinum Card® and Chase Sapphire Reserve. These are the 2 best travel credit cards for the armed forces community.
Don't just add your spouse as an authorized user to your card! He or she is able to get their own welcome bonus and earn their own annual perks.
Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
Amex Platinum Card® vs Chase Sapphire Reserve FAQ
Both cards are fantastic travel rewards credit cards. I would recommend getting both as they both have their strengths for upgrading your travel experience. Amex has more Membership Rewards travel transfer partners, but Chase Ultimate Rewards tend to be more flexible to redeem.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is an easy contender to the king of credit cards: the Amex Platinum Card®. I recommend you pick up both cards and compare their annual benefits like travel credits, airport lounge access, upgraded hotel stays, and excellent travel partners to transfer points to.
It depends on your travel goals. In general I get more value from Membership Rewards because they have more transfer partners that I used more frequently. However, Ultimate Rewards are very flexible. You can combine UR and MR points in some frequent flier programs, like Singapore Krisflyer, to maximize your travel redemptions.
Hi, if I already have my spouse as an authorized user on my gold card, is he still able to open his own account? I didn’t know that spouses are covered. Thanks.
Yes, he is able to open his own accounts. I recommend going Green, Gold, and then Platinum to maximize bonus offers with Amex family rules.
Hey Spencer, appreciate you sharing your travel knowledge on this site – I’ve found useful info here since I discovered it last year. I have a question – do you know of a way to find cheap Fine Hotels + Resorts at which to use the Amex Hotel credit? For a practical person trying to use the credit to stay at a hotel in lieu of paying for a more standard/normal hotel when traveling, I couldn’t find a good method. The Amex travel site doesn’t have good search features or filters. I made this tool this week to help people find better ways to spend their amex hotel credit:
https://medium.com/@tr15t4n/
Curious if you have your own way of finding inexpensive hotels though!