Amex Gold
Amex
$325/yrAmex Membership RewardsNo foreign feeAmexUsually needs 670+
View issuer offerComparison brief
Amex Gold vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred
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Short answer: the Gold earns more on food, with 4x at restaurants (up to $50,000 a year) and 4x at U.S. supermarkets in store and online (up to $25,000 a year combined), while the Sapphire Preferred costs far less and earns 3x across a broader set: dining, streaming, online groceries, and gas. After the credits we count as usable, the Gold costs about $145 a year ($325 minus $60 of its Uber Cash and its $120 dining credit) and the Preferred about $65 ($95 minus the Global Entry credit). Choose the Gold if most of your spending is dining and groceries and you will use both monthly credits. Choose the Preferred if your spending is spread across gas, streaming, and travel, or you would rather not track monthly credits. Each card’s top travel rate (5x on prepaid Amex Travel hotels for the Gold, 5x at Chase Travel for the Preferred) applies only through its own issuer’s portal. The head-to-head run below solves both cards against your own spending.
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Overview
$95/yrChase Ultimate RewardsNo foreign feeVisaUsually needs 670+
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Which wins on my spending?
Runs the optimizer on these two cards alone, one card allowed, against your own monthly spending.
Earn rates
Everyday categories
Dining
- Amex Gold
- 4x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 3x
EV Charging
- Amex Gold
- 1x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 3x
Flights outside issuer portals
- Amex Gold
- 3x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 2x
Gas stations (excluding Costco Gas)
- Amex Gold
- 1x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 3x
Groceries — online
- Amex Gold
- 1x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 3x
Hotels outside issuer portals
- Amex Gold
- 1x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 2x
Other travel outside issuer portals
- Amex Gold
- 1x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 2x
Streaming
- Amex Gold
- 1x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 3x
Transit
- Amex Gold
- 1x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 2x
Travel - Car Rentals / Agencies / Cruises
- Amex Gold
- 1x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 2x
Travel - Vacation Homes
- Amex Gold
- 1x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 3x
Everything else
- Amex Gold
- 1x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 1x
| Category | Amex Gold | Chase Sapphire Preferred |
|---|---|---|
| Dining | 4x | 3x |
| EV Charging | 1x | 3x |
| Flights outside issuer portals | 3x | 2x |
| Gas stations (excluding Costco Gas) | 1x | 3x |
| Groceries — online | 1x | 3x |
| Hotels outside issuer portals | 1x | 2x |
| Other travel outside issuer portals | 1x | 2x |
| Streaming | 1x | 3x |
| Transit | 1x | 2x |
| Travel - Car Rentals / Agencies / Cruises | 1x | 2x |
| Travel - Vacation Homes | 1x | 3x |
| Everything else | 1x | 1x |
Issuer travel portals 8 categories — only earned when you book through that issuer’s portal
Amex Travel - Car Rentals / Cruises
- Amex Gold
- 2x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 2x
Amex Travel - Flights
- Amex Gold
- 3x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 2x
Amex Travel - Hotels
- Amex Gold
- 5x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 2x
Bilt Travel - Flights
- Amex Gold
- 1x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 2x
Bilt Travel - Hotels
- Amex Gold
- 1x
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 2x
Chase Travel - Flights
- Amex Gold
- —
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 5x
Chase Travel - Hotels
- Amex Gold
- —
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 5x
Chase Travel - Rental Cars / Activities
- Amex Gold
- —
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 5x
| Category | Amex Gold | Chase Sapphire Preferred |
|---|---|---|
| Amex Travel - Car Rentals / Cruises | 2x | 2x |
| Amex Travel - Flights | 3x | 2x |
| Amex Travel - Hotels | 5x | 2x |
| Bilt Travel - Flights | 1x | 2x |
| Bilt Travel - Hotels | 1x | 2x |
| Chase Travel - Flights | — | 5x |
| Chase Travel - Hotels | — | 5x |
| Chase Travel - Rental Cars / Activities | — | 5x |
These cards earn different reward currencies, so no highest rate is labeled; a larger multiplier does not necessarily mean more value. Listed rates can still be subject to portal, spending-cap, or category-selection rules; review each card's details before deciding.
Credits and benefits
Uber Cash
- Amex Gold
- $60/yr estimated usableUp to $120/yrEasy to use
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- —
Dining Credit
- Amex Gold
- $120/yr estimated usableEasy to use
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- —
Resy Dining Credit
- Amex Gold
- $0/yr estimated usableUp to $100/yrConditional
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- —
Dunkin' Credit
- Amex Gold
- $0/yr estimated usableUp to $84/yrConditional
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- —
The Hotel Collection Credit
- Amex Gold
- $0/yr estimated usableUp to $100/yrConditional
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- —
Annual Hotel Credit
- Amex Gold
- —
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- $0/yr estimated usableUp to $100/yrConditional
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS
- Amex Gold
- —
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- $30/yr estimated usableEasy to use
Apple TV Benefit
- Amex Gold
- —
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- $0/yr estimated usableUp to $156/yrConditional
DoorDash DashPass
- Amex Gold
- —
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- $0/yr estimated usableUp to $120/yrConditional
Estimated usable credit value
- Amex Gold
- $180/yr
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- $30/yr
Maximum face value
- Amex Gold
- $524/yr
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- $406/yr
| Credit | Amex Gold | Chase Sapphire Preferred |
|---|---|---|
| Uber Cash | $60/yr estimated usable Up to $120/yr Easy to use | — |
| Dining Credit | $120/yr estimated usable Easy to use | — |
| Resy Dining Credit | $0/yr estimated usable Up to $100/yr Conditional | — |
| Dunkin' Credit | $0/yr estimated usable Up to $84/yr Conditional | — |
| The Hotel Collection Credit | $0/yr estimated usable Up to $100/yr Conditional | — |
| Annual Hotel Credit | — | $0/yr estimated usable Up to $100/yr Conditional |
| Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS | — | $30/yr estimated usable Easy to use |
| Apple TV Benefit | — | $0/yr estimated usable Up to $156/yr Conditional |
| DoorDash DashPass | — | $0/yr estimated usable Up to $120/yr Conditional |
| Estimated usable credit value | $180/yr | $30/yr |
| Maximum face value | $524/yr | $406/yr |
Estimated usable value applies the same conservative assumptions used by the optimizer. Maximum face value assumes every listed credit is used in full.
Find your modeled setup
The optimizer searches eligible portfolios against your stated spending—not just two cards at a time—and reports whether the result was proven within the selected catalog and run inputs.
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