In the case of journey rewards playing cards, you normally get what you pay for when it comes to bonus classes and perks. That is why we normally evaluate playing cards inside a single class to attempt to discover one of the best premium rewards card or one of the best no-annual-fee playing cards.
The issue is that the American Categorical® Gold Card would not match neatly into any class. It straddles the road between midlevel and premium, providing high-value bonus classes for the foodie at a $325 annual payment (see charges and costs). Then there’s the premium Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see charges and costs) that only recently acquired a main overhaul.
When you’re a foodie and traveler making an attempt to determine between the Amex Gold and the Chase Sapphire Reserve — among the best playing cards for journey and eating general — this is what to think about that will help you determine which card is a greater match to your wants.
Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Gold comparability
Let’s begin with a fast overview of every card’s highlights:
| Chase Sapphire Reserve^ | Amex Gold | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual payment | $795 | $325 |
| Welcome provide | Earn 100,000 factors and a $500 Chase Journey℠ credit score after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. | Discover out your provide and see if you’re eligible to earn as excessive as 100,000 Membership Rewards factors after spending $6,000 on purchases inside the first six months of card membership. Welcome presents differ, and also you is probably not eligible for a proposal. |
| Bonus classes |
Elevated incomes charges on flights and resorts booked straight and Chase Journey purchases apply solely after exhausting the $300 annual journey credit score and the $500 Chase Journey credit score featured as a part of the welcome bonus. Current Sapphire Reserve cardholders will not get entry to the brand new incomes charges till Oct. 26. |
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| Annual assertion credit |
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| Different card advantages |
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*Eligibility and profit stage differ by card. Phrases, circumstances and limitations apply. Go to americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for particulars. Insurance policies are underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance coverage Firm, an AIG Firm.
**Eligibility and profit stage differ by card. Phrases, circumstances and limitations apply. Go to americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for particulars. Insurance policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Firm.
***Eligible expenses differ by property.
^It is also essential to notice that present Sapphire Reserve cardholders who utilized earlier than June 23 won’t have entry to the brand new advantages and earnings fee till Oct. 26.
Associated: Is the Amex Gold definitely worth the annual payment?
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Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Gold welcome provide
Each playing cards provide worthwhile welcome presents that may assist fund your subsequent huge journey.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve presents new candidates 100,000 bonus factors and a $500 Chase Journey credit score after they spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
It is essential to notice that the phrases for the journey credit score state: “The promotional credit score is legitimate for a one-time use solely, in the event you apply the promotional credit score to a transaction lower than $500, you’ll forfeit the remaining steadiness.”
When factoring within the Chase Journey credit score, that is the best welcome provide we have seen for the reason that card was initially launched again in 2016.
TPG’s July 2025 valuations peg Final Rewards factors at 2.05 cents every, making the Sapphire Reserve bonus price as much as $2,550 whenever you embody the $500 Chase Journey credit score.
In the meantime, with the Amex Gold, new candidates can discover out their provide and see if they’re eligible to earn as excessive as 100,000 Membership Rewards factors after spending $6,000 on purchases inside the first six months of card membership. Welcome presents differ, and also you is probably not eligible for a proposal.
TPG’s July 2025 valuations peg Membership Rewards factors at 2 cents a chunk, making this welcome provide price as much as $2,000.
After all, the bonus worth is just one piece of the equation. You additionally have to ensure you’re eligible to use for both of those playing cards, as Chase and Amex have completely different restrictions on welcome bonus eligibility.
Chase has applied new guidelines for welcome bonus eligibility on its Sapphire playing cards. Now you can maintain a couple of Sapphire product on the identical time, however in the event you’re a present cardholder of the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked® Card (see charges and costs) or beforehand earned a welcome bonus on a Sapphire product — excluding the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Enterprise℠ (see charges and costs) — you nearly undoubtedly won’t be eligible for a second Sapphire card bonus.
With the Amex Gold, you might be topic to Amex’s once-in-a-lifetime rule and household restrictions.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve. Its welcome provide is the upper and extra worthwhile one.
Associated: Greatest welcome presents of the month
Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Gold advantages
This is a breakdown of the advantages offered on every card at first look.
| Assertion credit |
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Enrollment is required for choose advantages; phrases apply. |
|---|---|---|
| Different card advantages |
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Enrollment is required for choose advantages; phrases apply. |
That is the place we begin to see the most important variations come up, because the Chase Sapphire Reserve is a premium, luxurious journey card with the perks to match.
Let’s begin with an important profit that may assist offset the cardboard’s $750 annual payment: a $300 annual journey credit score. This credit score is routinely utilized to a variety of journey purchases, together with airfare and resorts. Bookings don’t must be made by way of a journey portal and no activation is required.
The Sapphire Reserve’s different standout profit is lounge entry. You will have entry to Chase Sapphire Lounges and a Precedence Go Choose membership for you and as much as two company. Plus, you and one visitor will obtain entry to pick Air Canada Maple Leaf lounges when flying on a Star Alliance airline.
Moreover, Sapphire Reserve cardholders obtain a number of different assertion credit, together with a eating credit score; an leisure credit score with StubHub and Viagogo; complimentary Apple Music and Apple TV+ subscriptions; and a International Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus software payment credit score, and a number of other helpful journey and baggage insurance coverage insurance policies.
Cardholders additionally take pleasure in a complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership and $25 in month-to-month DoorDash promos. (Should activate by Dec. 31, 2027.)
The Amex Gold rewards foodies with as much as $10 in month-to-month eating credit score legitimate on the following retailers: 5 Guys, Grubhub, the Cheesecake Manufacturing unit, Goldbelly and Wine.com (as much as $120 per calendar yr). Cardmembers additionally obtain as much as $120 in annual Uber Money every calendar yr, issued in $10 month-to-month increments, which is legitimate on Uber rides or Uber Eats purchases. Your Amex Gold have to be added to your Uber account, and you’ll redeem it with any Amex card.
As well as, cardmembers can rise up to $100 in assertion credit each calendar yr for purchases made at U.S. Resy-affiliated eating places (as much as $50 in assertion credit biannually). As a last foodie profit, the Amex Gold offers as much as $7 in month-to-month assertion credit for U.S. Dunkin’ purchases (as much as $84 every calendar yr).
The Sapphire Reserve presents extra lifestyle- and travel-oriented advantages, whereas the Amex Gold is solely targeted on meals and eating. When you maximize these accessible advantages, you may wind up with $424 in annual worth, simply justifying the cardboard’s $325 annual payment and leaving you within the inexperienced. Enrollment is required for choose advantages; phrases apply.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve. It presents extra substantial perks, together with lounge entry and industry-leading journey protections. Nevertheless, in the event you’re in search of a extra food-focused card, the Amex Gold needs to be your high decide.
Associated: Chase Sapphire Reserve assertion credit: What they’re and the best way to use them
Incomes factors on the Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Gold
Each playing cards earn worthwhile versatile rewards in a wide range of bonus classes.
With the Chase Sapphire Reserve you may earn:
- 10 factors per greenback spent on Peloton tools and accent purchases of $150 or extra (by way of Dec. 31, 2027), with a most of fifty,000 factors
- 8 factors per greenback spent on purchases made by way of Chase Journey, together with The Edit
- 5 factors per greenback spent on Lyft rides (by way of Sept. 30, 2027)
- 4 factors per greenback spent on flights and resorts booked straight
- 3 factors per greenback spent on eating worldwide
- 1 level per greenback spent on all the things else
Be aware that the elevated incomes fee on journey kicks in after spending your first $300 on journey every calendar yr with the Sapphire Reserve.
In the meantime, with the Amex Gold you may earn:
- 4 factors per greenback spent at eating places and U.S. supermarkets (U.S. supermarkets capped at $25,000 per calendar yr, then 1 level per greenback; eating places capped at $50,000 per calendar yr, then 1 level per greenback)
- 3 factors per greenback spent on flights booked straight with the airline or by way of amextravel.com
- 2 factors per greenback spent on pay as you go resorts and different journey purchases made by way of Amex Journey
- 1 level per greenback spent on all different purchases
The Amex Gold is clearly focused as a foodie-friendly card, and that is mirrored within the bonus classes. The 4 factors per greenback spent at U.S. supermarkets (an 8% return primarily based on TPG’s July 2025 valuations, on as much as $25,000 per calendar yr) is among the best incomes charges you may discover from any card.
The Amex Gold additionally has an edge when eating at eating places, as its 4 factors per greenback spent (on as much as $50,000 per calendar yr) once more wins out over 3 factors per greenback spent on the Sapphire Reserve, which is not any slouch both (an 8% versus 6.15% return primarily based on our July 2025 valuations).
For journey earnings, the Sapphire Reserve takes the cake because it earns 4 factors per greenback spent on resorts and flights booked straight, whereas the Amex Gold earns 3 factors per greenback spent on airfare booked straight or on amextravel.com.
Whereas the Sapphire Reserve is best suited to journey purchases, when you’ve got larger spending on meals and groceries, you are higher suited with the Amex Gold card.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve, because it has barely extra bonus classes.
Associated: Which purchases depend as journey with the Chase Sapphire Reserve?
Redeeming factors on the Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Gold
Each playing cards share related methods of redeeming factors.
TPG’s July 2025 valuations peg Chase Final Rewards factors at 2.05 cents every and Amex Membership Rewards factors at 2 cents every, however the applications every have strengths and weaknesses that would trigger you to select one over the opposite.
With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, factors will be redeemed for journey by way of Chase Journey at a price of as much as 2 cents per level, relying on the precise redemption, with the Factors Enhance characteristic. With Factors Enhance, you may obtain elevated redemption charges of greater than 1 cent per level on choose Chase Journey redemptions. Choose flight and lodge redemptions will be made at a fee between 1.5 and a couple of cents per level.
Moreover, you can too redeem your factors for reward playing cards, merchandise or assertion credit score.
With the Amex Gold Card, you may redeem your factors for journey by way of amextravel.com or for reward playing cards or money again as a press release credit score. It is essential to notice that you simply obtain a redemption fee of 1 cent per level when reserving flights by way of Amex Journey.
All different redemption choices, together with these by way of Amex Journey, present a price of below 1 cent per level, nicely under TPG’s July 2025 valuation of two cents per level, and usually are not beneficial.
With each playing cards, you may usually be higher off transferring your factors to one in all Chase’s or Amex’s switch companions for optimum worth.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve. Its factors are price at the least 1 cent per level, whatever the redemption technique, whereas with the Amex Gold, there are not any redemption strategies which have a fee of 1 cent per level.
Associated: Amex Platinum vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve
Transferring factors on the Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Gold
Each playing cards have wonderful rosters of switch companions.
With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you may have entry to the Chase roster of 14 airline and lodge companions.
With the Amex Gold, you may have entry to Amex’s roster of 20 airline and lodge companions, together with Avianca LifeMiles and Qantas Frequent Flyer.
Each playing cards share some switch companions, together with Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Emirates Skywards, British Airways Membership, Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership and Singapore Airways KrisFlyer.
Moreover, every card has two home airways as a switch associate, with Chase having United MileagePlus and Southwest Speedy Rewards and Amex having Delta SkyMiles and JetBlue TrueBlue.
Chase has fewer airline switch companions however is significantly better for these trying to redeem factors for lodge stays, as World of Hyatt presents the best-value lodge redemptions, as Hyatt nonetheless makes use of a mounted award chart. Each playing cards share Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors as lodge switch companions.
TPG Credit score Playing cards Author Chris Nelson likes to switch his Amex factors to Delta SkyMiles to reap the benefits of flash gross sales on award flights. Moreover, he likes to switch his Chase factors to Air Canada Aeroplan to e book long-haul business-class flights on Star Alliance companions.
Switch companions are one of the best ways to maximise your factors, particularly if you wish to keep at luxurious resorts or fly in fancy premium cabins.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve. The Sapphire Reserve takes the slight edge regardless of Aemx having extra switch companions, as Chase has World of Hyatt as a switch associate.
Associated: Why all vacationers ought to earn transferable factors
Ought to I get the Sapphire Reserve or Amex Gold?
When you’re eligible for each of those playing cards, they make an all-star pairing, and there is a actual case for having each in your pockets, as Credit score Playing cards Editor Daisy Hernandez can attest to: “I get a ton of worth from each my Sapphire Reserve and my Amex Gold as journey, eating and groceries are amongst my greatest bills.”
These two playing cards complement one another very nicely when it comes to advantages and incomes and redeeming factors. However in the event you should decide one, you may must determine if you need higher incomes charges on meals and eating and a decrease annual payment with the Amex Gold or luxurious journey advantages with the Sapphire Reserve.
When you’re in search of a extra travel-oriented card, the Sapphire Reserve is your most suitable option, however in the event you spend so much on meals and eating, the Amex Gold will probably be a greater match.
Associated: How to decide on one of the best bank card for you
Backside line
Regardless of not technically being a premium card, the Amex Gold offers the Chase Sapphire Reserve a run for its cash in a number of completely different classes.
These two playing cards complement one another fairly nicely, but additionally goal barely completely different audiences. The Amex Gold is a go-to card for all issues food-related, whereas the Sapphire Reserve focuses on luxurious journey experiences. Both card may make a superb addition to your pockets.
To be taught extra, take a look at our full critiques of the Amex Gold and the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Apply right here: Amex Gold
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Associated: Amex Platinum vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve
For charges and costs of the Amex Gold card, click on right here.
