The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Amazon Prime Visa are two credit cards aimed at different types of consumers, each with unique spending patterns.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a travel rewards card, offering significant points on travel and dining expenses, and flexible redemption options through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program.
On the other hand, the Prime Visa is tailored for frequent Amazon and Whole Foods shoppers, offering high cash back rates on purchases from these stores.
This article will compare each card based on several factors to help you make an informed decision on which card is the best to add to your wallet.
Full Reviews: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Prime Visa.
Overview: Sapphire Preferred vs Amazon Prime Rewards
- Get a $100 Amazon Gift Card instantly loaded into your Amazon Account upon approval of your Application.
- 5% Cash Back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods
- 2% Cash Back at Restaurants, Gas Stations, and Transit
- 1% Cash Back on All Other Purchases
- Purchase Protection, Extended Warranty, Secondary Rental Car Insurance, and Baggage Delay Insurance.
- No Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus
The Chase Sapphire Preferred currently offers the following welcome bonus:
bonus_miles_full
The Prime Visa currently offers the following welcome bonus:
Get a $100 Amazon Gift Card instantly loaded into your Amazon Account upon approval of your Application.
Earning Points
The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns Ultimate Rewards points and offers bonus points on spending in several categories:
- 5 points per dollar on travel booked through the Chase travel portal;
- 5 points per dollar on Lyft purchases (through March 2025);
- 5 points per dollar on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases of $250 or more (through March 2025, with a limit of 25,000 bonus points);
- 3 points per dollar on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out;
- 3 points per dollar on online grocery store purchases (excludes Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs);
- 3 points per dollar on select streaming services, including Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, Youtube TV, Pandora, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Sling, Vudu, Fubo TV, Hulu, and ESPN+;
- 2 points per dollar on all travel not booked through the Chase travel portal; and
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible spending.
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The Prime Visa earns cash back at the following rates:
- 5% back at Amazon.com;
- 5% back at Whole Foods Market and and Amazon Fresh;
- 5% back on Chase Travel purchases;
- 2% back at gas stations;
- 2% back at restaurants;
- 2% back on local transit and commuting (including rideshare); and
- 1% back on all other eligible purchases.
Winner:Chase Sapphire Preferred offers higher earning rates on a wide range of categories, helping cardholders earn points faster.
Card Benefits
The Sapphire Preferred offers nice benefits, including:
- Receive 25% more value on points redeemed for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal.
- $50 annual credit on hotel stays purchased through Ultimate Rewards.
- 10% Points Bonus for each Cardmember anniversary.
- A complimentary one-year subscription to DashPass by DoorDash when you enroll by December 31, 2024.
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance (up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip).
- Primary car rental insurance.
- Lost luggage reimbursement (up to $3,000 per passenger)
- Baggage delay insurance (up to $100 per day for five days).
- Trip delay insurance (up to $500 per ticket for a delay longer than 12 hours or overnight).
- Extended warranty.
- 120 days purchase protection (up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per year).
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Free 6-month membership to Instacart+ (activate by July 31, 2024).
The Prime Visa offers the following benefits for cardholders:
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Purchase protection.
- Extended warranty.
- Purchase protection.
- Baggage delay insurance.
- Lost luggage reimbursement.
- Secondary rental car insurance.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred offers better travel protections than the Prime Visa in addition to special credits and memberships.
Value of the Annual Fee
The Chase Sapphire Preferred comes with an annual fee of $95.
While some users might be initially deterred by this cost, it’s important to consider the value and benefits that come with the card.
The rewards points, travel benefits, and purchase protections can help offset the cost of the annual fee for frequent travelers.
The Prime Visa has no annual fee.
Winner: Prime Visa with its no annual fee.
Redeeming Points
The earns Ultimate Rewards points, one of the most flexible points currencies.
You can use your points to book flights, hotel stays, and even rent a car through Chase Travel — all at a fixed rate of 1.25 cents per point. For example, 100,000 points are equivalent to $1,250 towards travel.
You can unlock even more value than 1.25 cents per point by transferring rewards to Chase airline and hotel partners.
Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners [1 to 1]
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Aer Lingus
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Air Canada Aeroplan
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British Airways
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Emirates
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Air France/KLM
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Hyatt Hotels
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Iberia
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IHG Hotels
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JetBlue
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Marriott
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Singapore
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Southwest
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United
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Virgin Atlantic
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The Amazon Prime Rewards lets you redeem your points in several ways, including:
- Eligible purchases at Amazon.com (100 points + $1)
- Cashback (starting at 2,000 points)
- Travel rewards such as flights, hotels, cruises, and more
- Gift cards ($25 gift card for 2,500 points)
- Products/services
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Not only does the Sapphire Preferred card provide a higher redemption rate and a wider range of redemption options, but it also offers added flexibility with the ability to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to multiple hotel and airline partners.
The Verdict
While the Prime Visa offers attractive rewards for Amazon shoppers with Prime memberships, it falls short when compared to the Sapphire Preferred card.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred provides a higher rate of rewards, more spending categories, benefits, and redemption options, making it a more versatile option that suits a variety of consumers with different interests and lifestyles.
Whether you’re a frequent traveler, a foodie, or someone who loves streaming movies, the Sapphire Preferred card offers a range of benefits and rewards to suit your needs.
Which card are you going to choose?
