If you’re searching for a travel rewards credit card, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the American Express® Green Card.
With both cards offering unique features, it can be challenging to decide which one is right for you.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a versatile card that rewards you for both travel and everyday spending. In addition to its earning potential, it provides a variety of benefits, including annual credits, a low annual fee, and travel protection.
In comparison, the American Express Green Card is tailored to frequent flyers, offering higher earning rates for travel purchases and more transfer partners. Plus, cardholders can enjoy valuable perks like CLEAR and LoungeBuddy credits.
To help you make an informed decision, we’ll take a closer look at the reward rates, additional benefits, and overall value proposition of each card.
Full Reviews: Chase Sapphire Preferred and American Express Green Card
Overview: Sapphire Preferred vs Amex Green Card
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- 5x Points on Travel Booked Via Chase
- 3x Points on Dining and Eligible Delivery Services
- 2x Points on All Other Travel Purchases
- 10% Anniversary Points Boost
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $95 Annual Fee
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- 3X Points at U.S. Restaurants, Transit, and Travel
- Annual Statement Credits for CLEAR® Plus and LoungeBuddy
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $150 Annual Fee (rates & fees)
Welcome Bonus
The Chase Sapphire Preferred currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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The Amex Green currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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Winner: Amex Green.
American Express Membership Rewards are generally more valuable than Chase Ultimate Rewards, which makes the Amex Green the better option for the welcome bonus.
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 Amex Green earns points at the following rates:
- 3 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.;
- 3 points per dollar on travel, including airfare, hotels, cruises, tours, car rentals, campgrounds, vacation rentals, and travel purchases on third-party travel websites and amextravel.com;
- 3 points per dollar on transit, including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways; and
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Winner: It depends.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a great choice for general spending, offering a flat 2x rate on travel purchases outside of the Chase portal, and 3x rates on streaming, online groceries, and dining. It’s ideal for casual travelers who also use the card for household expenses.
On the other hand, the American Express Green Card, with its 3x rates on travel-related purchases, is an ideal travel credit card for frequent flyers.
Card Benefits
The Chase 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 American Express Green Card offer the following benefits:
- $189 CLEAR Credit each calendar year
- $100 LoungeBuddy Credit each calendar year
- Trip Delay Insurance (up to $300 per trip for delays more than 12 hours, up to two times every 12-month rolling period)
- No foreign transaction fees
- Luggage Protection ($1,250 for carry-on bags and $500 for checked bags)
- Secondary Rental Car Insurance
- Purchase Protection for 90 days
- Extended Warranty
Winner: The Chase Sapphire Preferred. It offers more benefits in general, such as bonus points, free subscriptions, and annual credits.
However, if you frequently use CLEAR and LoungeBuddy, the Amex Green Card may be the better choice for you.
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 American Express Green Card has an annual fee of $150 which is quite expensive for a mid-tier card that doesn’t offer a lot of travel perks. However, this is easy to offset if you can maximize the $189 CLEAR credit every year,
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred. It has a lower annual fee and offers an extensive range of benefits that can easily offset the annual fee.
Redeeming Points
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card 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 American Express Green Card earns Membership Rewards points.
American Express Membership Rewards is a popular rewards program that offers a variety of redemption options, including travel, merchandise, gift cards, and more.
However, to get the most value out of your rewards, it’s important to use them strategically.
One of the best ways to use Amex Membership Rewards is through transfer partners.
The program partners with over 20 airline and hotel partners, including ANA, Air Canada Aeroplan, Iberia Avios, and Avianca LifeMiles.
By transferring your points to these partners, you can often get more value per point and enjoy a wider range of redemption options.
Membership Rewards Transfer Partners [1 to 1]
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Aer Lingus Avios
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AeroMexico [1 to 1.6]
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Air Canada Aeroplan
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Air France/KLM Flying Blue
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ANA
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Avianca LifeMiles
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British Airways Avios
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Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
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Delta SkyMiles
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El Al [1,000 to 20]
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Emirates
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Etihad Guest
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Hawaiian Airlines
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Iberia Avios
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JetBlue [250 to 200]
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Qantas
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Singapore KrisFlyer
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Virgin Atlantic
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Choice
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Hilton Honors [1 to 2]
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Marriott Bonvoy
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Winner: American Express Green Card. With this card, you’ll have access to more transfer partners, significantly increasing the number of redemption options available.
While United isn’t available on Amex’s airline partner list, Amex members can still access United Award flights through ANA.
The Verdict
Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and American Express Green Card offer a range of benefits and rewards that can make them valuable additions to any frequent traveler’s wallet.
However, the Chase Sapphire Preferred emerges as the superior option in several key aspects, including its higher welcome offer, lower annual fees, and extensive range of benefits. This card is an ideal choice for consumers whose expenses revolve around travel, as well as general household expenses.
Just don’t discount the American Express Green Card since it still offers significant value to individuals whose spending habits are geared toward travel. With higher earning rates for travel purchases, transit, and dining, as well as more transfer partners and valuable perks like CLEAR and LoungeBuddy credits, the Green Card offers plenty of value and flexibility for frequent travelers.
Ultimately, the choice between these two cards will depend on your specific travel goals, spending habits, and preferences, so be sure to carefully weigh your options before making a decision.
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- 5x Points on Travel Booked Via Chase
- 3x Points on Dining and Eligible Delivery Services
- 2x Points on All Other Travel Purchases
- 10% Anniversary Points Boost
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $95 Annual Fee
