If you’re a frequent flyer looking to save on flights and get solid travel perks, check out the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®.
The Sapphire Preferred is one of the most popular travel rewards cards because it offers nice welcome bonus and extra points on travel and dining, which can be transferred to airline and hotel partners or redeemed directly for travel at a rate of 1.25 cents per point through Chase Ultimate Rewards. The Sapphire Preferred also offers great travel and purchase protections for a card with a $95 annual fee.
The Citi AAdvantage Platinum is a mid-level card offering free checked bag on domestic American Airlines flights, preferred boarding, and a 25% in-flight discount.
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.
Overview of Each 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
- bonus_miles_full.
- 2x Miles for American Airlines, Gas Stations, and Restaurants purchases.
- Free Checked Bag and Preferred Boarding
- 25% In-Flight Savings on Food and Drinks
- $99 Annual Fee, Waived for First 12 Months
Welcome Bonus
The Chase Sapphire Preferred currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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The Citi AAdvantage Platinum currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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Remember that you won’t be eligible for this offer if you’ve earned a sign-up bonus from a Citi Platinum Select card in the past 48 months.
Earning Rewards
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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Cardholders of the Citi AAdvantage Platinum will earn miles on the following spending categories:
- 2 miles per dollar on American Airlines purchases.
- 2 miles per dollar at gas stations.
- 2 miles per dollar at restaurants.
- 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.
Winner: The Chase Sapphire Preferred has more spending categories so you can earn points faster. Plus, Ultimate Rewards points are more flexible since you can transfer them to several airline and hotel partners.
Card Benefits and Perks
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 Citi AAdvantage Platinum offers the following benefits:
- Free first checked bag for you and up to four companions on the same reservation;
- Preferred Boarding in Group 5 for you and up to four companions traveling on the same reservation;
- Earn Loyalty Points toward American Airlines elite status (1 mile = 1 Loyalty Point);
- 25% in-flight savings;
- No foreign transaction fees;
- $125 American Airlines discount when you spend $20,000 in a year;
- 90-day purchase protection;
- Extended warranty; and
- ShopRunner membership.
Winner: The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers valuable travel protections that the Citi AAdvantage Platinum lacks.
The AAdvantage Platinum could be a good companion card to the Sapphire Preferred for the free checked bags.
Value of the Annual Fees
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 Citi AAdvantage Platinum card has a $99 annual fee, which is waived the first year.
This annual fee can easily be offset by the card benefits such as free checked bags, priority boarding, an in-flight discount, and many others.
Winner: It depends on how often you fly American Airlines.
Redeeming Rewards
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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There are many ways you can redeem your American Airlines AAdvantage miles, including our favorite ways:
- Business class on Qatar Airways from the US to the Middle East, India, or Africa for 70,000 to 75,000 miles one-way.
- Business class flights from the US to Europe for 57,500 miles one-way.
- First-class flights from the US to Japan on Japan Airlines for 80,000 miles one-way.
- Short-haul economy flights on American Airlines for 7,500 miles.
- Etihad First Class apartments for 115,000 miles from New York (JFK) to Abu Dhabi (AUH).
- Business Class from US to New Zealand and Australia for 80,000 miles one-way.
Winner: The Chase Sapphire Preferred wins because it offers flexible redemptions. Chase also transfers to several airline and hotel partners, so you get more value for your points.
Chase doesn’t transfer directly to American Airlines, but a good strategy is to transfer your points to any OneWorld airline, and then redeem American Airlines award flights.
The Verdict
The Sapphire Preferred and Citi AAdvantage Platinum cards are great options for frequent flyers. It’s tough choosing between the two since each card offers unique advantages.
However, the Chase Sapphire Preferred wins because it offers better rewards and flexible redemptions. It’s a versatile card that suits all types of travelers.
The Citi AAdvantage Platinum is also a great option since it offers free checked bags and priority boarding, but you have to fly American several times a year to maximize them.
Which card are you going to choose?
- bonus_miles_full
- 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
- bonus_miles_full.
- 2x Miles for American Airlines, Gas Stations, and Restaurants purchases.
- Free Checked Bag and Preferred Boarding
- 25% In-Flight Savings on Food and Drinks
- $99 Annual Fee, Waived for First 12 Months
