If you spend money on checked baggage and other airline incidental fees, use streaming services, or use CLEAR+, the Amex Platinum card offers value. One card benefit that can directly offset the cost of a credit card’s annual fee is the credits you receive when making specific purchases. However, both of our featured cards can receive the greatest potential value when utilizing transfer partners. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card has a base redemption rate of 1 cent per point via Chase Travel. Only prepaid hotels and flights purchased from AmexTravel.com and flights purchased from the airline receive elevated 5x earnings on the Amex Platinum card. Both cards let you earn rewards points on affiliated American Express and Chase no-annual-fee cards, then transfer and redeem them with travel partners for potentially greater redemption value.
TSA PreCheck and Global Entry Credits
In contrast, the Amex Platinum offers up to $555 worth of annual food and dining credits, including a Fastest Credit Builder Walmart+ membership credit and a Resy credit. Aside from the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s 3X point multiplier on dining expenditure, it also offers up to $720 worth of dining credits, including for DoorDash, a DashPass membership and the Sapphire Exclusive Tables program. When it comes to lifestyle and entertainment credits, the Amex Platinum comes out on top, offering approximately $1,200 worth of lifestyle and entertainment credits.
Redeeming points on the Amex Platinum vs. Sapphire Reser
The Sapphire Reserve provides access to Priority Pass lounges and Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club locations, and lets you bring in up to two guests for no additional fee or minimum spending requirement. Both cards provide similar travel perks, including hotel statement credits and membership credits for travel programs like Global Entry and TSA PreCheck. After you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel After you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening With a bonus of 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account openin
In fact, according to the February 2023 Nilson report, Amex is now accepted at 99% of U.S. merchants that take credit cards — putting it nearly even with networks like Visa and Mastercard. This includes a number of great cash-back options as well as many that award Membership Rewards points, which are some of the most valuable transferable points out there. Get the most out of your Amex points by learning how to maximize their value At TPG, we recommend choosing a card that matches your spending habits, including earning rewards in your top spending categories. “As a business owner who spends a lot on internet advertising, the Business Gold card is the top point-earning card in my arsenal. These rewards are automatically applied to your card balance as a statement credi
Cardholders also get access to select Maple Leaf Lounges and Air Canada Cafes in Canada, Europe and the U.S. when traveling on a Star Alliance airline. The Sapphire Reserve provides access to Priority Pass lounges and Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club locations, and lets you bring in up to two guests for no additional fee or minimum spending requirement. Despite such high annual fees, each card provides benefits that help you recoup more than you’re paying. It’s worth noting that the Sapphire Reserve’s bonus is easier to attain thanks to its lower spending requirement when compared to the Amex Platinum’s. By signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. The Sapphire Reserve bonus is worth $3,075, per our May 2026 valuation
Both the Amex Platinum and the Chase Sapphire Reserve offer comprehensive insurance plans, but the Sapphire Reserve is the clear winner, offering more protection perks and generous policies. That means all of your authorized users can apply for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry membership and have the application fee covered by the credit. You’ll need to apply through an official enrollment provider and charge the application fee to your card. The Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Amex Platinum both offer statement credits toward TSA PreCheck® or Global Entry application fees. Access to Delta Sky Clubs is limited to 10 visits per year, and you need to be traveling on a same-day Delta-operated flight or Delta-marketed WestJet flight
If you book flights frequently through your card issuer’s travel portal, you’d earn an additional 3X points for every dollar spent on the Sapphire Reserve (for a total of 8X points) compared to the Amex Platinum. In contrast, the Amex Platinum limits its 5X earning rate on flights booked through American Express Travel® at $500,000 per calendar year (1X points thereafter). For instance, the Amex Platinum offers more than $3,500 worth of perks while the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers more than $3,000 in valu