Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. American Express Gold: A top luxury travel card against a top foodie card

In terms of journey rewards playing cards, you often get what you pay for when it comes to bonus classes and perks. That is why we often examine playing cards inside a single class to attempt to discover the best premium rewards card or the best no-annual-fee cards.

The issue is that the American Express® Gold Card would not match neatly into any class. It straddles the line between midlevel and premium, providing high-value bonus classes for the foodie at a $325 annual payment (see rates and fees). Then there’s the premium Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) that only in the near past obtained a major overhaul.

If you happen to’re a foodie and traveler making an attempt to determine between the Amex Gold and the Chase Sapphire Reserve — top-of-the-line playing cards for journey and eating total — this is what to contemplate that can assist you determine which card is a greater match to your wants.

Associated: Is the Amex Gold worth the annual fee?

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The Chase Sapphire Reserve gives 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 vital 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 stability.”

When factoring within the Chase Journey credit score, that is the best welcome provide we have seen because the 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 value as much as $2,550 while 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 throughout the first six months of card membership. Welcome gives differ, and also you might not be eligible for a suggestion.

TPG’s July 2025 valuations peg Membership Rewards factors at 2 cents a bit, making this welcome provide value as much as $2,000.

In fact, the bonus worth is just one piece of the equation. You additionally must be sure you’re eligible to use for both of those playing cards, as Chase and Amex have different restrictions on welcome bonus eligibility.

Chase has carried out new guidelines for welcome bonus eligibility on its Sapphire playing cards. Now you can maintain multiple Sapphire product on the identical time, however in the event you’re a present cardholder of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) or beforehand earned a welcome bonus on a Sapphire product — excluding the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (see rates and fees) — you virtually undoubtedly won’t be eligible for a second Sapphire card bonus.

With the Amex Gold, you’re topic to Amex’s once-in-a-lifetime rule and family restrictions.

Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve. Its welcome provide is the upper and extra invaluable one.

Associated: Best welcome offers of the month

Let’s begin with crucial profit that may assist offset the cardboard’s $750 annual payment: a $300 annual travel credit. This credit score is robotically utilized to a variety of journey purchases, together with airfare and resorts. Bookings don’t must be made through 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 Priority Pass Select membership for you and as much as two visitors. Plus, you and one visitor will obtain entry to pick out 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 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus application fee credit, and several 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 dining credit 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 may redeem it with any Amex card.

As well as, cardmembers can stand up to $100 in assertion credit each calendar yr for purchases made at U.S. Resy-affiliated restaurants (as much as $50 in assertion credit biannually). As a closing foodie profit, the Amex Gold gives 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 gives extra lifestyle- and travel-oriented advantages, whereas the Amex Gold is solely centered on meals and eating. If you happen to maximize these obtainable advantages, you will 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 gives extra substantial perks, together with lounge entry and industry-leading journey protections. Nonetheless, in the event you’re in search of a extra food-focused card, the Amex Gold must be your high choose.

Associated: Chase Sapphire Reserve statement credits: What they are and how to use them

Each playing cards earn valuable flexible rewards in quite a lot of bonus classes.

With the Chase Sapphire Reserve you will earn:

• 10 factors per greenback spent on Peloton gear and accent purchases of $150 or extra (by means of Dec. 31, 2027), with a most of fifty,000 factors
• 8 factors per greenback spent on purchases made by means of Chase Journey, together with The Edit
• 5 factors per greenback spent on Lyft rides (by means 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 every part else

Notice 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 will 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 means of amextravel.com
• 2 factors per greenback spent on pay as you go resorts and different journey purchases made by means 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 one of the best earning rates you’ll find 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 have increased 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 count as travel with the Chase Sapphire Reserve?

TPG’s July 2025 valuations peg Chase Ultimate Rewards points at 2.05 cents every and Amex Membership Rewards points at 2 cents every, however the packages every have strengths and weaknesses that might trigger you to select one over the opposite.

With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, factors may be redeemed for journey by means of Chase Travel at a worth of as much as 2 cents per level, relying on the precise redemption, with the Points Boost feature. With Factors Enhance, you’ll be able to obtain elevated redemption charges of greater than 1 cent per level on choose Chase Journey redemptions. Choose flight and resort redemptions may be made at a fee between 1.5 and a couple of cents per level.

Moreover, it’s also possible to redeem your factors for reward playing cards, merchandise or assertion credit score.

With the Amex Gold Card, you’ll be able to redeem your factors for journey by means of amextravel.com or for reward playing cards or money again as a press release credit score. It is vital to notice that you just obtain a redemption fee of 1 cent per level when reserving flights by means of Amex Journey.

All different redemption choices, together with these by means of Amex Journey, present a worth of below 1 cent per level, effectively under TPG’s July 2025 valuation of two cents per level, and usually are not really useful.

With each playing cards, you will typically be higher off transferring your factors to considered one of Chase’s or Amex’s switch companions for max worth.

Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve. Its factors are value at the very least 1 cent per level, whatever the redemption methodology, 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

With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you will have entry to the Chase roster of 14 airline and hotel partners.

With the Amex Gold, you will have entry to Amex’s roster of 20 airline and hotel partners, 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 Club, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.

Moreover, every card has two home airways as a switch associate, with Chase having United MileagePlus and Southwest Rapid Rewards and Amex having Delta SkyMiles and JetBlue TrueBlue.

Chase has fewer airline switch companions however is significantly better for these seeking to redeem factors for resort stays, as World of Hyatt gives the best-value resort redemptions, as Hyatt nonetheless makes use of a fixed award chart. Each playing cards share Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors as resort switch companions.

TPG Credit score Playing cards Author Chris Nelson likes to switch his Amex factors to Delta SkyMiles to benefit from flash gross sales on award flights. Moreover, he likes to switch his Chase factors to Air Canada Aeroplan to guide long-haul business-class flights on Star Alliance companions.

Switch companions are one of the simplest 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 travelers should earn transferable points

If you happen to’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 effectively when it comes to advantages and incomes and redeeming factors. However in the event you should choose one, you will should 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.

If you happen to’re in search of a extra travel-oriented card, the Sapphire Reserve is your most suitable option, however in the event you spend rather a lot on meals and eating, the Amex Gold will seemingly be a greater match.

Associated: How to choose the best credit card for you

To study 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 here.