Istock.com/Casper1774studioIf you’ve got to have a credit card, the only one you want is one that offers you perks and more perks. Here’s a comparison between the Chase Sapphire Reserve card and the American Express Platinum credit card.
Chase Sapphire Reserve vs AMEX Platinum Credit Cards
Points
The Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card offers new customers 50,000 Bonus Points. New customers must make purchases totaling $4,000 or more during the first three months from the account opening.
Conversely, the American Express Platinum credit card offers new customers 60,000 Membership Rewards points. New customers must make a total of $5,000 or more purchases within the first three months from the date the account is approved.
Here’s the fine print: Purchases do not include balance transfers, cash advances, travelers’ checks, foreign currency, money orders, wire transfers or other similar cash-like transactions. It also does not include lottery tickets or other betting transactions, any checks that access the account, interest, unauthorized or fraudulent charges, as well as fees of any kind.
Fees
The annual membership fee for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is $450, and each additional card is $75 per year. In addition, penalty fees are up to $15 if the balance is less than $100, up to $27 if the balance is $100 but less than $250 and up to $37 if the balance is over $250 or more. The return payment fee is up to $37.
There is a $550 annual membership fee for the AMEX Platinum card, and penalty fees are up to $38 for both a late or returned payment.
Purchase Annual Percentage Rate (APR)
The purchase annual percentage rate and balance transfer APR for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card ranges from 16.74% to 23.74%, depending on your creditworthiness, and the cash advance APR is 25.74%.
The AMEX Platinum offers 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months. After that, the APR is a variable rate, currently 13.74% to 23.74%, based on your creditworthiness.
Earning points with Chase Sapphire Reserve
Customers can earn points when buying products or services with a Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card. You earn three points for each $1 spent. But only when your card is used for purchases in the travel category or the dining at restaurants category. You can earn one point for each $1 spent on all other purchases. Other bonus points may be offered through the program at other times.
How to use your points with Chase Sapphire
Use your points to redeem for cash starting at 2,000 points through an account statement credit or through an electronic deposit into an eligible checking or savings account. Other redemption offers to include gift cards and travel. For cash and gift cards, each point is worth one cent, and when you use points to redeem for travel, each point is worth one and a half cents, in which case points are worth 50 percent more for travel than if redeemed for cash.
Points do not expire as long as the account remains open, but you can immediately lose points if your account status changes or your account is closed for any number of reasons, including failure to pay.
Earning points with AMEX Platinum
You get one point for every dollar charged with purchases on your AMEX Platinum card. Four additional points can be earned for each dollar spent on eligible air and hotel purchases. In addition, if you visit www.amextravel.com, you’ll earn one point for every dollar charged and four additional points for each dollar spent on that website.
Travel credits
A statement credit of $300 for travel will automatically post to your account when your Chase Sapphire card is used for purchases in the travel category.
AMEX offers a $200 airline fee credit, available to Consumer and Business Platinum and Centurion Members only, this offer is based on incidental air travel fees and offers credit toward those.
istock.com/teamtimeAirport perks
Priority Pass Select membership includes access to airport lounges participating in the Priority Pass Select network. There is no additional cost to activate your membership. To access a lounge, a member must show his/her valid Priority Pass Select membership card.
AMEX Platinum offers 1,000 lounges in 500-plus airports in 120 countries. You can also find a lounge on the go with the AMEX Mobile app. In addition, preferred seating is available to cardholders. In addition, AMEX also offers a 20 percent discount on Delta commercial flights.
Global Entry or TSA Pre ✓ ® Application Fee Statement Credit
To be eligible for the credit, you must use your Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card to either complete the Global Entry $100 application fee or the TSA Pre✓® $85 application fee, and a statement credit will be processed after you’ve applied to either one of these programs. For full information about either program, visit www.globalentry.gov or www.tsa.gov.
The American Express Platinum card offers the same free statement credit for both Global Entry and TSA Pre✓®
Rental car privileges
Discounts are available through these three rental car companies: Avis, National, and Silvercar with your Chase Sapphire Reserve card. With Silvercar, rental must be two days or longer.
With an AMEX card, Hertz, Avis, National benefits are available.
Hotel perks
The Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection (LHRC) program benefits are exclusive for select Chase credit cards. They are provided per room and are based on double occupancy.
Members can get 5X Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels booked on www.amextravel.com. In addition, AMEX offers the following: a cruise privileges program, concierge services, Destination Family options, Entertainment Access or Membership Experiences, Fine Hotels and Resorts perks, Gold Card destinations, Hilton Honors Gold Status Enrollment, and InCircle Points (toward purchases at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Last Call, Horchow or Cusp.)
Travel and purchase protection
Travel and purchase protection are available benefits when you use your Chase Sapphire Reserve card and are underwritten by unaffiliated insurance companies. There are specific time limits and documentation requirements.
AMEX Platinum cardholders also benefit from travel and purchase protection, and AMEX also offers coverage for lost, stolen or damaged baggage when traveling on a Common Carrier, as long as the entire airline fare has been charged to your card. AMEX also offers coverage for theft of or damage to rental cars when you reserve the vehicle with your card.
Chase Sapphire Reserve vs Amex Platinum (Final tally)
Each has its own perks and each has a slight advantage. If you’re a frequent traveler, AMEX Platinum might work in your favor. AMEX has a lot of dining programs, airline, hotel, an international airline, global lounge collection, etc.
For more information (remember to read the fine print!), visit Chase Sapphire or American Express Platinum.
