The Chase Sapphire Preferred and the American Express Gold are the two most compared mid-tier premium cards, and for good reason. Both target foodies and travelers, both earn transferable points, and both sit in the mid-tier fee range — $95 for the Preferred, $325 for the Gold. But they are built for different spending patterns.
Here is a head-to-head breakdown with real math so you can decide which one earns you more.
The basics
| Feature | Chase Sapphire Preferred | Amex Gold | |---------|------------------------|-----------| | Annual fee (what our math charges) | $95 | $325 | | Optional credits (upside if used, not a discount) | $100 Chase Travel hotel credit (portal-only) | Up to $424/yr (Uber, dining partners, Resy, Dunkin') | | Dining rate | 3x Ultimate Rewards | 4x Membership Rewards | | Grocery rate | 3x on online groceries; 1x in-store | 4x US supermarkets (up to $25k/yr, then 1x) | | Travel rate | 2x (5x on Chase portal) | 3x on flights booked with Amex Travel or direct | | Everything else | 1x | 1x | | Point value (typical) | 1.5 cpp via transfers | 1.5 cpp via transfers | | Point value (cash) | 1 cpp | 0.6 cpp |
Annual fee comparison
The Sapphire Preferred charges $95 per year. The June 2026 refresh added a $100 Chase Travel hotel credit, but it requires a portal booking — upside if you would make one, not a fee discount. The full $95 is your cost.
The Amex Gold charges $325 — and that full $325 is what our math charges, full stop. The card pairs it with $120 Uber Cash, $120 dining credits at specific partners (Grubhub, Cheesecake Factory, Five Guys, and others), $100 in Resy dining credits, and $84 at Dunkin' — up to $424 per year of potential value. But these are merchant-locked, use-it-or-lose-it monthly credits: real upside if those places are already in your routine, worth $0 if they are not. Count them on top of the card's net value — never as a discount on the fee. Our calculator lets you mark the ones you genuinely use.
Edge: Chase Sapphire Preferred on cost certainty. Amex Gold's credits are meaningful upside only for people who already spend at its partner merchants.
Dining rewards
The Sapphire Preferred earns 3x on dining. The Amex Gold earns 4x. On $500/month in dining, that is 18,000 vs 24,000 points per year — a difference of 6,000 points worth roughly $90 at typical transfer values.
Edge: Amex Gold, clearly.
Grocery rewards
This is where the gap gets large. The Sapphire Preferred earns 3x only on online grocery orders, 1x in-store. The Amex Gold earns 4x at US supermarkets on up to $25,000/year. On $600/month of in-store groceries, the Preferred earns 7,200 points. The Gold earns 28,800 points. That is a 21,600-point difference — worth $324 at 1.5 cpp via transfer partners.
Edge: Amex Gold by a wide margin.
Travel rewards
The Sapphire Preferred earns 2x on general travel and 5x on travel booked through the Chase portal. The Amex Gold earns 3x on flights booked directly with airlines. For hotel and car rental bookings, the Preferred wins. For airfare, they are close depending on whether you use the Chase portal.
Edge: Slight edge to Sapphire Preferred for overall travel flexibility.
Transfer partners
Both cards have excellent transfer partners. Chase partners include Hyatt (widely considered the best hotel transfer), United, Southwest, and British Airways. Amex partners include Delta, ANA (outstanding for business class), Singapore Airlines, and Hilton.
Neither set is objectively better — it depends on which airlines and hotels you use. If you fly Delta, Amex wins. If you stay at Hyatt, Chase wins.
Edge: Tie. Both are excellent.
The math for a typical spender
Let us say you spend $500/month on dining, $600/month on groceries, $200/month on travel, and $1,500/month on everything else.
Sapphire Preferred: - Dining: 18,000 pts - Groceries (in-store, 1x): 7,200 pts - Travel: 4,800 pts - Other: 18,000 pts - Total: 48,000 pts (~$720 at 1.5 cpp) minus $95 fee = $625 net
Amex Gold: - Dining: 24,000 pts - Groceries: 28,800 pts ($600/mo is well under the $2,083/mo cap) - Travel (non-flight 1x): 2,400 pts - Other: 18,000 pts - Total: 73,200 pts (~$1,098 at 1.5 cpp) minus the full $325 fee = $773 net
The Amex Gold wins by ~$148 per year for this spending profile, driven almost entirely by the 4x grocery rate — and that margin already absorbs the full $325 fee. Any of the $424 in credits you would genuinely use (Uber, Grubhub, Resy, Dunkin') is pure upside on top of it.
When the Sapphire Preferred wins
The Sapphire Preferred pulls ahead when you spend very little on groceries, book travel through the Chase portal frequently, or already have a Chase Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited feeding points into the same ecosystem. The Chase trifecta (Sapphire + Freedom Flex + Freedom Unlimited) is a powerful combination that is hard to replicate with Amex.
The fee gap also matters at lower food spend: the Gold has to out-earn the Preferred by $230 a year on rates alone just to cover the fee difference, and the in-store grocery gap (4x vs 1x) is what does that work. Spend less than roughly $450/month at supermarkets and the Gold usually cannot close it — the Preferred wins on cost alone.
When the Amex Gold wins
If you spend $400 or more per month on groceries and eat out regularly, the Amex Gold's 4x on both categories creates a points gap that the Sapphire Preferred cannot close. The Gold is the better card for food-heavy spenders, which describes most families.
The bottom line
For most people who cook at home and eat out a few times a week, the Amex Gold earns significantly more points — enough to come out ahead even after its full $325 fee. The Sapphire Preferred is the better choice for travel-heavy spenders who do not buy many groceries, and for anyone who wants the lower fee with no credit fine print. Run your own numbers through our paycheck calculator to see which card wins for your exact spending pattern.
