Two titans come to thoughts when discussing the premium card market: The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see charges and charges) and The Platinum Card® from American Specific.
The summer time’s premium card battle continues into the autumn with the Amex Platinum receiving a refresh that options new and enhanced advantages and the next $895 annual price (see charges and charges). These adjustments straight problem the Sapphire Reserve’s personal overhaul, which came about earlier this yr in June.
With each playing cards present process large adjustments inside months of one another, let’s talk about which one deserves a spot in your pockets.
Amex Platinum vs. Sapphire Reserve comparability
| Card | Amex Platinum | Sapphire Reserve |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome supply | Discover out your supply and see if you’re eligible for as excessive as 175,000 bonus factors after spending $8,000 on purchases inside the first six months of card membership. Welcome provides range, and also you is probably not eligible for a suggestion. | Earn 125,000 bonus factors after spending $6,000 on purchases inside the first three months of account opening. |
| Annual price | $895 | $795 |
| Incomes charges |
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| Notable advantages |
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*Enrollment is required.
Amex Platinum vs. Sapphire Reserve welcome supply
When contemplating a brand new premium card with a excessive annual price, a big welcome supply will assist to recoup a few of that value. With the Amex Platinum, the present welcome supply is price as much as $3,500 primarily based on TPG’s September 2025 valuations.
In the meantime, the Sapphire Reserve‘s welcome supply is price $2,563 per our September 2025 valuations. It is price noting that the Sapphire Reserve’s bonus is less complicated to realize due to its decrease spending requirement when in comparison with the Amex Platinum.
Maintain bonus eligibility for each playing cards in thoughts.
Amex solely permits you to earn a welcome supply on a card as soon as per lifetime, so in the event you aren’t focused for the best supply, it could be price holding off till you’re.
The Sapphire Reserve’s eligibility additionally modified — in the event you’ve beforehand acquired a welcome supply, no matter how a lot time has handed because you have been final accredited, you’re not eligible to obtain one other welcome bonus on the Sapphire Reserve.
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Winner: Tie. We suggest you go along with the Amex Platinum if focused for a minimum of 125,000 bonus factors; in any other case, the Sapphire Reserve is a more sensible choice.
Associated: The very best bank card welcome bonuses
Amex Platinum vs. Sapphire Reserve advantages
The Sapphire Reserve and the Amex Platinum are the 2 most costly playing cards within the market.
The brand new Sapphire Reserve advantages can be found instantly to cardholders who opened their accounts after June 23, 2025. For present cardholders, they are going to be obtainable beginning Oct. 26, 2025.
Current Platinum holders have already got entry to the brand new advantages introduced.
Regardless of such excessive annual charges, every card supplies advantages that enable you to recoup greater than you are paying. Here is how every card’s advantages examine.
Journey advantages
Each playing cards present related journey perks, together with resort assertion credit, membership credit for journey packages like International Entry, TSA PreCheck and Clear Plus.
The tie-breaker right here, nonetheless, is the Sapphire Reserve’s easy-to-use $300 journey credit score — particularly in comparison with the extra restrictive perks of the Amex Platinum, just like the as much as $200 airline assertion credit score.
Then there’s the airport lounge entry supplied by each playing cards.
Eligible Amex Platinum cardmembers have entry to the American Specific International Lounge Assortment, together with Centurion Lounges, Precedence Move™ lounges, Delta Sky Golf equipment (when touring on same-day Delta Air Strains flights; restricted to 10 visits) and extra. Enrollment required.
Cardmembers can unlock Centurion Lounge visitor privileges after spending $75,000 in a calendar yr.
The Sapphire Reserve supplies entry to Precedence Move lounges and Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Membership places, and allows you to usher in as much as two visitors for no further price or minimal spend requirement.
Cardholders additionally get entry to pick Maple Leaf Lounges and Air Canada Cafes in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. Regardless of its smaller footprint, I favor Sapphire Lounges as a result of I can deliver as much as two visitors, whereas I would like to succeed in a minimal spend on the Amex Platinum to earn visitor privileges.
Winner: Sapphire Reserve resulting from its approachable assertion credit and visitor privileges at Sapphire Lounges.
Associated: Inside Chase’s beautiful new Sapphire Lounge in San Diego
Eating advantages
Premium playing cards additionally present cardmembers with advantages at residence, together with meals supply and eating perks.
Sapphire Reserve’s dining-related perks embrace as much as a $300 annual eating credit score at Sapphire Reserve Unique Tables through OpenTable.
The Amex Platinum supplies an as much as $400 Resy assertion credit score (as much as $100 every quarter) per calendar yr for eating at eligible U.S. eating places and entry to particular reservations at extremely acclaimed taking part eating places via the cardboard’s new characteristic, Platinum Nights by Resy. Enrollment required.
By comparability, the Resy credit score can be utilized at over 10,000 eating places inside the U.S., however the Sapphire Reserve’s $300 credit score is barely legitimate at OpenTable eating places positioned in 26 U.S. cities.
On a constructive observe, neither the Amex Platinum nor the Sapphire Reserve requires a reservation to make use of the eating credit.
Winner: Amex Platinum. Increased eating assertion credit score worth and obtainable at extra eating places throughout the U.S.
Leisure and life-style advantages
With the cardboard’s newest refresh, the Amex Platinum continues to increase into life-style perks.
As famous above, cardmembers earn assertion credit with notable manufacturers reminiscent of as much as $75 1 / 4 at Lululemon in-store (U.S.) and on-line (excluding retailers), as much as $200 yearly for an Oura Ring ({hardware} solely), as much as $50 biannually at Saks, as much as $120 yearly for an Uber One membership (topic to auto-renewal) and as much as $12.95 a month plus relevant taxes for a Walmart+ membership (topic to auto-renewal, Plus Up excluded).
Extra life-style assertion credit embrace an as much as $300 Equinox assertion credit score (topic to auto-renewal) and an as much as $300 SoulCycle assertion credit score.
Enrollment is required for choose advantages.
Whereas Amex overwhelms with area of interest assertion credit, Chase retains it easy and supplies as much as a $300 annual assertion credit score for StubHub or Viagogo (activation required) and complimentary memberships for Apple TV+ and Apple Music (a one-time activation is required per service).
The most recent assertion credit added to the Amex Platinum enchantment to me personally. I like Lululemon, and their athletic put on makes for the very best journey outfits.
Moreover, Amex has elevated the month-to-month assertion credit score to as much as $25 for streaming companies and added Paramount+, YouTube Premium and YouTube TV, (enrollment required). Amex Platinum can also be the king of streaming service suppliers as a result of, as Walmart+ members, cardmembers get entry to both Paramount+ Important (separate enrollment required) or a Peacock premium plan.
It goes with out saying that the Amex Platinum has extra life-style assertion credit, however many of those credit do not imply a lot to each cardmember, and folks merely use them or exit of their manner to make use of them as a result of the cardboard provides them. In any other case, these advantages are usually not on their radar.
Winner: Tie. If the Amex Platinum assertion credit apply to you, it is price it. In any other case, the Sapphire Reserve credit are simpler to make use of.
Journey protections
The Sapphire Reserve comes with its industry-leading journey protections:
Chase has traditionally been the chief in journey insurance coverage, as its choices have beneficiant phrases. Amex has partially closed the hole, including a set of journey safety advantages to the Amex Platinum Card
Winner: Sapphire Reserve. It provides higher total protection throughout all sorts of safety.
Associated: How you can determine if a bank card’s annual price is price paying
Incomes factors on the Amex Platinum vs. Sapphire Reserve
Though the welcome bonus is an efficient strategy to begin your factors stability, you desire a card that’ll enable you to shortly earn worthwhile transferable factors.
The Amex Platinum earns:
- 5 factors per greenback spent on airfare bought straight with airways or via Amex Journey (on as much as $500,000 of airfare purchases per calendar yr, then 1 level per greenback)
- 5 factors per greenback spent on pay as you go accommodations booked with Amex Journey
- 1 level per greenback spent on all different purchases
The Sapphire Reserve provides a broader vary of bonus classes and earns:
- 10 factors per greenback spent on Peloton tools and accent purchases of $150 or extra (via Dec. 31, 2027), with a most of fifty,000 factors
- 8 factors per greenback spent on all Chase Journey purchases
- 5 factors per greenback spent on Lyft rides (via Sept. 30, 2027)
- 4 factors per greenback spent on flights and resort purchases made straight with the service provider
- 3 factors per greenback spent on eating purchases
- 1 level per greenback spent on all different purchases
The Amex Platinum is greatest for these with important airfare purchases (because it supplies a terrific 10% return primarily based on TPG’s September 2025 valuations), however that is additionally the place the issue lies; it is too targeted on airfare purchases.
The Sapphire Reserve is a card relevant to most individuals because it supplies a minimum of a 16% (primarily based on TPG’s September 2025 valuations) return on Chase Journey purchases. It additionally provides extra bonus classes for incomes, reminiscent of accommodations and eating.
Winner: Sapphire Reserve. This card provides the very best bonus factors throughout a number of bonus classes.
Associated: Finest reward bank cards
Redeeming factors on the Amex Platinum vs. Sapphire Reserve
Chase supplies assured worth by providing a 50% bonus when redeeming factors for journey straight via Chase Journey till Oct. 26, 2027 (for present cardholders earlier than June 23), and as much as a 100% bonus of two factors per greenback spent with choose airways and The Edit accommodations via Chase Journey, due to Factors Enhance.
Add this to Chase’s listing of its 14 airline and resort switch companions (13 as of Oct. 16 with the lack of Emirates Skywards).
In the meantime, the Amex Platinum provides extra methods to make use of your factors due to 17 airline and three resort switch companions. Sadly, in comparison with Chase, American Specific Journey redemptions are only one cent per level for flight bookings and 0.7 cents per level for resort reservations.
Factors earned from the Amex Platinum and the Sapphire Reserve may be redeemed for nontravel redemptions reminiscent of money again, assertion credit and reward playing cards, however these redemptions usually yield poor worth.
Winner: Sapphire Reserve. The cardboard has the next redemption worth for journey.
Transferring factors on the Amex Platinum vs. Sapphire Reserve
You will nearly at all times get higher worth every time transferring your factors to airline and resort loyalty packages. All Chase associate transfers are at a 1:1 ratio, and most of them are instantaneous. A worthwhile switch associate is World of Hyatt, the place you’ll be able to guide an award evening for as little as 3,500 factors per evening.
On the airline facet, widespread switch companions embrace Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Southwest Fast Rewards and Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership.
In the meantime, Amex Membership Rewards has 20 switch companions, although not all are worthwhile. Some switch ratios are beneath 1:1, and a few switch instances are longer, which may be dangerous when it comes to award area disappearing whilst you wait.
As somebody who has each the Amex Platinum and the Sapphire Reserve, I favor transferring my factors to packages like ANA Mileage Membership, Air Canada Aeroplan and British Airways Membership.
Just lately, I transferred 50,000 factors from my Sapphire Reserve to Aeroplan to guide a multicity stopover ticket in enterprise class all through Europe for my household. On account of greater summer time pricing, the price would’ve been nicely over $2,000 if I had paid money for the flights.
Winner: Tie. Though the Sapphire Reserve has higher switch ratios, the Amex Platinum has extra companions, together with some not discovered with different issuers.
Associated: An entire listing of switch bonuses over the previous decade — which issuer is essentially the most beneficiant?
Ought to I get the Amex Platinum or Sapphire Reserve?
Each playing cards supply stellar worth in the event you use most of their perks, however they differ in key areas.
Selecting the one which most closely fits you boils right down to what particular assertion credit and advantages greatest align along with your life-style, journey habits and spending patterns. It is also price serious about the $100 annual price distinction between the 2 merchandise, that are already expensive.
And do not forget that it would not need to be one or the opposite — some TPG staffers have each playing cards as a result of they get outsize worth from each. It merely will depend on what you want from every product.
Backside line
The Sapphire Reserve is a simple premium bank card with a powerful listing of assertion credit and perks that really feel much less like a “coupon guide” to me than the Amex Platinum. The Reserve provides complete incomes charges for airfare, eating and accommodations, one thing lacking on the Amex Platinum.
The Amex Platinum responded strongly to Chase and has elevated the cardboard past journey, including a number of new assertion credit price over $1,000 in worth, and instant entry to new advantages, one thing Reserve cardholders needed to wait a couple of months for.
With each choices, the playing cards are solely as worthwhile as the advantages you maximize.
To study extra, learn our full evaluations of the Sapphire Reserve and the Amex Platinum.
Apply right here: Amex Platinum
Apply right here: Sapphire Reserve
For charges and charges of the Amex Platinum, click on right here.
