Which is higher?
These are first Sapphire and main tour cards, which means that we anticipate individuals who get Sapphire them will use the cards closely for tour. If that’s the case, we assume greater humans will find the veteran Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card edges out the remade American Express® Green Card.
But it’s close.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a huge sign-up bonus and extra treasured redemptions. Those elements are sufficient to get the nod over the higher bonus-rewards charges and beneficiant (however really nichey) assertion credit that include American Express® Green Card, specifically all through the primary few Sapphire years of card ownership.
Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. AmEx Green: Basics at a look
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
American Express® Green Card
Annual price
$ninety five
$a hundred and fifty (see fees and expenses)
Bonus offer
Earn one hundred,000 bonus factors after Sapphire you spend $four,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account commencing. That’s $1,250 whilst you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Earn 30,000 Membership Rewards® points once you spend $2,000 on purchases for your new Card on your first three months. Terms Apply.
Rewards
• five factors in step with greenback spent on Lyft rides thru March 2022.
• 2 points per dollar spent on tour and eating global.
• 1 point in step with dollar spent on the whole thing else.
Points are well worth 1.25 cents apiece when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
• three points consistent with greenback spent on journey and eating international.
• 1 point according to greenback spent on all other purchases.
Points are commonly worth 1 cent apiece toward tour, but that could range depending on tour transfer partner. Terms observe.
Other advantages
• 1:1 switch companions.
• Complimentary DashPass subscription for at least one year. (Must prompt with the aid of Dec. 31, 2021.)
• 1:1 transfer partners.
• $one hundred in keeping with year assertion credit score closer to a Clear club.
• $one hundred in line with yr in announcement credit score for LoungeBuddy. Terms observe.
A word approximately assumed redemption value
Key to comparing those playing cards is knowing redemption values. How an awful lot are points well worth?
With the American Express® Green Card, NerdWallet considers its rewards foreign money, called Membership Rewards factors, to be well worth up to 1 cent each.
With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, its Chase Ultimate Rewards® factors also can be really worth 1 cent each. But when factors are redeemed for travel via Chase’s tour-booking portal, they’re worth 1.25 cents every. Because that is a journey card — and we’re comparing journey cards — it’s affordable to count on factors can be redeemed for journey. So for this assessment, we’ll assume factors are really worth 25% more for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
And if ever you want to redeem for coins, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card redeems at 1 cent according to point, whilst the American Express® Green Card offers simply 0.6 cents in keeping with factor.
Annual rate
An smooth differentiator. The American Express® Green Card is extra luxurious, essentially making rewards well worth less. It need to be more treasured yr in and 12 months out with rewards and perks to simply destroy even.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: $95.
American Express® Green Card: $one hundred fifty. Terms follow.
Nerdy tip: The upmarket Chase Sapphire Reserve®, with many extra perks, may input the verbal exchange because it has a $300 clean-to-use tour credit that successfully cuts its $550 annual rate in half. Similarly, the American Express® Gold Card gives better ongoing rewards and has an annual fee of $250. Terms practice. Notable for folks who don’t forget annual fees within the standard range of $100 to $250 to be comparable.
Bonus provide
This is a win for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, specifically due to the fact we’re going to expect the bonus factors are redeemed at 1.25 cents each to pay travel. However, the required spending on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can be better, relying on how offers alternate over the years.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn a hundred,000 bonus factors once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account beginning. That’s $1,250 while you redeem thru Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
American Express® Green Card: Earn 30,000 Membership Rewards® factors after you spend $2,000 on purchases to your new Card for your first 3 months. Terms Apply.
Bonus classes: 3X vs 2X?
At first blush, it appears the American Express® Green Card wins effortlessly. It has the equal bonus classes, journey and restaurants, and offers triple points rather than double points on the ones classes as supplied by way of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
But don’t forget: When redeemed for travel, points are worth 1.25 cents for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. So double factors on tour and dining basically way each dollar spent earns 2 points that can be redeemed for two.five cents, which reduces the space.
So assuming you’re “burning” factors on tour, the distinction within the “incomes” price is 3X on travel and eating places for the American Express® Green Card vs. 2.5X at the equal categories for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Terms apply.
And right here’s an essential but frequently-dismissed distinction: When you’re now not spending within the bonus categories of journey and restaurants, the American Express® Green Card earns 1 factor according to greenback spent. Terms practice. So does the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. But again, its factors can be redeemed for 1.25 cents consistent with point.
That manner in case your non-bonus category spending is $15,000 consistent with 12 months, you’ll earn 15,000 factors on each card. Those are well worth $150 on the American Express® Green Card, but $187.50 on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. In our formerly noted 3-yr contrast, that’s an extra $112.50 in value for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
Overall, however, the American Express® Green Card still wins on reward bonus classes. It’s just closer than you might think.
Benefits for the use of branded offerings
These benefits are specific to sure brands, meaning they might be tremendously useful if you’re inquisitive about the usage of the carrier and could pay for it besides. Otherwise, they’re worthless.
But this is where the American Express® Green Card can catch up fast, specially in case you want to apply the $a hundred announcement credit for making lifestyles on the airport extra tolerable:
Clear. Get up to $one hundred per year in assertion credit toward a Clear membership, which prices $179 annually for an character, and an extra $50 for up to three adult circle of relatives contributors. Family participants beneath 18 are loose. Terms apply. Clear uses biometric records to affirm your identification and speed you thru eligible prescreening strains at participating airports and venues, although you will nonetheless must undergo the X-ray line.
LoungeBuddy. Get up to $100 in step with 12 months in statement credit score whilst you operate your card to buy airport front room passes thru LoungeBuddy. Terms practice. Single-use front room passes are available at Sapphire hundreds of airports and start at $25.
ShopRunner. Free ShopRunner membership to get loose two-day shipping on eligible items from more than one hundred on line shops. Terms practice. It normally expenses $seventy nine in line with yr.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card gives no declaration credit however it has confined-time gives for multiple unique branded services. Overall, its offering is less treasured for maximum human beings.
DoorDash. Get unlimited deliveries with a $zero transport rate and reduced service expenses on orders over $12 for no less than one year on qualifying food purchases with DashPass, DoorDash’s subscription service.
Lyft. Earn 5X points on Lyft rides via March 2022. That’s 3X points further to the 2X factors you already earn on journey.
Travel partners and perks
Both playing cards have midlevel travel perks, and both can switch factors to travel partners, consisting of airlines and inn groups.
Chase Ultimate Rewards® transfer companions
Airlines
Aer Lingus.
Air France/KLM.
British Airways.
Emirates.
Iberia.
JetBlue.
Singapore.
Southwest.
United.
Virgin Atlantic.
Hotels
Hyatt.
InterContinental Hotels Group.
Marriott.
AmEx Membership Rewards switch partners
Airlines:
Aer Lingus.
AeroMexico.
Air Canada.
Air France/ KLM.
Alitalia.
ANA.
Avianca.
British Airways.
Cathay Pacific.
Delta Air Lines.
El Al Israel Airlines.
Emirates.
Etihad Airways.
Hawaiian Airlines.
Iberia Plus.
JetBlue Airways.
Qantas.
Singapore Airlines.
Virgin Atlantic Airways.
Hotels:
Choice Hotels.
Hilton Hotels & Resorts.
Marriott Hotels & Resorts.
Neither card is a clear winner right here as it depends on which travel partners you choose. For instance, both playing cards transfer factors to Marriott accommodations. But amongst big domestic airlines, Delta accepts AmEx Membership Rewards factors, at the same time as United Airlines and Southwest Airlines accept Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.
Both playing cards additionally have tour perks, such as ride-delay and luggage insurances. We in particular like the number one apartment car insurance supplied by way of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. The American Express® Green Card gives secondary insurance, that means your very own automobile-insurance organisation pays first.
Acceptance
Nerdy tip: The American Express® Green Card permits you to carry a stability and pay interest with its Pay Over Time function. But carrying a balance with the cardboard remains a bad concept. The hobby you pay wipes out the price of your rewards.
Our choose: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The American Express® Green Card is a pleasant tour card with aggressive rewards and perks. But until you may fully use its declaration credit for Clear and LoungeBuddy over several years, you’re probable to get greater value from the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
All statistics about the American Express® Green Card has been accumulated independently by way of NerdWallet. The American Express® Green Card is not available through NerdWallet. To view prices and expenses of the American Express® Gold Card, see this web page.