Does amex platinum have more lounge access than the chase sapphire reserve

Two options stand out from the rest when it comes to premium travel credit cards. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card and The Platinum Card® from American Express offer the most benefits among all travel credit cards and give you the chance to earn a lot more points on your spending over time.

But how do you decide between the two? While both offer generous welcome offers, the Amex Platinum has a spending promotion that might help you earn considerably more points in the first year. Meanwhile, the Chase Sapphire Reserve lets you earn rewards in the Chase Ultimate Rewards loyalty program, known for having better transfer partners.

In this comprehensive guide, we compare these two cards based on their perks and rewards. Either one can help you gain valuable benefits while you earn points for travel, but it’s likely one might be a better fit for your needs.

Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. Amex Platinum

Card	Chase Sapphire Reserve®	The Platinum Card® from American Express
Rewards rate	10X points on hotel stays and rental cars booked through Ultimate Rewards (after earning your $300 travel credit) 10X points on Chase Dining purchases 5X points on Chase Ultimate rewards travel (after earning your $300 travel credit) 3X points on non-Chase Ultimate Rewards travel and dining purchases 1X points on other purchases	5X points on up to $500,000 in flights booked annually directly with airlines or through American Express Travel 5X points on prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel 1X points on other purchases
Welcome bonus	50,000 points if you spend $4,000 in first three months	100,000 points if you spend $6,000 in first six months
Annual fee	$550	$695
Credit required	Good or excellent	Good or excellent
Benefits	$300 annual travel credit Up to $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit Priority Pass lounge access Complimentary Lyft Pink membership (activate by Mar. 31, 2022) Free year of DashPass membership (activate by Mar. 31, 2022) 50% bonus on points redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards portal	$200 airline fee credit Up to $200 in Uber cash credit Priority Pass, Centurion and Delta lounge access Transfer points mostly 1:1 to travel partners Up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay, through American Express Travel $179 CLEAR credit and $100 Global Entry or $85 TSA PreCheck credit Up to $240 digital entertainment credit ($20 in statement credit per month, enrollment required with Peacock, Audible, SiriusXM and The New York Times; enrollment required) Up to $300 Equinox credit (up to $25 back each month on eligible Equinox memberships when you pay with your Platinum card; enrollment required)

Why choose the Chase Sapphire Reserve?

There’s a reason the Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of the top travel credit cards on the market today, although the benefits that stand out might depend on how you spend with a credit card, your travel preferences and the cardholder benefits you care about the most about. The following stand-out features are some of the main reasons to sign up for this card.

More flexibility

First off, you can use the $300 travel credit you get with the Chase Sapphire Reserve toward any type of travel you charge to your credit card. You can use the Amex Platinum’s $200 airline fee credit, however, only for travel incidentals, such as seat selection and checked bags. Not only that, but you have to select a single airline for your travel credit, so it applies only when you fly with that one airline and it won’t roll over if you don’t use it.

Similarly, the Platinum’s hotel credit only applies to bookings made with American Express Travel Fine Hotels + Resorts or the Hotel Collection properties.

Beyond the fact that the Chase travel credit is easier to use, the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal offers more ways to use your points for travel. Options include hotels, airfare, things to do (activities), vacation rentals, cruises and rental cars.

Meanwhile, American Express Travel lets you book only hotels, airfare, cruises, vacation packages and rental cars.

Better points value

If you plan to use your points to book travel directly, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is easily a better option since you get 50% more value when you redeem for travel. This makes your points worth 1.5 cents each, so you can stretch them considerably further when you’re using the Chase portal to book airfare, hotels, rental cars and more.

Further, Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1 cent when you redeem for statement credits, cash back or gift cards.

In the meantime, Amex points are worth 1 cent apiece when redeemed through American Express Travel for airfare and just 0.7 cents apiece when you book prepaid hotels, rental cars, cruises or vacation packages. Likewise, you’ll only get 0.6 cents per point when you redeem for statement credits.

More rewarding for foodies

If you dine out often, you may be disappointed with the Amex Platinum since it gives you only 1X points on dining.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve, however, offers 3X points on all restaurant and travel purchases. Plus, if you make Chase Dining purchases through Ultimate Rewards, you’ll get 10X points.

You also get a complimentary DashPass membership that comes with free delivery on DoorDash orders (activate by Mar. 31, 2022).

Better airfare and hotel rewards

The Amex Platinum lets you earn 5X points on up to $500,000 in flights booked annually with airlines directly or through American Express Travel, as well as 5X points on prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel.

However, Chase recently added new card benefits to the Sapphire Reserve, upping the rewards rates on travel purchases. With the Sapphire Reserve, travelers earn 10X points on hotel and rental cars as well as 5X on airfare booked through Ultimate Rewards. This is all on top of a $300 travel credit and 3X on all general travel purchases.

If you spend $30,000 per year on flights and hotel stays – let’s say $20,000 on flights and $10,000 on hotels – the Amex Platinum would earn you 150,000 points annually on those purchases alone. On the other hand, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you earn 200,000 if booked through Ultimate Rewards.

Booking through Ultimate Rewards can be slightly limiting, but the same holds true when booking travel with Amex. If you’re loyal to purchasing travel through your credit card issuer for the points, then Chase Sapphire Reserve has the better deal. Otherwise, you can opt for the Amex Platinum and earn 5X points on all airfare.

Wider acceptance

While American Express credit cards are more widely accepted than they used to be, Visa credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve enjoy broad availability in more countries around the globe. This means there’s a higher likelihood your Chase Sapphire Reserve will be accepted when you travel overseas, whereas you might run into merchants who will not take an Amex credit card.

Better transfer partners

While this category is definitely subjective, it’s widely found that the Chase Ultimate Rewards program has better transfer partners than American Express Membership Rewards. Not only that but all Chase transfer partners let you transfer your points over at a 1:1 ratio, whereas only most of the Amex transfer partners do. Here are the transfer partners each card has and their respective transfer ratios:

While the Amex Platinum does have more transfer partners overall, most of its transfer partners are not especially useful unless you frequently travel internationally or have very specific travel plans. Chase partners are more broadly usable, especially if you fly domestically or internationally with larger carriers like United and British Airways.

Also, be aware that Chase lets you transfer your points to the Southwest Rapid Rewards program, which is largely regarded as the most family-friendly frequent flyer program nationwide. This carrier lets you book inexpensive domestic trips with cash or points, and you can fly within the U.S. or to Mexico and select Caribbean destinations.

Why choose the Amex Platinum card?

There are plenty of reasons to opt for the Amex Platinum instead, although the factors that matter the most will vary from person to person. Here are a few areas where Amex Platinum could be the clear winner for your wallet.

Superior lounge access

The Amex Platinum card easily offers the best lounge access of any credit card, and that’s especially true when you compare it to the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Both cards give you a complimentary Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership, which lets you use more than 1,200 airport lounges around the globe. However, the Amex Platinum gives you access to considerably more airport lounges – and luxury ones at that.

For starters, carrying the Amex Platinum card lets you access the Centurion lounges from Amex, located in cities like Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, New York and Hong Kong. Not only that, but you can also enter Delta Sky Clubs each time you fly Delta Air Lines domestically or abroad.

Better customer service

You also have the potential for a better customer service experience with the Amex Platinum – at least if you consider third-party rankings. American Express earned the top spot with 838 out of 1,000 possible points in J.D. Power’s 2021 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study, which compared credit card issuers based on factors like interaction, credit card terms, communication, benefits and services, rewards and key moments.

Chase earned the fourth spot in the ranking with a score of 807 points.

Additional benefits

The Amex Platinum comes with some unique perks that can make it a better value if you use them. For starters, you’ll get automatic Hilton Honors gold status, which includes free Wi-Fi, late checkout and room upgrades upon availability (enrollment is required in the hotel program).

You’ll also get up to $200 annually in Uber cash credits, which are doled out on a monthly basis.

You can also qualify for an up to $200 hotel credit on eligible reservations as well as a $100 credit toward Saks Fifth Avenue purchases. Earn up to $240 digital entertainment credit when you use your card for purchases with Peacock, Audible, SiriusXM and The New York Times (enrollment required) and up to $300 Equinox credit in the form of up to $25 per month statement credits on eligible Equinox memberships (enrollment required).

In fact, it’s easy to offset the Platinum card’s $695 annual fee with credits alone.

Which card is right for you?

While these two travel credit cards offer a similar suite of benefits, the right card for you will depend on how you plan to use it.

For example, you may want to go with the Chase Sapphire Reserve if you:

• Prefer flexibility in how you earn and redeem your rewards
• Dine out often and want to rack up more points
• Like Chase transfer partners better
• Need a card that is as widely accepted as possible
• Frequently fly with Southwest or United Airlines
• Have other Chase credit cards you can earn rewards with to pool in one account

Conversely, the Amex Platinum card could be a better option if you:

• Want the broadest airport lounge membership available
• Take a lot of Uber rides or make orders through Uber Eats every month
• Have an existing membership with Equinox or plan to enroll
• Make frequent purchases or are enrolled in Peacock, Audible, SiriusXM and The New York Times memberships
• Fly with Delta Air Lines or obscure international carriers
• Have other Amex credit cards you can earn rewards with

Bottom line

There’s no right answer for everyone when you’re comparing the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Amex Platinum. The right card for you really depends on which cardholder benefits you’ll use and how you plan to redeem your rewards.

Meanwhile, you should also look at each card’s rewards rate to determine which one might leave you with more points at the end of the year. Both of these travel credit cards can be lucrative in their own right, but there’s a good chance one of them will be a better value over time.

Editorial Disclaimer

The editorial content on this page is based solely on the objective assessment of our writers and is not driven by advertising dollars. It has not been provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners.

Holly Johnson is a financial expert and award-winning writer who is obsessed with frugality, budgeting and travel. In addition to serving as contributing editor for The Simple Dollar, Johnson owns Club Thrifty and is the co-author of “Zero Down Your Debt: Reclaim Your Income and Build a Life You’ll Love.”

Does Amex Platinum give you access to airport lounges?

What is the difference between Amex platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve?

Can I get into Centurion lounge with Chase Sapphire Reserve?

What card is higher than Amex Platinum?