If you're looking for a card that earns you rewards on all your purchases, you have no shortage of options. You can choose a luxury travel rewards card like The Platinum Card® from American Express, which offers perks like airport lounge access, elite hotel status, and annual airline fee credits** (Terms Apply). You can also choose a card with a much lower annual fee and more basic benefits, like the popular Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (rates and fees).
The Amex Platinum Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earn points in two different programs — American Express Membership Rewards® and Chase Ultimate Rewards®, respectively. Chase Ultimate Rewards® and American Express Membership Rewards are easily the two most popular flexible programs available.
There are differences in the cards that accrue these points and how the programs themselves work for consumers that you should know about before you decide which program is best for you. If you're in the market for a new travel credit card but can't decide between Chase points and Amex points, this guide should make the decision much easier.
Chase Ultimate Rewards overview
Chase Ultimate Rewards® points are flexible rewards you can earn with top Chase credit cards, including:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card ($95 annual fee)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® ($550 annual fee)
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (small-business credit card with a $95 annual fee)
Note that you can also earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® with cash back credit cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® andChase Freedom Unlimited®, but these points don't transfer to airline and hotel partners unless you have an annual-fee Chase Ultimate Rewards card.
When you start earning points with Chase credit cards, you'll immediately notice that there are many ways to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards®. You can cash in points for gift cards and merchandise, and you can even use them to shop on Amazon.com or the Apple Store. You can also redeem rewards for experiences and travel through the Chase Travel℠.
With premier travel cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, you can also transfer points 1:1 to popular Chase transfer partners, including airlines and hotels. This means you'll get 1,000 airline or hotel points for every 1,000 points you transfer to Chase partners.
Chase Ultimate Rewards® points can be especially valuable when you transfer points to airline and hotel partners. For example, you could transfer points to the World of Hyatt program and stay in a luxury hotel that might cost $1,000 or more per night.
You could also transfer points to an airline partner to redeem for a business or first-class flight.
Either way, one of the main benefits of Chase Ultimate Rewards® points is that you have the option to explore all the rewards opportunities with Chase hotel and airline transfer partners if you have a travel credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
However, you don't have to redeem these rewards for travel. You can also cash in points for statement credits or gift cards at a rate of 1 cent per point, or even for merchandise through the Chase portal.
$95
N/A
19.99% - 28.24% Variable
Earn 60,000 bonus points
Good to Excellent
Pros
Cons
If you're new to travel rewards credit cards or just don't want to pay hundreds in annual fees, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a smart choice. It earns bonus points on a wide variety of travel and dining purchases and offers strong travel and purchase coverage, including primary car rental insurance.
Chase Sapphire Preferred- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
- 10% anniversary points boost - each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Member FDIC
Chase Ultimate Rewards: Pros
- You can get more value for your points when you redeem them for travel through the Chase portal. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, for example, you'll get 50% more travel when you use points in the portal. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, on the other hand, you get 25% more travel.
- Chase Ultimate Rewards cards offer significant sign-up bonuses that let you rack up points quickly. Chase cards come with generous credit card welcome bonuses. This includes the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, which gives you 90,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Chase lets you pool points with a partner or spouse who lives at your same address. This is a huge benefit for families who want to pool all their points together to maximize redemptions.
- Chase lets you pool all your points in a premier travel credit card account before you redeem. For example, you can pool points earned with the Chase Freedom Flex® or Chase Freedom Unlimited® into yourChase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® account to get 1:1 transfers to airlines and hotels.
- Chase's new Pay Yourself Back feature gives you great value when you use points to cover dining and groceries. Chase introduced the Pay Yourself Back feature during the coronavirus pandemic to give cardholders a non-travel option for using points. It lets you redeem your points on eligible cards to cover purchases in specified categories at a rate of 1.25 or 1.50 cents per point, depending on the card you have.
Chase Ultimate Rewards: Cons
- Premier Chase travel credit cards all charge an annual fee. The only real "downside" of Chase Ultimate Rewards® points is the fact that all the top cards in this program charge an annual fee.
Chase cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points
- Chase Freedom Flex®
- Chase Freedom Unlimited®
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Point value of Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
- 1 point = 1 cent for non-travel redemptions. This includes things like cash back or gift cards.
- 1 point = 1.25 - 1.5 cents for travel through the Chase Travel℠. The exact value depends on which premium Chase credit card you use. This gives you 50% more value on travel redemptions.
- 1 point = 1 - 1.8 cents when you redeem points with Chase transfer partners. You can transfer points to airlines (e.g., United MileagePlus or British Airways) or hotel chains (e.g., Hyatt). This is the most valuable use of Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.
American Express Membership Rewards overview
This brings us to the American Express Membership Rewards program, which is similar to the Chase Ultimate Rewards® with a few key differences.
One thing you'll notice right away with this program is the fact that there are so many Amex cards you can use to earn rewards. You can opt for a premium travel card like the Amex Platinum Card if you're willing to pay the hefty $695 annual fee (rates and fees), but you can also earn Membership Rewards points with a card like the American Express® Green Card with a $150 annual fee (Terms Apply).
Once again, there are plenty of ways to redeem rewards in this program. With American Express Membership Rewards, you can pay with points at checkout with merchants like Amazon.com, Boxed.com, and Dell.com.
You can also redeem rewards for gift cards or shop for merchandise through the Amex website. Finally, you have the option to book travel directly through American Express Travel®, including hotels, airfare, cruises, and travel packages (Terms Apply).
The American Express Membership Rewards program includes the following transfer partners (Terms Apply):
Like the Chase Ultimate Rewards® program, American Express Membership Rewards offers the most bang for your buck when you transfer points to airline and hotel partners. However, you don't have to use these rewards for travel at all, since there are so many other ways to cash in points for gift cards or merchandise.
American Express Membership Rewards: Pros
- Redeem your rewards for superior travel redemptions, including transfers to airlines and hotels. One of the biggest advantages of the Amex Membership Rewards program is the fact that there are so many ways to cash in your points. However, you'll get the most bang for your buck by redeeming your points with Amex transfer partner airlines for redemptions in premium cabins.
- Some cards offer bonus points back when you redeem points for airfare. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express gives you 35% in bonus points when you redeem points for airfare on American Express Travel® (up to 1,000,000 points back each calendar year) (Terms Apply).
- You can use points to bid for flight upgrades. American Express offers the option to use points to bid for upgrades on flights you've already booked (Terms Apply).
American Express Membership Rewards: Cons
- Redemption values aren't that great for merchandise, shopping, and gift cards. Unlike Chase Ultimate Rewards®, which typically lets you get 1 cent per point in value for gift cards or statement credits, Amex redemptions aren't that generous. You'll normally get 0.5 cents per point to 1 cent per point for gift cards and cash, and up to 0.7 cents per point for merchandise from select retailers. Other redemption values can vary.
- Very limited options for earning Amex Membership Rewards without paying an annual fee. The only card currently available to new applicants that lets you earn Amex points with no annual fee is The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express. It's a business credit card, so not everyone will be eligible.
- You can't pool points with a spouse or partner. This program doesn't let you pool points in a single account with a partner or spouse, although all the points you earn across multiple cards will collect in a single Membership Rewards account.
$695
N/A
See Pay Over Time APR
Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points
Good to Excellent
Pros
Cons
If you want as many premium travel perks as possible, The Platinum Card® from American Express could be the right card for you. The annual fee is high, but you get a long list of benefits such as airport lounge access, travel statement credits, and more.
Amex Platinum Card- Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
- Enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection, with over $500 of annual value if you visit Centurion Lounges and each of our partner lounges including Delta Sky Club® lounges when flying an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations) , select Lufthansa lounges when flying Lufthansa, Plaza Premium lounges and Escape Lounges, and enroll in Priority Pass Select. See terms.
- A Walmart+ membership can get you free shipping with no order minimum on eligible items shipped by Walmart. Use your Platinum Card® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) and receive one statement credit for up to $12.95 (plus applicable taxes. Plus Ups not eligible) each month. Free Shipping excludes most Marketplace items, freight & certain location surcharges. Paramount+ Essential plan only, separate registration required.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card® Account. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
- $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card® Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- $199 CLEAR® Plus Credit: CLEAR® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. Receive up to $199 per Calendar year in statement credits, when you pay for a CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the Platinum Card.
- Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
- Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- Use Global Dining Access by Resy to access premium dining experiences. Receive Priority Notify and unlock insider access to some of the world's most sought-after restaurants with Global Dining Access by Resy. Download the Resy iOS app or log into Resy.com and add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile to take advantage of your special benefits and discover restaurants near you.
- $695 annual fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
American Express cards that earn Membership Rewards points
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- American Express® Gold Card
- American Express® Green Card
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- American Express® Business Gold Card
- The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
- Business Green Rewards Card from American Express
Point value of American Express Membership Rewards Points
- 1 point = 0.6 to 1 cent for non-travel redemptions. This includes things like statement credits, gift cards, or merchandise. This is the most basic redemption option and typically offers the lowest value for your points.
- 1 point = 1 cent when redeemed for travel through the American Express Travel® Portal, such as booking flights or hotels. This provides a standard value when booking travel directly with Amex.
- 1 point = 1 -1.8 cents when transferred to airline and hotel partners, such as Delta SkyMiles, British Airways Avios, or Marriott Bonvoy. The actual value varies depending on the partner and how you redeem the points, but it can often exceed 1 cent per point, especially for premium travel redemptions like first-class flights or luxury hotels.
Choosing between Chase points and Amex points
If you can't decide between Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards, there are some serious questions you should be asking yourself. For example:
- Which program has transfer partners I'll actually use?
- Which credit card in each program has additional benefits I'll take advantage of?
- Am I willing to pay an annual fee on a credit card?
- Do I want to pool points with a partner or spouse, then redeem them together?
Most of the time, the best rewards program for you is the one that has the transfer partners you'll actually use. In that sense, Chase Ultimate Rewards® tends to come out ahead, since it has popular transfer partners most Americans are familiar with, including Southwest Rapid Rewards, World of Hyatt, and United MileagePlus, to name a few.
On the other hand, American Express Membership Rewards has more transfer partners in total, including ones that can be hard to transfer points to otherwise. If you're a huge Delta Air Lines flyer, for example, you may want to stick with Membership Rewards and also pick up a co-branded Delta credit card to get benefits like a free checked bag and priority boarding.
If you really just want to redeem rewards for cash back or gift cards, Chase Ultimate Rewards® is a better deal. That's because you'll typically get 1 cent per point in value for these redemptions, whereas American Express Membership Rewards redemptions for cash, merchandise, and gift cards are typically worth less than that. And with the Pay Yourself Back feature on certain Chase cards, your points are extra valuable toward dining, groceries, and home-improvement purchases.
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Amex Membership Rewards vs. Chase Ultimate Rewards FAQs
Are Chase or Amex points better?
It depends on your preferences. Chase Ultimate Rewards® generally offer better value for travel, especially when transferred to premium partners like United or Hyatt, and they allow easy point pooling. Amex Membership Rewards are great for luxury travel, with valuable transfers to partners like Delta and British Airways, plus perks like access to Amex Centurion Lounges. If maximizing travel value is key, Chase may offer a better return, but Amex provides excellent premium benefits.
Which card is better, the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Platinum Card from American Express?
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is great for maximizing travel rewards, offering 1.5 cents per point when booking through the Chase Travel℠ and strong transfer partners like United Airlines and Hyatt. It also includes Priority Pass lounge access. The Platinum Card® from American Express, while offering 1 cent per point for travel redemptions, excels in luxury perks, such as access to Amex Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Club®, and elite hotel status. The Platinum card has a higher annual fee but provides more premium benefits.
Do Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards expire?
Chase Ultimate Rewards® points do not expire as long as your account is open and in good standing. Similarly, American Express Membership Rewards points do not expire, but if you close your account, you may lose any accumulated points.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards.
Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.
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