Been with Chase for many yrs but considering switching.

Appears Amex is better if you travel a lot.

Any thoughts / experience between the two? Any others to consider (robinhood?)

Team Amex platinum here. We have it cause I'm told it's best for travel. Generally speaking, anything over $5k is put on the Amex, due to double points. Anything under is United club card. My spend on the United card is enough to get me Platinum status with United. I don't know anything about Chase.

Mostly depends on the perks you will take advantage of. I did the 1:1 compare a few months ago and the Sapphire came out on top for me because I could take advantage of more of their perks vs AMEX. With the intent of offsetting their $1k annual fees.

Dump the perks and features into a spreadsheet or AI and assess which one you will get more of your money back from.

Ducks4brkfast said:

---

Team Amex platinum here. We have it cause I'm told it's best for travel. Generally speaking, anything over $5k is put on the Amex, due to double points. Anything under is United club card. My spend on the United card is enough to get me Platinum status with United. I don't know anything about Chase.

---

Just curious, what are you referring to here? The AMEX Platinum has 5x points on all flight purchases, and 1x on everything else.

I was told that any purchase over $5,000 earns double points on the Amex and that partially drives the decision on which card to use and when.

I think the 2X is only for the Business Platinum card.

Ah okay. I'll be in the office in a bit and can get some clarity. But that's probably it.

I just grabbed my wallet and it's a business Amex so I guess not applicable apologies.

what were the big sapphire benefits that you found

I have and use both. It's not ideal to split my points, but I get all/nearly all of the annual cost for each covered by the perks (entertainment credit/uber/hotel credits, etc.). I use the Chase for all restaurant and bar spending and any travel booked direct with airlines while the Amex is mostly everything else. I'll split redemptions for flights and hotels based on whichever card has the better options or redemption value.

Not ideal, but it works for me.

FTAco07 said:

---

I have and use both. It's not ideal to split my points, but I get all/nearly all of the annual cost for each covered by the perks (entertainment credit/uber/hotel credits, etc.). I use the Chase for all restaurant and bar spending and any travel booked direct with airlines while the Amex is mostly everything else. I'll split redemptions for flights and hotels based on whichever card has the better options or redemption value.

Not ideal, but it works for me.

---

This is confusing to me. It reads like the annual fee on your card is so high it consumes basically all of your rewards. What am I missing? Full disclosure I don't do the rewards/perks games. I use a 2% cash back for business and personal. It's simple but I don't really keep up with how the rewards programs work.

LOYAL AG said:

---

FTAco07 said:

---

I have and use both. It's not ideal to split my points, but I get all/nearly all of the annual cost for each covered by the perks (entertainment credit/uber/hotel credits, etc.). I use the Chase for all restaurant and bar spending and any travel booked direct with airlines while the Amex is mostly everything else. I'll split redemptions for flights and hotels based on whichever card has the better options or redemption value.

Not ideal, but it works for me.

---

This is confusing to me. It reads like the annual fee on your card is so high it consumes basically all of your rewards. What am I missing? Full disclosure I don't do the rewards/perks games. I use a 2% cash back for business and personal. It's simple but I don't really keep up with how the rewards programs work.

---

The AMEX Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve both have a lot of credits and perks, so if you use all of the credits then it "pays for" the annual fee and more. For example, they have: $600-750 hotel credit, $200-300 travel/airline credit, lounge access, $400 Resy credit, $300 Lulu Lemon Credit, Walmart +, streaming credits, CLEAR, $300 Dash Pass credit, $200 Uber credit, $300 Chase dining credit, $120 Lyft Credit, $300 Stubhub credit.

So if you can use all of the above credits with natural spend, then it makes it worth it. The problem is a lot of people dont use, or forget they have all these credits available.

LOYAL AG said:

---

FTAco07 said:

---

I have and use both. It's not ideal to split my points, but I get all/nearly all of the annual cost for each covered by the perks (entertainment credit/uber/hotel credits, etc.). I use the Chase for all restaurant and bar spending and any travel booked direct with airlines while the Amex is mostly everything else. I'll split redemptions for flights and hotels based on whichever card has the better options or redemption value.

Not ideal, but it works for me.

---

This is confusing to me. It reads like the annual fee on your card is so high it consumes basically all of your rewards. What am I missing? Full disclosure I don't do the rewards/perks games. I use a 2% cash back for business and personal. It's simple but I don't really keep up with how the rewards programs work.

---

You can basically offset the annual fees if you are able to take advantage of all of the rewards and discounts they come with. Obviously, they bank on you not doing that because it's a damn chore in some cases to tick off every perk and discount.

The fact that he's maxing rewards on the two most expensive cards on the market is damn impressive. But doing that is entirely too much work for me. I would never even attempt to do that. I'm only going to be able to recover about $580 of the $990 in fees I'll pay for Sapphire with their huge fee increase this year. Likely going to downgrade because I can't recover it all and paying a $500 increase in fees this year is nuts for really no reason.

IOW, he's paying ~$2K in CC fees per year but he's offsetting that $2k with things like the card paying for several of your subscriptions, dining credits, upgrades to higher tier hotel rewards plans without having to spend to get to them, etc.

I actually have both and will probably cancel or downgrade both this year.

The best way to decide is to first figure out SPECIFICALLY how you like to redeem points. Not just "travel". What airlines do you fly? Do you have a preferred alliance? What hotels do you stay at?

Are you a budget traveler or do you prefer to travel in style? Do you fly coach or business class?

Amex is better if you're a Delta flyer and they have more exclusive airport lounges, but Chase has nicer lounges and they let in more guests for free.

Both cards keep going up in price and neither is actually great for earning points. They're best for their sign up bonuses, credits for certain spending, and perks like lounges. To really rack up points, but of these are better off being paired with second or third cards from the same ecosystem to leverage bonus categories and better base earning rates.

This is a subject I'm VERY knowledgeable about so please don't hesitate to ask.

Texag5324 said:

---

Whats your home airport? Do you prioritize lounge access?

AMEX Platinum is a no brainer if your home airport has an amex centurion lounge, and if you travel a lot internationally. However, its not a great daily card, because theres no points multipliers for most purchases like there is with the Chase Reserve.

---

Chase lounges are few and far between, but if your airport has one, they're better than Centurion AND allow more free guests.

If you go with Chase Sapphire Reserve, it's best to also get a Freedom Unlimited for 1.5x base earning and a Chase Ink Cash card for additional category bonus.

If you're going Amex Platinum, it's best to also get a Blue Business Plus for 2x base earnings.

FWIW Chase is going through what most consider a rapid devaluation of their points program. Redemption values through their travel portal were chopped by a third and their best transfer partner (Hyatt) just announced their own potentially-massive devaluation. And that's on top of a major annual fee hike.

It's getting harder and harder to make it all worthwhile as time goes on. Sweet spots, loopholes, and strategies are constantly drying up. And that's regardless of the program.

Jeeper79 said:

---

Texag5324 said:

---

Whats your home airport? Do you prioritize lounge access?

AMEX Platinum is a no brainer if your home airport has an amex centurion lounge, and if you travel a lot internationally. However, its not a great daily card, because theres no points multipliers for most purchases like there is with the Chase Reserve.

---

Chase lounges are few and far between, but if your airport has one, they're better than Centurion AND allow more free guests.

---

Yea but Chase Reserve also has priority pass access. I know those lounges arent as nice as Centurion or Chase lounges, but they get the job done and they allow free guest access.

As a frequent card shopper myself, I would say that 90%+ of the population is better off with a 2% cash back card (there are several on the market). It really takes someone with significant travel who values non-cash perks (lounges, status upgrades, etc.) who don't mind the hassle of using different cards for different spending types to make it remotely worthwhile. Most cards have bulked up their "benefits" by offering coupon programs, which are in reality marketing gimmicks and lead generation devices by those who offer them (Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Airbnb, VRBO, etc.). It also attracts those who like to "gamify" rewards - they derive happiness from those who love reaching milestones with additional perks, which may or may not have monetary value.

That said, I fall into the 10%, primarily because I have a business card that makes it relatively effortless to have personal gain from my legitimate business expenses. Still, 2% cash back would still be better for the business itself.

I bleed maroon said:

---

As a frequent card shopper myself, I would say that 90%+ of the population is better off with a 2% cash back card (there are several on the market). It really takes someone with significant travel who values non-cash perks (lounges, status upgrades, etc.) who don't mind the hassle of using different cards for different spending types to make it remotely worthwhile. Most cards have bulked up their "benefits" by offering coupon programs, which are in reality marketing gimmicks and lead generation devices by those who offer them (Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Airbnb, VRBO, etc.). It also attracts those who like to "gamify" rewards - they derive happiness from those who love reaching milestones with additional perks, which may or may not have monetary value.

That said, I fall into the 10%, primarily because I have a business card that makes it relatively effortless to have personal gain from my legitimate business expenses. Still, 2% cash back would still be better for the business itself.

---

Agreed. You either have to spend a ton, or constantly churn credit cards for the sign up bonuses to make the travel cards valuable. Most people just dont spend enough monthly to really rack up a significant amount of points. The key is to churn cards for the bonuses.

Jeeper79 said:

---

FWIW Chase is going through what most consider a rapid devaluation of their points program. Redemption values through their travel portal were chopped by a third and their best transfer partner (Hyatt) just announced their own potentially-massive devaluation. And that's on top of a major annual fee hike.

It's getting harder and harder to make it all worthwhile as time goes on. Sweet spots, loopholes, and strategies are constantly drying up. And that's regardless of the program.

---

The Hyatt devaluation hits me hard. I transfer the majority of my Chase points to my Hyatt account and it was awesome. A week long stay at a nice hotel in London through Hyatt points was a fraction of the points cost compared what it would have been booking through Chase/Amex and using the points directly.

I evaluate every year if I am going to renew one or both cards and after the big changes last year decided I would give it a go this cycle and see if it still makes sense. I am definitely traveling less now for work and vacation with a new kid so it may no longer make sense, but it does feel nice to have the majority of flights and/or hotels for vacations to be "free" in addition to the previously stated random annual/quarterly/monthly benefits for things I would be spending on anyway.

I get 3% on my Costco card + 5% on gas, which at Costco is already the cheapest in town, and there's no fee. I travel only 6-8 X a year so lounge access is not important unless I'm going overseas but in that case I'm business class anyway. My best perk is military plates on my car, gets me free parking, at $32 a day I gave up my personalized Aggie plates I had for 20+ years.

What are you downgrading to?

That sucks to hear about Hyatt. I just learned about the lucrative value prop on Hyatt late last year and was going to take advantage of that. Guess not now.

YouBet said:

---

What are you downgrading to?

That sucks to hear about Hyatt. I just learned about the lucrative value prop on Hyatt late last year and was going to take advantage of that. Guess not now.

---

Hyatt definitely nuked their point value (which was a GREAT deal in the past). However, they're still much better than Marriott, Hilton, and IHG (in that order). Their top status level (Globalist) has real value, as well, with upgrades to suites commonplace, free parking on award nights, club access and free breakfast, an actual concierge live person to call or email for help with virtually any Hyatt question, and a lot of other smaller perks. Check it out and see if it's for you, unless you don't think you'll spend enough to get into the top 2 tiers.

I always get a chuckle out of these threads. People have turned the CC churning into a full-time hobby/part time job trying to game the system, then consistently complain that points are de-valued and rule are always changing.

Not pointing any specific fingers in this thread .

I won't. I was just hoping to capitalize on the point conversation from Sapphire to Hyatt on an Edit property.

tommyjohn said:

---

I always get a chuckle out of these threads. People have turned the CC churning into a full-time hobby/part time job trying to game the system, then consistently complain that points are de-valued and rule are always changing.

Not pointing any specific fingers in this thread .

---

Yeah, I have zero desire to do that. I just want one overall card and do not want to have to think about which card to use with which transaction. Screw that noise.

My old team (younger dudes) got hard into CC churning and became masters at all the Chase rules and whatnot. One dude had so many cards he carried a cheat sheet in his wallet to consult anytime he made a transaction. Dumb.

YouBet said:

---

What are you downgrading to?

That sucks to hear about Hyatt. I just learned about the lucrative value prop on Hyatt late last year and was going to take advantage of that. Guess not now.

---

I'll either Cancel the Platinum altogether or downgrade to a Green card and wait for an upgrade bonus. I already have a no-fee MR points card (Blue Business Plus) so I wouldn't lose the points if I cancel.

As for the CSR, I'll probably downgrade to CSP or convert it all to Hyatt/Southwest and finally leave the UR ecosystem after 10+ years of loyalty.

I used to put all of my spend into Chase UR, but when they announced the recent fee hike and program changes, I got a Robinhood Gold card (3% cash back) for my primary spend. It's been working well, but I don't earn enough UR points anymore to justify paying for a CSR.

I'm also looking at the new Citi cards since I fly AA. The Citi Strata Premier looks attractive now that AA is finally a transfer partner. I'd lose lounge access, but I think I care about that more than the rest of my family, anyway. If I go that route, I'd put all bonus spend on the Strata Premier and all base spend on the Robinhood Gold.

I bleed maroon said:

---

YouBet said:

---

What are you downgrading to?

That sucks to hear about Hyatt. I just learned about the lucrative value prop on Hyatt late last year and was going to take advantage of that. Guess not now.

---

Hyatt definitely nuked their point value (which was a GREAT deal in the past). However, they're still much better than Marriott, Hilton, and IHG (in that order). Their top status level (Globalist) has real value, as well, with upgrades to suites commonplace, free parking on award nights, club access and free breakfast, an actual concierge live person to call or email for help with virtually any Hyatt question, and a lot of other smaller perks. Check it out and see if it's for you, unless you don't think you'll spend enough to get into the top 2 tiers.

---

This is great for people that travel for work, but AFAIK you can't spend your way to top tier status on their card.

Jeeper79 said:

---

I bleed maroon said:

---

YouBet said:

---

What are you downgrading to?

That sucks to hear about Hyatt. I just learned about the lucrative value prop on Hyatt late last year and was going to take advantage of that. Guess not now.

---

Hyatt definitely nuked their point value (which was a GREAT deal in the past). However, they're still much better than Marriott, Hilton, and IHG (in that order). Their top status level (Globalist) has real value, as well, with upgrades to suites commonplace, free parking on award nights, club access and free breakfast, an actual concierge live person to call or email for help with virtually any Hyatt question, and a lot of other smaller perks. Check it out and see if it's for you, unless you don't think you'll spend enough to get into the top 2 tiers.

---

This is great for people that travel for work, but AFAIK you can't spend your way to top tier status on their card.

---

I've done it the past two years. To reiterate - this is a business card.

tommyjohn said:

---

I always get a chuckle out of these threads. People have turned the CC churning into a full-time hobby/part time job trying to game the system, then consistently complain that points are de-valued and rule are always changing.

Not pointing any specific fingers in this thread .

---

I laugh at the people who regularly use 5+ cards. Even I have to draw a line somewhere. And I don't like how the premium cards have all turned into coupon books. I'm not going to play that game and pretend like I enjoy it.

But points/miles will cover flights for 4 and hotels this year in Maui, NYC, and Tennessee.

Yeah, I did a compare of CSR, AMEX Platinum, and the Citi Strata after they announced the fee hikes and of the three CSR makes the most sense for us, but it's still frankly not worth it from a bottom line perspective.

I'm likely downgrading to the CSP as well and my wife has had an AMEX Gold for 20+ years that she got before me that we've never used. I need to look at that and see if we need to be using it more. We've been all in on CSR for a decade. I need to do that before my next annual reup but I also need to spend those points before doing so or we lose them all at downgrade.

YouBet said:

---

Yeah, I did a compare of CSR, AMEX Platinum, and the Citi Strata after they announced the fee hikes and of the three CSR makes the most sense for us, but it's still frankly not worth it from a bottom line perspective.

I'm likely downgrading to the CSP as well and my wife has had an AMEX Gold for 20+ years that she got before me that we've never used. I need to look at that and see if we need to be using it more. We've been all in on CSR for a decade. I need to do that before my next annual reup but I also need to spend those points before doing so or we lose them all at downgrade.

---

If you're cashing in the points through the travel portal, they'll marginally devalue if you downgrade to CSP, but the transfer rate to airlines and hotels won't change.

The caveat is if most of your points were earned before 10/2025, you'd be taking a 33% haircut on their value by downgrading.

Yeah. The $1k fee for CSR doesn't make sense anymore …

Guess I will downgrade to CSF to keep the points. Might sign up for Amex Plat to get the 175k bonus.

Home airport is Austin so lounges sux (they even closed the super small chase area).

We put everything on the card so the pts can add up