Chase Sapphire Reserve vs Amex Platinum and the credits you will really use

For most travellers the Chase Sapphire Reserve is the easier card to justify, because its biggest credit — up to $300 a year on travel — applies to almost any travel purchase, while most of the Amex Platinum’s credits are tied to specific brands and booking channels. The Platinum carries more credits on paper, and it wins for people who already use Uber, Resy, a streaming service and prepaid luxury hotels every year. But the Reserve costs $795 against the Platinum’s $895, earns 3x on dining worldwide, and comes with stronger published travel insurance. Neither card pays for itself unless you actually spend the credits.

The headline numbers

The Platinum costs $100 more a year and lists more credits; the Reserve earns more on everyday spending and publishes more insurance. Every figure below was read on the issuer’s own card page on 27 September 2026.

The credits at face value, and what they ask of you

Add up every credit and the Platinum lists about $2,494 a year against the Reserve’s $1,520, but each Platinum credit is locked to one merchant or channel. That is the whole argument in one sentence. A credit you would never have spent money on is not a saving; it is a coupon for something you did not want.

Both cards also reimburse Global Entry or TSA PreCheck; Chase states up to $120 every four years. Now take an ordinary traveller: two international trips a year, one nice hotel booked through the card’s own programme, no Uber habit, no StubHub account. On the Reserve they use the $300 travel credit and one $250 Edit booking — $550 against a $795 fee, a gap of $245. On the Platinum they use one $300 hotel credit and the full $200 in bag fees — $500 against $895, a gap of $395. The card with fewer credits comes out $150 ahead, because the credits it has are easier to use. A maximiser who spends every credit reverses that, which is why you should do this sum with your own statement, not ours.

Which card earns more points

The Reserve earns more for anyone who eats out; the Platinum earns more only on flights booked directly with airlines. Outside flights and prepaid Amex Travel hotels, the Platinum pays 1X on everything, restaurants included. The Reserve pays 3x on dining worldwide and 4x on flights and hotels booked direct.

Take a household spending $2,000 a month: $500 at restaurants, $300 on flights booked directly with the airline and $1,200 on everything else.

The Reserve gains two points per restaurant dollar and the Platinum gains one per dollar of direct airfare, so the Platinum pulls ahead only when you spend more than twice as much on direct airfare as you do at restaurants. Points from Chase and Amex are different currencies, and what either is worth depends on how you redeem, so we compare the number earned rather than guess a value per point. Our beginner’s guide to miles and points explains the redemption side.

Lounges, and when they are worth anything

Both cards give you Priority Pass, so the lounge difference is only the issuer’s own lounges and guest rules. The Reserve adds Chase Sapphire Lounges with up to two guests. The Platinum adds Centurion Lounges and 10 Delta Sky Club visits a year on eligible Delta flights. Which is better depends entirely on which airports you fly from; a lounge at an airport you never use is worth nothing. If lounge access is the main reason you are considering either card, read our guide to airport lounge access without business class first.

Insurance: where the Reserve pulls ahead

The Reserve’s rental car cover is primary and its published trip protections are broader; the Platinum’s rental cover is secondary. Chase lists trip cancellation and interruption up to $10,000 per covered traveller and $20,000 per trip, trip delay up to $500 per covered traveller, lost luggage up to $3,000 per traveller, emergency evacuation and transportation up to $100,000, and primary rental car cover up to $75,000. Amex lists trip cancellation and interruption up to $10,000 per trip and $20,000 per card in 12 months, trip delay up to $500 per trip after a six-hour delay, and car rental cover that is secondary and excludes liability.

The verdict

Choose the Chase Sapphire Reserve if you want a premium card whose value does not depend on changing where you shop. Choose the Amex Platinum if its named brands are already in your monthly spending and you fly often on tickets bought direct. Both charge no foreign transaction fee, but pay in local currency when a card machine abroad offers dollars — our guide to paying in local currency explains why.

Choose neither if you carry a balance: the Reserve’s variable APR runs from 19.49% to 27.99%, and interest on a modest balance outruns any credit. Choose neither if you take one trip a year. The $95 cards in our Venture vs Sapphire Preferred comparison give most of the travel value for an eighth of the fee.

Keep reading

Sources: Chase, Sapphire Reserve card page, and American Express, Platinum Card page, both read on 27 September 2026 for fees, welcome offers, earning rates, credits, lounge access, insurance and APRs. Credit totals and the worked examples are our own arithmetic on those published figures. This is general information, not financial advice; card offers change, so confirm the current terms with the issuer before you apply. No card issuer pays us for placement on this page.

Photos via Pexels: Quang Nguyen Vinh, Earl Andre Roca.