American Express Gold Card vs Chase Sapphire Reserve

Fees, rewards and real yearly value, side by side. Updated October 29, 2026.

American Express Gold Card

Estimated value every year on typical spending

$332/ year

Every year, after the annual fee. Year one adds a $800 welcome bonus: $1,132

+$509rewards+$148credits & perks−$325annual fee

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Estimated value every year on typical spending

−$57/ year

Every year, after the annual fee. Year one adds a $1,000 welcome bonus: $943

+$408rewards+$330credits & perks−$795annual fee

The short answer

On typical spending, the American Express Gold Card comes out ahead: about $332 a year after its fee, against −$57 for the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
The American Express Gold Card earns more on groceries, dining.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve earns more on travel, everything else.
The American Express Gold Card costs $470 less a year to hold.

Side by side

	American Express Gold Card	Chase Sapphire Reserve
Annual fee	$325	$795
Rewards	4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets; 5X points on prepaid hotels booked through AmexTravel.com; 3X points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com or directly with airlines	8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel; 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct; 3x points on dining worldwide; 1x point on all other purchases
Welcome bonus	100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.	Earn 100,000 points after you spend $6,000 in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Credits counted	$148/yr	$330/yr
Intro APR	Not listed	Not listed
Regular APR	19.74% to 28.74% variable	19.74% to 28.24% variable
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Credit needed	Good/Excellent	Not specified

Yearly rewards by category

Category (monthly spend)	American Express Gold Card	Chase Sapphire Reserve
groceries ($500)	$192	$60
dining ($400)	$154	$144
gas ($200)	$19	$24
travel ($300)	$29	$36
everything else ($1,200)	$115	$144

Yearly value is rewards plus credits you'd realistically use, minus the annual fee, on $2,600/month: $500 groceries, $400 dining, $200 gas, $300 travel, $1,200 everything else. Points use conservative cash values; store-only rewards count at half. How we rank · Use your own spending

Questions people ask

Which is better, the American Express Gold Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve?

On typical spending the American Express Gold Card is worth more: about $332 a year after its fee, against −$57 for the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Which is better for you depends on where you spend most; see the category answers below.

Which has the lower annual fee?

The American Express Gold Card ($325 a year, against $795).

Which is better for groceries?

The American Express Gold Card. On $500 a month of groceries it earns about $192 a year, against $60 with the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Which is better for dining?

The American Express Gold Card. On $400 a month of dining it earns about $154 a year, against $144 with the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Which is better for travel?

The Chase Sapphire Reserve. On $300 a month of travel it earns about $36 a year, against $29 with the American Express Gold Card.

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Maintained by Aashish Shah. Card details are collected from issuer websites and were last refreshed October 29, 2026. Terms change often; confirm them with the issuer before you apply.