Amex Green Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred
The Amex Green Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred card both have great benefits, but each caters to a different audience. Here’s how they compare.
American Express Green Card
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Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
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FinanceBuzz value calculation1 | Year 1: $1,424
Year 2: $824 (Using 1 cent/point valuation) |
Year 1: $1,786
Year 2: $789 (Using 1.25 cents/point valuation) |
Annual fee | $150 | $95 |
Welcome offer | Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening | Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening (that's worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel). Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year |
Earning rate | 3X points on eligible travel and transit purchases, and at eligible restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.; and 1X points on all other eligible purchases | 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases |
Intro APR | None | None |
Annual credits/bonuses |
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Travel perks |
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Foreign transaction fee | None | None |
Credit needed | Excellent, Good | Excellent, Good |
Learn how to apply | Apply now |
When Amex Green Card is your go-to card
The Amex Green Card may be best if you:
- You prefer to fly Delta Airlines
- You travel frequently and use Clear® Plus
- You like special access to concerts and other special events
Delta is your favorite airline
If you are loyal to Delta, you can transfer your American Express membership points in a 1:1 ratio to Delta SkyMiles to use to purchase airline tickets. Chase Sapphire doesn’t partner with Delta, so it makes sense to choose Amex if you travel frequently and it’s typically on Delta Airlines.
Before transferring points, I suggest calculating what the Delta SkyMiles are worth when using points for the flight you intend to take. The value of Delta SkyMiles points varies depending on the flight. Divide the flight’s cash cost by the miles needed to determine if it's worth it. This will give you the value for each point. Aim for at least 1.1 cents per point, but more is always better.
For example, if a $450 flight costs $18,000 points, you’d get a value of 2.5 cents per mile, which is great.
You subscribe to CLEAR Plus
If you travel frequently, you may subscribe to one of the several services that get you through security faster. CLEAR Plus is a nationwide service available at 58 airports that uses digital security to verify your identity. If you use your Amex Green card to pay for CLEAR Plus, which automatically renews annually, you’ll receive a $199 statement credit.
Not only does this make CLEAR Plus free for an individual, but it immediately offsets the card’s annual fee, so any other rewards are money in your pocket.
Concert presale tickets are your jam
Concert tickets seem to get harder to get these days, but with credit card presale tickets, you get early access, increasing your chances of securing tickets to the hottest concerts. Amex is known for its presale events, making it worth the annual fee for frequent concert-goers.
Concert tickets aren’t the only thing you can get early or exclusive access to, though. You also have access to:
- Popular sporting events like NBA, Formula 1, and U.S. Open Golf
- Tickets to Coachella and Stagecoach
- Hot theater tickets
- Exclusive culinary experiences
When Chase Sapphire Preferred is your go-to card
Chase Sapphire Preferred is the better option when:
- You are comfortable booking travel through credit card portals
- You need the option to carry a credit card balance
- You grocery shop online
You’re a frequent traveler who doesn’t use a travel agent
If you are comfortable booking your travel through Chase Travel℠, you can earn 5X points for travel purchased through Chase Travel℠.
This may sound intimidating if you are used to using a travel agent or booking through sites like Expedia, but the good news is that the Chase Travel℠ portal works very similarly to Expedia, so it’s like getting your cake and eating it too.
While the Amex Green card offers 3X points on travel, you’ll elevate your rewards using a Chase card.
For example, if you spend $1,000 on eligible travel expenses, here’s how the points compare:
- Chase: 5,000 points
- Amex: 3,000 points
Assuming you can get one cent per point value for your redemption, that’s a difference of $20. It doesn’t sound like much, but the difference adds up quickly if you travel frequently.
You need time to pay off large purchases
If you’re applying for a new credit card to cover large purchases and need time to pay them off, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card may be a better option.
While the Amex Green card offers an option to Pay Over Time, there’s no guarantee you’ll have that option, and if you do, the limit may be low. Otherwise the Amex Green requires payment in full each month.
Chase Sapphire cards allow you to pay the minimum amount due and carry the remaining balance. However, I encourage you to pay your balance in full every month to avoid paying interest charges.
Most of your grocery shopping happens online
If you fell in love with online grocery shopping and Netflix binges during the pandemic and still use the services, you can earn 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries using the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. The downside is that it excludes Walmart, Target and wholesale club purchases. But if you shop at Meijer, Kroger, or other grocery stores that offers online shopping, you could earn some serious savings.
Key differences between the cards
Both options are often listed among the best travel credit cards, offering flexible rewards programs with 1:1 transfer partners — meaning both can give you a lot of value when it comes to booking travel, but there are some vast differences that make each card better for specific consumers.
Earning options
The Amex Green card offers 3X points on eligible travel and transit purchases, and at eligible restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.; and 1X points on all other eligible purchases, and Chase Sapphire Preferred offers 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases.
The largest difference is if you book travel through the Chase Travel℠ portal because you earn 25% more rewards for the same trip. Chase offers a few more categories to earn rewards, including 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries, whereas Amex focuses on travel, transit and dining.
In addition, Chase Sapphire Preferred pays a 10% bonus on your annual purchases each card anniversary date. For example, if you spend $10,000 in a year, you’d earn 1,000 bonus points on your anniversary date. If redeemed for travel, those 1,000 points would be worth $125.
FinanceBuzz editors calculate the year one value of the Chase Sapphire Preferred to be $1,786 vs the Amex Green's value at $1,424 — a virtual tie. To calculate these values, we used a valuation of 1.25 cents per point for the Chase card and 1 cent per point for the Amex card. We looked at points earned via spending, the welcome offer, and the annual fee to get a holistic view of the value someone could get from each card. The actual value you get will depend on your personal spending.
There’s no clear winner here. The winner for you depends on where you spend the most money, and if you’re comfortable with online grocery shopping.
Annual fee
The Amex Green Card charges an annual fee of $150, while the Chase Sapphire Preferred charges $95.
At first glance, it seems Chase Sapphire Preferred makes more sense because it has a lower annual fee. However, it truly depends on what you’ll get out of each card. While the Amex annual fee is slightly higher, if you use CLEAR Plus, you automatically cover the annual fee, and any rewards earned are a bonus.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred only because it’s lower, but some people may get more out of the Amex Green card.
Transfer partners
There are some differences in transfer partners when you look at the Amex Green Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred. For example, both offer transfers to the Marriott Bonvoy program. But the Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners also include the World of Hyatt and IHG Rewards Club, while Amex focuses on Radisson Rewards and Hilton Honors.
While the hotel benefits are similar, the Amex transfer partners include more airlines than Chase offers. However, not all of Amex’s airline transfers are at a 1:1 ratio, so you might not get the same value once you do the math.
Before you choose between these cards, carefully compare the available transfer partners against the hotel and airlines you prefer. For example, if you fly Delta frequently, Amex might be a good choice, since there’s a direct transfer to SkyMiles, while Chase has United as a transfer partner.
There’s no clear winner here. To choose your winner, determine which travel partners you’ll use the most.
Other benefits
The best rewards credit cards offer more benefits than welcome bonuses and cashback options. Here are some of the top benefits each of the two cards offers.
Amex Green card | Chase Sapphire Preferred |
Trip delay insurance | Trip cancellation/interruption/delay insurance |
Car rental loss and damage insurance | Travel accident insurance |
Baggage insurance | Lost luggage or baggage delay insurance |
Global Assist Hotline | Travel and emergency assistance |
ShopRunner subscription | Auto rental collision damage waiver |
Amex Offers (deals at various stores) | Roadside dispatch |
Purchase protection for 90 days | Purchase protection up to 120 days |
Extended warranty | Extended warranty |
Both cards offer similar benefits that protect you while traveling, protect your purchases, and offer an extended warranty. One differentiation: If you rent cars, the Chase Sapphire Preferred's rental coverage is primary while the Amex Green offers only secondary coverage.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred
FAQs
What credit score do you need for the American Express Green Card?
In general, you need good to excellent credit to qualify for the American Express Green Card.
What credit score do you need for Chase Sapphire?
The Chase Sapphire Preferred generally requires good to excellent credit.
Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred pay for Global Entry?
No, the Chase Sapphire Preferred doesn’t cover the cost of Global Entry. However, there are other benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred that can make it worthwhile.
Is it worth having an American Express Green Card?
The American Express Green Card makes a solid beginner travel card. With the ability to earn on travel purchases and flexible rewards, it can be a good choice from the available American Express credit cards. Plus, as long as you use the credits offered, it is relatively easy to offset the $150 annual fee.
Bottom line
Carefully consider your credit card usage as you compare the Amex Green Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred. What works best for you will depend on your habits and how likely you are to use each card’s rewards.
The American Express Green Card can be a good choice for frequent travelers who want to earn points on travel and dining and who want more opportunities to transfer points to airline loyalty programs.
On the other hand, if you want to focus on increased redemption value per point, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card might be the better option as you can earn 25% more points value when redeeming through the Chase Travel℠ portal.