Sapphire Preferred vs Gold Card

Updated September 24, 2026 · from RightCard's verified card and merchant data

Chase Sapphire Preferred earns more in 3 of 9 categories (travel, transit & rideshare, streaming), American Express Gold Card in 2, with 4 tied. Sapphire Preferred: $95 fee. Gold Card: $325 fee. Counting categories is not the same as counting your spend: the winner for you is the one that wins where your money goes.

Every category, side by side

Published everyday rates. For points cards the value in brackets uses our conservative travel estimate; as cash, points are worth 1¢. No welcome bonuses, no limited-time offers.

Category	Sapphire Preferred	Gold Card	Wins
Restaurants	3x points (5.4¢)	4x points (7.2¢)	Gold Card
Supermarkets	1x points (1.8¢)	4x points (7.2¢)	Gold Card
Gas stations	1x points (1.8¢)	1x points (1.8¢)	tie
Travel	2x points (3.6¢)	1x points (1.8¢)	Sapphire Preferred
Online shopping	1x points (1.8¢)	1x points (1.8¢)	tie
Drugstores	1x points (1.8¢)	1x points (1.8¢)	tie
Transit & rideshare	2x points (3.6¢)	1x points (1.8¢)	Sapphire Preferred
Streaming	3x points (5.4¢)	1x points (1.8¢)	Sapphire Preferred
Everything else	1x points (1.8¢)	1x points (1.8¢)	tie

Point values: Sapphire Preferred: Chase Ultimate Rewards at 1.8¢ toward travel; Gold Card: Amex Membership Rewards at 1.8¢ toward travel. Cash out and most points are worth 1¢ or less.

Fee and credits

Card	Annual fee	Statement credits	Credits, face value
Sapphire Preferred	$95 fee	Chase Travel Hotel Credit ($100 yearly), DoorDash DashPass credit ($10 monthly)	$220 / yr
Gold Card	$325 fee	Dining credit ($10 monthly), Uber Cash ($10 monthly), Resy Credit ($50 twice a year), Dunkin' Credit ($7 monthly)	$424 / yr

Credits count only if you would spend there anyway. Tick the ones you would use and get each card's fee verdict →

Carrying both

Together they cover 5 of 9 categories above the other card's rate. See the pair as one wallet, then add the rest of your cards.

Chase Sapphire Preferred in full → · American Express Gold Card in full →

How RightCard handles this: add both cards and the app picks between them at every store, with your bank offers and this quarter's rotating bonus folded in. The app is free and private. No bank login. Recommendations are computed on your phone.

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FAQ

Sapphire Preferred or Gold Card: which earns more?

Chase Sapphire Preferred earns more in 3 of 9 categories (travel, transit & rideshare, streaming), American Express Gold Card in 2, with 4 tied. Sapphire Preferred: $95 fee. Gold Card: $325 fee. Counting categories is not the same as counting your spend: the winner for you is the one that wins where your money goes.

Which has the lower annual fee, Sapphire Preferred or Gold Card?

Sapphire Preferred: $95 fee. Gold Card: $325 fee.

Should I get both?

Only if each wins a category you spend in. Together they lead in 5 of 9 categories; the rate-my-wallet tool shows the pair as one wallet.

Where these numbers come from: RightCard's data pipeline re-checks each card's published rates weekly and lists a rate only after two independent sources agree. Merchant codes come from our merchant directory. If a card or store is missing here, it is because we could not verify it, not because we guessed.

More guides: All comparisons · Rate my wallet · Every verified card