Gold Card vs Sapphire Preferred: Which Is Actually Worth It?
Gold-Card math requires using its credits; Sapphire Preferred is the honest $95 with no homework.
Gold Card
Earns serious rewards on dining globally and US supermarkets – period.
Sapphire Preferred
The honest middle of the travel category - and the only middle that earns a recommendation.
Side-by-side specs
| Gold Card | Sapphire Preferred | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $325 | $95 |
| Signup bonus | 60,000 points after $6,000 in 6 months | 60,000 points after $4,000 in 3 months |
| APR range | See terms (charge card) | 21.49–28.49% Variable |
| Foreign tx fee | None | None |
| Credit target | good to excellent | good to excellent |
Gold Card earn rates
Sapphire Preferred earn rates
The verdict
You max out the $120 dining + $120 Uber Cash credits, making the $325 fee effectively $85 - cheaper than Sapphire Preferred.
Apply at American Express →You'd rather pay $95 with no credits to track and get 3x on dining plus 5x on Chase travel - simpler, still strong.
Apply at Chase →Track what both cards actually earn you, WalletHub Premium syncs all your cards and monitors your credit daily.
Gold Card annual fee $325, APR See terms (charge card), signup offer 60,000 points after $6,000 in 6 months, terms as of 2026-05-06. Sapphire Preferred annual fee $95, APR 21.49–28.49% Variable, signup offer 60,000 points after $4,000 in 3 months, terms as of 2026-05-03. Verify current terms on the issuer's site before applying. We earn a referral fee on approved applications referred via Apply links, at no cost to you.