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Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Amex Blue Cash Preferred [Detailed Comparison]

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In this guide, we are comparing the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express against the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. The former is one of the best cash-back credit cards, while the latter is one of the best travel rewards credit cards — but which one is better for you?

To provide a full comparison, we will break down all of the most important details of each card, including the welcome bonus, earning rates, redemption options, card benefits, and much more.

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — Summary

Before we go through each category, here is a high-level overview of what each card offers.

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Card Name

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American ExpressChase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Welcome Bonus

Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months.Earn 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.

Earning Potential

  • 6% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 in spend each year) and select U.S. streaming subscriptions
  • 3% cash-back at U.S. gas stations and on transit purchases (includes taxis, rideshares, parking, trains, buses, and more)
  • 1% cash-back on all other purchases
  • 5x points on Chase Travel purchases and Lyft rides (through March 31, 2025)
  • 3x points on dining, online grocery stores, and select streaming service purchases
  • 2x points on general travel purchases
  • 1x point on all other purchases

Redemption Options

  •  Cash-back via statement credit
  • Chase airline and hotel transfer partners
  • Chase travel portal bookings (25% bonus)
  • Cash-back via statement credit, Pay Yourself Back, gift cards, shopping with select retailers

Statement Credits

  • Up to $7 monthly statement credit after spending $9.99+ each month on an eligible Disney Bundle subscription
  • $50 annual hotel credit through Chase travel portal

Travel Protections

  • Secondary rental car insurance
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Primary rental car insurance, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, trip delay reimbursement, travel and emergency assistance services

Shopping Benefits and Protections

  • Amex Offers
  • Purchase protection
  • Chase Offers
  • Purchase protection, extended warranty coverage

Annual Fee

$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 (rates & fees)

$95

Authorized User Fee

$0 (rates & fees)

$0

Bottom Line: Unsurprisingly, you’ll find that the rewards and benefits of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card are tailored towards everyday purchases, while the offerings of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card are more focused on travel.

The Value of a Welcome Bonus

A good welcome bonus is a great way to kickstart your rewards earning on a new card. Here is what each card offers.

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card

HIGHEST CASH BACK
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American ExpressTerms Apply / Rates & Fees
Star rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating iconStar rating icon
U.P. Rating 
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

This card is great for those who want to earn cash-back with U.S. supermarkets, U.S. streaming subscriptions, transit, and U.S. gas stations.

Learn More(at Amex's secure site)

Apply With Confidence

Know if you're approved with no credit score impact

If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.

This card is great for those who want to earn cash-back with U.S. supermarkets, U.S. streaming subscriptions, transit, and U.S. gas stations.
Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
$250
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
19.24%-29.99% Variable,0% on purchases for 12 months
Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.
Good to Excellent (670-850)

The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a stellar cash-back credit card for those looking to maximize every purchase they make.

With bonus categories like U.S. supermarkets, select U.S. streaming services, U.S. gas stations, and transit purchases, this card rewards you for the items you spend the most on in a big way! For those looking to earn up to 6% cash-back on their purchases, this could be the card for you!

Pros
  • 6% cash-back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year)
  • 6% cash-back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions
  • 3% cash-back on U.S. gas stations and transit (including rideshares, parking, etc.)
Cons
    • $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 annual fee (rates and fees)
  • Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
  • $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
  • Buy Now, Pay Later: Enjoy $0 intro plan fees when you use Plan It® to split up large purchases into monthly installments. Pay $0 intro plan fees on plans created during the first 12 months from the date of account opening. Plans created after that will have a monthly plan fee up to 1.33% of each eligible purchase amount moved into a plan based on the plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply to the purchase, and other factors.
  • Low Intro APR: 0% on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 19.24% - 29.99%.
  • 6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
  • 6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
  • 3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations.
  • 3% Cash Back on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
  • 1% Cash Back on other purchases.
  • Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
  • $84 Disney Bundle Credit: With your enrolled Blue Cash Preferred Card, spend $9.99 or more each month on an auto-renewing Disney Bundle subscription, to receive a monthly statement credit of $7. Valid only at Disney Plus.com, Hulu.com or Plus.espn.com in the U.S.
  • Terms Apply.
Financial Snapshot
  • APR: 19.24%-29.99% Variable,0% on purchases for 12 months
  • Foreign Transaction Fees: 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars.
Rewards Center

Redeem cash-back through your American Express account

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

GREAT STARTER CARD
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
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U.P. Rating 
The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

Learn More(at Chase's secure site)
A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
60,000 points
$1,200
$95
21.49%-28.49% Variable
Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.
Good to Excellent (670-850)

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.

Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance. With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.

Pros
  • 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
  • 5x points on select Peloton purchases over $150 (through March 31, 2025)
  • 5x points on Lyft purchases (through March 31, 2025)
Cons
  • $95 annual fee
  • No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status
  • Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
  • Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
  • Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
  • Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
  • Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
  • Member FDIC
Financial Snapshot
  • APR: 21.49%-28.49% Variable
  • Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

With the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you’ll earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points on all of your purchases, which we value at 2 cents per point.

Earning Potential

You can’t redeem points (or cash-back) without earning them first, so here is a breakdown of how each card rewards your purchases.

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Bonus Category

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Lyft

3% cash-back

5x points

Travel Portal Purchases

1% cash-back

5x points

U.S. Supermarkets

6% cash-back (on up to $6,000 in spend each year)

1x points

Online Grocery Store Purchases

6% cash-back (on up to $6,000 in spend each year)

3x points

Dining

1% cash-back

3x points

Select Streaming Services

6% cash-back

3x points

General Travel

1% cash-back

2x points 

Transit

3% cash-back

2x points

U.S. Gas Stations

3% cash-back

1x points

All Other Purchases

1% cash-back

1x points

When it comes to the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, you’ll fair much better on purchases at U.S. supermarkets, select streaming services, and U.S. gas stations.

On the other hand, the Chase Sapphire Preferred shines when it comes to purchases through the Chase travel portal, dining, and general travel purchases, and while it doesn’t beat the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, it is still quite solid on online grocery store and select streaming service purchases.

It is also worth mentioning that the Chase Sapphire Preferred gives you bonus points on your account anniversary each year amounting to 10% of your annual spend from the previous year. For instance, if you were to spend a total of $30,000 on your card you would receive a bonus of 3,000 points.

Ultimately, both cards offer great bonus categories, and which is better for you will largely come down to what you happen to spend the most on each month.

Redemption Options

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card

All cash-back earned on the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card is earned in the form of Reward Dollars that you can redeem as a statement credit to offset the purchases you make with your card or at Amazon.com checkout. You can redeem your cash-back rewards as often as you’d like and there is no minimum threshold required to redeem.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Traveler with backpack looking out across lake
Redeem your points for free travel with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card. Image Credit: Philipp Kammerer via Unsplash

Chase Ultimate Rewards points are extremely flexible and that is why it is one of our favorite rewards currencies to earn.

When it comes to high-value redemptions, our top option is using one of the many Chase travel transfer partners to book luxury travel experiences for a fraction of what the cash cost would usually be.

While using transfer partners can result in a very high redemption value for your points, they do require a lot more legwork. For those who prefer simplicity, Chase allows you to redeem your Ultimate Rewards points through its Chase travel portal towards airfare, hotels, rental cars, or essentially any other travel purchase. Plus, Chase travel portal redemptions receive a 25% bonus, giving you 1.25 cents per point in value for your Ultimate Rewards points.

In terms of non-travel redemptions, cardholders can redeem points for cash-back, gift cards, or shop with merchants like Apple and Amazon at a rate of 1 cent per point.

Hot Tip: We really can’t understate just how much value you can receive by redeeming through the Chase travel transfer partners, so read through some of our favorite Ultimate Rewards redemptions to see for yourself.

Statement Credits

While both cards charge an annual fee, statement credits are a great way to receive some added value and help offset the annual fee you pay.

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card — The Disney Bundle

With the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card, you’ll receive a $7 monthly credit after spending $9.99+ on an eligible Disney Bundle subscription.

The Disney Bundle includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. You can conveniently pay for your Disney Bundle subscription monthly using your card and receive the statement credit. Enrollment is required.

The $7 monthly credit can save you up to $84 each year, which can more than offset the card’s $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 annual fee for those who find value in The Disney Bundle.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — Annual Hotel Credit

Instacart shopper unloading groceries
Image Credit: Instacart

Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders receive a $50 statement credit each year towards any hotel purchased through the Chase travel portal. The credit is quite flexible as there is no purchase minimum and it can be used towards any hotel you’d like so long as it is bookable through the portal.

Additional Card Benefits

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — DoorDash

Do you order food delivery often? Then you’ll be pleased to know that the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers a free year subscription to DoorDash DashPass. Usually, DashPass costs $10 per month and offers free delivery and reduced service fees on your DoorDash orders of $12 or more — so receiving the service free for a year can save you quite a bit if you order from DoorDash a few times each month.

Travel Protections

Here is how each card keeps you covered during your travels.

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Benefit

Amex Blue Cash Preferred Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Foreign Transaction Fees

2.7% (rates & fees)

None

Rental Car Insurance

Secondary

Primary

Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance

Not offered

Up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for your prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses

Baggage Delay Insurance

Not offered

Receive coverage of up to $100 a day, for up to 5 days, on bags that are delayed by more than 6 hours

Trip Delay Reimbursement

Not offered

For flights delayed by 12 hours or more, you can receive up to $500 in coverage for expenses like meals and lodging

Travel and Emergency Assistance Services

Not offered

Yes

Unsurprisingly, it is far from a fair fight when it comes to travel protections as the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers significantly more, primarily because it is a travel rewards card. Given that, if benefits like no foreign transaction fees, trip delay insurance, and baggage delay insurance are important to you, then the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is the way to go.

Shopping Benefits and Protections

Both cards are relatively evenly matched when it comes to shopping benefits and protections.

The Amex Blue Cash Preferred card offers these benefits:

  • Amex Offers — Discounts and opportunities to earn more points with 100 merchants each month
  • Return Protection — Return eligible purchases to American Express if the seller won’t take them back up to 90 days from the date of purchase, up to $300 per item and a maximum of $1,000 per calendar year
  • American Express Experiences — Exclusive access to ticket presales

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers these benefits:

  • Chase Offers — Discounts with select merchants
  • Purchase Protection — Covers new purchases against damage or theft for up to 120 days from purchase with up to $500 in coverage per claim and $50,000 per account
  • Extended Warranty Coverage — Extends a U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by an additional year on eligible warranties of 3 years or less

Annual Fees and Adding Authorized Users

Annual Fees

Both the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred card charge a $95 annual fee. That said, each card can be well worth it given the rewards you can earn and benefits you’ll receive.

Authorized Users

You can add an authorized user to either card without needing to pay any extra. Authorized users will receive all of the same card benefits as the primary cardholder, except any statement credits like The Disney Bundle.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, both cards are excellent and have tons to offer cardholders, so when deciding which card is “better,” it comes down to what you are looking for in a new card along with your spending habits.

Those looking for a travel-rewards-focused card should without question go for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card as it is easily one of the best cards in this category thanks to its bonus categories, flexible rewards, solid benefits, and travel protections.

If you don’t travel much, or prefer a card that is focused on earning cash-back, then the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card would be a fantastic option, especially for those who spend quite a bit on groceries, streaming services, transit, and gas.

For the car rental collision damage coverage benefit of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car rental loss or damage coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. For the purchase protection benefits of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. For the return protection benefit of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. 

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, click here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card or the Chase Sapphire Preferred card?

That depends on what you are looking for out of your new card. Those looking for a travel rewards card with flexible redemption options should choose the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, while those looking for a strong cash-back card that rewards you for purchases on groceries, streaming services, transit, and gas should choose the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card.

What are the benefits of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card?

The top benefits of the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card are that it offers 6% back at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 in spend each year) and select U.S. streaming services, 3% back on transit and U.S. gas station purchases, and up to a $120 annual Equniox+ credit.

What are the benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card?

The top benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card are that its rewards are powerful and flexible, and you have 6 different bonus categories in which to earn them. Plus, the card offers benefits with DoorDash, an annual hotel credit, and great travel protections.

Does the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card have an annual fee?

Yes, the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card charges a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 annual fee.

Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred card have an annual fee?

Yes, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card charges a $95 annual fee.

Does the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card have foreign transaction fees?

Yes, the Amex Blue Cash Preferred card charges a 2.7% foreign transaction fee.

Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred card have foreign transaction fees?

N0, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card does not charge foreign transaction fees.

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About Jarrod West

Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in outlets like The New York Times.

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