Alternatives To The Chase Sapphire Reserve

The Platinum Card® from American Express is perhaps the closest competitor to the Sapphire Reserve. It offers a similar welcome bonus, or even a better one, depending on the offer:

• You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

Beyond that, the Amex Platinum offers category bonuses on travel. They’re not as generous as the Sapphire Reserve’s, but they still cover the basics:

• Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.

Additionally, the Amex Platinum offers the most comprehensive lounge benefit of any card on this list. Cardmembers get access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes Delta Sky Clubs, Centurion Lounges, Escape Lounges, Priority Pass, Lufthansa and Airspace lounges. Centurion Lounges, in particular, are exclusive to Amex Platinum cardholders, providing even more incentive to have this card.

When it comes to redeeming points, the Amex Platinum offers more transfer partners than the Sapphire Reserve. Not only that, but the American Express Membership Rewards program shares ten transfer partners with Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Here’s a look at American Express transfer partners, with the programs shared with Chase Ultimate Rewards in bold. All transfer ratios are 1:1 unless otherwise noted:

• Aer Lingus AerClub
• AeroMexico Rewards (1:1.6)
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• ANA
• Avianca Lifemiles
• British Airways Executive Club
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Choice Privileges
• Delta SkyMiles
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Guest
• Hilton Honors (1:2)
• Iberia Plus
• JetBlue TrueBlue (1.25:1)
• Marriott Bonvoy
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club
• Singapore Airlines Krisflyer
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

According to recent Bankrate points and miles valuations, American Express Membership Rewards points are worth up to 2.0 cents apiece toward high-value transfer partner travel.

Both cards come with annual travel credits, though the Sapphire Reserve’s main credit is a bit broader because it applies to any travel purchase. Meanwhile, the Amex Platinum has more annual credits, though they’re more restrictive:

• Up to $300 in eligible Equinox fitness membership credits provided on a calendar year basis toward in-club or digital membership fees (enrollment required — see terms for details)
• $300 credit for a single, eligible SoulCycle At-Home bike purchase through Amex’s provided link
• Up to $240 in annual digital entertainment credits ($20 per month)
• Up to $200 in annual hotel credits on prepaid hotel bookings at Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection properties via American Express Travel
• Up to $200 in annual airline fee credits for incidentals with a single airline of your choice
• Up to $200 in Uber Cash annually for rides and delivery ($15 per month, plus an extra $20 in December)
• Up to $199 in Clear Plus membership statement credits
• Up to $155 in annual Walmart+ monthly membership credits (subject to auto-renewal)
• Up to $120 in credits toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees
• Up to $100 in annual Saks Fifth Avenue credits (distributed in $50 increments semi-annually)
• Up to $100 in annual credits on qualifying hotel purchases of two or more consecutive nights with a brand in The Hotel Collection

Despite the annual fee ($695), the Amex Platinum Card offers more statement credits than the Sapphire Reserve — though both are on our list of the best credit cards with annual credits. Assuming you can take advantage of all these credits, the Amex Platinum may be a stronger option than the Sapphire Reserve.

If you want a premium card that mimics the Sapphire Reserve’s travel perks at a lower annual fee, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is an excellent choice. The card’s $395 annual fee is more reasonable compared to the Sapphire Reserve’s $795 fee.

The card offers:

• Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel

The Venture X also offers generous rewards categories to help you maximize your daily spending and travel purchases:

• 10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 5 Miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
• 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day

As for lounge benefits, the card includes access to the expansive Priority Pass lounge network and Capital One’s proprietary lounges. At the moment, Capital One has five lounges open at Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Denver Airport (DEN) and Dulles International (IAD), New York (JFK) and Las Vegas (LAS). Venture X cardholders can enter these lounges free of charge.

Capital One has 18 transfer partners and six in common with Chase Ultimate Rewards.

With 1:1 transfer partners to valuable frequent flyer programs like Air Canada Areoplan and Flying Blue, Capital One makes domestic and international awards attainable. According to Bankrate valuations, Capital One miles can be worth up to 1.7 cents apiece toward transfer partner travel.

• Accor Live Limitless (2:1)
• Aeromexico Rewards
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Avianca LifeMiles
• British Airways Executive Club
• Choice Privileges
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Guest
• EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (2:1.5)
• Finnair Plus
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• TAP Miles&Go
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• Wyndham Rewards

The Capital One Venture X Card offers a $300 annual travel credit, similar to the Sapphire Reserve. The difference is that the Venture X’s credit is only valid on bookings made through Capital One Travel.

You’ll also get 10,000 bonus miles annually after renewal, worth at least $100 toward travel. Together, these credits can completely cover the card’s annual fee.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card may seem like an odd choice, considering it’s a mid-tier card. However, it’s a cheaper alternative to the Sapphire Reserve. In fact, many cardholders downgrade to it in order to avoid the steep annual fee — the Sapphire Preferred’s fee is much more reasonable at $95.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a slightly lower welcome bonus than the Sapphire Reserve:

• Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Cardmembers also get a 10 percent anniversary point bonus, as well as access to a slew of useful rewards categories:

• Earn 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠.
• Earn 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries.
• Earn 2x on all other travel purchases.
• Earn 1x on all other purchases.

Unfortunately, the Sapphire Preferred doesn’t offer any kind of lounge benefit. But that’s to be expected for a card with a $95 annual fee.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns Ultimate Rewards points, which is the same currency as the Sapphire Reserve. As such, you have access to the same Chase transfer partners:

• Aer Lingus AerClub
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• British Airways Executive Club
• Emirates Skywards
• Iberia Plus
• IHG Rewards Club
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Marriott Bonvoy
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
• United MileagePlus
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• World of Hyatt

If you decide to transfer your points to a hotel or airline partner, they can be worth up to 2.0 cents apiece, according to Bankrate valuations.

Despite having a $95 annual fee, the Sapphire Preferred offers its own recurring travel credit. Cardholders receive an annual $50 hotel credit valid on bookings through Chase Travel.

And though not a statement credit per se, the Preferred card offers a free year of DoorDash DashPass through December 31, 2027, depending on the activation date.