When it comes to luxury travel credit cards, there are really two names that come up over and over again: Platinum Card® from American Express and Chase Sapphire Reserve® (advertising disclosure). The debate between these cards is fierce, and most people fall into either the Plat or CSR camp, but if this is the Jets and the Sharks, we’re here to weigh-in on which is our pick for the best card for those looking for luxury travel benefits and amazing points experiences.
Platinum Card® from American Express
Sheik and stylish, the AMEX Platinum is arguably the premier name in luxury travel cards. It offers an amazing array of benefits across travel, shopping, and dining. It’s a can’t miss for the rewards and benefits, plus the wallet cachê.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
The premium ascetic extends beyond the look. The CSR offers a formidable array of rewards and benefits. Especially when combined with other Chase cards, the CSR is a powerhouse at points earning and redemption.
The Breakdown
We analyzed these two cards across 7 key benefit areas.
| Key Card Attributes | AMEX Plat | CSR | Who gets the edge? |
| Points Earning | 5x on flights 5x on hotels | 3x on all travel 3x on dining (Plus a 50% bonus on Chase Travel redemptions) | This ultimately comes down to spending habits and other cards. If dining isn’t something you cover on another card, CSR is the way to go. If this is purely a choice for flights and hotels, Plat is the way to go. Based on the speed of point earning, we give the nod to AMEX Plat. |
| Lounge Access | Priority Pass + Centurion Lounges | Priority Pass + Chase Sapphire Lounges | Very similar offerings, but the Centurion Lounge pushes things over the top. The Sapphire Lounges are expanding, but AMEX Plat gets you into over 25 of the world’s best lounges with Centurion. |
| Point Transfer Partners | 18 airlines + 3 hotel chains | 11 airlines + 3 hotel chains | Lots of overlap on these, but important to consider which fits you travel best. Chase offers United as a transfer partner, while AMEX gets you Qatar airlines. We’ll call this one a tie with lots of similarities between the two. |
| Travel Insurance | Comprehensive trip interruption, cancellation, or delay insurance + Travel medical insurance + Purchase protection | Comprehensive trip interruption, cancellation, or delay insurance + Travel medical insurance | AMEX Plat gets the edge here with one of AMEX’s premier benefits: Purchase protection (basically they’ll insure anything you buy with you Platinum card). It’s available across AMEX’s premium line of cards. |
| Welcome Offer | 80,000 points | 75,000 points | Although the total points are higher for Plat, it comes with a large spending requirement ($8,000 in the first 6 months). CSR gets the edge here, because the point totals are simpler, but $4,000 in 3 months is more manageable. |
| Other Benefits | $100 Saks shopping credit is a nice addition to an already stacked line-up of potential statement credits. The automatic status with some hotel chains is nice as well. | 10X per $1 on hotels and car rentals through Chase 10X per $1 on Lyft rides 5X per $1 on flights purchased through Chase Automatic status with National Car Rental is an underrated benefit too. | Global Entry / TSA Pre-Check are offered with both (a benefit we like). Ultimately, slight edge to CSR here because of the boosted points earning on certain categories. |
| Annual Fee | $695 — There’s some initial sticker shock, but with the $200 hotel credit, $200 airline credit, $240 digital entertainment credit, and $200 Uber credit, you can pretty quickly cover the full annual fee, and then some. (Rates & Fees) | $550 — That becomes $250 almost immediately with the very easy to redeem $300 travel credit. Requires less considered attention than the category-specific Plat benefits. | Although it’s sticker price is higher, we give the edge to AMEX Plat here because of the amount of statement credits available to pay you back that steep annual fee. |
The Verdict: Platinum Card® from American Express
Platinum Card® from American Express
It’s nip and tuck with the CSR, but the combination of statement credits, earning potential on flights and hotels, plus the other premium benefits like Centurion Lounge access and comprehensive purchase protection, we give the edge to Platinum. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that there’s no more stylish card to have in your wallet.
The final tally gives Platinum the 4-2 victory (with one tie) in the key benefits categories. The annual fee can look daunting on paper, but a little bit of work quickly puts you coming out ahead on the $695 investment. For anyone looking to travel in style, the AMEX Platinum is a can’t miss.
The Fine Print
The opinions here are those of the author, and do not represent financial advise.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for
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