Amex Platinum Vs Chase Sapphire Reserve Which One Is Better For You

Today we put the Amex Platinum vs Chase Sapphire Reserve against one another.
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Which card is best for you? We will break down what the benefits mean in real world experience. You will be able to make a decision as to which card you would like to get for yourself.
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[@DouglasSandvos-yo1lt]

The AMXP lounge access is fantastic. Just imagine being stuck in a blizzard while other folks are camping on the airport floor, AMXP customers are in a spacious lounge with free food, drinks, work stations, and comfy seating. Security is also superb. Years ago, I received a call asking if I had been trying to buy 2 first-class tickets from Beijing to Moscow. When I said no, my existing card was canceled, and I had a new card delivered overnight. I never had a charge on my card, nor any other hassles. I've been a member for decades. In short, you get what you pay for.

[@shawn.credit]

Amex Platinum, book online internationally always carry a Visa and Mastercard for other purchases just in case.

[@MarcoRolong]

I think the CSR is hand down the best credit card for the foreign traveler/living abroad situation 1. Amex is not accepted everywhere. 2. CSR has best in business coverage, including primary car coverage(not secondary like Amex) 3. Medical emergency coverage for 1500 I think. 4. 6 hours trip insurance instead of 12 of Amex 5. Lounge access. 6. Again, best trip insurance in the business. 7. If you are retired, do you need to keep primary insurance back in the states so Amex can cover your rental as secondary insurance?

[@tedyee3400]

thanks for the real life eperience with those cards

[@kathyoliva6966]

Thank you! I learn so much from you!

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

Thanks!

[@kylakailuatravel]

Another great video! 😊

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

Thank you 🤗

[@DaveM-FFB]

Our travel and cruising budget is currently quite large so we chose the Chase Sapphire Reserve because of the 3x points on all travel (including cruises). For us, this amount of points is the equivalent of getting the signup offer every single year.

[@gacmasterful]

Thanks for the video. Very informative. I would a appreciate a follow up video comparing the insurance coverage offered by each card.

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

Thanks! Good idea

[@kathyoliva6966]

Thanks!

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

Thanks so much!!

[@ListerBliss]

Thanks for great insight! Will you zero out your chase sapphire reserve travel points before you cancel that card?

[@ericcoffin1696]

Helpful advice. I wasn’t keen on the AmEx platinum with the coupon book perks but your video emphasized the other more useful perks. Still love Chase points and 1.5X on their portal which beats other options for economy tickets.

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

We love the Chase points too, but we almost always end up transferring them to Hyatt

[@memphistnliving]

Good information on Amex cards

[@john-pc2yv]

AMEX PLATINUM HANDS DOWN‼️ The reward points, credits and Airport lounges are amazing.

[@ItsGonnaGetBumpy]

How do you keep track of the offers and submit the claims? Or do the C/C's do this seamlessly? Not sure I have the bandwidth to hold it all together!

[@jofoto612]

I like the amex platinum but viss has a bigger footprint outside of the us

[@ilibertywomanchildofGod]

Will you talk about Capital One Venture X and how it stacks up against the other cards you recommend? Because I was inspired by you, I have a two year planning and saving plan I am laying down beginning this month and I got the Venture X as the first card I have invested on. Thank you for our reply.

[@brianday1667]

I noticed you didn’t mention the travel insurance that comes with both cards. As far as I can tell they seem to be as good as any of the 3rd party ones you can buy. We have always figured that whatever the extra cost is on our CSR is worth it for the insurance.

[@donaustin2072]

I am enjoying tagging along and learning lots from you both. Thanks for sharing so much detailed and helpful information. I do have a question about the transferability of the Chase points if., for instance, you each had a different Chase card? For example, one business and one other Chase card. Could you reserve hotel rooms that were at the same property but each using different cards?

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

We do have that exact situation. You both have to transfer your points to Hyatt, and then Hyatt will let you combine points to account to book something. We haven't done it yet, but that's the understanding we have.

[@paulettepierre6758]

I just got the Reserve card and am only beginning to explore its benefits. Did book a hotel night and received my $300 credit! We use the Reserve card for EVERYTHING and, of course, pay it off in full. I am accumulating our points to pay for my wife’s retirement trip in 3 years!

[@pata6045]

Friends of mine just flew to Singapore and used the Centurion with the Amex Platinum card - they charged $50 for the one guest! Apparently that started back in Feb 2024

[@shawn.credit]

Yup unless you have an authorized user card you will be charged a fee for guests. The Amex Green comes in handy as you get $100 in lounge credits for another person.

[@vet4truth]

@@shawn.credit I talked with an Amex Rep and an authorized users' card is $195 annually. Wow. It's looking like if you're traveling with a spouse and want Lounge access, feature can be expensive.

[@nubianpwr]

Great comparison experience - thanks for sharing👍🏾 I think the CSR benefit missed was the 1.5% points boost on travel in general. Also, the "general travel 3%" is huge, especially in the international space... this actually does include Uber and other taxi services. In some ways the CSR is more useful and powerful for travel as it is a VISA. I think Amex wins on luxury and lounge access only. Also, I have had both for a cpl years, as well as the Bus Plat, which gets you greater than 1.5% points on Bus/1st class travel, etc.

[@juliematthews9182]

Do a lot of places in south east Asia take Amex?

[@tammyjohnson6822]

Thank you again for another great video! You mentioned the hotel credit for the Amex is limited hotels. (Fine Hotels and Resorts). They list Hyatt, Hyatt Regency and others. Have you found you’ve been able to use the $200 with them? Or do you find it better to use your WOH card for the extra Hyatt points when paying out of pocket?

[@tammyjohnson6822]

Also regarding the cell phone coverage. Do you have to buy the phone itself with the Amex Plat or just have the monthly service paid with the Amex Plat? Thank you.

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

Great question. The thing with Hyatt is that the hotels in the program are more in the $400 a night range, so we would never just book 2 nights there to use the perk because we would still be out a lot of cash over what we would have otherwise done. The only real hotels that could give you a free stay are some non Hyatt hotels in Asia. If we are ever staying at Hyatt and paying cash it's usually at the $100 a night hotels, because we are staying 20-30 nights.

[@wunderwriter1]

Looks like the Chase sapphire reserve has better medical insurance coverage when traveling, which would allow us to stop purchasing expensing travel insurance policies. Has that been your experience?

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

It is a great card for that. We recently got the Chase Ink Business Preferred, which also has the 3x points travel, so now that we have that and the CSR, we are feeling like there is a lot of overlap.

[@wunderwriter1]

@@GroundedLifeFinances We pay for cruising using aarp gift cards (8-10% discount); I’m concerned not paying for the cruise directly with the card would invalidate that benefit. Do you know if you can use the medical benefits if you put any amount of the trip on the card? Or does it have to be the entire trip? Web is full of discrepancies and the actual document is very detailed. I would use the card for the deposit, then pay the rest using aarp gift cards, if that would work.

[@calarmenia]

Thx for the info. But Amex is not accepted in multiple places out of US. Is it? I had that experience in Europe before.. is it better now?

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

We can't remember not being able to use it, but we could just kind of know when to not pull it out. I probably wouldn't use it as your only card, but if you are going international you should have 3-4 on you anyway, so it shouldn't matter.

[@Justin06241974]

Would you suggest to start traveling in Asia to build hotel status points?

[@zcavaricci]

How readily accepted is the AMEX in Asia (Thailand/Cambodia/Vietnam)?

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

We can't remember ever not being able to use it, but, we also could just be aware of where we shouldn't and not try out of habit. We use cash a lot and GRAB meal ordering, like Uber Eats, and they take Amex.

[@vet4truth]

Do you both have the Amex? I got a great offer from Amex for the Platinum and the Lounge feature is what really is enticing me to apply. But we I read and also was told by an Amex Rep that spouses must pay $50 or have the co-card. But the additional card will cost another $195 annual fee. Now, i'm re-thinking. Just some FYI.

[@rivercoyote6540]

I was wondering that too! Amex has more lounges but seems like your spouse (without an Amex) pays to accompany in most lounges. The Chase gives priority pass select which comes with two guests free in Priority Pass lounges.

[@dianesalvatore5018]

Do you all get the companion card or just the main card for the person who applied for the card?

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

We only get the main card, or we end up with too many to carry around. Additionally if the main card gets compromised they would have to send new cards for both, so if you really both wanted the card, we would get them on 2 separate accounts.

[@felixg9929]

Amex OBC for cruising is worth it, I cruise 4 times a year and I get $200 per balcony trip

[@tammyjohnson6822]

Please tell me more 😊. We love to cruise.

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

That's awesome! We have just started down that road, the On Board Credit is a great perk.

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

If you have the Amex and book with them, you'll get automatic on board credit.

[@tammyjohnson6822]

Is this with any Cruiseline?

[@traceylankford8579]

Such good info! I’ve heard a few Amex users say the Gold is just as good as the Platinuum without the hefty fee. Thoughts?

[@ryanccc777]

They are totally different cards, the Gold is more of a points earning card and the Platinum is more of a benefits card. If you can organically use the credits, maximize the benefits and can leverage the points for travel (best used for international flights when transferring to travel partners) then they make sense.

[@traceylankford8579]

@@ryanccc777 I’m soooo glad I asked you! Thank you!!!!

[@ryanccc777]

@@traceylankford8579 sure thing, for my use case I keep it pretty simple, I earn Chase points with the Freedom Unlimited, Freedom Flex and Sapphire Preferred (not reserve) and transfer the points to Hyatt for a decent upside in value and have the Venture X for traveling with my family since the authorized users are free.

[@CJ-Photo]

My concern with Amex is that it isn't accepted everywhere and it seems pointless to me to have a card to earn points when I can't earn points when I'm traveling because it's not accepted. Other than that, my question is - can you use Amex to transfer points to airlines for flight purchases? And is it better or worse than Chase for that? Oh and I forgot to ask if AMEX has travel insurance or primary car rental insurance?

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

The Amex is not really a point earning card, like the Chase cards are. You carry it for the perks and status that it gives you as well as getting you into the ecosystem of being able to use AMEX points for flights. If you are travelling internationally, since you don't have the ability to replace cards that get shut down, you need to carry at least 3-4 at any given time. So we carry the AMEX for the perks, but we always have 2-3 others that we do more spend on. You can get the Chase Business Ink Preferred, and of course we would recommend having the individual hotel cards. We've been carrying the Amex Platinum and CSR, but there is a lot of overlap on the lounge benefits, and the CSR benefits can mostly be replaced with other Chase cards, but the Amex Platinum ones cannot. Of course if you are travelling as much as we are, it might just be best to have both.

[@pata6045]

Also, you should only value the Global Entry at $25 because it's once every 4 years

[@ropblu3]

I have a quick question, since you sold you property in ATL and traveling full time. How do you receive your mail, packages etc? also the uber credit can be used in Tokyo. I used it a few times. Thanks

[@jenniferpeters2838]

Would love to hear your opinion on the capital one venture x compared as well!

[@partofthe90]

The Chase Sapphire Reserve has the ability to transfer to Hyatt - wouldn’t that be an advantage ?

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

It is, but we also have the Chase Ink Business Preferred, so that kind of negates that advantage.

[@SHYsArt]

hugs

[@JohnW-ef4qh]

I think you need to be more specific on what it takes to earn those award points on different cards. You give a lot of great advice and details, but you don't share the amount of money that is required for you to spend within the months opening an AMEX platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card to qualify to receive the membership award points. Safe travels. John's Retirement Journeys (beginning June/July 2024)

[@debbiericker8223]

The spending qualification for a signup bonus varies. I had to spend $8k in 6 months for my Amex Platinum 100k points bonus. The spend may be only $6k in 6 months for an 80k points bonus. Again, it varies.

[@shawn.credit]

Quite a bit always make sure your intended spend meets the needed spend for said card. No reason to go into debt over a sign up bonus or points in general.

[@jumpintofall56]

So, do you pay them off each month, or are you accruing interest? What's the interest on them?

[@henryfabian3187]

Never pay interest. They have mentioned in other videos that the pay off each month. Interest on these travel cards is in the 20’s.

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

We pay them off

[@Valentine828]

question- since i will not be retiring for say 4more yr I want to get a head start and what do you think about getting Sapphire preferred build up and once i begin actual travel get the Reserve. The fee is too high for me now with Very little travel

[@The_NomadNinja]

I began with the Preferred card and eventually switched to the Reserve after my travel frequency increased. Both cards offer the same welcome bonus (60,000 points). Upgrading your Preferred to Reserve (a product change according to Chase) is a smooth process. However, you won't get additional points for upgrading. I analyzed the costs of both cards and for my spending habits, the Reserve became more economical. You can find credit card calculators on google that compare your spending if you had the Preferred VS Reserve. I made a video about it. Feel free to ask if you have any further questions!

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

Yes, you don't want to be spending the annual fees unless you are going to use the lounges and statuses, that is what you are really paying for.

[@shannonalvaradowellness8543]

Is chase sapphire preferred a good travel card for now and then travel?

[@joefong5611]

If you are talking about plane travel, the Sapphire doesn’t give you lounge access.

[@The_NomadNinja]

Yes, generally the Preferred is best for causal travelers and the Reserve is better for frequent travelers.

[@user-xl6vb3yx7t]

I keep trying to find reasons to keep the AMX Platinum but can’t fine one ; not even one. The lounges are trashy, rental car, hotels, and airfare are at a discount but it’s applied to premium pricing. Customer service is crap. Dispute resolution, awful. Just the tip of the iceberg. SO many better options

[@davidhardacre4144]

I’d love to get the Platinum card but there’s one thing stopping me: Amex is so ridiculously woke. I refuse to support any business whose CEO tries to tell me how to live. Same reason I never stay at Marriott hotels. Bill Marriott must be spinning in his grave. Why alienate half your potential customers? Here’s an idea: how about focusing on doing a better job running your business for the benefit of your customers and shareholders instead of wasting time and resources sticking your nose into politics and the culture wars? I have the Chase Sapphire Preferred and plan to upgrade to the Sapphire Reserve as soon as I can qualify for another points bonus. Bottom line: each of us has to decide what our priorities in life are and then live accordingly. Do you value personal benefits or doing the right thing more? God bless!

[@mrt32487]

I am a Chase Sapphire Reserve and Delta Reserve Holder covers all the lounges. Delta is my airline primarily. Hyatt is my hotel (on the Chase side).

[@beatricerights]

give the Uber credit to your kids.

[@kristiG5259]

Can you pay for your kids' Ubers?

[@joefong5611]

Yes.

[@KristaBerryhill-ef9lz]

Does Amex give a $300 travel credit also?

[@walternyc]

No, it does not.

[@joefong5611]

$200 flight accidental credits.

[@dotted8-]

A $200 fine hotels credit booked through Amex travel.

[@debbiericker8223]

The Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in the state capital of Little Rock, AR, does not have a private lounge of any kind. I fly through there several times a year and am astounded that they don't have a lounge.

[@rivercoyote6540]

It is a cute airport though.

[@debbiericker8223]

@@rivercoyote6540 Yes, and the employees there are always very nice. Southern hospitality.

[@user-yg8sk1oq9y]

Thanks!

[@GroundedLifeFinances]

Thanks so much!