Will TPG readers keep both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Amex Platinum?
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We recently asked our TPG Lounge members who have both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and The Platinum Card® from American Express to share whether or not they'd be keeping or dropping the CSR as a result of the higher annual fee. Here’s a look at some of our favorite answers. (Some responses have been lightly edited for style and clarity).
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The case for keeping both cards
For many TPG Lounge members, each premium travel card was valuable enough in its own right, whether for the travel credits, redemption value, transfer partners or other perks like rideshare discounts and hotel status that they're most likely to use on a regular basis.
"Keeping both! The benefits, privileges and perks of both cards far outweigh the $1,100 annual fees." — Artur R.A.
"I'm keeping them both for now. The $300 travel credit is key; if Chase Sapphire Reserve lowers or removes it, I'm gone. The periodic credits I get from American Express for using FedEx and various credits they offer throughout the year cover the majority of my annual fee on the Amex Platinum card. Their customer service has always been great with me as well, and that extended warranty has saved me years in annual fees." — Harold M.
"We use the Centurion Lounges a lot, as well as my Uber and Saks credits. Those alone make the Amex Platinum worth it for me. I use my Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Freedom (No longer open to new applicants) and Chase Freedom Unlimited much more and the $300 travel credit made the $450 annual fee a no brainer. I’m not thrilled about the increase but we already used DoorDash and Lyft so won’t be hurt by the change." — Doug D.H.
The information for the Chase Freedom has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
TPG's Card Comparison: Amex Platinum versus Chase Sapphire Reserve: Which card is right for you?
"I am keeping both. I like having both Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards points. Both have their merits. I have the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express card and that 35% points rebate* is hard to give up!" — Julie B.
"Really YMMV (your mileage may vary). If you are in a place well serviced by United or Southwest, the Chase Sapphire Reserve makes the most sense. If you are in a place well serviced by Delta or you frequently stay in Hilton or Marriott properties, Amex Platinum makes the most sense. I travel all the time to Atlanta, New York and Washington D.C. for work and stay in Marriotts so Amex Platinum is the natural choice, but I have a colleague who is always in Houston and Chicago so the CSR is his go-to card." — Chris C.
*up to 500,000 points per calendar year
Related: Chase Sapphire Reserve versus Amex Platinum: Which card is better for airfare purchases?
Fans of the American Express Platinum
Several TPG Lounge readers wrote in swearing their loyalty to American Express, with many saying they'd be downgrading their Chase Sapphire Reserve cards to the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card as a result of the annual fee increase.
"Keeping both for now, however if the time comes, I’ll keep the Amex Platinum and downgrade the CSR. Delta lounge access alone is worth it for me." — Gregg K.
"I’m keeping the Amex Platinum and downgrading my Chase Sapphire Reserve to the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. I’ll put my round-trip flights on the Amex Platinum and any one-ways on the CSP." — Randall C.W.
"American Express has Hilton and more airline partners." — Austin M.
Related: Who should (and shouldn't) get the Amex Platinum
"Keeping the Amex Platinum. Downgrading my CSR to CSP next year when I get hit with the increased annual fee. Amex Platinum provides far greater lounge benefits, plus 5x points on flights. Restaurants already go on my American Express® Gold Card for 4X points and now general travel will be on American Express® Green Card for 3x points. The loss of the additional 0.25 cents per point on the portal will be unfortunate but then again I shouldn’t be settling for 1.5 cents per point anyway. All of that doesn’t leave much of a place for the CSR anymore." — Mike Z.
"Keeping the Amex Platinum and thinking of downgrading the CSR. We’re in Houston, which is a United hub but transfer partners are better for us with American Express because United award seat availability has been abysmal. The only downside is American Express isn’t that widely accepted overseas, so will probably get the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card for that and car rentals." — Shereen W.
"Keeping Amex Platinum for now but downgrading my Chase Sapphire Reserve in December at renewal. Part of it is the Membership Rewards points are more useful for me than Chase Ultimate Rewards for the transfer partners I use." — Peter H.
The information for the Amex Green Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: Maximizing benefits with the Amex Platinum Card
Sticking with the Chase Sapphire Reserve
For some TPG Lounge members, benefits like the $300 annual travel credit, primary car rental insurance and a preference for certain travel partners made it worth keeping the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
"I'm keeping both for now. If I were to keep only one I'd keep the CSR. For me, my primary rationales for preferring the CSR over the Amex Platinum are as follows: I'm more invested in the Chase Ultimate Rewards ecosystem. I prefer the earning bonus categories on the CSR (dining and a very broad definition of travel). I strongly, strongly, strongly prefer the CSR's handling of the travel credit. It is infinitely better than Amex Platinum's credit (worth more, easier to use, there's more variety and you don't have to worry about things suddenly not counting). Visa is more widely accepted than American Express." — Anthony I.W.
"I'm struggling with this myself. I think I'm going to ditch the Amex Platinum because I have a hard time using the $200 travel [airfare incidental fee] credit* since I mostly fly on Southwest and I don't Uber much. I like the status at Hilton and Marriott but can get that with lesser cards if I want. I like the ease of the Chase Sapphire Reserve's $300 travel credit, primary insurance on rental cars and the ability to transfer points to Southwest. Now I just have to figure out where to transfer my Membership Rewards points before I cancel it at the next renewal cycle." — Elizabeth H.
*Enrollment required for select benefits.
Related: 6 little-known benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve
Featured image by Josh Gribben/The Points Guy.
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Rewards Rate
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles50,000 Bonus MilesAnnual Fee
$250Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.670-850Excellent/Good
Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees