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Reader credit card question: What are some alternatives to the Chase Sapphire Reserve?
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
February 10, 2020 • 13 min read
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Quick summary
Recent increases in premium travel card fees have prompted many to seek alternatives offering strong rewards at restaurants and for travel.
Several consumer cards provide comparable returns for dining and travel, with some offering transferable points and select lounge access for a lower fee.
Options include cards with flexible points, complimentary lounge visits, or enhanced benefits at specific hotel brands.
Comparisons highlight trade-offs between rewards rates, lounge access, and travel protections.
What to consider
Some alternatives provide limited lounge access or require enrollment for select benefits.
Travel protections and lounge benefits may be less comprehensive than those offered by premium cards.
Point values and earning rates vary by card and loyalty program, with TPG's valuations as of June 2024 providing guidance.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed comparison of top alternatives, including which cards best fit specific travel, dining, and lounge access needs.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Editor’s note: Every Monday, we answer your credit card questions. If you would like to ask us a question, tweet us at @thepointsguy, message us on Facebook or email us at info@thepointsguy.com.
TPG reader Jazzy recently wrote in a response to a TPG Instagram post that she is looking for alternatives to the Chase Sapphire Reserve. She said:
[pullquote source="Jazzy"]$450 was already pushing it for me, $550 is just way too much. What alternatives are there to this card that gives me as many points for eating out and travel? Ideally with Priority Pass too?[/pullquote]
Based on Jazzy's question, she is primarily interested in maximizing the points she earns at restaurants and on travel purchases, but she would also ideally like access to Priority Pass lounges. Enrollment required for select benefits. I assume since she is looking for replacements for the Chase Sapphire Reserve that she would prefer to earn transferable points.
So, let's focus on some of the best consumer cards that can provide the benefits Jazzy wants for a modest annual fee:
American Express® Green Card: Best for modern travelers who want to earn Amex Membership Rewards points
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: Best for getting 10 Priority Pass visits each membership year (enrollment required for select benefits).
American Express® Gold Card: Best for foodies who want to earn Amex Membership Rewards points at restaurants
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: Best for earning Chase Ultimate Rewards points
Citi Premier® Card: Best for earning Citi ThankYou Rewards points
Up to $100 LoungeBuddy statement credit each calendar year
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card
$95 annual fee (see rates & fees)
6x Hilton points at U.S. restaurants (3.6%)
12x Hilton points on purchases made directly with hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio (7.2%)
10 complimentary lounge visits each Priority Pass Membership year once enrolled (enrollment required for select benefits).
American Express Gold Card
$250 (see rates and fees)
4x Membership Rewards points (8%)
3x Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com (6%)
None
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
$95
3x Ultimate Rewards points (6%)
2x Ultimate Rewards points (4%)
None
Citi Premier® Card
$95
2x ThankYou points (3.4%)
3x ThankYou points (5.1%)
None
The information for the Amex Green has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
American Express Green Card
The Amex Green provides great earnings on travel and at restaurants. (Photo by Wyatt Smith/The Points Guy)
Welcome bonus: 45,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $2,000 on purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership. Based on TPG's valuation of Membership Rewards points at two cents each, this bonus is worth about $900.
Annual fee: $150
Earning: 3x Membership Rewards points on travel including transit (6% return based on TPG's valuations); 3x points at restaurants (6% return); 1x points on everything else (2% return)
The American Express Green Card provides just as good of a return on travel and dining purchases as the Chase Sapphire Reserve for a much lower annual fee. It also offers two $100 statement credits each calendar year that can more than offset the $150 annual fee for some travelers.
Granted, the travel protections offered by the Amex Green aren't as extensive as those offered by the Chase Sapphire Reserve, and the lounge access is more limited. But for some travelers, the lower annual fee will easily justify the switch.
Welcome bonus: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the card in the first three months of card membership.
Annual fee: $95 annual fee (see rates & fees)
Earning: 12x Hilton points at hotels and resorts within the Hilton portfolio (7.2% return based on TPG valuations); 6x points at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations (3.6%); 3x points on everything else (1.8%)
The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card provides decent earning at U.S. restaurants and at Hilton properties -- but the real reason to have this card is the 10 complimentary lounge visits each Priority Pass Membership year. If you use all 10 visits and don't get value from any of the cards other benefits, you'll get each lounge visit for $9.50 -- which is a great value, especially if you use your visits at some of the best Priority Pass lounges. Enrollment required for select benefits
The Hilton Surpass also comes with Hilton Gold status, which is enough to get you complimentary breakfast at all Hilton hotels and space-available room upgrades up to executive type. And you can earn a free weekend night reward from Hilton after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your card in a calendar year. It may be worth having the Hilton Surpass Card even if you put most of your spending on another card.
Apply here for the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card
American Express Gold Card
The Amex Gold is particularly popular with foodies. (Photo by Isabelle Raphael/The Points Guy)
Welcome bonus: 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership. Based on TPG's valuation of Membership Rewards points at two cents each, this bonus is worth about $700.
Annual fee: $250 (see rates and fees)
Earning: 4x Membership Rewards points when you dine at restaurants (8% return based on TPG's valuations); 4x points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases (8% return); 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com (6% return); 1x points on everything else (2% return)
Lounge benefits: None
The American Express Gold Card earns an 8% return at restaurants, which is better than what is earned by the Chase Sapphire Reserve. But the Amex Gold only earns 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, so many types of travel expenses will only earn 1x. The Amex Gold also doesn't provide Priority Pass lounge access, so it will only be a good pick if you can maximize the $10 monthly dining credit at select restaurants. Enrollment required for select benefits
Earning: 5x total points on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out, 3x points on select streaming services, 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs), 2x points on all other travel, 1x point on all other purchases
Lounge benefits: None
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card earns 2x points instead of 3x points on travel when compared to the Chase Sapphire Reserve, doesn't come with a Priority Pass Select membership, offers weaker travel protections and only gets 1.25 cents per point when booking through the Chase Travel portal (instead of 1.5 cents per point with the Sapphire Reserve). Enrollment required for select benefits
But the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card can be a solid downgrade option -- or a good option to sign up for once you're eligible for the sign-up bonus after downgrading to the Chase Freedom (No longer open to new applicants) or Chase Freedom Unlimited -- that will allow you to maintain the rewards you've earned with your Sapphire Reserve. Your rewards will only be worth 1 cent each if you downgrade your Sapphire Reserve to the Chase Freedom or Chase Freedom Unlimited. But your rewards can become transferrable again once you add an Ultimate Rewards-earning card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred Credit Card to your wallet.
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.
Welcome bonus: 80,000 Bonus Points after you make $4,000 in purchases with your card within the first three months of account opening
Annual fee: $95
Earning: 3x ThankYou points on travel including gas stations (5.1% return based on TPG's valuations), 2x points at restaurants and on entertainment (3.4% return); 1x points on all other purchases (1.7% return)
If you're set on not paying the Chase Sapphire Reserve's $550 annual fee, this guide hopefully showed you that there are other options that still provide some of the Sapphire Reserve's most popular benefits. The most appealing option may be to use the American Express Green Card for travel and restaurant expenses and use the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card for Hilton stays and Priority Pass access. Enrollment required for select benefits. Together, the annual fees of these two cards total $245, which is a nice decrease from the Sapphire Reserve's $550 annual fee.
For rates and fees of the Amex Green, please click here. For rates and fees of the Amex Gold, please click here. For rates and fees of the Hilton Surpass, please click here.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
