this American Express® Gold Card and Chase Sapphire Priority® Card (See Rates and Fees) Always in my wallet – all favorites on TPG.
Apart from the benefits of these cards, both Sapphire Preferred and Amex Gold earn flexible points that I can transfer to partner airlines and hotels to maximize my redemption.
However, after using two cards and their dots, a program takes over the supreme rule. Let’s see why I prioritize Chase Chase Ultimate Rewards points over American Express membership reward points.
Which is better: Amex or Chase?
Both Amex and Chase have very valuable flexible currencies. TPGS’s August 2025 Valuation PEG AMEX Membership Reward Points are 2 cents per point, and the Chase Ultimate Reward Points are 2.05 cents.
Chase points are sometimes more valuable through Chase Travel redemption. As the preferred cardholder for sapphire, my opinion is worth 1.75 cents per point and increased points based on specific redemption.
However, when you redeem membership rewards through the American Express Travel Portal Index, your view is only 1% worth.
In addition to booking through their respective portals, I tend to maximize my perspective by transferring it to airlines and hotel partners. Amex has 20 transfer partners compared to Chase’s 14 partners, but each program offers valuable hotel and airline options, allowing you to maximize rewards with a sweet redemption.
Another redemption option is redemption cash back points. Compared to Chase points, Amex points are only worth 0.6 cents per point, and each point is worth 1%.
Although both programs have positive and negative factors, I prioritize chasing points on Amex points.
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Related: AMEX Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards: Which is the best?
Why don’t I prioritize getting AMEX points?
Amex Membership Rewards Points are one of the most valuable flexible point currencies you can earn.
Some of my favorite ways to use AMEX points are to transfer them to Avianca Lifemiles and Air Canada Aeroplan for redemption of the Alliance flight or Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to fly over the pond.
Despite these valuable transfer partners, I haven’t found much value in many other transfer partners at AMEX and rarely use them.
Most of my spend on the card is on dining, which is why mine Amex Gold Always stay in my wallet. It earns 4 points per dollar on global dining at restaurants (up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar).
Additionally, Amex Gold earns 3 points per dollar on booking flights booked by airlines or Amex Travel, which is my main card for booking flights.
However, I’m now prioritizing Chase Soint on AMEX since I have inventory of AMEX points. At TPG, we recommend not to earn points as airlines and hotels often devalue their plans. Whenever I have a big bonus currency, I want to make more income in any of my lower currencies.
Also, most of my flights for the rest of the year have been booked. So, I focus on hotel redemption for the rest of the year; Chase has the best hotel transfer partners with Hyatt, IHG and Marriott.
When I Chase Sapphire’s first choice Spend 3 points per dollar on dining and 2 points per dollar on travel purchases (i.e. booking flights), and I choose to sacrifice the extra points per dollar spent on these purchases so that I can earn the currency I want.
Related: Chase Sapphire’s preferred choice and Amex Gold: Which mid-level favorite is right for you?
Why should I prioritize chasing points?
Chase Ultimate Rewards is my most valuable flexible reward currency. My preferred redemption for the Ultimate Reward Points is to transfer them to the World of Hyatt to cover my stay while traveling to the hotel.
As I mentioned, I booked all flights for the rest of 2025, but my hotel has no plans. My chase points are much lower than Amex points, but since Hyatt is Chase’s transfer partner, I can get huge redemption value.
I often get room redemption during peak seasons in popular European cities in Europe and enjoy 6,500 to 9,500 points. Unlike other programs that run with dynamic pricing, Hyatt Hotels still uses a fixed reward chart. So I usually find excellent value for rewarding house prices, especially during off-peak dates.
Just recently, I transferred 6,500 chase points to the Hyatt Hotel and spent a short night at Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport, which would cost me more than $200.
With Chase Ultimate Rewards, I can also transfer my points to Southwest Airlines. The Southwest Express Rewards Program often has reward sales and offers uninterrupted flights on less popular routes that many domestic airlines usually fly but have connections. As a result, Southwest has become my airline of choice when I need a last-minute domestic reward flight.
In addition, there is another valuable chasing transfer partner United Airlines. With Manchester United, I can uncover numerous flight possibilities by redeeming miles to book reward tickets for United Airlines or Star Alliance partner airlines.
For example, I just recently redeemed 8,000 miles and paid $25 in taxes and fees for Polish Airlines flights from Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS). The cash price is over $300, making my value more than 2.3 cents.
Related: I’m sitting on 150,000 credit card points – Here’s how my past analysis paralyzed to redeem part of it
Other considerations
I’m also grateful for my opinion that it’s worth up to 1.75 cents per point when booking (depending on the specific booking).
I don’t book flights or hotels through the portal often because I can get more value with a transfer partner, but this may be more valuable than what I booked through Amex Travel because the trips booked through their portal are only worth 1 cent per point.
Knowing that I can still earn over 1% of my income by chasing travel bookings (depending on the booking), if unavailable transfer partner redemption can make the chase point more valuable to me.
Also, if I decide to get cash back, earning Chase Ultimate Rewards points makes me more flexible because each chase point is worth 1% when redeeming cashback. This allows me to get cash at a 1:1 ratio even if my travel strategy changes.
Finally, I planned many upcoming international trips. After traveling abroad, I found it much easier to use Chase Visa credit cards overseas. Although Amex is widely accepted worldwide, I have encountered many places abroad that do not accept Amex, which makes it difficult for me to earn Amex points when I am abroad.
Related: From International Business Classes to Domestic Travel: 6 Sweet Attractions for Best Chase Ultimate Rewards
Bottom line
this Chase Sapphire’s first choice and Amex Gold They are two cards with very high profit rates. So they are both key players in my overall and major players in winning mileage strategies. However, my current income strategy emphasizes chasing points.
My strategy may change if I run lower on the AMEX point, or if new profitable welcome proposals appear, but overall, Chase provides a better redemption partner that can help me maximize my travel.
Related: Why I Love My Choice Card for Chasing Sapphire – And Will Always Keep It in My Wallet
