Alternatives to the Chase Sapphire Reserve

The Platinum Card® from American Express is perhaps the closest competitor to the Sapphire Reserve. The card offers a similar welcome bonus at 80,000 points after $8,000 spent within the first six months of card membership. The spending requirement is higher than the Sapphire Reserve, though you get three extra months to complete it.

Beyond the welcome bonus, the Amex Platinum offers category bonuses on travel. They’re not as generous as the Sapphire Reserve’s, but they still cover the basics:

• 5X points on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel (per calendar year)
• 2X points on prepaid car rentals through American Express Travel
• 1X points on all other purchases

Additionally, the Amex Platinum Card offers the most comprehensive lounge benefit of any card on this list. Cardmembers get access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes Delta Sky Clubs, Centurion Lounges, Escape Lounges, Priority Pass, Lufthansa and Airspace lounges. Centurion lounges, in particular, are exclusive to Amex Platinum cardholders, providing even more incentive to have this card.

When it comes to redeeming points, the Amex Platinum offers more transfer partners than the Sapphire Reserve. Not only that, but the American Express Membership Rewards program shares ten transfer partners with Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Here’s a look at American Express transfer partners, with the programs shared with Chase Ultimate Rewards in bold. All transfer ratios are 1:1 unless otherwise noted:

• • Aer Lingus AerClub
  • AeroMexico Club Premier (1:1.6)
  • Air Canada Aeroplan
  • Air France/KLM Flying Blue
  • All Nippon Airways
  • Avianca Lifemiles
  • British Airways Executive Club
  • Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
  • Choice Privileges
  • Delta SkyMiles
  • Emirates Skywards
  • Etihad Guest
  • Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles
  • Hilton Honors (1:2)
  • Iberia Plus
  • JetBlue TrueBlue (1.25:1)
  • Marriott Bonvoy
  • Qantas Frequent Flyer
  • Qatar Airways Privilege Club
  • Singapore Airlines Krisflyer
  • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

According to recent Bankrate points and miles valuations, American Express Membership Rewards points are worth up to 2.0 cents apiece toward high-value transfer partner travel. For example, that would bring the welcome bonus’ value from $800 to $1,600.

Both cards come with annual travel credits, though the Sapphire Reserve’s main credit is a bit broader since it applies to any travel purchase. Meanwhile, the Amex Platinum has more annual credits, though they’re more restrictive:

• Up to $300 in eligible Equinox fitness membership credits provided on a calendar year basis toward in-club or digital membership fees (enrollment required — see terms for details)
• $300 credit for a single, eligible SoulCycle At-Home bike purchase through Amex’s provided link
• Up to $240 in annual digital entertainment credits ($20 per month)
• Up to $200 in annual hotel credits on prepaid hotel bookings at Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection properties via American Express Travel
• Up to $200 in annual airline fee credits for incidentals with a single airline of your choice
• Up to $200 in Uber Cash annually for rides and delivery ($15 per month, plus an extra $20 in December)
• Up to $199 in Clear Plus membership statement credits
• Up to $155 in annual Walmart+ monthly membership credits (subject to auto-renewal)
• Up to $100 in credits toward Global Entry or up to $89 TSA PreCheck application fees

• Up to $100 in annual Saks Fifth Avenue credits (distributed in $50 increments semi-annually)
• Up to $100 in annual credits on qualifying hotel purchases of two or more consecutive nights with a brand in The Hotel Collection

Despite a higher annual fee ($695), the Amex Platinum Card offers more statement credits than the Sapphire Reserve — though both are on our list of the best credit cards with annual credits. Assuming you can take advantage of all these credits, the Amex Platinum may be a stronger option than the Sapphire Reserve.

If you want a premium card that mimics the Sapphire Reserve’s travel perks at a lower annual fee, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is an excellent choice. The card’s $395 annual fee is more reasonable compared to the Sapphire Reserve’s $550 fee. Not only is the annual fee lower, but you can add authorized users free of charge, saving you $75 per user compared to the Sapphire Reserve.

The card offers 75,000 bonus miles after $4,000 spent within the first three months of account opening, as well as 10,000 bonus miles annually after renewal. The Venture X also offers generous rewards categories to help you maximize your daily spending and travel purchases:

• 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
• 2X miles on all other purchases

As for lounge benefits, the card includes access to the expansive Priority Pass lounge network and Capital One’s proprietary lounges. At the moment, Capital One has three lounges open at Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Denver Airport (DEN) and Dulles International (IAD). Venture X cardholders can enter these lounges free of charge along with two guests.

Capital One has 18 transfer partners and six in common with Chase Ultimate Rewards, which is remarkable considering Capital One’s transfer program is relatively new.

With 1:1 transfer partners to valuable frequent flyer programs like Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles and Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Capital One makes domestic and international awards attainable. According to Bankrate valuations, Capital One miles can be worth up to 1.7 cents apiece toward transfer partner travel.

• Accor Live Limitless (2:1)
• Aeromexico Club Premier
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Avianca LifeMiles
• British Airways Executive Club
• Choice Privileges
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Guest
• EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (2:1.5)
• Finnair Plus
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• TAP Miles&Go
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
• Virgin Red
• Wyndham Rewards

The Capital One Venture X Card offers a $300 annual travel credit, similar to the Sapphire Reserve. The difference is that the Venture X’s credit is only valid on bookings made through Capital One Travel.

With a $400 annual fee, the U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Credit Card* is a cheaper alternative to the Sapphire Reserve. However, it also offers a lower welcome bonus and fewer redemption options. The card offers 50,000 bonus points after spending $4,500 in the first 90 days of account opening and offers valuable rewards categories:

• 5X points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked through the Altitude Rewards Center
• 3X points on eligible travel
• 3X on mobile wallet spending, such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay or LG Pay

Like most cards on this list, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card also offers Priority Pass Select membership, so you can access over 1,300 lounges worldwide. However, this is a limited 12-month membership pass with only four accompanying guest passes per year.

The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card doesn’t offer any transfer partners at the moment. However, you can redeem points at a rate of 1.5 cents each toward travel with Real-Time Rewards. This is a solid redemption rate on par with the Sapphire Reserve’s Ultimate Rewards booking rate.

If you want a simple redemption structure without dealing with transfer partners and complicated loyalty program rules, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card might be a better fit.

The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card comes with up to $325 in annual credits that you can apply toward dining, takeout and restaurant delivery purchases — meaning you can use this credit in your daily life or when you’re ready to hit the road. This is much broader than the Sapphire Reserve’s credit, which applies only to travel bookings.

Plus, get up to $100 in application credits toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card may seem like an odd choice, considering it’s a mid-tier card. However, it is a cheaper alternative to the Sapphire Reserve. In fact, many cardholders downgrade to it in order to avoid the steep annual fee — the Sapphire Preferred’s fee is much more reasonable at $95.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a slightly lower welcome bonus than the Sapphire Reserve, at 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 within the first three months of account opening. Cardmembers also get a 10 percent anniversary point bonus, as well as access to a slew of useful rewards categories:

• 5X total points on hotels and rental cars purchased through Chase TravelSM
• 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2025
• 5X total points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 through March 2025
• 3X points on dining (including eligible delivery services)
• 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
• 3X points on select streaming services
• 2X points on general travel
• 1X points on all other purchases

Unfortunately, the Sapphire Preferred doesn’t offer any kind of lounge benefit. But that’s to be expected for a card with a $95 annual fee.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns Ultimate Rewards points, which is the same currency as the Sapphire Reserve. As such, you have access to the same Chase transfer partners:

• Aer Lingus AerClub
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue
• British Airways Executive Club
• Emirates Skywards
• Iberia Plus
• IHG Rewards Club
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Marriott Bonvoy
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
• United MileagePlus
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• World of Hyatt

The only difference in redemption options is when you use points through Chase Travel — the Sapphire Reserve’s points are worth 1.50 cents each in this circumstance, while the Sapphire Preferred’s are worth 1.25 cents each.

Further, if you decide to transfer your points to a hotel or airline partner, they can be worth up to 2.0 cents apiece, according to Bankrate valuations.

Despite having a $95 annual fee, the Sapphire Preferred offers its own recurring travel credit. Cardholders receive an annual $50 hotel credit valid on bookings through Chase Travel. And though not a statement credit per se, the Preferred card offers a free year of DoorDash DashPass through December 31, 2027, depending on the activation date.