Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Amex EveryDay Preferred: A $95 annual fee showdown

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Not all of the best travel credit cards come with high annual fees. If you want to pay less than $100 a year, you have plenty of good options to choose from. One example is the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card, …

May 6, 2025 - 21:18

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Amex EveryDay Preferred: A $95 annual fee showdown

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

Not all of the best travel credit cards come with high annual fees. If you want to pay less than $100 a year, you have plenty of good options to choose from.

One example is the Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card, with a $95 annual fee. Not only does it award a 50% bonus on points earned when you make 30 transactions or more per billing cycle, but also it earns valuable Membership Rewards points, which means you can transfer them to the program’s many travel partners.

Then, there’s Chase’s $95 annual-fee travel card offering. If this were a popularity contest, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) would win hands down. It earns an impressive 3 points per dollar on dining and 2 points per dollar on travel purchases.

With these two heavyweights in the ring, let’s look at their benefits and drawbacks to help you decide which card is the better choice for you.

The information for the Amex EveryDay Preferred 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.

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Amex EveryDay Preferred comparison

Here’s a quick look at both cards’ current details, including earning rates and sign-up offers:

Card details	Chase Sapphire Preferred	Amex EveryDay Preferred
Annual fee	$95	$95
Welcome bonus	Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening	Closed to new applicants
Earning rates	Earn 5 points per dollar on Lyft rides (through September 2027) and travel booked through Chase Travel℠ Earn 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming and online grocery purchases Earn 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases Earn 1 point per dollar on all other purchases	Earn 3 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on the first $6,000 spent per year, then 1 point) Earn 2 points per dollar at U.S. gas stations Earn 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
Other benefits	25% redemption bonus when you book travel through the Chase portal $50 Annual Chase Travel hotel credit 10% anniversary points boost Complimentary DashPass membership for at least one year (when you activate by Dec. 31, 2027) and $10 discount on monthly non-restaurant orders. Robust travel protections	50% points bonus after you make at least 30 purchases on your card in a billing period Car rental loss and damage insurance* Global Assist Hotline Return protection

*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered, and geographic restrictions apply. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

**Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Cardmembers are responsible for the costs charged by third-party service providers.

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Amex EveryDay Preferred welcome bonus

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is currently offering a welcome bonus of 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first three months of account opening. Based on TPG’s April 2025 valuations, this bonus is worth $2,050.

Serious Couple Paying Bills at Home — MINISERIES/GETTY IMAGES

The Amex EveryDay Preferred, meanwhile, does not offer a welcome offer as it is closed to new applicants.

Be sure to check your eligibility for the Sapphire Preferred card before applying, and remember that this card is subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule and more specific restrictions around bonus-earning eligibility.

Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred. Its welcome bonus is incredibly valuable, and the Amex EveryDay Preferred is closed to new applicants.

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Amex EveryDay Preferred benefits

With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you’ll get these benefits:

25% redemption bonus when you book travel through the Chase Travel portal
$50 Annual Chase Travel hotel credit
10% anniversary points boost
Complimentary DashPass membership for at least one year when you activate by Dec. 31, 2027, and $10 off non-restaurant orders per month.
Auto rental collision damage waiver
Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
Baggage delay protection
Trip delay insurance
Purchase protection
No foreign transaction fees

Maximizing the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s statement credits allows you to easily recoup the card’s annual fee. Even so, the travel protections you’ll get with the card are the most notable benefit. This is one of the only cards you can get that comes with a high level of protection without a premium annual fee.

Multiethnic tourists shopping online with credit card sitting in a cafeteria — ALVARO GONZALEZ/GETTY IMAGES

The Amex EveryDay Preferred, meanwhile, comes with the following benefits:

50% points bonus after you make at least 30 purchases on your card in a billing period (minus returns and credits)
Car rental loss and damage insurance*
Global Assist Hotline**
Return protection**

This is a fairly short list of benefits compared to the Chase Sapphire Preferred. However, if your main focus is earning Membership Rewards points, the 50% bonus is easy to hit monthly, making the card’s earning structure truly impressive.

Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred. Its travel protections and statement credits outshine the benefits of the Amex EveryDay Preferred.

Earning points with the Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Amex EveryDay Preferred

With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you’ll earn 5 points per dollar on travel booked through the Chase Travel portal and 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, online grocery purchases and Lyft (through September 2027).

You’ll also earn 2 points per dollar on travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.

If you spend a significant portion of your budget on travel and dining purchases, the value you’ll get from this earning structure for a relatively low annual fee is hard to beat.

Woman at a coffee shop — MOMO PRODUCTIONS/GETTY IMAGES

With the Amex EveryDay Preferred, on the other hand, you’ll earn 3 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 in purchases per year, then 1 point per dollar), 2 points per dollar at U.S. gas stations and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.

However, using your card for at least 30 transactions per billing period will give you 50% more points. This gives you an effective earn rate of 4.5 points per dollar (a 9% return) on U.S. supermarket purchases, 3 points per dollar (a 6% return) at U.S. gas stations and 1.5 points per dollar (a 3% return) on all other purchases.

If you spend most of your budget at U.S. supermarkets and gas stations and can hit the bonus threshold each billing cycle, then the Amex EveryDay Preferred’s earning structure will be extremely valuable to you.

Winner: Tie. Since the two cards have quite different bonus categories, the better earning structure depends entirely on your spending habits.

Redeeming points with the Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Amex EveryDay Preferred

The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns Ultimate Rewards points, which you can redeem for travel by transferring them to any of Chase’s 14 airline and hotel partners or by booking through the Chase Travel℠ portal at a rate of 1.25 cents per point.

Alternatively, you can redeem your points for gift cards at a rate of 1 cent per point or use Chase’s Pay Yourself Back feature to redeem them for cash back. However, we recommend skipping these options and utilizing Chase’s transfer partners to get the most value from your points.

The Amex EveryDay Preferred earns valuable Membership Rewards points, which you can redeem for travel by transferring them to any of Amex’s 21 airline and hotel transfer partners.

You also have the option to redeem your Membership Rewards points for gift cards at a value of 1 cent per point. For an even lower value, you can pay for travel or purchases directly with your points, but again, we recommend transferring your points to get the most value from them.

Winner: Tie. Both points currencies can be transferred to airline and hotel loyalty programs and used for gift cards and cash back.

Transferring points with the Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Amex EveryDay Preferred

With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can transfer your points at a 1:1 ratio to 14 airline and hotel partners, including Air Canada Aeroplan, United MileagePlus, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and World of Hyatt.

You can get solid value from options like transferring your points to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and booking round-trip flights to Europe for as little as 61,000 miles or transferring your points to United MileagePlus and taking advantage of its Excursionist Perk.

A TPG staff-favorite Ultimate Rewards transfer partner is World of Hyatt. I love the option to stretch my points by booking Category 1 Hyatt properties, while director of content Summer Hull uses them to stay in resorts and high-end city hotels. No matter your preference, you can find some serious value in the World of Hyatt program.

The Amex EveryDay Preferred, on the other hand, earns Amex Membership Rewards points that can be transferred to any of Amex’s 21 airline and hotel partners, including British Airways Club, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Choice Privileges.

You can also use Amex’s frequent transfer bonuses to get even more value from your rewards.

Winner: Tie. Both cards earn rewards you can transfer to multiple airline and hotel partners for excellent value.

Should I get the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Amex EveryDay Preferred?

Those who already hold the Amex EveryDay Preferred will get excellent value from this product if they also have another card that earns Membership Rewards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express or the American Express® Gold Card.

If you travel often and aren’t focused on earning Membership Rewards, you’re better off with the Chase Sapphire Preferred — plus, remember that the Amex EveryDay isn’t available to new applicants.

Related: The best credit card pairings

Bottom line

Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Amex EveryDay Preferred are strong mid-tier card options with valuable benefits and bonus categories that allow you to quickly build a stash of valuable transferable rewards. However, their differences mean that the better card for you depends on your spending habits and travel goals.

Of course, as the Amex EveryDay Preferred is closed to new applicants, your methods of getting the card are limited and may only be possible through a product change from an existing Amex credit card.

Apply here: Chase Sapphire Preferred