The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Rakuten American Express® Card are closely matched. Chase Sapphire Preferred wins on 2 categories (75,000 pts signup bonus); Rakuten American Express® Card wins on 2 (20,000 pts signup bonus). The better pick depends on your spending patterns.
Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Rakuten American Express® Card
Side-by-side comparison of fees, rewards, benefits, and transfer partners.
Comparison Method
CardCurator compares measurable differences first: annual fee, current welcome offer, top-end earning, and recurring credits. If the cards are close, the right answer depends on spending pattern and perk usage rather than headline prestige.
- Chase Travel 5x
- Dining 3x
- Streaming 3x
- Rakuten Dining 10x
- Rakuten purchases 5x
- Groceries and restaurants 2x
- hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel. $50
- DoorDash Credit $10
- DoorDash Dashpass (~$100/yr)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- British Airways Executive Club
- Flying Blue
- +9 more
- Bilt Rewards
- American Express Membership Rewards
Common Questions: Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Rakuten American Express® Card
Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Rakuten American Express® Card better for dining?
Chase Sapphire Preferred earns 3x on dining; Rakuten American Express® Card earns 10x on dining. Rakuten American Express® Card wins for dining.
Which has the higher signup bonus in 2026?
Chase Sapphire Preferred currently offers 75,000 pts signup bonus (spend $5,000 in 3 months). Rakuten American Express® Card offers 20,000 pts signup bonus (spend $2,000 in 3 months). Chase Sapphire Preferred has the larger bonus.
Which card is better for international travel?
Both cards charge no foreign transaction fees, making either a solid choice for international travel.
Can I hold both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Rakuten American Express® Card?
In most cases yes — holding both is allowed and can be a smart strategy for maximizing rewards across different spending categories. Chase Sapphire Preferred is from Chase and Rakuten American Express® Card is from Imprint, so they're governed by separate bank policies.