The Platinum Card from American Express vs Chase Freedom Unlimited
Annual fees: The Platinum Card from American Express $895/yr, Chase Freedom Unlimited $0/yr. Strongest bonus categories: The Platinum Card from American Express on hotels, Chase Freedom Unlimited on travel.
Card data as of October 12, 2026.
- The Platinum Card from American Express
American Express · $895/yr
Chase Freedom UnlimitedChase · No annual fee
Overview
- Annual fee
- The Platinum Card from American Express$895Chase Freedom Unlimited$0Lowest
- Welcome offerCurrent public offer
- The Platinum Card from American ExpressAs high as 175,000 points — offers varyChase Freedom Unlimited$200 cash back
- Rewards
- The Platinum Card from American ExpressAmerican Express Membership RewardsChase Freedom UnlimitedCash back
- Foreign transaction fee
- The Platinum Card from American ExpressNoneLowestChase Freedom Unlimited3%
- Network
- The Platinum Card from American ExpressAmerican ExpressChase Freedom UnlimitedVisa Signature
Earn ratesPer $1 spent · points and cash back aren’t ranked against each other
- Flights
- The Platinum Card from American Express5xChase Freedom Unlimited1.5%
- Dining
- The Platinum Card from American Express1xChase Freedom Unlimited3%
- Drugstores
- The Platinum Card from American Express1xChase Freedom Unlimited3%
- Hotels
- The Platinum Card from American Express1xChase Freedom Unlimited1.5%
- Everything else
- The Platinum Card from American Express1xChase Freedom Unlimited1.5%
Statement creditsAs the issuer states them · — means none on record
- Travel
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- $600 hotel credit
- $219 CLEAR Plus credit
- $200 airline credit
- $120 Global Entry or up to $85 TSA PreCheck / 4 years · $120 every 4 years
Chase Freedom Unlimited— - Rideshare & transit
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- $200 Uber Cash
- $120 Uber One credit
Chase Freedom Unlimited— - Dining & delivery
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- $400 Resy credit
Chase Freedom Unlimited- Free DashPass membership for 6 months · $60 one-time
- Entertainment & streaming
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- $300 streaming credit
Chase Freedom Unlimited— - Shopping & wellness
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- $300 Equinox credit
- $300 Lululemon credit
- $200 Oura Ring credit
- $155 Walmart+ credit
Chase Freedom Unlimited—
Perks & access— means none on record
- Lounges
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- Airspace Lounge access at US airports with 2 guests
- 26 Centurion Lounges worldwide with premium dining
- 10 Delta Sky Club visits per year when flying Delta
- Escape Lounge access at US airports with food and beverages
- International Amex Lounges at select global airports
- Global Lounge Collection with 1,550+ airport lounges
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- Lufthansa Business Lounge access on Lufthansa Group
- Plaza Premium Lounge access at airports with Global Lounge
- Priority Pass Select with 1,300+ lounges globally
Chase Freedom Unlimited— - Hotel status & programs
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- Hilton Gold with 80% bonus points and breakfast
- Leaders Club Sterling Status at Leading Hotels
- Marriott Gold with 25% bonus points and upgrades
- Fine Hotels + Resorts: $100 credits and upgrades
- Hotel Collection access with room upgrades and credits
Chase Freedom Unlimited— - Airline perks
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- International Airline Program 5-40% off premium cabins
Chase Freedom Unlimited— - Car rental
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- Elite status with Hertz, National, Avis for upgrades
Chase Freedom Unlimited— - Other perks
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- Amex Offers
- 24/7 premium travel assistance with medical transport
- Premium Events Collection™
- Early access to concerts and events
- 24/7 Platinum Concierge for travel and lifestyle help
- Free expedited card replacement in 24-48 hours worldwide
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- Entertainment access with exclusive presales and VIP events
- No foreign transaction fees on international purchases save
- Roadside assistance with up to 4 service calls per year
- Platinum Nights by Resy
- Platinum Travel Service
Chase Freedom Unlimited- 24/7 travel assistance when you're away from home
Protections & insuranceLimits where published · — means none on record
- Trip insurance
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- $10,000 trip cancellation coverage per covered trip
- $500 trip delay Cover for delays exceeding 6 hours
Chase Freedom Unlimited- Up to $6,000 trip cancellation and interruption coverage · up to $1,500
- Baggage
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- $3,000 baggage insurance for lost or damaged bags
Chase Freedom Unlimited— - Rental car
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- $100,000 primary rental car coverage for $20-$25/rental
- $75,000 car rental loss and damage insurance
Chase Freedom Unlimited- Free rental car coverage when you decline counter insurance
- Purchase & returns
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- $10,000 purchase Cover against theft and damage for 90 days
- $300 return Cover when merchants won't accept returns within
Chase Freedom Unlimited- Up to $500 protection for damaged or stolen purchases
- 24/7 fraud monitoring
- Zero Liability on unauthorized charges
- Extended warranty
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- Extended warranty adds 1 year to warranties under 5 years
Chase Freedom Unlimited- Add an extra year to manufacturer warranties
- Cell phone
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- $800 cell phone protection with $50 deductible
Chase Freedom Unlimited— - Other protections
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- Zero liability protection on fraudulent charges
- Global Assist Hotline with 24/7 emergency help traveling
Chase Freedom Unlimited- 24/7 lost/stolen card assistance worldwide
Pros & cons
- Pros
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- Access to 9 lounge networks including exclusive Centurion Lounges with 2 guests free
- $200/year Uber Cash plus a $120 Uber One membership credit
- $400/year Resy dining credit at select restaurants
- Automatic Marriott Gold and Hilton Gold status with room upgrades and breakfast
- 5X points on flights booked direct or via Amex Travel
Chase Freedom Unlimited- 1.5% cash back on every purchase with no caps or categories
- 5% on Chase Travel, 3% on dining and drugstores
- $200 bonus after $500 spend in 3 months
- 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers
- $0 annual fee with Visa Signature benefits
- Cons
- The Platinum Card from American Express
- $895 annual fee requires significant credit utilization to break even
- Many credits require specific merchants (Resy, Equinox, lululemon, Oura)
- Only 1X points on non-travel purchases limits everyday earning
- Secondary car rental coverage unless paying $24.95/rental for primary
- $195 authorized user fee after first 3 free cards
Chase Freedom Unlimited- 3% foreign transaction fee
- 1.5% base rate lower than Freedom Flex's 5% rotating categories
- Points worth only 1 cent without Sapphire card pairing
- No premium travel insurance or lounge access
- Lower welcome bonus than Sapphire cards
Category-by-Category Winner
The Chase Freedom Unlimited wins in 4 of 4 categories. The The Platinum Card from American Express leads in 0. 2 more categories depend on booking channel or caps.
Hotels
Depends: via amextravel
The Platinum Card from American Express earns 5X when conditions are met; Chase Freedom Unlimited earns 1.5X (1.5X without restrictions)
Flights
Depends: via AmexTravel; up to $500,000/yr
The Platinum Card from American Express earns 5X when conditions are met; Chase Freedom Unlimited earns 1.5X (1.5X without restrictions)
Travel
Chase Freedom Unlimited earns 5X vs 1X
5X via issuer travel portal
Dining
Chase Freedom Unlimited earns 3X vs 1X
Drugstores
Chase Freedom Unlimited earns 3X vs 1X
Everyday purchases
Chase Freedom Unlimited earns 1.5X on all other spending vs 1X
Year One vs Ongoing Value
Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.
Close — depends on how much of the credits you use
| Scenario | The Platinum Card from American Express | Chase Freedom Unlimited | Ongoing winner | Year-one winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light spender: $1,000/month | Rewards: $180 Credits (our usable estimate): $1,356 − Annual fee ($895) Ongoing: $641 Year one: $641 | Rewards: $373 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $373 Year one: $603 | Close — depends on how much of the credits you use | Close — depends on how much of the credits you use |
| Heavy spender: $4,000/month | Rewards: $720 Credits (our usable estimate): $1,356 − Annual fee ($895) Ongoing: $1,181 Year one: $1,181 | Rewards: $1,490 Credits (our usable estimate): $0 − Annual fee ($0) Ongoing: $1,490 Year one: $1,720 | Close — depends on how much of the credits you use | Close — depends on how much of the credits you use |
Is the Fee Difference Worth It?
The The Platinum Card from American Express costs $895/yr — that's $895 more than the Chase Freedom Unlimited (no annual fee). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $895 in annual value from the card's higher earn rates and benefits.
The The Platinum Card from American Express includes travel credits, dining credits, lounge access, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, complimentary hotel status. Those perks are not included in the earn-rate scenario table above — compare their dollar value to the $895 fee gap for your own usage.
Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $895 fee gap means the The Platinum Card from American Express needs roughly $895 more in annual rewards (or credits you will use) to break even on hotels and flights and everyday spend.
What You Give Up
Choosing one card means missing out on these benefits from the other.
Choosing Chase Freedom Unlimited means losing:
- -Airport lounge access
- -Global Entry credit
Which Card Is Right for You?
Get the The Platinum Card from American Express if you:
- +Fly frequently and value airport lounge access
Get the Chase Freedom Unlimited if you:
- +Spend $300+/month on restaurants and dining out
- +Prefer a high flat rate across all spending
The Bottom Line
Close — depends on how much of the credits you use
Everyday (non-bonus) spend earns 1.5X on the Chase Freedom Unlimited vs 1X on the other card.
Published annual fees: The Platinum Card from American Express $895/yr, Chase Freedom Unlimited $0/yr — a $895 difference before welcome offers and credits.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is the The Platinum Card from American Express worth the higher annual fee?
- The The Platinum Card from American Express costs $895/yr vs $0/yr for the Chase Freedom Unlimited. Compare the year-one vs ongoing value table on this page — the $895 gap must be offset by higher earn rates, welcome offers, or credits you will use (the The Platinum Card from American Express also lists lounge access, travel credits, dining credits).
- Which card earns more rewards, the The Platinum Card from American Express or Chase Freedom Unlimited?
- The Chase Freedom Unlimited has a higher base earn rate (1.5X vs 1X), but both cards have different bonus categories where they excel.
- What benefits does the The Platinum Card from American Express have that the Chase Freedom Unlimited doesn't?
- The The Platinum Card from American Express offers lounge access, travel credits, dining credits, cell phone protection. The Chase Freedom Unlimited focuses more on earn rates than premium perks.
- Should I get the The Platinum Card from American Express or the Chase Freedom Unlimited?
- Use the spend scenarios on this page: the Chase Freedom Unlimited has a lower $0/yr fee; the The Platinum Card from American Express must earn enough extra (or offer a larger welcome bonus) to justify $895/yr.
Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; catalog last published October 12, 2026, and each card page shows when its terms were last checked. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.