This site is part of an affiliate sales network and may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This relationship may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Zachary Abel is also a Senior Advisor to Bilt Rewards. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Upgrade Amex Green to Amex Gold
I’d recently written about a targeted Amex Platinum upgrade offer. It was 25k Membership Rewards after $2k spend in 3 months + 10x on US Gas and US Supermarkets ( as a point of comparison some people are getting 75k upgrade offers). It hit both my Amex Green and Amex Gold. Now…I have another upgrade offer that specifically hit my Amex Green: Upgrade to Amex Gold and receive 15k Membership Rewards after spending $1k in 3 months. Let’s break those offers down, and why I may take them both.
Amex Gold is one of my favorite cards and I highly recommend it…this would allow me to keep it while streamlining my wallet via double upgrades.
My Amex Green account has this listed in its Amex Offers
Upgrade Amex Green to Amex Gold and earn 15k Membership Rewards after $1k spend in 3 months
Is this the best ever?
It appears some people have received 40k Membership Rewards to upgrade to Amex Gold after spending $2k in 3 months in the past.
Where my head is at with it all
- Upgrade to Platinum received 25k Membership Rewards after $2k spend + 10x categories
- Upgrade to Gold receive 15K after $1k spend
I currently hold the following personal cards: Amex Green, Amex Gold, and Amex Platinum. My Platinum was originally the Mercedes Benz version of the card that ultimately converted into a standard Amex Platinum a few years back. As a result, I’ve never been able to refer off of that card, and even though I’ve tried to resolve this many times with Amex it just never works.
I’m now presented with the option of upgrading both cards, spending $3k in 3 months, earning 40k Membership Rewards and cancelling my existing Amex Platinum. I’d not only earn 40k Membership Rewards, but I’d earn 10x on US Gas and Supermarkets for the next 6 months up to $15k. That is amazing earning potential.
This would open up a spot in my wallet – I could either re-add an Amex Green without a bonus, but with the ability to refer and earn 55k points a year, or throw in an Everyday Preferred card which would be great to have and also earn referral bonuses. I could also add in something from Marriott or Hilton. Honestly, the options are quite intriguing and I’m leaning towards pulling the trigger
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card went through a major refresh in 2026 adding new bonus categories, travel protections, statement credits, and remains one of the best travel starter cards in the market. It earns Premium Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred into over a dozen partners many of which are US based including Hyatt, Southwest, United, IHG, and Marriott. Note that Hyatt is now a 4:3 transfer partner
Welcome Offer
Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
Earn
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on gas and EV charging
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on vacation homes at top brands
- Cardmembers will earn 3x points on vacation homes at these top brands: Airbnb, Vrbo, Plu Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com and Vacasa.
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- 2x on all other travel
- 1x on everyday purchases
- 5x points on Lyft rides Earn 5x total points on eligible Lyft rides including ride share, bike and scooter rides and subscription and membership products through September 30, 2027.
- 5x total points on Peloton equipment Earn 5x total points on eligible Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 through December 31, 2027.
Benefits and Credits
- $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- NEW: $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit Cardmembers will receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to the card.
- NEW: Complimentary Apple TV subscription for one year
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is great starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Chase Ink Business Cash® , Chase Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into the Sapphire Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee remains quite low at $95 a year and if you use the $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠ you’ll wipe out that annual fee every year. It has great bonus categories and other useful statement credits to enhance your travel.
One thing that is a bummer is Chase lowered the transfer ratio to World of Hyatt from 1:1 to 4:3.
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.