Official application link: Chase Sapphire Reserve with a 50,000-point bonus.
There are many compelling travel rewards cards on the market, but the Chase Sapphire Reserve is a particularly appealing option. When I evaluate credit cards, I look at three factors: sign-up bonus, points (earning and redeeming) and perks — and this card blows me away on all fronts.
There’s a $450 annual fee, which, at first, seems quite steep. But when you dig into the benefits the card offers (the $300 travel rebate brings it down to $150 a year in my eyes), you quickly realize that even an infrequent traveler can get tremendous value out of the card.
Note: That said, you may want to get the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card first because it has a much lower annual fee of $95 and it’s a good way to see just how much value you can get out of the Ultimate Rewards program. Also, note that you can’t get the sign-up bonuses on both cards.
Sign-Up Bonus
At 2 cents apiece for Ultimate Rewards points according to my valuations, the 50,000-point bonus (after spending $4,000 in the first three months) on the Sapphire Reserve is worth $1,000. That’s equivalent to more than two years of the annual fee. When you take out the $300 in travel you get each year as a perk, the annual fee is really only $150, because it’s simple to spend $300 a year on travel — especially because Chase has a wide description of what counts: airlines, hotels (including Airbnb), motels, timeshares, campgrounds, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis (including Uber and Lyft), limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways and parking lots and garages.
Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders get a value of 1.5 cents per Ultimate Rewards point when redeeming for travel on the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal, which is something that’s unique to the Reserve card. So, even if you’re a novice in the travel rewards field and don’t know how to maximize transfer partners, you’re getting $750 in travel from the sign-up bonus if you choose to use your points toward travel booked through the portal.
Not only are you getting great value out of bookings made through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, but any flight you book through the portal also counts as a revenue booking. This means you’ll earn airline miles and elite credit as well, getting you even more value.
Earning
The ability to redeem with a number of partners is one of the most important aspects of a credit card. And, beyond the massive sign-up bonus, the bonus earning categories will also help add to the value and your earning structure. With the card, you’ll earn 3x points on all travel (excluding the $300 travel credit) and dining purchases worldwide and 1x points on everything else. What’s often not known is just how extensive the bonus categories are — ride-sharing services, food delivery, etc.
To get an idea of how much more value you can get from the Sapphire Reserve card on the travel and dining bonus earning categories, let’s break it down in a comparison with what you’d earn with the Sapphire Preferred. The table considers that you won’t earn points on the $300 in travel that is reimbursed by the Sapphire Reserve’s travel credit.
| Spend (Month; Year) | Chase Sapphire Preferred | Chase Sapphire Reserve | Total Difference (Added Value) |
| $1,000/month; $12,000/year | 2,000 points per month; 24,000 per year | 2,925 points per month; 35,100 per year | 11,100-point difference per year; worth $222 in extra value |
| $2,000/month; $24,000/year | 4,000/month; 48,000/year | 5,925/month; 71,100/year | 23,100-point difference; $462 in value |
| $3,000/month; $36,000/year | 6,000/month; 72,000/year | 8,925/month; 107,100/year | 35,100-point difference; $702 in value |
| $5,000/month; $60,000/year | 10,000/month; 120,000/year | 14,925/month; 179,100/year | 59,100-point difference; $1,182 in value |
| $10,000/month; $120,000/year | 20,000/month; 240,000/year | 29,925/month; 359,100/year | 119,100-point difference; $2,382 in value |
Redeeming
If you choose to transfer your points from the sign-up bonus to one of Chase’s 13 travel partners, there’s potential for some great value for amazing premium-class redemptions. You can transfer 35,000 miles to United for a one-way business-class flight on a transcon route. Another great option is to book short-haul flights for 7,750 (off-peak) or 9,000 (peak) British Airways Avios each in a premium cabin (outside the US) — you can get up to six of these short-haul flights with this sign-up bonus. The possibilities are endless.
For more information on redeeming, see Redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards for Maximum Value and Best Sweet Spots With Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Perks
Annual Travel Credit — One of the biggest benefits of the card is the $300 annual travel credit because it can be applied toward purchases that qualify as travel (defined above). There’s no need to specify what kind of travel you want to use it for because Chase will automatically credit your account $300 when you use it to make eligible purchases.
Priority Pass Lounge Access — Although you won’t be able to access Delta Sky Clubs (as you can with The Platinum Card® from American Express) or American Airlines Admirals Clubs (as you can with the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard), the Sapphire Reserve does include a Priority Pass Select membership, which gives you access to more than 1,200 airport lounges across the world. In addition, authorized users receive a Priority Pass Select membership of their own. You’ll pay $75 to add each authorized user to your Reserve account, but they’ll be able to take advantage of one of the card’s nicest perks.
Priority Pass’ network of lounges includes some premium lounges, both in the US and abroad. For example, the Turkish Airlines Lounge at Washington Dulles (IAD), the Alaska Airlines Lounge in New York (JFK), the SkyTeam Lounge in Vancouver (YVR), the Oman Air Lounge in Bangkok (BKK) and the SATS Premier Lounge in Singapore (SIN) are all part of this program.
Application Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck — Like many other premium cards, the Sapphire Reserve will reimburse you when you charge the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck to the card. Remember that Global Entry includes PreCheck, so that’s the smarter choice. This benefit is available to cardholders once every four years, and if you already have enrolled, you can use the credit to cover a friend or family member’s application fee.
Visa Infinite Perks — Because the Sapphire Reserve is a Visa Infinite card, you’ll have access to a selection of the perks that come along with the program. Highlights of the program (that also apply to this card) include primary rental car insurance, trip cancellation and delay coverage, lost luggage reimbursement, a concierge service and access to the Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection.
Which cards compete with the Chase Sapphire Reserve?
The Sapphire Reserve‘s most natural competitors, besides the Chase Sapphire Preferred, are other premium cards like the Platinum Card from American Express. The Platinum Card, which has a $550 annual fee (See Rates & Fees), is a strong pick when it comes to airfare purchases, since it earns 5x Membership Rewards on flights booked directly through airlines or via Amex Travel, but it doesn’t offer much in terms of travel protections. And for more general travel purchases as well as dining spending you’re getting just 1 point per dollar compared to the Sapphire Reserve’s 3x points. The Amex Platinum does offer complimentary Gold elite status with Hilton and Marriott, while the Sapphire Reserve only offers access to the Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection and elite-like benefits at select Relais & Châteaux properties. On the other hand, the Platinum Card’s $200 annual airline fee credit is much less flexible than the Sapphire Reserve’s $300 annual travel credit, since you can only use the Platinum’s with one designated airline and in that case it’s not even valid for actual airfare — though there are some workarounds.
There’s also the Citi Prestige Card, which will relaunched in late Jan. 2019 with 5x earning on dining and air travel. The Citi ThankYou Rewards program’s selection of transfer partners isn’t as impressive as Chase’s list (there’s currently no hotel partners), but the Prestige does stand out for its 4th Night Free benefit. Unfortunately, this 4th Night Free benefit will be capped to twice per year starting in September 2019. Even so, if you make paid hotel stays at high-end properties, it could be worth using the Citi Prestige Card for that but still using the Sapphire Reserve for the majority of your travel and dining spending.
Other premium cards like the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card make less of an apples-to-apples comparison, since it is a co-branded hotel card that focuses on providing high-end benefits and status to travelers within the Hilton loyalty program rather than premium perks that aren’t tied to a specific brand. Plus, the points the Chase Sapphire Reserve earns are more valuable.
Who’s eligible for the Chase Sapphire Reserve?
It can be difficult to get approved for some Chase cards due to the issuer’s restrictive application requirements — more specifically, the 5/24 rule. For those who haven’t heard of it, the 5/24 rule with Chase is an unconfirmed policy (but it has been widely reported) that if you’ve opened five credit card accounts with any issuer in the past 24 months, your application will be automatically declined. Although there are reports of some customers being approved for the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card despite having opened five or more cards within the past 24 months, it looks like many are being declined. The only way to tell if you’re eligible for the card is to apply!
If you aren’t approved, you may be able to upgrade to the Sapphire Reserve. Unfortunately, if you choose to upgrade your Chase Sapphire Preferred Card to the Sapphire Reserve, you won’t qualify for the sign-up bonus. However, you will be able to reap the other benefits of the card. So, the decision whether or not to upgrade the card will vary on a case-by-case basis.
Bottom Line
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a complete no-brainer — especially for big spenders and frequent travelers. The $300 travel credit effectively brings the card’s annual fee from $450 to $150. This means the annual fee can be justified even for small spenders if the primary goal is points earning. With 3x travel and dining bonus categories, industry-leading travel protections, valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points and various perks, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is an excellent premium travel rewards credit card.
Here’s the link to apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve with a 50,000-point bonus.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, please click here.
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