Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card

Why This Card Could Be Right For You

The Chase Sapphire Reserve comes with a 125,000 point signup bonus after spending $6000 in the first three months, which is a pretty low spend considering the value of the bonus.

One of the biggest benefits the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers is an annual $300 travel credit. This credit is automatically applied to any travel purchase made with the card. It does not need to be made through the portal or all at once. It can be piecemealed throughout the year for ANY travel purchase. So this essentially knocks the annual fee down to $495.

Do the rest of the benefits make you want to keep it beyond the first year? The Reserve has gone the “coupon” route that so many other rewards cards have turned to, so not only will you have to work harder to receive the necessary benefits to offset that annual fee, but you’ll have to sit down and analyze which credits you’ll even use to figure out if the card is worth keeping.

Below are the credits the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers:

• Cardholders will receive a $250 credit for select Chase Travel hotels (the stay has to be at least 2 nights) to be used any time in 2026. They only announced this as a perk for use in 2026 - it is unclear if they'll make this an ongoing credit after that.
• $300 annual travel credit (automatically applied to any travel purchase)
• Two $150 credits per year (one January - June and one July - December) for StubHub or Viagogo
• $250 in Apple TV+ and Apple Music subscriptions annually
• Two $250 credits per year for prepaid bookings with The Edit (a two night minimum stay is required each time to receive the twice per year credit). These credits can be used any time throughout the year, and you have to have two separate bookings to receive the $250 credit both times (it won't work on a single, 4 night booking)
  • You can you book two, 2-night stays back to back at the same hotel, and you will receive both $250 credits in this scenario. If you book the exact same room type, you should not have to check out then back in on the third day
  • There are also extra benefits that come with The Edit bookings: Free breakfast (at select properties), $100 property credit, room upgrade (if available), and early check-in/late check-out (if available)
  • The extra Edit benefits are not available on the second two nights of back to back bookings in the same hotel (though the $250 credits are, provided you made two separate bookings)
• Two $150 credits per year (one January - June and one July - December) for restaurants in Chase Exclusive Tables
• Complimentary DashPass Membership (worth $120 annually), two $10 monthly credits on non-restaurant orders, and one $5 monthly credit on restaurant orders
• One $10 credit on Lyft rides per month
• $10 monthly credits on Peloton
• $120 credit every 4 years for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck

Below are additional benefits, perks, and spending multipliers:

• Priority Pass Select Membership: This is good for the cardholder and two guests
• Access to any Chase Sapphire Lounge by the Club for the cardholder and two guests
• Access to select Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges and Air Canada Cafes
• IHG Platinum Elite Status
• Points Boost: Redeem your points for up to 2 cents per point value on select flight and hotel options through the Chase Portal and The Edit bookings
• A variety of purchase and travel protections, including auto rental coverage, roadside assistance, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, among others
• 8x points on travel booked through the Chase portal, 5x on Lyft rides, 4x on flights and hotels, 3x on dining, and 1x everywhere else

If you spend more than $75,000 on the card in a calendar year, you unlock the following benefits:

• IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite Status
• $250 credit for The Shops at Chase
• $500 Southwest Airlines Chase Travel credit
• Southwest Airlines A-List status

Note: If you owned this card before the changes were made to it on June 23, 2025, you will be able to redeem all points earned before October 26, 2025 for 1.5 cents per point through the Chase Portal. That redemption opportunity will last until October 26, 2027. After that, all points earned will only be eligible for points boost.

When The Usual Advice Doesn't Apply

• You already have Global Entry/TSA Precheck and/or Priority Pass (either through another card or paid for it yourself)
• For those who only take one trip per year or travel solo, the benefits of lounge access with guests and TSA precheck probably won’t offset the high annual fee, even with that $300 travel credit
• You don’t like having to work so hard to earn the necessary credits to offset the high annual fee

My Experience, No Filter

This was the very first card we opened when we started collecting points. The principal reason was the 1.5 redemption value we get on every point. We make some big annual spends on a couple of Chase business cards -- points that we always transfer to the Sapphire Reserve card for the 50% bonus. Factor in 3 points earned per dollar spent on dining, and you're getting back 4.5% every time you go out to eat. The $550 annual fee (less the $300 travel credit) makes the Reserve a no-brainer to keep.