Why You Might Want This Card
Best Overall Personal Card You Should Get
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is, arguably, the best travel card you'll find. The benefits include (but are certainly not limited to): 1:1 point transfer to some of the most popular airlines and hotels; access to 1,000+ airport lounges worldwide; access to luxury hotel and resort collections; primary car rental insurance; travel insurance -- and so much more. Want more points? Get 3x points on all travel and dining purchases. When it's time to book your trip, go through the Chase Travel Portal to redeem your points for 50% more. You can even transfer your Chase Reward points from some other Chase cards and still get the 50% point bonus. This means every point you earn from Chase Freedom or Ink cards are also worth 50% more.
This card falls under the 5/24 Chase rule, so if you're maxed out with the number of credit cards, wait before applying. Also, you'll need excellent credit to get this card. But don't worry, you can talk with the reconsideration line if you have any issues. Don't let the $550 annual fee scare you -- since you'll get an annual travel credit for $300 every year. This perk lowers the actual cost of annual fee to $250. And, using the other perks of this card, such as the $100 credit toward Global Entry, lowers even the cost of its annual fee.
Check out our Chase Ultimate Rewards page for more details on how to best use Chase Points.
Bottom Line
If you don't already have the Chase Sapphire card, it's probably in the top 2-3 of your personal rankings. If you have a spouse or partner helping you, one of you should get the Sapphire Reserve while the other gets the Sapphire Preferred. But if you can only pick one of the Sapphire cards, which should you choose? Many sites rank the Sapphire Preferred above the Reserve. We disagree. And we believe the reason those sites try to steer you away from the Reserve card is simple: they get paid on the Preferred card referrals and not the Reserve card referrals. Here is an article that breaks down which is best for you and why >