The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card is a premium travel rewards card well-suited for frequent travelers. This is an astonishingly overpowered card with many readily available benefits for a $450 annual fee.
It offers goodies like an annual travel credit worth up to $300, airport lounge access, and waived application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. In the midst of many luxury travel rewards cards, the Sapphire Reserve stands out with its valuable perks for those who travel often.
Earn 3X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
New applicants can earn a 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 toward travel when you redeem through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal.
Editor’s Note: If you’re uncertain about getting this card, you may want to get the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card first. It has a much lower annual fee of $95. In addition, it’s a good way to see just how much value you can get out of the Ultimate Rewards program. However, you can’t get the sign-up bonuses on both cards.
If you’re interested for more offers from Chase, check out all the ongoing Checking/Savings account bonuses!
| BONUS LINK | OFFER | REVIEW |
| Chase Total Business Checking® | $200 Cash | Review |
| Chase SapphireSM Checking | 60,000 Points | Review |
| Chase Total Checking® + Chase SavingsSM | $350 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Checking®SM | $200 Cash | Review |
| Chase SavingsSM | $150 Cash | Review |
| Chase Premier Plus CheckingSM | $300 Cash | Review |
| Chase College CheckingSM | $100 Cash | Review |
| Chase Private Client | $1,250 Cash | Review |
| You InvestSM by J.P. Morgan | Up To $625 Cash | Review |
Table of Contents
- 1 Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Summary
- 2 Earning The 50,000 Bonus Points
- 3 Earn 3X Points on Travel & Dining
- 4 Redeem Rewards
- 5 Chase Sapphire Reserve Point Transfer Program
- 6 Sapphire Reserve Free Priority Pass Select Membership
- 7 Cardholder Perks
- 8 Earn More Ultimate Rewards Points
- 9 Conclusion
- 10 Other Credit Cards To Consider
Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Summary
 With the Chase Sapphire Reserve®: • Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards® • Named "Best Premium Travel Credit Card" for 2018 by MONEY® Magazine • $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year • 3X points on travel immediately after earning your $300 travel credit. 3X points on dining at restaurants & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. $0 foreign transaction fees. • Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 50,000 points are worth $750 toward travel • 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs • Access to 1,000+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority PassTM Select • Up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® Learn More About This Card Here |
Additional Advice: We recommend combining it with another Chase credit card, such as the no annual fee cash-back Chase Freedom card. This way, you can transfer the points you earn on the Chase Freedom® to your Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card account and redeem them for more than 1 cent per point. Since both cards are on the Ultimate Rewards platform, you can also combine the points instead of using two different rewards platforms. That’s an immediate 25% increase on the value of your points when used for travel.
Earning The 50,000 Bonus Points
Frequent travelers should have no issues meeting the spending requirement for the bonus. However, for some more ideas to meet the $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months requirement, here are some options:
• Plastiq: Plastiq allows you to pay for expenses that you generally won’t be able to with your card like rent, tuition, auto lease, mortgage payment, and more. There’s a 2.5% processing fee for using your credit card. However, this’ll be worth the card bonus you’ll get. There’s also a referral program where you can earn “Fee-Free Dollars” to use towards processing fees. See our Plastiq review. • Fund Checking accounts with your card: Many banks will allow you to fund the opening deposit with a credit card. Consider opening Checking accounts that also offer a sign-up bonus. This way, you can work towards bonuses from two different sources. Big banks like Chase, HSBC, Huntington, and TD Bank have great offers and allow credit card funding. You can generally fund anywhere from $50 to $1,000 towards the opening deposit with a credit card, depending on the bank. • Buy gift cards: Consider buying gift cards with your credit card that you can then spend later at your leisure. Individual merchant cards (restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, etc.) generally don’t have purchase fees, so this is a plus. On the other hand, American Express and Visa gift cards will have purchase fees. Amazon gift cards are a great idea as you can shop for almost anything there with no purchase fees either. Unfortunately, Citi credit cards tend to code gift card purchases as Cash Advances and there’ll be a fee. Call in to customer service and lower your Cash Advance limit to $0 before purchasing gift cards. You can also buy discounted gift cards as well from Raise or find gift cards on eBay. • Everyday spending & bills: Always using your credit card for everyday spending, such as for dining, gas, groceries, etc. You can also use your credit card to pay for things like insurance bills, property taxes and income taxes. However, you’ll have to consider the convenience fees. |
Earn 3X Points on Travel & Dining
The Sapphire Reserve offers the opportunity to earn points on two popular bonus categories. You’ll earn 3 points per $1 spent on both travel and dining.
Ride-sharing services, such as Uber and Lyft, count as travel and earn 3X points on the Sapphire Reserve. In addition to airlines, hotels, motels, car rentals, cruise lines and travel agencies charges, many other services like passenger trains buses, taxis, limos, ferries, toll bridges and highways, parking lots and garages also earn 3X points.
For dining, you earn 3X points at all restaurants, whether they’re fancy sit down places or fast food joints. You can also earn this bonus at many bars and some delivery services, such as Seamless and UberEats.
All other purchases earn 1 point per $1 spent.
Redeem Rewards
Points are flexible to redeem on the Chase Sapphire Reserve℠ Card. Use your points to purchase airfare, reserve hotel rooms, and even rent a car. Your points are worth 1.5 cents apiece through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® travel portal. That’s a 50% bonus on your points right there.
By booking through the portal, you don’t have to worry about blackout dates or finding award space. As long as there’s a seat on sale for a flight you want, or a hotel room available to reserve with cash, you can pay with your points.
Any flight you book through the portal also counts as a revenue booking. This means you’ll earn miles and elite credit as well, getting you even more point value.
Chase Sapphire Reserve Point Transfer Program
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of the few cards where you can transfer your accumulated points to select loyalty programs to help top off awards bookings at the respective hotel chain or airline.
Ultimate Rewards Airline/Hotel 1:1 Point Transfer Partners:
| Airline Transfer Partners | Hotel Transfer Partners |
| Aer Lingus AerClub | IHG Rewards Club |
| British Airways Executive Club | Marriott Bonvoy (Previously Marriott Rewards) |
| Flying Blue AIR FRANCE KLM | The Ritz-Carlton Rewards |
| Iberia Plus | World of Hyatt |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | |
| Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards | |
| United MileagePlus | |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
It’s best to transfer your points if you know exactly how you plan on using them. You’ll need to learn which partners are the best for where you’re going and search for award availability. Nonetheless, if you’re willing to put in this time and effort, you can get much more than 1.5 cents per points.
If you calculate your points value after transferring them to find them to be worth less than 1 cent per point, it’s best to hold onto them.
Another idea is to pay for the flight or hotel booking, then use your Ultimate Rewards® points retroactively as statement credit to pay for the purchase. This will ensure you’ll get a better value for your points.
Sapphire Reserve Free Priority Pass Select Membership
One of the best things about this credit card is the complementary Priority Pass Select membership. You’ll have access to 1,200+ lounges worldwide at no cost, and up to 2 of your guests will also be covered. This membership level is equal to the “Prestige” membership plan that would cost you $400+ if purchased directly on the Priority Pass website. If this is an important benefit to you, it’s a huge savings for the $450 annual fee.
If you’re traveling on a long flight internationally, you’ll highly enjoy these premium benefits. You’ll find common amenities like showers, food buffets, refreshments, alcohol, Wi-Fi, and comfortable seating at many lounges abroad.
Lounges can be found at international airports like PEK (Beijing, China), BKK (Bangkok, Thailand), DXB (Dubai), LHR (London), NRT (Narita, Japan), and many more. You can also find them at busy domestic airports like LAX, ATL, ORD, JFK and DFW.
Once you receive your Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you’ll have to activate your free Priority Pass Select membership to take advantage of the benefit:
- Log into your Ultimate Rewards account.
- Click on either the “Use Points” or “Earn Points” menu at the top.
- Click on “Card Benefits”.
- Activate your Priority Pass Select membership.
Make sure you carry your Priority Pass member card as you travel. It could take 2-3 weeks after activation to receive your card, so plan accordingly. Most lounges now accept the card digitally through the smartphone app.
Cardholder Perks
$300 Annual Travel Credit: This is one of the more generous benefits of this card. Apply it toward purchases qualifying as travel. No need to specify what kind of travel you want to use it for — Chase will automatically credit your account $300 when you use it to make eligible purchases.
Priority Pass Lounge Access: Though you won’t be able to access Delta Sky Clubs or American Airlines Admirals Clubs, the Sapphire Reserve includes a Priority Pass Select membership. This 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. It’s $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.
Application Fee Credit for Global Entry / TSA PreCheck: This is a perk found on many other premium cards. Get your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee reimbursed when you charge it to the card. Global Entry includes PreCheck, so you might as well apply for that option. Receive this benefit once every four years. Those already enrolled can use the credit to cover a friend or family member’s application fee.
Visa Infinite Perks: Since the Sapphire Reserve is a Visa Infinite card, you can access a selection of perks available. Receive primary rental car insurance, trip cancellation and delay coverage, lost luggage reimbursement, a concierge service and access to the Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection, and more.
Earn More Ultimate Rewards Points
Did you know? You can combine Ultimate Rewards points from all Chase products that earn them. The Chase Sapphire℠ Checking account is offering bonus Ultimate Rewards points when you sign up today. Read our Chase Sapphire℠ Checking review.
 With the Chase SapphireSM Checking: • Enjoy 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards bonus points when you join SapphireSM Banking. Within 45 days, transfer a total of $75,000 or more in qualifying new money or securities to a combination of eligible checking, savings and/or investment accounts, and maintain the balance for at least 90 days. • Enjoy a new kind of banking experience • No ATM fees worldwide - down the street or around the globe • Perks that add up - relationship rates, special access and help when you need it • Open online in minutes • Email my upgrade code • Available in: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MS, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV |
Conclusion
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card is well known for the perks it offers. Although the $450 annual fee seems quite steep initially, you quickly realize that even an infrequent traveler can get tremendous value out of the card.
Enjoy $300 annual travel credit that can be applied toward purchases qualifying as travel, Priority Pass Select membership, and Application Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. As a Visa Infinite card, you’ll have access to a selection of the perks that come along with the program. These include primary rental car insurance, trip cancellation and delay coverage, lost luggage reimbursement, a concierge service, access to the Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection, and more.
In fact, if you can use up the $300 annual travel credit, it’s like getting the rest of the perks for just $150 per year.
However, if you don’t travel often or you can’t take advantage of all the perks it offers, check out the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card instead. It offers 2X points on travel and dining for a $95 annual fee. Though it doesn’t offer all the perks the Sapphire Reserve offers, you can earn 1.25 cents per point when redeeming through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® travel portal. Or, you can see if any other credit card promotions here on BCS can entice you.
Other Credit Cards To Consider
Premium Cards:
 With the The Platinum Card® from American Express: • Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases in your first 3 months. • Enjoy Uber VIP status and free rides in the U.S. up to $15 each month, plus a bonus $20 in December. That can be up to $200 in annual Uber savings. • 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel. • 5X Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com. • Enjoy access to the Global Lounge Collection, the only credit card airport lounge access program that includes proprietary lounge locations around the world. • Receive complimentary benefits with an average total value of $550 with Fine Hotels & Resorts. Learn More. • $200 Airline Fee Credit, up to $200 per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one qualifying airline. • Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue on your Platinum Card®. Enrollment required. • $550 annual fee. • Terms Apply. • See Rates & Fees |
Travel w/ Lower Annual Fees:
 With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: • Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards® • 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. • Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel Learn More About This Card Here |
The Best Bank Offers are updated here. See the below pages to get started with some of the best offers: • Chase Bank Offers. Chase offers a range of attractive Checking, Savings and Business Accounts. Chase has a great selection of sign-up bonuses in comparison to other big banks. • HSBC Bank Offers. HSBC Bank has big value offers available through this Checking Accounts. In addition, they are offering an attractive rate for their Online Savings Account. • Huntington Bank Offers. Huntington Bank has high bonus amounts available through their Checking and Business Checking. Huntington also offers a Business Premier Money Market Account. • Discover Bank Offers. Discover Bank offers top cashback, savings, money market accounts and CD rates for you to take advantage of. Discover has industry leading selections to cater to your banking needs. • TD Bank Offers. TD Bank consistently offers a fantastic selection of checking accounts to cater to your banking needs. However, savings account offers are less frequently available. |
| BONUS LINK | OFFER | REVIEW |
| Discover Bank Online Savings | $200 Cash | Review |
| HSBC Premier Checking Member FDIC | $750 Cash | Review |
| HSBC Advance Checking Member FDIC | $350 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Asterisk-Free Checking® | $150 Cash | Review |
| Huntington 5 Checking | $200 Cash | Review |
| Chase SapphireSM Checking | 60,000 Points | Review |
| Chase Total Checking® + Chase SavingsSM | $350 Cash | Review |
| Chase Premier Plus CheckingSM | $300 Cash | Review |
| Chase College CheckingSM | $100 Cash | Review |
| Chase Private Client | $1,250 Cash | Review |
| TD Bank Beyond Checking | $300 Cash | Review |
| TD Bank Convenience CheckingSM | $150 Cash | Review |
| Chase Total Business Checking® | $200 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Unlimited Plus Business Checking | $500 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Unlimited Business Checking | $400 Cash | Review |
| Huntington Bank Business Checking 100 | $200 Cash | Review |
