Chase Boosts Welcome Bonus On Two Sapphire Cards To 75,000 Points

While we’ve seen offers of 80,000 to 100,000 points on these cards in the past, there is no guarantee that Chase will bring these back. Even at 60,000 points, both cards could add enough value to earn a spot in your wallet.

The annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is reasonable at $95, and it earns 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases. The card also comes with $50 in statement credit each account anniversary for hotels booked through Chase Travel℠.

Sapphire Preferred cardholders booking through Chase Travel get 25% more value from their points, meaning the 75,000-point welcome bonus is worth over $900.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® carries a higher annual fee of $550 but adds enough benefits and credits to cover that fee for those who can utilize them.

The Sapphire Reserve earns 5 points per dollar on flights and 10 points per dollar on hotels and car rentals when purchasing travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3 points per dollar on other travel and dining and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. It includes a $300 annual travel credit and a credit to cover the application fee for TSA PreCheck®, Global Entry or Nexus.

As a top travel card, the Sapphire Reserve includes complimentary airport lounge access with a Priority Pass Select membership after a one-time enrollment. It also gives cardholders access to the expanding and luxurious Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club locations.

The Sapphire Reserve also includes best-in-class travel protections, such as primary auto rental collision damage waiver coverage, trip cancellation and interruption insurance and lost luggage reimbursement.

With the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, cardholders get 50% more from their points when booking through Chase Travel. With that 50% bonus, the 75,000-point welcome bonus is worth $1,125 in travel booked with Ultimate Rewards through the Chase Travel portal.

While Ultimate Rewards points can be worth 25% to 50% more when booking through Chase Travel, the value can increase even more with Chase’s airline and hotel transfer partners. The Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card all give cardholders access to over a dozen transfer partners, including British Airways, Southwest Airlines and World of Hyatt. All points transfers are 1:1.

If you’ve seen people brag about amazing redemptions with points, it’s likely because they transferred points to an airline or hotel partner. One way to make your points go further is to transfer to British Airways and book flights on partner airlines.

British Airways and American Airlines are both part of the Oneworld airline alliance, so AA flights can be found on BA’s website if they’re in the right fare class. Here’s an example of a one-way flight operated by AA from Philadelphia to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, a popular beach destination.

American Airlines cash booking

British Airways Avios booking of the same flight

Notice the flight number is the same for the cash booking with AA and the points booking with BA: flight AA2641. If booked directly with AA, the cash price would be $347. That same flight booked with British Airways would be 14,500 Avios plus $49.65 in taxes and fees.

Even when considering the out-of-pocket cost for taxes and fees with the Avios booking, the value of your points is more than double. That even beats the 25% to 50% bonus booking through Chase Travel.

If you haven’t received a welcome bonus for a Sapphire card in the last 48 months, you could qualify for one of these offers. These two travel credit cards are among the best on the market, and the elevated welcome offer just made them even more appealing. If you’ve been on the fence about getting a Sapphire card, this limited-time offer is an excellent opportunity to get a bonus that’s higher than the standard offer.