Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining. Earn 1x points on all other purchases
Welcome Bonus
75,000 bonus points
Annual Fee
$550
Credit Score
Excellent
Regular APR
22.49%-29.49% Variable
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, plus more.
Welcome Bonus
75,000 bonus points
Annual Fee
$95
Credit Score
Excellent, Good
Regular APR
21.49%-28.49% Variable
Chase’s Sapphire card comes in two varieties, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®, each with its own perks and drawbacks. While they may seem similar from their names, they are two very distinct and unique products. Let’s dive in and see how they differ and which is best for you.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Guide
Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Reserve Overview
| Card Detail | Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | Chase Sapphire Reserve® |
|---|---|---|
|
Annual Fee
|
$95
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$550
|
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Welcome Bonus
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75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
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75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
|
|
Foreign Transaction Fee
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$0
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$0
|
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APR
|
21.49%-28.49% variable APR on purchases and balance transfers
|
22.49% - 29.49% variable APR on purchases and balance transfers. A balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies
|
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Annual Statement Credits
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$50 for statement credits toward hotel reservations through Chase Travel℠
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$300 in statement credits towards any travel purchases
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Earning Rates
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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
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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
|
|
Redemption Rates
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1.25 cents per point when redeemed for travel on Chase Travel℠ |
1.5 cents per point when redeemed for travel through Chase Travel℠ |
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Annual Bonus Points
|
10% of purchases made during the anniversary year
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N/A
|
Welcome Bonus
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card card offers a welcome bonus of 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card comes with a welcome bonus offer of 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. These are rather substantial offers, particularly for the Sapphire Preferred card that comes with a much lower annual fee.
It’s worth noting that the value of your bonus points can be higher for the Sapphire Reserve card if you redeem them for travel through Chase Travel℠. With this redemption method, Chase Sapphire Reserve® points are worth 50% more (1.5 cents per point) whereas Chase Sapphire Preferred points are worth 25% more (1.25 cents per point).
With other redemption options, Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card points are equally valuable. For example, both cards transfer to partners at a 1:1 ratio.
Winner: Tie, with a slight edge to the Sapphire Reserve if you plan to redeem for travel through Chase.
Best All-Around Travel Rewards Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Up to 5x Reward Rate
Earn 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on allRead More
Welcome Bonus
75,000 bonus points
Annual Fee
$95
Regular APR
21.49%-28.49% Variable
Credit Score
Excellent, Good (700 - 749)
Offering a rare mix of high rewards rates and redemption flexibility, this card is a dream for frequent spenders on travel & dining – while charging a modest annual fee.
It’s the granddaddy of travel credit cards, but it still earns its reputation as one of the best around with solid bonus categories, strong travel protections, a great set of domestic and international transfer partners and a reasonable annual fee to boot. You can’t go wrong with it as your first travel credit card.
- Earn high rewards on several areas of spending
- Transfer points to travel partners at 1:1 rate
- Many travel and shopping protections
- Annual fee
- No intro APR offer
- Best travel earning rates are only for bookings through Chase
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 75,000 points are worth $937.50 toward travel.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
- Member FDIC
Annual Fee
The annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a mere $95, while the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, being a premium travel card, comes with a significant hike on the annual fee at $550.
While it might be easy to jump to the conclusion that the clear winner is the Sapphire Preferred, the Sapphire Reserve card packs a punch when it comes to benefits that help offset the steep annual fee. The up to $300 annual travel credit can significantly help offset the annual fee on its own.
Add to it the Priority Pass Select membership, the 50% boost in point redemption along with a few other ancillary benefits, and the Sapphire Reserve card’s fee may be justifiable for avid travelers. But the Sapphire Preferred will be the better choice for casual travelers who wouldn’t maximize all of these benefits.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred. You can’t argue with the $95 annual fee being so much lower than the Reserve. If you value all of the extra perks that come with the Reserve, you might be able to justify the fee; otherwise, the CSP is a solid value for such a small fee.
Earning Rewards
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholders earn 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. They also receive a 10% anniversary bonus on the purchases they made through the year. So if you spent $50,000, you’d receive 5,000 points.
Earning on the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is generally more rewarding than the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, but its bonus categories are even more focused on dining and travel. The Chase 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.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve. Chances are you’re going to spend a lot on travel and dining if you’re looking at these cards, so earning extra points with those purchases is a clear win for the Reserve.
Best Premium Rewards Credit Card
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
This card offers superior points earning rates if you spend frequently on travel and dining out. The $300 travel credit justifies much of the annual fee, and redeeming points for travel through Chase Travel℠ nets you a 50% bonus.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card is one of the most valuable flexible rewards credit cards thanks to its lucrative bonus categories and easy-to-use travel credit. Cardholders can offset the annual fee and get great value when redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards points earned on the card, thanks to partnerships with numerous airlines and hotels and its convenient travel booking portal, Chase Travel.
- $300 annual travel credit is incredibly flexible
- Generous welcome bonus
- Get 50% more value when you redeem points for travel through Chase
- Points transfer to valuable airline and hotel partners
- High annual fee
- High variable APR on purchases
- Excellent credit recommended
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $1,125 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
- $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 75,000 points are worth $1125 toward travel.
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Member FDIC
Travel Benefits
Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve excel in the travel perks category, with benefits ranging from automatic statement credits when you book travel to travel insurance and protections. Here a few examples:
Travel Credits
Cardmembers of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card card receive a $50 Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit every year when booking hotel stays through Chase Travel. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® card offers up to $300 in statement credits each year as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card.
Point Redemptions
The redemption rate when booking travel through the Chase Travel portal is more favorable on the Sapphire Reserve; it’s bumped 50% compared to the Sapphire Preferred’s boost of 25%.
Travel Protections
Both cards come with exceptional insurance coverage and protections built in. Primary auto rental collision damage waiver, trip cancellation or trip interruption insurance, travel and emergency assistance services, extended warranty protection and purchase protection are included on both cards. To these benefits, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® adds return protection and an emergency medical and dental benefit.
Lounge Access
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® card includes a Priority Pass Select membership, valued at $469 a year, allowing you to access their full network of 1,300+ airport lounges. Cardmembers and authorized users plus up to two guests each receive access through this card’s Priority Pass Select membership. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card card does not offer any kind of lounge access.
Credit for Trusted Traveler Programs
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® card offers a credit of up to $100 for your membership with TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS every four years when you use your credit card to pay for the fee. The Sapphire Preferred does not offer this benefit.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve. With so many travel credits, lounge access, travel protections and more, the Sapphire Reserve packs a more powerful punch over its cousin the Sapphire Preferred.
Redemption Options
The redemption options look the same for these credit cards since they both utilize the Chase Travel portal. Here are a few of your options:
Transfering to Partners
You can transfer your Ultimate Rewards to travel partners at a 1:1 ratio to around a dozen partners and these transfers have the potential to yield outsized value. For example, a flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Istanbul (IST) on Turkish Airlines can cost around $4,700 in business class, but it would only take 88,000 Ultimate Rewards transferred to United Airlines to book it, providing a value of more than 2 cents per point.
Travel Through Chase Travel
When redeemed for travel through the Chase Travel portal, each point earned by the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is worth 1.25 cents. For example, 50,000 points would be worth $625 in travel. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® instead nets you 1.5 cents per point. So the same 50,000 points would be worth $750 in travel.
Cash Back
You can choose to redeem your Ultimate Rewards on either credit card for statement credits on your purchases. Each point will be worth 1 cent. So 50,000 points would be worth $500.
Gift Cards
Gift card redemptions are generally valued at 1 cent per point but the Chase portal often features a few gift cards that are “On Sale” and offer an even better value.
Other redemption options inside the Chase portal include Pay Yourself Back, Pay With Points (at Amazon and PayPal), Shop With Points and Chase Experiences.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve. The CSR offers a 50% bonus instead of a 25% bonus when redeeming points, but other than that it’s all the same. If you choose the Chase Sapphire Preferred, don’t feel like you’re missing out, however, as a 25% bonus in redemption is still a solid value.
Transfer Partners
Both Sapphire cards have the same Chase travel partners where you can transfer your points. You can transfer your Ultimate Reward points to any of these programs at a 1:1 ratio in increments of 1,000 points. While most transfers are immediate, some may take a few days to process.
| Airlines | Hotels |
|---|---|
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Aer Lingus AerClub
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IHG One Rewards
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Air Canada Aeroplan
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Marriott Bonvoy
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Air France KLM Flying Blue
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World of Hyatt
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British Airways Executive Plan
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Emirates Skywards
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Iberia Plus
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JetBlue TrueBlue
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Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
|
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Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
|
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United MileagePlus
|
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Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
|
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Other Perks and Benefits
Both cards come with ancillary perks that are not specifically travel-related, but still provide additional benefits worth taking advantage of.
- Lyft: You can earn 5 points per dollar spent on Lyft rides with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card through March 2025. Meanwhile, you can earn 10 points per dollar spent on Lyft rides with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® through March 2025 and you receive a 2-year Lyft Pink All Access membership, which includes exclusive pricing and benefits with 10% off all lux rides, discounts on bikeshare and more, activation required.
- Doordash: Both credit cards get you a free DashPass membership to both DoorDash and Caviar that comes with $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders when activated by Dec. 31, 2024. The Sapphire Reserve also comes with $5 in DoorDash credits each month.
- Instacart: With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you get a 6-month complimentary membership to Instacart+ to get your groceries delivered to your home, plus up to $15 in statement credits each quarter when activated by July 31, 2024. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® gets you a complimentary membership to Instacart+ for a year, plus up to $15 in statement credits each month instead when activated by July 31, 2024.
Fees and APR
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has $0 foreign transaction fees for purchases made abroad. There is a 21.49%-28.49% variable APR on purchases and balance transfers.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® also comes with $0 foreign transaction fees. It has a 22.49% - 29.49% variable APR on purchases and balance transfers. A balance transfer fee of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, applies.
Consider Neither the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card nor the Chase Sapphire Reserve® For
Those Who Prefer To Avoid Annual Fees
If you have a hard time stomaching cards with annual fees, then neither of these cards might be for you. Consider travel credit cards with no annual fees instead. Note that while annual fees do eat into the rewards you earn with a card, both of these (yes, even the Chase Sapphire Reserve®) can provide more than enough welcome bonus points, travel credits and other benefits to make up for it.
Those Who Aren’t Interested in Travel
Both of these cards are fits for people who enjoy traveling and like to redeem their rewards toward trips. But if cash back is more your style, there are several great cash-back credit cards that may be a better fit.
Those Who Are Under the 5/24 Rule
Chase has an unpublished rule, referred to as 5/24, that makes most people ineligible for a new Chase card if they have applied and been approved for five or more accounts over a period of 24 months, regardless of the banking institution that issued those cards. So if you’ve opened at least five personal credit cards within the past two years, these won’t be the right cards for you right now.
If you haven’t heard of the Chase Trifecta, consider learning more. It’s a powerful combo that will allow you to maximize the number of Chase Ultimate Rewards you’ll earn in various categories of spending.
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Bottom Line
If you’re a light traveler who would still like to earn some points for redemption, then the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the card for you. On the other hand, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® could provide more value for heavy travelers. Regardless of the Sapphire credit card you choose, you’ll be rewarded with strong earnings opportunities and flexible redemption options.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card worth it?
Frequent travelers might easily justify the Sapphire’s Reserve’s steep annual fee as there are plenty of opportunities to offset the cost via multiple travel credits, access to lounges, generous points earning and more. But sporadic travelers may not use enough of these benefits throughout the year to come out ahead.
Can I Upgrade from the Sapphire Preferred to the Sapphire Reserve?
Yes, it is possible to upgrade (or downgrade) between Sapphire cards. But it’s worth noting that product changes are generally ineligible for welcome bonuses. If you already have the Sapphire Preferred, it might be a smarter move to apply for the Sapphire Reserve separately so that you’ll qualify to receive a welcome bonus offer. But you can’t hold both cards at the same time and there needs to be 48 months between welcome bonuses.
Can I combine my Ultimate Rewards balance from the Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve?
Yes. Chase allows you to combine your Ultimate Rewards balances from multiple credit cards into one balance so that you can make a larger redemption.
