Click here to learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve®
If you’ve been keeping up with the points and miles world for a while, there’s a good chance you remember when the Chase Sapphire Reserve® first launched.
It completely changed the premium credit card space.
Fast forward to today, and the card has gone through a major refresh. The annual fee is a bit higher, but so are the perks. For frequent travelers who actually use the benefits, the Sapphire Reserve can still be one of the most powerful cards available.
Here’s the full details on the refreshed card:
A Strong Welcome Bonus
You can currently earn 125,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
This is one of the highest signup bonuses we’ve ever seen for the Chase Sapphire Reserve, and rightfully so, considering the annual fee comes in at $795.
Strong Earning Potential
With the Sapphire Reserve you’ll be able to rack up points pretty quickly, especially on travel. For example, you’ll earn 8x points on travel booked through Chase Travel℠ along with 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly.
You’ll also earn 3x points on dining and 1x points on everything else.
Just keep in mind that since the Chase Sapphire Reserve comes with a $300 travel credit, you won’t earn any points on travel purchases until after this credit has been fully used. Your first $300 in travel spend will go toward the $300 annual travel credit (more on that soon).
If you book travel through the Chase portal, the 8x earning rate is extremely strong compared to many other travel cards.
I personally love the ability to earn 4x points on hotels booked directly, because this can stack on top of the points and perks that I get from that hotel’s loyalty program.
Travel Perks & Credits
With the refresh last year, the Sapphire Reserve introduced plenty of new perks and credits that can help elevate your travel experience and offer plenty of savings.
My two favorite perks include the lounge access, especially to the Chase Sapphire Lounges by The Club, which are some of my favorite lounges in the world, alongside the $300 annual travel credit, which may be the easiest to use out of any travel credit card.
You’re also getting a $250 credit for select Chase Travel Hotels through 12/31/26. This is for prepaid Chase Travel hotel bookings for stays with select hotels including IHG Hotels & Resorts, just keep in mind that a two-night minimum stay is required, and purchases that qualify will not earn points.
A relatively new launch from Chase is The Edit™ collection. With the Sapphire Reserve, you’ll get a $500 credit for stays with The Edit. You’ll receive a statement credit of up to $250 for each prepaid booking with the Edit, up to $500 annually. Again, a two-night minimum is required and purchases that qualify won’t earn points. Though you will get many perks when booking stays through The Edit, including complimentary benefits like a property credit, daily breakfast for two, room upgrades (if available) and more.
Don’t forget about the $120 Global Entry or TSA Precheck credit, you’ll receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as a reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card.
Through 12/31/27 you’ll also receive IHG® One Rewards Platinum Elite Status.
Strong Travel Protections
One of the most underrated perks about the Chase Sapphire Reserve are arguably the industry leading travel protections you get when you’re using your Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
These include things like primary auto rental coverage, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, travel accident insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, and baggage delay insurance.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve even goes as far as offering emergency evacuation and transportation along with emergency medical and dental.
The protections that you get with this card, are arguably some of the best out of any travel credit card.
Other Perks & Credits
Outside of the travel perks and credits above, the Sapphire Reserve also gives you plenty of perks for the everyday lifestyle and while at home.
One of my favorite new credits is the $300 Dining Credit where you can get up to $150 in statement credits from January through June, and again from July through December for a maximum of $300 annually when you dine at restaurants part of the Sapphire Exclusive tables program on OpenTable. You’d be surprised how many restaurants near you may be part of this.
You also now get a $300 StubHub Credit with up to $150 in statement credits from January through June and again from July through December for StubHub and viagogo purchases through 12/31/27. Considering the fact that there are so many concerts, sporting events, and live entertainment on StubHub, this is a very easy one to use.
There’s also a $120 Lyft Credit where you can access up to $10 in monthly in-app credits, up to $120 annually through 9/30/27. Plus, you’ll also be earning 5x points on Lyft rides through 9/30/27 as well.
If you’re a Peloton user, you’re in luck, because you’ll be getting a $120 Peloton Credit with up to $10 in statement credits per month on eligible Peloton members through 12/31/27. Plus, you’ll be earning 10x points per dollar on eligible Peloton equipment and accessories over $150 through 12/31/27.
Though some of my favorites and easiest to use ones include the complimentary memberships and subscriptions to Apple TV, Apple Music, and DoorDash DashPass.
You’ll unlock even more perks after you spend $75,000 each calendar year including IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite Status, a $250 credit for The Shops at Chase, and a $500 Southwest Airlines Chase Travel credit and Southwest A-list status.
Points Redemptions
The Chase Sapphire Reserve earns some of the best points out there in the form of Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Just like other Ultimate Rewards cards, points can be transferred 1:1 to many different airline and hotel partners.
These include partners like United MileagePlus, World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, and many more.
While transferring points to partners is my favorite way to redeem Chase points, the new Points Boost option in the Chase Travel Portal can be worth looking into.
Chase introduced Points Boost in 2025, and with that, the ability for the Chase Sapphire Reserve to provide up to 2x value on select flights and hotels booked through the portal.
Not every booking qualifies, but when it does, the value can be excellent.
My Final Thoughts
For frequent travelers who want a premium card that earns strong rewards on travel and dining, the Chase Sapphire Reserve remains one of the most powerful cards available.
The $300 travel credit is arguably the most straightforward travel credit out of any credit card. If you only used this, plus The $500 credit for stays with The Edit, you’re already coming out ahead.
Factor in other perks like the industry leading travel protections, and you’ve got yourself a fantastic premium travel credit card.
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Editorial Disclosure: The opinions are Pat’s alone. This content is not reviewed or endorsed by any entities.
