The 9 Most Valuable Chase Sapphire Reserve^® Benefits

For the discerning traveler, the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® is an excellent rewards credit card. With the opportunity to earn extra points on travel and dining out, you could quickly accumulate enough rewards to pay for your next flight or hotel stay.

While the card offers substantial rewards, the real value rests in the Chase Sapphire Reserve benefits. The card’s perks can enhance your travel, allowing you to enjoy a more luxurious experience on your next vacation. Here’s why it earns its spot among the best travel credit cards. 

About the Chase Sapphire Reserve

If you spend a significant amount on travel and dining at restaurants, you can earn a high level of return with the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

You’ll earn 5X points on flights and 10X points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually; 3X points on other travel and dining & 1X points per dollar on all other purchases. (Purchases that qualify for the $300 travel credit do not earn points until you’ve used up the travel credit.) There’s no limit to how many points you can earn, and your points never expire as long as your account remains open.

Chase’s Ultimate Rewards points are generally worth about one cent each, and you can redeem them for travel, statement credits, gift cards, or merchandise. You can even transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to loyalty programs at partner airlines or hotels; one Ultimate Rewards point is equal to one point in the partner’s loyalty program. Depending on the specific loyalty program, your points could have a higher purchasing power with this strategy.

When you use your points to book travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program — you can book hotel stays, flights, cruises, and car rentals through the portal — your points are worth 50% more. For example, if you had 60,000 points, that would typically translate to a $600 value. But redeem them through Chase Travel℠ and those same points are worth $900.

However, that extra value comes at a price. The Chase Sapphire Reserve Card has an annual fee of $550 — that’s pretty high when compared to its sister card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card, with an annual fee of $95. If you want to add an authorized user to your Sapphire Reserve account, expect to pay an additional $75.

While those costs may sound steep, the card offers generous benefits and perks that may justify the price tag for some.

9 worthwhile Chase Sapphire Reserve benefits

The Chase Sapphire Reserve Card is a high-end travel rewards credit card. If you’ve wondered about its comprehensive benefits, here’s a list of the ones that go beyond typical credit card perks.

1. Lucrative sign-up bonus

If you spend $4,000 on new purchases within the first 3 months of account opening, you’ll earn a 60,000 bonus points point welcome bonus. If you redeem those bonus points for travel through the Chase travel portal, they’re worth $900 — more than enough to book a round-trip flight or hotel stay.

If you use your card for routine expenses like gas, groceries, utilities, and shopping excursions, you could quickly hit the $4,000 threshold to take advantage of the signup bonus.

2. $300 annual travel credit

If you use your card for travel purchases, you’ll get a statement credit for the first $300 you spend on travel each year. Receiving the full credit means it will essentially feel like you’ve lowered the card’s $550 annual fee by $300. 

But what counts as “travel” for the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card? More than you think! Eligible purchases could include airline tickets, hotel stays, timeshares, car rentals, cruise line tickets, campgrounds, buses, taxis, ferries, and even toll bridges.

3. Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit

Airport security can be a nightmare; you can easily spend an hour or more waiting in line. But with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can skip the hassle and streamline your experience.

When you apply for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck — two accelerated airport security programs — you’ll get a statement credit to cover the application fee, up to $100 every four years. Just be sure to pay the application fee with your Chase Sapphire Reserve.

4. Free airport lounge access

As a Chase Sapphire Reserve card member, you qualify for a free Priority Pass Select membership. Priority Plus Select is a program that gives you access to over 1,200 airport lounges around the globe, allowing you to enjoy free food and drinks, WiFi, and more. It’s a great benefit for those who travel often for work, as you can work in peace and relative quiet.

To start using this benefit, you have to manually activate your membership through your Chase account. Then you’ll receive a Priority Pass Select membership card in the mail.

This can be a valuable benefit. If you were to buy a Priority Pass membership on your own, it would cost between $99 and $429 a year, depending on the membership plan you chose.

5. The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection

The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection includes more than 900 premium hotels and spas to choose from. Though you’re responsible for your room’s price, you’ll enjoy special perks at these resorts, such as:

• Free room upgrades, when available
• Complimentary meals for two
• Early check-in and late check-out, when available
• Special discounts and credits
• Unique gifts

6. Special rental car privileges

As a Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholder, you can get special rental car privileges at major companies like National and Avis. Book a reservation through the Chase Travel℠ portal to access the special perks. When you do so, you can enjoy executive-level memberships, upgrades, and even discounts of as much as 30% on luxury and premium cars.

7. Elite hotel benefits at Relais & Châteaux

Relais & Châteaux is a network of luxurious hotels and resorts all over the globe. The company has properties in Tuscany, England, and California, just to name a few. With your Chase Sapphire Reserve, you’ll get benefits like a VIP welcome and complimentary breakfast daily when you book a room.

8. Chase experiences and dining

Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders also get access to exclusive events and experiences. Past experiences have included a VIP event at the Sundance Film Festival, discounts on ski lift tickets at Deer Valley Ski Resort, and tickets to movie premieres. In late 2021, Chase is also launching Reserved by Sapphire, which will allow cardholders to book exclusive reservations to some of the most popular restaurants in the country.

9. Lyft and DoorDash perks

Cardholders can receive up to $5 in monthly DoorDash statement credits, as well as a free DashPass membership for a minimum of one year (activate by Dec. 31, 2027). And rideshare lovers will appreciate the two free years of Lyft Pink membership (activate by Dec. 31, 2024). That gets you 10% off Lux rides, free priority pickup upgrades, and a free year of Grubhub+.

And there are more benefits

The Chase Sapphire Reserve Card offers some unique travel benefits, but it also offers comprehensive perks you’d expect of a good travel rewards card.

• No foreign transaction fees: This is one of the credit cards with no foreign transaction fees, making the Sapphire Reserve a smart option for international travelers. Plus it’s a Visa, which is widely accepted all over the globe.
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance: If your trip is canceled or interrupted due to covered reasons — such as sickness or weather — you could be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for non-refundable travel bookings.
• Auto rental collision damage waiver: Turn down the rental agencies' insurance and use your Sapphire Reserve to pay for the booking, and you’ll get primary car rental coverage. It will provide reimbursement up to $75,000 for theft and collision damage for rental cars.
• Baggage delay insurance: If your flight is delayed by more than six hours, Chase credit cards will reimburse you up to $100 a day for up to five days to pay for essentials like new clothes or toiletries.
• Trip delay reimbursement: If your travel is delayed by more than six hours, your family is covered up to $500 per ticket to pay for food and lodging.
• Roadside assistance: Whether you lock your keys in the car or get a flat tire, you can get up to $50 worth of free roadside assistance four times a year.
• Lost luggage reimbursement: If the airline lost or damaged your luggage, you’re covered up to $3,000 per passenger.
• Travel and emergency assistance: If you need help while traveling internationally, you can contact the Benefits Administrator for legal or medical referrals.
• Travel accident insurance: You’ll get up to $1,000,000 in coverage in the case of accidental death or dismemberment.
• Emergency evacuation and transportation: If you’re injured or sick while traveling and need emergency transport, you’re covered up to $100,000.
• Emergency medical and dental benefits: If you’re more than 100 miles away from home, you can get reimbursed for up to $2,500 to pay for medical expenses.
• Purchase protection: New purchases are covered for up to 120 days against theft or damage, up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per year.
• Return protection: If a store won’t take back an eligible return, you could qualify for return protection. You can be reimbursed up to $500 per item and up to $1,000 per year.
• Extended warranty protection: On eligible warranties of three years or less, your card will extend the warranty by an additional year.
• Reserved by Sapphire: Chase plans to add this benefit soon, which gives cardmembers access to exclusive dining opportunities at popular restaurants nationwide, including SingleThread Farms in Healdsburg, California and One Off Hospitality in Chicago.

FAQs

Maximizing the Chase Sapphire Reserve's value

The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers benefits that are significant and provide incredible value to regular travelers. While it does have a high annual fee, its rewards and substantial perks make it worthwhile for many. If you travel at least a few times a year, it’s one of the best credit cards out there.

Premium Travel Benefits

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

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Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

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Current Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Annual Fee

$550

Rewards Rate

5X points on flights and 10X points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually; 3X points on other travel and dining & 1X points per dollar on all other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• Up to $300 in annual travel credits
• Great rewards on travel purchases and dining
• Complimentary Priority Pass Select membership
• Comprehensive travel protections, including trip delay and cancellation insurance
• 50% point redemption bonus when booking through Chase Travel

Drawbacks

• $550 annual fee
• High spending requirement for the welcome offer
• $75 annual fee for each authorized user

Card Details

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• $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, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
• 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, 2027.
• 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