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60,000 points
$550
Excellent (740-850)
A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.
(at Chase's secure site)
If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is one of the best options out there.
The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like airport lounge access, with excellent point earning and redemption options. Plus it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to keep you covered whether you’re at home or on the road.
Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!
Make no mistake, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is a powerhouse of a card.
Not only does it help you earn rewards on a plethora of purchase categories like hotels, car rentals, flights, dining, and Lyft rides, but the card also comes packed with benefits sure to excite frequent travelers.
Some of our favorite benefits include a $300 annual travel credit, a complimentary Priority Pass membership for free airport lounge access, a free Lyft Pink membership, a free DoorDash DashPass, and access to Chase’s Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection.
Better yet, once you’re ready to redeem your points, you have tons of options for doing so. You can redeem for cash-back, for travel through the Chase travel portal, for statement credits with a 50% bonus via Pay Yourself Back, or for huge value through one of Chase’s travel transfer partners like World of Hyatt!
That’s not all, though. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers top-notch consumer protections including trip delay insurance, lost luggage insurance, rental car insurance, purchase protection, return protection, and much more.
In our view, if you’re a frequent traveler who is looking for a premium all-in-one card that’s great at earning points, offers benefits like lounge access, and keeps you covered when things go wrong, then the Chase Sapphire Reserve card would definitely be worth it to you!
One of the most important benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is the $300 annual travel credit. You will get up to $300 in statement credits each year for travel purchases charged to your Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
But, what counts as a travel purchase? Luckily, Chase has one of the broadest definitions of travel on the market, and purchases include:
Another top benefit of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is its Priority Pass Select membership that gives cardholders access to 1,300+ airport lounges and restaurants worldwide. With your membership, you’ll also be able to bring 2 guests into any lounge with you. However, when it comes to Priority Pass restaurants, you’re limited to 1 guest and up to $28 in food and beverage charges per person.
Whether you enjoy a preflight snack, complimentary beverages, or a quiet space to work before a flight, airport lounge access is a great perk to have.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card will help you get the Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck at no out-of-pocket cost once every 4 years. Simply charge the application fee to your card and it will be automatically reimbursed as a statement credit.
Global Entry is a Customs and Border Protection program that prescreens passengers and then allows expedited entry into the U.S. when returning from international travel. It requires a detailed application and an in-person interview before approval.
When you’re approved for the Global Entry program, you also receive TSA PreCheck. With your application fees being covered, there’s no reason not to apply for Global Entry if you’re eligible.
The Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection is a network of over 900 of the world’s best hotels and resorts around the world. Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders get free Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection membership and can take advantage of special benefits and privileges including:
Special amenities can include things like lunch or dinner for 2, a spa treatment, golf green fee waivers, welcome gifts, or airport transfers. Details on the amenities available for a specific property are available when searching and booking.
Note that you must book hotels through the Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection program and pay for your stay with your Chase Sapphire Reserve card to take advantage of these benefits — hotel stays booked direct or through another portal are not eligible.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes with great rental car benefits with 3 separate companies.
When you enroll your card with National you’ll receive a complimentary Emerald Club Executive Level membership, allowing you to select any car you’d like from the Emerald or Executive aisles. Plus, when you use your card and make a reservation directly through National you can save up to 25% on qualifying rentals with code 5030849.
When you enroll with Avis you’ll receive Preferred status that offers 75% bonus points on every rental. In addition, you’ll receive a 30% discount when using your card and making a reservation directly through Avis with Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) Number S107100.
Finally, cardholders get 30% off all rentals with Silvercar by Audi as a Visa Infinite benefit.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers primary rental coverage and pays for any loss, theft, or damage to your rental car, as well as towing and loss of use for the rental company, up to $75,000 for rentals 31 days or shorter.
For this coverage to apply, you must pay for the entire rental with your Chase Sapphire Reserve card. You also need to refuse any collision damage and loss damage waiver coverages from the rental company — if you don’t do this, the rental company’s coverage will apply first.
Do note that there are certain vehicle exclusions, namely for high-end sports and luxury cars. With that in mind, be sure to double-check your coverage if you’re renting any type of specialty vehicle.
If your trip gets cut short due to sickness, extreme weather, or other select situations, you’ll be covered up to $10,000 per person ($20,000 per trip). These benefits cover you and your immediate family for prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotels.
If your flight on a common carrier is delayed more than 6 hours or requires an extra overnight stay, you’re covered for up to $500 per person who had a ticket that was delayed. This delay can be for any reason — even bad weather or air traffic control issues.
The $500 can be used to cover expenses incurred during the delay, including meals, lodging, toiletries, medication, and other personal items.
If your bag is delayed by an airline, bus, cruise ship, or train for more than 6 hours, your card will cover up to $100 per day in purchases of emergency supplies like toiletries, clothing, and 1 cell phone charger.
If your baggage is lost or damaged during your trip by the carrier, you’re covered up to $3,000 per person per trip. Of that maximum benefit, $500 can be reimbursed for watches, jewelry, and electronics, so don’t check your laptop or other expensive items.
When you purchase an item with your card, it’s protected from theft and damage for the first 120 days you own it. In other words: if you buy a new laptop and it’s stolen the next day, you’ll be reimbursed for the cost of replacing it.
There’s a maximum of $10,000 per claim and up to $50,000 per account is available for coverage. Further, this coverage is secondary to your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy and there is a list of excluded items, so be sure to check the details of this benefit.
The benefit is especially valuable for cell phones, laptops, tablets, and other things that can be easily lost, so consider putting new tech purchases on your new Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
When you purchase eligible items with your card, the manufacturer’s warranty will be extended for 1 year. For coverage to apply, the item must have come with an original manufacturer-written U.S. repair warranty of 3 years or less. Certain foreign purchases may also be eligible if they have a store-purchased dealer warranty or an assembler warranty.
This benefit is limited to $10,000 per claim and a maximum of $50,000 per account, making it useful for repairing laptops, cell phones, and other high-end purchases. Purchases made by the cardholder for themselves or others as gifts are eligible for coverage.
Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the roadside assistance provided with your card covers the cardholder driving their own vehicle or any other vehicle with the permission of the owner.
Covered services include the following:
Coverage is limited to $50 per occurrence a maximum of 4 times per year, which should be more than enough for most drivers.
If you’re hooked on travel rewards, you’re likely wondering how you can earn even more points. Well, our guide covering the best ways to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points will help you hit the ground running.
Of course, earning points is just one part of the equation, as you also need to know how to redeem them effectively! Our dedicated guide breaks down many of our favorite redemption options using Chase Ultimate Rewards points, and shows you how you can book them as well!
Most of our favorite redemptions involve utilizing the Chase transfer partners, and while there’s a bit of a learning curve, you’ll find that these redemptions can get you the best value for your points by far!
Often mentioned alongside the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, the Amex Platinum card is no slouch when it comes to a premium rewards credit card.
In fact, the Amex Platinum card offers some of the best elite perks on the market, like Gold status with Marriott and Hilton hotels upon enrollment, access to American Express Centurion Lounges and Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta), and even Uber and Saks Fifth Avenue credits.
If you prefer a card that offers more elite perks and increased lounge access, the Amex Platinum card might be a better option for you.
While the Hilton Aspire card is technically a hotel card, it still offers other travel benefits like airport lounge access and 7x Hilton Honors points per $1 spent on airfare.
Not only that, but you’ll also receive up to $250 Hilton resort credit, complimentary Diamond status, and 1 free annual weekend night at any Hilton hotel.
While Hilton Honors points aren’t as valuable as Chase Ultimate Rewards points, if you’re a Hilton loyalist who spends a large number of nights each year at its hotels, this could be the best card option for you.
We’ve also compared the Chase Sapphire Reserve card to a number of other popular cards:
The information regarding the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in outlets like The New York Times.
Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.
2 comments
MadMark43
October 27, 2020
Paying for eligible item with Ultimate Rewards Points
1. Assume I have 100,000 Ultimate Rewards Points.
2. I have a Sapphire Preferred card so can get a 25% bonus when I use them to pay for eligible items on my bill. That’s a cash equivalent of $1,250.
3. If I had a Sapphire Reserve card which has a 50% bonus, those points could be used to cover $1,500 of eligible items.
4. If my wife gets a Sapphire Reserve card, can I transfer these points to her so they can be used to cover $1,500 of eligible items?
5 . A related question: Can Ultimate Reward points be used to cover all or part of the required $4,000 spend. If so, would they be worth $1,500 immediately, or do they have the 50% bonus only after we have met the required spend?
6. Are bonus points treated any differently than earned points? If someone has a Sapphire Reserve card can Sapphire Preferred bonus points be used by the Sapphire Reserve holder thus making the current sign-up bonus worth $1,500?
Jarrod West
November 03, 2020
Hi MadMark,
If your wife has a Chase Sapphire Reserve card, yes you can transfer points to here to have them redeemed at the higher 50% rate.
Your Ultimate Rewards points cannot be used to cover any portion of the minimum spend requirement.
Bonus points are not treated any differently than earned points. If someone in your household signs up for the Sapphire Preferred card they can transfer those points to someone with a Sapphire Reserve card to increase the redemption value of the points.
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