Enjoy exclusive travel benefits, 3x points on travel and dining and 0% foreign transaction fees with this high-end card.
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★★★★★
- Get this card if you want to earn rewards for your frequent travel — and don’t mind paying $450 per year for it.
- Pick something else if you’re looking for an intro APR for balance transfers and purchases.
- Apply with an excellent credit score of 740 or higher.
| Product Name | Chase Sapphire Reserve® |
|---|---|
| Card type | Visa |
| Annual fee | $450 |
| Standard purchase APR | 19.24% to 26.24% variable |
| Intro purchase APR | N/A |
| Standard balance transfer APR | 19.24% to 26.24% variable |
| Intro balance transfer APR | N/A |
| Balance transfer fee | $5 or 5% of the transaction, whichever is greater |
| Cash advance rate | 27.24% variable |
| Cash advance fee | $10 or 5% of the cash advance amount, whichever is greater |
| Foreign transaction fee | None |
| Interest free period | Up to 21 days |
| Late payment fee | Up to $39 |
| Returned payment fee | Up to $39 |
| Additional cardholder fee | $75 |
| Rates & fees | rates & fees |
| Welcome Offer | 50,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months |
|---|---|
| Rewards | 3x points on dining and travel after earning your $300 travel credit and 1x points on all other purchases |
| Base Rewards | 1x points |
| Rewards Points Expiry | Never |
The basics
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers an unheard of signup bonus of 50,000 points to get you on your way to enjoying the benefits of this high-end credit card. You can get this bonus after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account. You may find other Chase credit cards with no annual fees, but if you often travel overseas and enjoy first-class benefits, you can make back the fee in no time.
Which Chase Sapphire travel card should you pick?
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a mid-tier travel card, coming in at $95 a year. Its main benefits include:
- A strong signup bonus: 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months your account is open.
- 2x points on travel and dining.
- Redeem rewards through Chase Ultimate Rewards and your points are worth 25% more.
- Point transfers to hotel and airline partners.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve®, meanwhile, competes in the stratosphere with market-leading options like The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Citi Prestige® Credit Card. It costs $450 a year. However, it offers stronger rewards on travel and dining as well as high-class perks you’ll typically find only in premium travel cards.
If you travel sparingly or don’t want to pay too much for a travel card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card might be the right choice. But if you zoom around the world often — and like to do so in style — the Chase Sapphire Reserve® could be perfect for you.
The value of points
Not many cards come with the steep annual fee of the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. But it can offer great value for your money if you need top-class amenities while traveling, and you travel often.
Right off the bat, you can get 50,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account.
What’s more: It’s a premium travel card, allowing you to earn 3x points on travel and dining and 1x points on all other purchases. And you can relax in class with complimentary access to over 1,000 airport lounges in more than 500 cities worldwide.
Get a 60,000 Ultimate Rewards bonus with Chase’s checking account offer
The perks
If you use this high-end card regularly, you can definitely make the high $450 annual fee worth it.
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SIGNUP BONUS: Several redemption options.
Earn a whopping 50,000 points — a $750 value when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards — when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account. Redeem points for travel, dining and other perks.
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POINT TIERS: 3x points on travel and dining.
Earn 3x points on travel including hotels, airfare, taxis and trains once you’ve earned $300 in travel credit. You’ll also get 3x points on dining at restaurants worldwide. You’ll earn 1x points for all other purchases.
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STATEMENT CREDIT: $300 annually.
Get reimbursed for travel purchases charged to your card with up to $300 in statement credit each year. Plus, get an additional $100 toward the application fee for Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check every four years.
How does the Chase Sapphire Reserve® travel credit stack up?
Compared to other premium travel products, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers an excellent travel credit. For example, it beats the $250 annual travel credit from the Citi Prestige® Credit Card.
Dollar for dollar, it doesn’t offer a total travel credit as large as you’ll find with The Platinum Card® from American Express. But beyond the Global Entry/TSA PreCheck benefit, Amex’s product offers credits for Uber rides and airline fees only. The Chase travel credit is good for a wider range of travel purchases.
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AIRPORT LOUNGES: More than 1,000 airport lounges worldwide.
Relax at VIP lounges in over 500 cities after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass Select.
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POINT REDEMPTION: Great for travel.
Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for airfare, cruises, car rentals and more through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. Or redeem your points for cash back.
Compare Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Can you redeem points for cash back?
Yes! Redeem your points for a statement credit or a deposit into a savings or a checking account.
Request your Chase Sapphire Reserve® cash back by:
- Logging in to your Chase Ultimate Rewards account.
- Calling the number on the back of your card.
- Visiting a Chase branch.
Is cash back redemption worth it?
Each point is worth one cent when redeemed for cash back. This means that the 3x points you earn on travel and dining is worth 3% in cash back value.
How to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points
You’ll also like …
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Exclusive travel benefits.
Enjoy additional benefits on car rentals, at The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection and more.
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No foreign transaction fees.
It’s what you’d expect from the Chase Sapphire Reserve®: no fee for transactions abroad or on foreign websites.
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Travel protection.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® travel coverage includes trip cancellation and interruption insurance up to $10,000 per trip on travel expenses paid with your card. Charge your entire rental car cost and get reimbursement up to $75,000 for theft and collision damage with their auto rental collision damage waiver. Plus, if you’re sick while traveling away from home and need emergency evacuation, you’re covered for medical services and transportation up to $100,000. You’ll also get trip delay reimbursement up to $500 per ticket if your common carrier travel is delayed more than six hours.
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Purchase protection.
Charge something new to your card and get coverage for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per year. Store won’t take back your items? With return protection, you have 90 days from the purchase date to be reimbursed for eligible items, up to $500 per item and $1,000 per year. You’ll also receive extended warranty protection of one extra year on eligible items with warranties of three years or less.
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24/7 worldwide service team.
Get direct access to a customer service specialist, the Chase Travel Team and Visa Infinite Concierge for assistance with dinner reservations, Broadway tickets, sporting events and more.
Case study: Adrienne’s experience
Adrienne Fuller
Publisher
I’ve held this card for only two months and will update my experience as time goes on. My husband applied for this card because his credit score is higher than mine. The application took under five minutes, and we were approved right away.
I’m listed as an authorized user, so on top of the hefty $450 annual fee, I pay $75 to be on the card. However, after booking a trip on Airbnb and a flight, I immediately got the $300-a-year travel credit applied to my statement, bringing down my out-of-pocket to $225 so far. If I can get this amount to below $100 with TSA PreCheck and other perks, it’s what I’ll use to determine whether the fee is worth it.
There are tons of perks with the Sapphire, but it’s hard to remember what they all are. I travel a lot for work, so TSA PreCheck is next on my list to pursue. I’ll monitor the points closely to see how they compare to my Chase Freedom® card.
I love that multiple Chase products are automatically linked within my online account. But a drawback is that as an authorized user, I can see my card details only by logging in to my husband’s. That means I log in to my own account to pay my Chase auto loan, which is in my name, and then log in to his account to pay the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card. A minor annoyance, but some kind of spousal verification to merge online accounts would be great so that I can manage all three of my Chase products in one place.
What to watch out for
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Steep annual fee.
To justify the $450 fee, you’ll need to regularly make use of this high-end card.
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No intro APR.
You’ll begin paying interest on any balances after your first statement.
Is there a Chase Sapphire for business?
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Uber: A great match
This is one of the best cards to use for Uber, as the rideshare service falls under Chase’s travel category. You’ll start earning 3x points on travel after earning your $300 annual travel credit.
Here are a few other attractive cards for Uber:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express. Leverage the card’s Uber credits every calendar year.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Earn bonus rewards on Uber rides without paying a premium annual fee.
- Uber Visa Card. Earn 2% cash back on Uber rides.
Compare similar travel credit cards
What you should know before applying
To apply for Chase Sapphire Reserve® you must:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Be at least 19 years old if you live in Alabama or Nebraska.
- Be at least 21 if you live in Puerto Rico.
- Have a permanent home address in the US or US territories, or a US military address.
- Have a valid Social Security number.
What credit score should I have?
An excellent credit score of 740 or higher will increase the chances of your application’s approval.
What’s my likelihood of being approved?
The most obvious and widely used factor in determining whether you’ll be approved is your credit score, but it’s not the only one. Here are a few other things that might affect your odds of approval:
- Whether you’re a current Chase customer. Chase is reportedly more likely to approve its current banking customers. This makes sense, as it can more readily evaluate your financial stability with the data it already has. Furthermore, it has an incentive to keep you happy as a customer.
- How many hard pulls you have on your credit report. If you have several hard inquiries — or hard pulls — on your account, it might make you look desperate for credit. This implies you’re having trouble managing your debt, and Chase may be less likely to take you on as a customer.
- Factors that tie into your credit score. Credit utilization is a major factor that Chase will consider. The bank prefers a customer who has low balances relative to their credit limit. Having many new card accounts may be a red flag, too, as it may indicate you’re desperate for credit. It may also give the impression that you’re a flighty customer who’s just hunting for signup bonuses.
Find a luxury credit card that fits your lifestyle
What do customers say about Chase Sapphire Reserve®?
Customers on the Chase website generally appreciate how far their points can get them when it comes to paying for travel costs. Complaints are common around customer service. Generally, customers find the customer service agents to be rushed or rude, and the lack of a chat feature was noted as a big drawback.
Chase earns a Trustpilot score of 5.5 out of 10 as of May 2018. Most negative reviews cite slow responses to fraud complaints and less-than-helpful customer service. Positive reviews praise the bank’s great mobile app and quick resolutions to their issues. Overall, your mileage may vary with Chase customer support.
The JPMorgan Chase Credit Card division earns an overall A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® vs Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express
How do I apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve®?
- Go to the Chase Sapphire Reserve® website and click Apply now.
- Complete the application with your personal and financial information. Accept the terms and submit.
How long will it take for me to be approved?
After you submit an online application, you’ll find out about its status almost immediately as long as the information you submitted can be verified against your credit report. Chase will also send a letter with the application decision.
How long will it take to get my Chase Sapphire Reserve®?
Upon approval, your card will be sent by mail in five to seven business days, though many customers report receiving their cards expedited in two to three days. Your credit access line will be at least $10,000.
I got the card. Now what?
- Keep track of your spending. Register with Chase Online to monitor your account activity 24/7.
- Take advantage of your statement credit. You can get reimbursed for up to $300 in travel expenses in the form of statement credits every year. Be sure to check your card’s terms to find out what’s eligible and when the credits are applied.
- Make use of the Global Entry or TSA Pre✔® fee credit. Every four years you can receive a statement credit of up to $100 towards application fees for either Global Entry or TSA Pre✔® when you pay for them using your Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
- Sign up for Priority Pass. Follow the instructions you receive from Chase to complete the one-time activation of your Priority Pass.
- Watch out for penalties. If your payments are late, you’ll pay up to $39. If your payments are late, you’ll pay a fee of $39.
- Contact customer service. Get round-the-clock access to the Chase customer service team. Contact Chase at 1-800-432-3117, on Twitter @ChaseSupport or log in to your account to send a secure email.
Bottom line
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a good fit for people who seek exclusive privileges when traveling. With enough travel, you can offset the high $450 annual fee. Be sure to compare your options before you settle with any one credit card. You may be able to find a card that better fits your on-the-go lifestyle.
Common questions about the Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Images: chase.com
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