Review: Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve the best card for you?
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If you don't want to pay such a high annual fee, the
Even if you're not traveling right now, the
You've also got options to use points at a higher rate for everyday purchases through the Chase Pay Yourself Back program. Until April 30, 2021, your points are worth 1.5 cents apiece when you redeem toward grocery, dining, home improvement store, and eligible charity purchases.
Comparison: Chase Sapphire Reserve vs other Chase credit cards
Annual fee | |||
Rewards rate | 10x points on up to $500 total in Chase Dining purchases through June 30, 2021 10x points on Lyft rides through March 2022 3x points on travel (after earning the $300 travel credit) and dining 3x points on up to $1,000 per month at grocery stores (then 1x) through April 30, 2021 1 point per dollar on everything else | 10x points on up to $500 total in Chase Dining purchases through June 30, 2021 5x points on Lyft rides through March 2022 2x points on travel and dining 2x points on up to $1,000 per month in grocery purchases (then 1x) through April 30, 2021 1 point per dollar on everything else | 5% cash back (5x points) on Lyft rides through March 2022 5% cash back (5x points) on travel booked through Ultimate Rewards 3% back (3x points) on dining and drugstore purchases 1.5% back (1.5x points) on everything else |
Welcome bonus | Up to $50 in statement credits toward grocery store purchases in the first year | ||
Card benefits | Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit Primary car rental insurance Complimentary elite status with Avis, National, and Silvercar car rental agencies Trip interruption/cancellation Trip delay insurance Baggage delay insurance Lost luggage reimbursement Extended warranty Purchase protection | Primary car rental insurance Trip interruption/cancellation Trip delay insurance Baggage delay insurance Lost luggage reimbursement Extended warranty Purchase protection | Secondary car rental insurance Trip interruption/cancellation Extended warranty Purchase protection |
Statement credits | Up to $300 in statement credits each cardmember year toward travel purchases (through June 30, gas and grocery purchases also qualify) Up to $120 back on an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership through December 31, 2021 Complimentary year of Lyft Pink membership when you activate by March 31, 2022 Complimentary year of DoorDash DashPass membership (activation required by December 31, 2021) | Up to $60 back on an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership through December 31, 2021 Complimentary year of DoorDash DashPass membership (activation required by December 31, 2021) | Complimentary three months of DoorDash DashPass membership, then a 50% discount on your DashPass membership for the next nine months (activation is required by December 31, 2021) |
Foreign transaction fee | No | No | Yes |
Review |
Comparison: Chase Sapphire Reserve vs other premium cards
Annual fee | |||
Rewards rate | 10x points on up to $500 total in Chase Dining purchases through June 30, 2021 10x points on Lyft rides through March 2022 3x points on travel (after earning the $300 travel credit) and dining 3x points on up to $1,000 per month at grocery stores (then 1x) through April 30, 2021 1 point per dollar on everything else | 5x points on flights booked directly with airlines or Amex travel (starting January 1, 2021, earn 5x points on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year) 5x points on prepaid hotels booked on Amex Travel 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases* | 5x points on air travel and hotels 3x points on hotels and cruise lines 1 point per dollar on everything else |
Welcome bonus | 50,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening | ||
Card benefits | Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership Primary car rental insurance Complimentary elite status with Avis, National, and Silvercar car rental agencies Trip interruption/cancellation Trip delay insurance Baggage delay insurance Lost luggage reimbursement Extended warranty Purchase protection | Gold elite status with Hilton and Marriott Airport lounge access (Priority Pass, Centurion lounges, and more) Perks through the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts program Secondary car rental insurance Trip interruption/cancellation Trip delay insurance Extended warranty Purchase protection
| Fourth Night Free on hotel stays of four or more nights booked through Citi (2x per year) Priority Pass airport lounge access Cell phone protection Extended warranty Purchase protection |
Statement credits | Up to $300 in statement credits each cardmember year toward travel purchases (through June 30, gas and grocery purchases also qualify) Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit Up to $120 back on an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership through December 31, 2021 Complimentary year of Lyft Pink membership when you activate by March 31, 2022 Complimentary year of DoorDash DashPass membership (activation required by December 31, 2021) | Up to $200 in annual airline fee credits Up to $100 in annual shopping credits at Saks Up to $200 in annual Uber credits Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit | Up to $250 in annual travel credits Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
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Foreign transaction fee | No | No | No |
Review |
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How to use Ultimate Rewards points from the Chase Sapphire Reserve
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You can also use them to purchase travel through the Chase Travel Portal, which works just like any other online travel agency. When you use points that way, you get a 50% bonus — in other words, each point will be worth 1.5 cents instead.
Chase has introduced a new, pandemic-friendly option for redeeming points on the
Finally, you can also transfer points to Chase's airline and hotel partners to book award travel — transferring points is generally the most valuable way to use them.
In addition, Chase will add Air Canada Aeroplan as a partner in 2021, which opens up more award travel possibilities with the carrier and its Star Alliance partners.
The
It's also worth noting if you have other Chase Ultimate Rewards cards, you can transfer points from those cards into your
Plus, you'll unlock the ability to transfer those points to Chase's airline and hotel partners — an option that's not available if you only have a no-annual-fee Ultimate Rewards card.
Chase Sapphire Reserve benefits and features
Up to $300 travel credit
Each cardmember year (meaning every 12 months starting the month you open the card), the
However, because of the pandemic, the travel credit will also apply to grocery and gas purchases through December 31, 2021.
When you subtract the travel credit, the
Up to $60 in statement credits for DoorDash food delivery
Chase was clearly feeling the pressure from updates to American Express cards like
Chase has added DoorDash benefits for
If you already use food delivery services and DoorDash is available in your town, this credit can be taken at face value: up to $60 in credit. This would bring the card's effective annual fee down to $190 per year ($550 minus the $300 travel credit minus $60 in DoorDash credit). However, if you're not interested in this perk, it could be harder to justify the annual fee.
A year of complimentary Lyft Pink membership
This is another recent benefit that took effect in 2020, and activation is required by March 31, 2022. Lyft Pink membership gets you perks such as:
- 15% off Lyft rides
- Priority airport pickups
- Relaxed cancellation policies
- Up to three 30-minute bike or scooter rides per month
The last benefit is only available in select metropolitan areas, so not everyone will be able to use it. If you're a frequent Lyft user, this perk could be a great way to save money.
Airport lounge access
Having access to airport lounges is one of my favorite perks of the
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With the Priority Pass membership provided by the
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
TSA PreCheck and Global Entry (which comes with PreCheck) are absolute musts for just about any traveler. Once you enroll, you can use special lanes to breeze through airport security — you won't have to remove shoes and light coats, and you can leave your laptop in your bag.
With Global Entry, you can use a fast lane when you return to the US from abroad, which makes clearing immigration and customs easy and quick. The programs cost $85 (TSA PreCheck) or $100 (Global Entry), and Chase will provide a credit for that fee every four years (memberships are valid for five years).
Primary car rental insurance and rental elite status
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When you have the
Travel insurance and purchase protection
The
One of the most useful is trip and baggage delay insurance. When you're traveling and you're delayed for at least six hours, or overnight, you're covered for up to $500 of incidentals per person traveling with you whose ticket was purchased with the card. That covers things like hotel accommodations, meals, toiletries, and a change of clothing — really, anything that can be considered a "reasonable" expense.
Similarly, if your baggage is delayed, things like clothing and toiletries are covered up to a certain amount until your bag is delivered.
Other protections include emergency travel medical/dental coverage, emergency medical evacuation/transportation insurance, travel accident insurance, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, extended warranty, and return protection.
Chase Sapphire Reserve fees and costs
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You'll want to make sure you can pay your balance in full each month to avoid interest charges. As with most other cards, there are fees for balance transfers, cash advances, and late or returned payments.
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