Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Worth It?

If you’re a keen traveler and looking for a solid credit card with good rewards and an attractive new card member bonus, the Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa is one of the best credit cards you’ll find.

It combines excellent travel rewards and cash-back bonuses with a number of built-in perks, consumer protections, and partner rewards.

Keep reading our credit card review to find out more about the features and benefits of this card.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card: Overview

Chase Sapphire Reserve has won high praise from both consumers and financial experts. This rewards credit card offers a generous 60,000-point sign-up bonus, worth $900 on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, when you spend at least $4,000 in the first three months and up to 10x points for hotels and car rentals.

Most of the rewards are travel-focused, making it a worthy choice for frequent travelers, but the card also offers many broader consumer benefits.

As with other premium credit cards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve does come with a high annual fee.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card: Benefits & Perks

Here’s our rundown of the card’s benefits and perks so you can see how it stacks up.

  • Annual Travel Credit
  • Airport Lounge Access
  • Travel PreCheck
  • Luxury Hotel Perks
  • Elite Car Rental Status
  • Rental Car Insurance
  • Trip Insurance
  • Purchase Protection
  • Roadside Assistance
  • Partnership Benefits

Current Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Bonuses and Promotions

1. $300 Annual Travel Credit

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes with a flexible, $300 annual travel credit. Get up to $300 each year in statement credits for travel-related purchases charged to your card.

Eligible purchases include airfare, hotels and Airbnb, car rental, discount travel sites like Priceline or Travelocity, travel agencies, campgrounds, and cruises.

Even some daily transportation costs are included, like toll bridges, parking garages, trains, buses, ferries, taxis, limousines, buses, and even Uber or Lyft rides.

2. Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access

Free Priority Pass Select membership is a favorite, swanky perk for those who want to travel in comfort and style. With it, Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders can access over 1,300 airport lounges and restaurants around the globe.

3. Travel PreCheck

Chase Sapphire Reserve grants TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS once every four years at no cost to the cardholder. When you charge the application fees to your credit card, Chase will reimburse it automatically as a statement credit.

The cost reimbursements for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, and Nexus are $100, $78, and $50.

Global Entry is an especially useful bonus because it offers the most benefit. Global Entry expedites international travel for U.S. passengers by pre-screening travelers for faster re-entry back into the U.S., and this program also includes TSA PreCheck.

4. Luxury Hotel Perks

Chase travel enthusiasts can enjoy many free amenities when they stay at a hotel or resort featured in the Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection. This Collection is an ensemble of over 1,000 premium hotel partners around the globe.

Extras for Chase Sapphire Reserve include:

  • Free breakfast for two guests
  • Free room upgrades (at select properties based upon availability)
  • Property-specific perks like green fees and dining or spa credits
  • Early check-in (when possible)
  • Late check-out

To enjoy these travel add-ons, you must book and pay for your hotel stay on the LHRCollection.com website using your Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

5. Elite Car Rental Status

Cardholders enjoy special benefits with car rental companies National, Avis, and Silvercar by Audi.

  • National: Card members will receive complimentary Emerald Club Executive status and save up to 25 percent on qualifying rentals. Reservations must be made directly through National to enjoy the savings.
  • Avis: Enroll with Avis and you’ll get Preferred account status which gives you 75 percent bonus points with every rental. You’ll also receive a 30 percent discount off rentals when you book a reservation directly through Avis with your Chase Sapphire card.
  • Silvercar by Audi: Save 30 percent off Audi rentals through Silvercar by Audi. Prices are competitive with other national car rental agencies, but this luxury service delivers the car to your doorstep.

6. Rental Car Insurance

Car rentals made with your Chase Sapphire Reserve card have an Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver (CDW). This CDW means your rented vehicle has car insurance for damage, theft, or loss — up to $75,000 for rentals up to 31 days.

Most vehicles are eligible, but some high-end sports cars and luxury vehicles may be excluded so make sure to review the program terms carefully.

7. Trip Cancellation Insurance

Chase provides reimbursement for trips canceled due to illness, extreme weather, or other emergency situations. Cardholders may be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person (up to $20,000 per trip) for any pre-paid travel expenses that are non-refundable, including travel fare, tour groups, or hotel accommodations.

8. Trip Delay Insurance

In the event your flight, cruise ship, or other common carrier is delayed for an extended period of time, you will receive up to $500 per fare-paying passenger.

An extended period of time is considered a delay of more than six hours or a delay that requires an additional overnight stay.

9. Lost Baggage Insurance

If your travel carrier loses or damages your baggage, you will be reimbursed up to $3,000 per person per trip. Of this $3,000 benefit, only $500 may be used to reimburse electronics or jewelry, so bring your laptop and other expensive items with you as a carry-on.

10. Baggage Delay Insurance

In the event your luggage is delayed by your travel carrier for more than six hours, you will receive daily reimbursement to replace necessary travel supplies like clothing and toiletries, and one cell phone charger per event delay.

Eligible purchases made on your Chase Sapphire card will be reimbursed, up to $100 per day.

11. Purchase Protection

Receive enhanced consumer purchase protection with your Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Items you purchase with your card are protected against theft or damage for the first 120 days. So if a new phone you purchase is stolen the very next day or on day 120, you will be reimbursed the full cost to replace it.

You have account coverage up to $10,000 per claim or up to $50,000 in total.

12. Extended Warranty Protection

Eligible items purchased with your Chase card will have any manufacturer warranty extended by one (1) year.

To be eligible for this coverage, the item must come with a U.S. manufacturer repair warranty of three (3) years or less. Certain purchases may also be covered if they have a store, dealer, or assembler warranty.

13. Roadside Assistance

Sapphire Reserve cardholders receive free roadside assistance with their account. This service is offered 24/7 all 365 days of the year. It covers the cardholder for any vehicle they are driving.

Covered services include towing, lockout assistance, fuel delivery, flat tire service, or a battery jumpstart.

You can use the service company of your choice, however, coverage is limited to $50 per occurrence up to four (4) incidents per year.

14. Partnership Benefits

Chase Sapphire Reserve membership comes with many valuable partner benefits and opportunities to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

  • 2-year Lyft Pink membership (worth $199 a year) which offers 10 percent off Lux rides, free Priority Pickup, special discounts, and 10x points on Lyft rides
  • 12-month DoorDash DashPass membership (worth $120) and a $5 monthly DoorDash Credit
  • 1-year Instacart membership (worth $99 a year) and a $15 monthly Instacart credit
  • Up to 15x total points for shopping at 450+ featured stores and rotating bonus categories
  • Flexible ‘‘Pay Yourself Back” benefits. Get a cash-back statement fee credit for one or more purchases of your choice.

15. Flexible Bonus Points Redemption

It’s easy to earn and redeem your bonus points.

Beyond your first 60,000 points as a first-year sign-up bonus, you can earn points for all your purchases. There’s also a points bonus multiplier for transportation, travel, featured merchants, and select delivery services.

When you redeem your points, the process is straightforward and simple. This includes a flexible 1:1 point value transfer to travel transfer partners like United Airlines MileagePlus, Marriott Bonvoy, or World of Hyatt.

Pros & Cons

As with anything in life, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card does come with its advantages and disadvantages.

Pros

  • 60,000-point welcome offer worth up to $900
  • $300 annual travel credit
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Access to premium Priority Pass airport lounges worldwide and other luxury lounge networks
  • Travel protections and perks, including TSA PreCheck, trip cancellation insurance, lost baggage coverage, and car rental insurance
  • Earn bonus points for dining out (3x), select travel purchases (up to 10x), and shopping at featured merchants (15x)
  • $1,200+ in free annual partnership benefits, including Instacart, DoorDash, and Lyft
  • Enhanced consumer protections for purchase reimbursements and warranties

Cons

  • $550 annual cardholder fee
  • High APR on purchases – up to 29.49%
  • Requires excellent credit
  • Many perks may overlap with other travel credit card reward offerings

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Chase Sapphire Reserve give you a high limit?

For Chase Sapphire Reserve, the minimum credit line starts at $10,000 which is already considered quite high and goes up to $100,000.

Does the Chase Sapphire Reserve card have an annual fee?

Yes, the card has an annual fee of $550. It is charged to your first billing cycle. Additionally, there’s a $75 fee for each additional authorized user you add to your account.

Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve card metal?

Yes, the card is made of metal which is a definite status symbol. Metal cards weigh 13 grams compared to the typical plastic card which weighs 5 grams. Functionally, a metal card works just the same but it has a more expensive look and feel. The materials used in a metal credit card can be a blend of brass, copper, titanium, palladium, or brushed stainless steel.

Who is the Chase Sapphire Reserve best for?

This card is best for consumers with excellent credit who travel frequently and will make regular use of the numerous travel-related benefits to enhance their vacations and business trips. It’s also a good option for consumers who have had other Chase credit cards, like the Chase Sapphire, and are looking to upgrade.

Is The Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card Worth It?

The Chase Sapphire Reserve Card is a great travel rewards credit card and is definitely worth it for frequent travelers with excellent credit.

The card comes with many attractive perks that can offset the $550 yearly fee — perks like Priority Pass lounge access at airports, hotel credits for amenity upgrades, travel insurance, and discounts with travel partners in the Chase travel portal.

But it’s not just a travel card. For some infrequent travelers, the card could also be worth it to take advantage of Chase Ultimate Rewards like exclusive event experiences, up to 15x bonus points for shopping at popular stores, and free memberships to Lyft Pink, DoorDash, and Instacart.

Ultimately, the card is only worth it if you’ll take advantage of enough of the rewards to cover the $550 fee. If not, you’ll want to consider other alternatives with a lower annual fee like the Platinum Card by Amex or Citi Premier Mastercard.

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