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The Chase Sapphire Reserve® card could easily be considered one of the best premium travel cards currently available. That’s because – in addition to an elevated rewards rate in popular spending categories, such as travel and dining – the card offers generous travel benefits and a lucrative sign-up bonus that’s worth $900 when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Just know, the benefits, sign-up bonus and rewards rate come with a hefty annual fee of
$550. But considering all the benefits, discounts, memberships and statement credits that come with the card, and provided you’ll take advantage of them, then the annual fee becomes a moot point.
We break down the pros and cons of the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, as well as show how it compares to another premium travel card.
Intro Purchase APR
N/A
Intro BT APR
N/A
Annual Fee
$550
Regular Purchase APR
16.99%-23.99% Variable
Cash Advance Fee
Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater.
Foreign Transaction Fee
$0
Balance Transfer Fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater
Sign-up bonus
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Chase Sapphire Reserve® points are generally valued at 1 cent each – making the sign-up bonus worth $600, unless you redeem those points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards at 1.5 cents each, which boosts the value of the signup bonus to $900.
Rewards rate
Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardholders earn 5X total points on air travel and 10X total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® 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.
The Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards category includes prepaid travel purchases made on UltimateRewards.com or by booking through the Chase Travel center using the number on the back of your card.
The other travel category includes airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, car rental agencies, cruise lines, campgrounds, taxis, ferries, toll bridges and more.
Dining rewards categories consist of merchants whose primary business is sit-down or eat-in dining, including fast food restaurants and fine dining establishments. Note, merchants that sell food and drinks inside of sports stadiums, hotels, casinos and other facilities don’t qualify for the higher rewards rate.
$300 annual travel credit
This credit will be applied as a reimbursement for travel purchases (or gas station and grocery store purchases from June 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021). Know that purchases that qualify for the travel credit will not accrue points or miles until after the credit has been satisfied.
Redemption options and travel transfer partners
Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed for travel, cash, gift cards, statement credits and products and services. You can also transfer points to 11 airlines and three hotel partners at a rate of 1:1. Chase transfer partners include: Air Canada Aeroplan, Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways Executive Club, Emirates Skywards, Flying Blue Air France KLM, Iberia Plus, JetBlue TrueBlue, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, United MileagePlus, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, IHG Rewards Club, Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt.
Pay Yourself Back Limited Time Offer
Cardholders can also get 50% more value from their points when redeemed for statement credits to cover purchases in select, rotating categories.
To receive your statement credit, select an eligible purchase made within the past 90 days and apply your points to all or part of the purchase.
Annual fee
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® card charges a high annual fee of $550, as well as a $75 fee for each authorized user per year. However, the value you can get from the card’s annual travel credit, Global Entry or TSA Precheck fee credit, complimentary airport lounge access and other benefits can substantially offset that amount each year.
No intro APR
Because the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card does not offer an intro APR on purchases or balance transfers, it’s not ideal if you plan to carry a balance on your card. If you don’t pay your balance in full each month, you will be subject to interest charges at a rate of 16.99%-23.99% variable APR.
If you want a premium travel rewards card and your travel is often booked on American Airlines, you may want to look at the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®, which has a slightly lower annual fee of $450.
Similar to the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® comes with a number of valuable benefits, including a complimentary Admirals Club membership – valued at up to $650, a Global Entry/TSA Precheck credit and the first checked bag free for you and up to eight travel companions.
Additionally, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® offers the following sign-up bonus: Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
AAdvantage® miles can be redeemed for flights on American Airlines, American Eagle or any oneworld airline or partner airline, as well as flight upgrades on American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia flights. Miles can also be redeemed for car rentals, hotel stays, activities and tours.
While these cards share similar sign-up bonuses, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® requires cardholders to spend $1,000 more in the first three months to earn the bonus. Also, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® lets you earn an elevated rewards rate in a broader range of spending categories for a limited time.
The information related to the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® has been independently collected by LendingTree and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card prior to publication.
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| Chase Sapphire Reserve® | Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® | Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | The Platinum Card® from American Express |
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Apply Now on Chase's secure site
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Review Coming Soon |
Apply Now on Chase's secure site
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Apply Now on American Express's secure site
Terms Apply
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| Annual Fee | |||
| $550 | $450 | $95 | $695 |
| Welcome Offer | |||
| Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. | Earn 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening | Our best offer ever! Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,250 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. | 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. |
| Rewards Rate | |||
| 5X total points on air travel and 10X total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® 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 | Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases & 1 AAdvantage® mile for every $1 spent on other purchases | 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3X points on dining and 2X points on all other travel purchases | 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Terms apply. |
| Regular APR | |||
| 16.99%-23.99% Variable | 15.99% - 24.99% (Variable) | 15.99% - 22.99% Variable | See Pay Over Time APR |
| Recommended Credit | |||
| Excellent | Excellent/Good | Excellent | Excellent/Good |
| Card Details | |||
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® | Additional card details unavailable | Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | The Platinum Card® from American Express |
If you’re an avid traveler who will take advantage of all the benefits the Chase Sapphire Reserve® has to offer, then this is a great choice. The high annual fee can be offset with annual travel credit, as well as the Priority Pass Select lounge membership.
Plus, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers some of most generous travel protections among its competitors, including primary car rental insurance, lost luggage insurance, trip delay, cancellation and interruption insurance, and more.
If the annual fee for the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card is a little too steep for your liking, you can get access to some of the card’s same benefits with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card – which charges an annual fee of $95.