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Chase Sapphire Reserve® Review: A Premier Travel Credit Card

Review Updated
Lyle Daly
Author: Lyle Daly
Lyle Daly
Lyle Daly
Writer

Lyle Daly is a personal finance writer who specializes in credit cards, travel rewards programs, and banking. His work with Motley Fool Money and The Motley Fool has appeared syndicated in USA Today and Yahoo! Finance. He was born in California but currently lives as a digital nomad with a home base in Colombia.

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Nathan Alderman
Fact Checked: Nathan Alderman
Nathan Alderman
Nathan Alderman
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The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is good for frequent travelers who want a high-end rewards card. It has lots of useful perks, including airport lounge access and easy-to-use travel rewards. The Chase Ultimate Rewards program is packed with airline and hotel partners, and you can always get good value using your points for Chase Travel bookings.

Find out if this is the credit card for you in our Chase Sapphire Reserve® review.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Reserve®

On Chase's Secure Website.

Ratings Methodology

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Reserve®

On Chase's Secure Website.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Credit Score: Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Reserve®

On Chase's Secure Website.

Credit Score Circle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Good/Excellent (670-850)

Intro APR

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular APR

21.74% - 28.74% Variable

Rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ 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.

5x points on flights and 10x points on hotels and car rentals through Chase Travel℠.

Annual Fee

$550

Welcome Offer Circle with letter I in it. Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

60,000 bonus points

  • All the perks we've come to expect from a top travel card, including a $300 annual travel credit, airport lounge access, and big bonuses on travel and dining. Points are transferable to airline and hotel partners or worth 50% more if you book through Chase Travel. The annual fee is hefty, but if you can use all its features, this card could be well worth the cost.

    • Travel credits
    • Airport lounge access
    • Travel and dining rewards
    • Welcome offer
    • Flexible travel points
    • Annual fee
    • Limited-time benefits
    • Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
    • $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
    • Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ 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
    • Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
    • 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
    • Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $120 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
    • Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
    • Member FDIC

Chase Sapphire Reserve review

Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve worth it?

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is worth it if you travel often and you like Chase's travel rewards program. With a $550 annual fee, it's one of the more expensive travel credit cards, so it won't be right for everyone. But it has enough benefits to make up for the cost, provided you're able to use them.

Author's personal experience
Image of reviewer

I had the Chase Sapphire Reserve® for over seven years. It's an excellent travel card, and I love the Ultimate Rewards program -- I still have several Chase credit cards for that reason. I eventually decided to downgrade it because I wasn't using as many of the perks as before and didn't want to keep paying the annual fee. Even after so many years of paying that fee, I still came out well ahead with this card. It regularly helped me save thousands on air travel, and I loved having the option to redeem points for 50% more value through Chase Travel.

What everyone else is saying

This is a popular card, and practically everyone has an opinion on it. Here's what other review sites and credit card enthusiasts on social media think.

What other review sites say

Average review site rating: 4.7 / 5 stars

Professional reviews are very high on the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Descriptions include "one of the best travel credit cards," "elite," and even "one of the best rewards credit cards of all time." Reviewers talk about this Chase card like football fans talk about Tom Brady.

The highlights most often mentioned are the $300 annual travel credit, airport lounge access, and Chase's travel rewards program. While there aren't any major criticisms, many reviews mention the expensive annual fee and that you need a high credit score to get this card.

One review also mentioned that the welcome offer isn't as much as it used to be. While you can still earn 60,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months, Chase has offered 75,000 bonus points in the past.

Online consensus

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® gets a lot of praise on social media, but also its fair share of contrarian takes. Some have referred to it as a "bad deal" and even "the worst travel card." They say it's hard to recoup the annual fee through this card's spending credits and that you can earn just as many points or more with other credit cards.

It's worth pointing out that many of the people who discuss credit cards on social media are optimizers. They don't mind devoting large amounts of time to complicated rewards strategies, and they're open to carrying half a dozen cards to earn more points on their spending.

Professional credit card reviews focus more on how a card would work for a typical consumer. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® does well in that regard, if you're a frequent traveler who wants one premium travel card.

Chase Sapphire Reserve features and benefits

Ideal for frequent flyers with premium travel perks

If you're the jetsetter type, this Chase card is a fantastic travel companion. It gets you and up to two guests into over 1,300 airport lounges around the world with a Priority Pass Select membership.

You'll also get free access to Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club locations and over 15 Air Canada lounges. There aren't many Chase Sapphire Lounges yet, but the ones that have opened are getting good reviews.

Airport lounge access makes spending time at the airport much more enjoyable. This card can also speed up the process of getting through airport security. It includes a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, or NEXUS membership fee credit. I recommend signing up for Global Entry, since it includes TSA PreCheck® benefits.

Big savings opportunities headlined by a $300 annual travel credit

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers $300 in statement credits per year for travel purchases. This covers anything Chase classifies as travel, which is a long list. It also has several partner offers that could save you even more:

  • Lyft Pink membership: Get two complimentary years of Lyft Pink All Access when you activate by Dec. 31, 2024.
  • DoorDash DashPass subscription: Get complimentary access to DashPass for a minimum of 12 months when you activate by Dec. 31, 2027.
  • Monthly DoorDash credit: As a DashPass member, get an automatic $5 monthly credit to your DoorDash account and up to $20 per month to use on non-restaurant DoorDash orders, via two $10 promos.
  • The Edit℠: Book hotel stays through The Edit℠ for complimentary daily breakfast for two, complimentary wifi, room upgrades if available, early check-in and late checkout if available, and a $100 property credit

Flexible travel rewards with plenty of high-value redemption options

Chase Ultimate Rewards is our pick as the best credit card rewards program. While there are other excellent programs out there, this one is special for a few reasons.

Chase has an outstanding selection of over a dozen airline and hotel partners. By transferring your Chase points, you can get incredible value on what would be expensive travel bookings. Here are a few examples:

  • Book a luxury hotel stay by transferring Chase points to Hyatt
  • Fly business class when traveling abroad with a transfer to one of Chase's international airline partners
  • Save on domestic flights with transfers to Southwest or United

Transfers aren't the only good way to use your points. You get 50% more value ($0.015 per point) on Chase Travel bookings. This is a convenient way to redeem your points, as you can book many different types of travel with Chase Travel, including flights, hotels, car rentals, and activities.

A solid welcome offer and bonus points on travel and dining

This Chase credit card has a welcome offer of 60,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. I'd consider this good, but not great. While it's valuable, there have been times when Chase has offered more points.

Here's how much you'll earn on purchases with this card:

  • 10x points per $1 hotels and car rentals through Chase Travel after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
  • 5x points per $1 air travel through Chase Travel after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
  • 10x points on Lyft rides through March 2025
  • 10x points on Chase Dining purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards
  • 3x points per $1 on other travel and other dining
  • 1x points per $1 other purchases

A full suite of complimentary travel protections and purchase coverages

Complimentary travel and purchase insurance are a strong suit for the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Lots of credit cards have rental car insurance for damage and theft, to give you one example. But if you actually need to use it, you'll normally find that it's secondary insurance on U.S. rentals.

That means you need to file a claim with your primary auto insurance first. This Chase card has primary rental insurance, so you won't need to use your regular car insurance and risk a rate hike.

That's just one of many protections this card has on eligible purchases. It also offers:

  • Trip cancellation/interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, and travel accident insurance
  • Lost luggage reimbursement and baggage delay insurance
  • Purchase protection, return protection, and extended warranty protection
Learn more about the perks Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers

A Guide to Chase Sapphire Reserve® card benefits

A Guide to Chase Sapphire Reserve®'s travel insurance benefits

A Guide to Chase Sapphire Reserve®'s rental car insurance

What could be improved

Some benefits won't work for everyone

Like many high-priced cards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® has quite a few features that will only work for select cardholders. DoorDash and Lyft benefits are great, if you use those apps regularly. If not, you may find that the $550 fee is too steep for what you're getting.

If those benefits fit your lifestyle, then you'll probably love this card. I saw tons of positive comments online from cardholders who live in major metropolitan areas, including New York and Chicago. They enjoy the savings on food deliveries and the Lyft Pink All Access perks, such as getting unlimited 45-minute classic bike rides.

Find the best credit card for your needs
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Compare credit card rewards, fees, APRs, and more using our side-by-side comparison tool.

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What to know before applying

Chase Sapphire Reserve credit score

A FICO® Score of 670 or higher is recommended to apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Another important factor when applying for Chase cards is an unofficial rule it has, known as the Chase 5/24 rule. If you've opened five or more credit cards within the last 24 months, Chase will most likely deny your application.

Pre-approval process

Chase has a pre-approval tool on its website, but it's not always available. When it is, you can enter some basic information to check if you're pre-approved for Chase credit cards. It will show you any pre-approval offers you have with Chase, which may or may not include the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

Regular APR

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a 21.74% - 28.74% Variable APR. It's best to pay off your balance in full every month to avoid interest charges.

Fees

Here are the fees for the Chase Sapphire Reserve®:

  • Annual fee: $550
  • Each authorized user: $75 per year
  • Balance transfer fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
  • Cash advance fee: Either $10 or 5% of the amount of each transaction, whichever is greater.
  • Foreign transaction fee: $0

Credit limit

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a minimum starting credit limit of $10,000, based on the pricing and terms. Your credit limit is based primarily on your income and credit history, so it's possible to be approved for a much larger amount. On the high end, there are cardholders that have reported credit limits of $50,000 or more.

Credit card comparison

We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.

Offer Our Rating Welcome Offer Rewards Program APR Learn More
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash back on rotating categories 		Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. 1% - 5% Cashback Circle with letter I in it. Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Intro:

Purchases: 0%, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months

Regular: 18.49% - 27.49% Variable APR *Rates as of December 12, 2024.

Apply Now for Discover it® Cash Back

On Discover's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for cash rewards on everyday spending 		$200 cash rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. 2% cash rewards Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers

Purchases: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening

Balance Transfers: 0% intro APR, 12 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers

Regular: 19.24%, 24.24%, or 29.24% Variable APR

Apply Now for Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

On Wells Fargo's Secure Website.

Rates & Fees External Link Icon

Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Best for unlimited rewards on purchases 		25,000 points Circle with letter I in it. 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases 1.5 points per dollar Circle with letter I in it. Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees, and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open.

Intro: Circle with letter I in it. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the intro APR offer ends, 18.49% - 28.49% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers will apply. A 3% fee for 60 days from account opening, then 4% fee applies to all balance transfers.

Purchases: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases

Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days

Regular: 18.49% - 28.49% (Variable)

Apply Now for Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

On Bank of America's Secure Website.

Should you apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve?

Go with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® if you want a feature-packed travel card and don't mind the annual fee. If you like to travel, it won't be hard to save money with this card.

Our credit card methodology

At Motley Fool Money, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.

We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates credit cards.

FAQs

  • The credit limit for the Chase Sapphire Reserve® ranges from $10,000 to over $50,000. When you're approved for the card, Chase sets a credit limit based on your income and credit history.

  • Yes, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is made of metal.

  • Yes, you can use the Chase Sapphire Reserve® internationally, and it doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee.