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The 100,000 bonus points offer for the Chase Sapphire ReserveSM card officially expired back in March of 2017. You can still earn 50,000 bonus points with the card when you apply online or in-branch.
Even though the 100k points offer is no longer available, I still believe the card to be worth the $450 annual fee. However, I don’t necessarily feel this to be the case for users that don’t travel often, or those who don’t appreciate the premium travel perks.
*Be sure to check out the current Checking and Savings promotions from Chase Bank also.
Why I Chose The Chase Sapphire ReserveSM
Only recommended for travelers seeking premium benefits
I’ve been looking to jump on a premium travel card for some time. After a long period of debating between the Platinum Card® from American Express and the Citi Prestige® Card, the Chase Sapphire ReserveSM card made its introduction at the perfect time and I took the plunge.
For those simply seeking a hefty credit card sign-up bonus, the 50,000 bonus points that you can earn will be worth $750 towards travel booked through Chase. This offer more than makes up for the $450 annual fee, which isn’t waived for the first year.
Now that the bonus offer is down to 50,000 points, this card won’t be such a good choice for those only looking for bonus value. If you’re in this boat, go for one of the other bonus options with lower annual fees that are waived the first year (e.g. the Barclays Arrival® or Chase Sapphire Preferred®).
If you are in the market for a premium travel card to hold on to, it’ll be hard to pass this one up. I don’t usually get excited when a new credit card arrives, as it’s always been a financial move towards the bottom line. It’s not the first metal card I’ve had, but this one felt a little more special. It put a smile on my face knowing I now had three premium travel benefits I picked this card for – Priority Pass lounge access, 3X points on travel/dining, and $300 in annual travel credit.
#1: Free Priority Pass Select Membership
Save $399 on a Priority Pass membership with your card
You’ll have access to 1,000+ airport lounges worldwide with the complimentary Priority Pass Select membership. This membership level is equivalent to the “Prestige” membership plan that would cost you $399 if purchased directly on the Priority Pass site ($359 with this discount). As this is a benefit that is important to me, I perceive the savings as a huge rationale for the $450 annual fee.
You’ll have access to all of these 1,000+ lounges at no cost, and your guests will also be covered according to the Priority Pass Select welcome letter I received.
While it is still a nice retreat when traveling domestically, this premium benefit is much needed on those long international travel plans. You’ll find common amenities like showers, refreshments, alcohol, WIFI, and comfortable seating at many lounges.
Lounges can be found at busy domestic airports like LAX, ATL, ORD, JFK and DFW. More importantly, many more lounges can be found at international airports like PEK (Beijing, China), DXB (Dubai), LHR (London), BKK (Bangkok, Thailand), NRT (Narita, Japan), etc.
Go to the Priority Pass website to find a lounge in your intended destination and terminal.
KAL Lounge at LAX
Tips:
- Once you receive your Chase Sapphire ReserveSM card, you’ll have to activate your free Priority Pass Select membership to take advantage of the benefit.
- Log into your Ultimate Rewards account.
- Click on either the “Use Points” or “Earn Points” menu at the top.
- Click on “Card Benefits”.
- Click to activate your Priority Pass Select membership.
- While some lounges may give you access with just your Chase Sapphire ReserveSM card, your best bet is to carry your Priority Pass member card during your travels. It could take 2-3 weeks after activation to receive your card, so plan accordingly (I received mine in under 2 weeks).
- If you’re traveling before your Priority Pass member card arrives, charge the in-network lounge access to your Chase Sapphire ReserveSM card and you can call in to have it reimbursed.
You must activate your Priority Pass membership to have access!
#2: 3X Points On Travel/Dining
Enjoy a nice meal and earn maximum rewards
You’ll earn 3 points per $1 spent on travel worldwide from airfare and hotels to taxis and trains. The 3 points per $1 spent on dining at restaurants worldwide applies to both fast casual to fine dining. Outside of these categories, you’ll earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
What are these points worth?
While you can redeem your points towards Gift Cards, Cash Back, or Amazon.com “Shop with Points”, you’ll receive 50% more value when you book travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal.
Taking into account the 50% extra value, your rewards rate will be 4.5% on Travel/Dining and 1.5% on all other purchases. In comparison, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® earns an effective rate (also when redeemed towards travel through Chase) of 2.5% on Travel/Dining and 1.25% elsewhere. Hence, this is my second rationale for the $450 annual fee.
To possibly get even more value from your earned points, you can take advantage of the 1:1 points transfer feature. This is where you can transfer over your Ultimate Rewards points earned with the Chase Sapphire ReserveSM card for an equivalent amount of points/miles with their transfer partners. Depending on how you use your rewards with these partners, your transferred points could end up being worth more. This is the case with many of the hotel rewards partners. Partners sometimes change, but here’s a current list:
Ultimate Rewards Airline/Hotel 1:1 Point Transfer Partners
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- British Airways Executive Club
- Flying Blue AIR FRANCE KLM
- Iberia Plus
- Korean Air SKYPASS
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®
- United MileagePlus®
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- IHG® Rewards Club
- Marriott Rewards®
- The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®
- World of Hyatt®
#3: $300 Annual Travel Credit
Thirdly, the $300 Annual Travel Credit that you’re allotted will cut down on the $450 annual fee substantially. I’ve seen some misunderstanding from readers and websites on this credit thinking it only applies to minor expenses like baggage fees and seat upgrades. Actually, the $300 in credits will be used as reimbursement for travel purchases that includes airfare and hotels charged to your card. The credits also occur throughout the year automatically as your charges are processed (it only took a few days for my first hotel booking with the card to get credited). I can also personally confirm that ride-sharing expenses such as Uber and Lyft count towards the travel credit as well.
This credit will be easily used up for any traveler, much less a frequent traveler that I only recommend this card for. I received my entire $300 in reimbursements within the first month for my trip, where even my Uber rides were credited.
50,000 Bonus Points To Top It All Off
To earn the 50,000 bonus points, you’ll have to spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening to qualify.
Frequent travelers should have no issues meeting the spending requirement for the bonus, but some common methods of doing so can be found at our Minimum Spend For Card Bonuses page.
Bottom Line:
Anyone who makes full use of all the travel benefits of the Chase Sapphire ReserveSM card will see why choosing a premium card with a whopping $450 annual fee can actually make sense in some cases.
Earn Up To 50,000 Bonus Points More Each Year
Earn Up To 50,000 Bonus Points In Referrals Yearly
Once you have a Chase Sapphire ReserveSM card active, you can start making referrals to earn up to 50,000 bonus points each year. The referral offer is for 10,000 bonus points for each referral who gets the card.
You can refer via Facebook, Twitter, email or your personalized link. Enter your information on the referral page to make sure you’re qualified to make referrals. Each friend will still receive the offer for 50,000 bonus points after they spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening as well.
Below is my referral link where you can learn more about this awesome credit card. Many thanks ahead of time if you decide to apply for the card using this link!
What’s The Competition?
Here’s a chart comparing the Chase Sapphire ReserveSM with its main premium credit card competitors – The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Citi Prestige®.
The Platinum Card® from American Express
| The Platinum Card® from American Express has a special offer for 75,000 Points after you spend $5,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. The best options for redeeming these points would be by booking travel through American Express or by redeeming for gift cards. Using these options, the 75,000 bonus will be worth $750. You must go directly to the American Express website to find this offer. Typically, the bonus offer reverts back to a 60,000 or 40,000 points promo, so it's all about timing here. The biggest drawback to this card is the $550 annual fee, which puts it in the premium class of credit cards. The card has a market because it offers premium travel benefits, such as 5X points for flights and eligible hotels, access to 1,000+ airport lounges, $200 in Uber credits yearly, and a $200 airline fee credit annually. For frequent travelers, the added benefits make sense in terms of value and added luxury. Full Review |
Citi Prestige® Card
| The Citi Prestige® Card is no longer offers a sign-up bonus (previously there were offers for 40,000 to 75,000 in bonus points). For the most value out of your points, redeem for flights through Citi, where your bonus will be worth 1.33 cents per point. This is another card that competes in the premium travel category, and the annual fee will signify that at $450. In effect, this card is only a good option for frequent travelers who can take advantage of the premium benefits : 3X points on air travel & hotels, 2X points on dining & entertainment, $250 Air Travel Credit annually, and free access to 1,000+ airport lounges with Priority Pass Select. For those in this niche market, this card will provide high perceived value. Full Review |
If you don’t spend enough on Travel/Dining or don’t feel as though the premium travel benefits are worth the annual fee, you may want to consider the alternatives discussed earlier in this article – the Barclays Arrival® and the Chase Sapphire PreferredSM.
Barclays Arrival® Premier World Elite Mastercard®
 The Barclays Arrival® Premier World Elite Mastercard® doesn't have an initial sign-up bonus offer. This card is targeted to high spenders that plan on carrying a good travel card for the long term. Instead of a bonus available upon account opening, cardholders are able to earn 25,000 loyalty bonus miles each and every year that they spend at least $25,000 in purchases. These 25,000 bonus miles are worth $250 in travel credits. The card also earns unlimited miles at the rate of 2 miles per $1 spent on all purchases regardless of category. With the miles earning rate taken into account, spending $25,000 a year will net you 75,000 miles worth $750 in travel credits, and you'll be able to earn that amount yearly.As expected with any good travel card, there are no foreign transaction fees to be concerned with and you'll get the higher worldwide acceptance of a Mastercard, which is nearly equivalent to that of Visa and much better than Discover or American Express. If you're not a high spender who travels often, this likely will not be a suitable card option for your needs. Full Review |
Chase Sapphire PreferredSM
| The Chase Sapphire Preferred® credit card currently has an offer for 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus earn an additional 30,000 bonus points after you spend $30,000 on purchases within your first year of account opening. Redeeming the total 80,000 bonus points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® program, which is praised by users, will get you $1,000 in value towards travel. The 80K bonus points are worth $1000 because you get 25% more value whenever you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Ongoing rewards with this card include earning 2 points per $1 on Travel and Dining at restaurants. The annual fee is $95, but it is waived for the first year. Full Review |
MoneysMyLife Top Offer Picks  Earn a $200 bonus when you open a new Chase Total Checking® account and set up direct deposit. Also earn a $150 bonus when you open a new Chase SavingsSM account, deposit a total of $10,000 or more in new money within 10 days & maintain a $10,000 balance for 90 days. Apply for both offers and get a $350 total bonus. Full Review Get $300 when you open a new Chase Premier Plus CheckingSM account and set up direct deposit. This account has more features than the Chase Total Checking® and the monthly service fee can be waived with a few different requirement options. A $300 Checking bonus is one of the best offers from Chase Bank. Full Review Earn $200 when you open a new Chase Total Business Checking® account, deposit $1,000 in new money within 10 business days of account opening, maintain that balance for 60 days and complete five qualifying transactions within 60 days. This is the most popular Business Checking offer.Full Review |
Apply online for a new TD Bank Checking account to earn either a $300 bonus for the TD Premier Checking account ( $2,500 in direct deposits required), or a $150 bonus for the TD Convenience Checking account ($500 in direct deposits required). This is a limited time offer. 
Get a $750 Welcome Deposit for eligible new customers who open an 
Earn up to 25,000 bonus miles worth $250 in travel every year with the Barclays Arrival® Premier World Elite Mastercard®. Without an initial sign-up bonus, this credit card is intended for high spenders looking for a card to carry for the long-term. The card will earn unlimited miles at the rate of 2 miles per $1 spent on all purchases. 
The HSBC Cash Rewards Mastercard® has a sign-up bonus of $150 when you spend at least $500 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. This credit card will also earn an ongoing 1.5% cash rewards rate on all purchases and has no foreign transaction fees. There is no annual fee with this card. 
CIT Bank is offering a 1.75% APY rate with their Money Market Account for all balances. This account is available online nationwide and consistently offers one of the best rates in the nation. The minimum opening deposit is $100 and there are no fees for opening or maintaining the account. 
Ally Invest is one of the nation's top choices for a low-cost stock broker, and they now have a promotion where you can earn a cash bonus of $50 to $3500, as well as $500 in commission-free trades. Your cash bonus value will depend on your deposit amount made within 60 days of account opening. 
Simple Bank has an offer where you can earn a $20 bonus after opening their free online Checking account that's available nationwide. You'll then be able to earn unlimited $20 referral bonuses. Direct deposit isn't a requirement and all you and your referrals need to do is open a new account and use the Simple Visa debit card to make a first purchase. *See all the best credit card sign-up bonuses
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- Barclays Arrival® Premier World Elite Mastercard®: Earn 75k Miles Yearly
- BBVA Compass Bank Promotions: $150, $200, $250 Checking/Savings Bonuses
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- TD Ameritrade Promotions: $600, $1500, $2500 Cash Bonus Offers
- Ally Invest $3500 Bonus Cash & Free Trades Promotion
Earn 50,000 bonus points on your new Chase Sapphire Reserve card