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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.
On Chase's Secure Website.
On Chase's Secure Website.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
22.49%-29.49% Variable
Rewards 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 N/A
$550
Welcome Offer Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
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.
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 |
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Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
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 |
Discover will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. N/A | 1% - 5% Cashback 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—automatically. |
Intro: Purchases: 0%, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months Regular: 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR |
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Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
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 |
Up to $300 cash back Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases. | 1.5% - 5% cash back Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases |
Intro: 0% Intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months Regular: 20.49% - 29.24% Variable |
Apply Now for Chase Freedom Unlimited®
On Chase's Secure Website. |
|
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
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 |
75,000 Miles 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening | 2X-5X miles Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. |
Intro: Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A Regular: 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable) |
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.
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.
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.
Average competitor 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.
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 squeeze out more points on their spending.
Professional credit card reviews focus more on how a card would work in a vacuum 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. Plenty of social media users recognize that and appreciate the Chase Sapphire Reserve® -- it's still well-liked there. It's mainly optimizers who aren't always as fond of it.
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. 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 Global Entry, since it includes TSA PreCheck® benefits. These programs speed up the security process at airports where they're available.
While this card has a $550 annual fee, you probably won't have any trouble getting some of that back. It offers $300 in statement credits per year for travel purchases. This covers anything Chase classifies as travel, which is a long list.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® also offers several partner offers that could save you some money, if you can use them. These include:
In The Ascent's 2024 Credit Card Awards, we chose Chase Ultimate Rewards 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:
Transfers aren't the only good way to use your points. You get 50% more value ($0.015 per point) on Chase Travel bookings. For example, 100,000 points are worth $1,500. 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.
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:
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 car insurance as one of its travel insurance benefits. You can file with it right away after a covered incident, 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:
Like many high-priced cards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® has quite a few features that will only work for select cardholders. DoorDash and Instacart benefits are great, if you use those apps regularly. Ditto for Lyft Pink All Access. 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.
It's also worth noting that several benefits are limited-time offers ending this year or early in 2025. Chase may extend them or add new ones to replace them. If not, that will mean a big hit to this card's value.
Compare credit card rewards, fees, APRs, and more using our side-by-side comparison tool.
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.
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®.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a 22.49%-29.49% Variable APR. It's best to pay off your balance in full every month to avoid interest charges.
Here are the fees for the Chase Sapphire Reserve®:
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.
If you want a more affordable annual fee: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card only costs $95 per year. It's also part of the Chase Ultimate Rewards program and has some similar benefits, including a big welcome offer, bonus points in multiple spending categories, and lots of ways to redeem points for travel.
If you want even more premium perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the most popular luxury rewards cards. It offers over $1,500 in spending credits per year and provides access to even more types of airport lounges, including American Express® Centurion Lounges. Terms apply.
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.
At The Motley Fool Ascent, 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 The Ascent rates credit cards.
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.
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent, a Motley Fool service, does not cover all offers on the market. The Ascent has a dedicated team of editors and analysts focused on personal finance, and they follow the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands.
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