Last Updated on October 29, 2025 by Betsy Ramsey
UPDATE 2025: The fee sure has gone up for this card since I wrote the original post, but Chase has also started offering many more benefits. It’s still one of my favorite credit cards for travel.
New key benefits include:
- $300 annual travel credit
- $500 annual credit for stays with The Edit, also soft benefits like upgrades, breakfast or room credit
- $250 in statement credits on prepaid Chase Travel hotel bookings for stays with IHG® Hotels & Resorts, Montage Hotels & Resorts, Pendry Hotels & Resorts, Omni Hotels & Resorts, Virgin Hotels, Minor Hotels, and Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts. Two night minimum required. Purchases that qualify will not earn points.
- $300 annual credit for Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables on Open Table, 150 Jan-Jun, 150 Jul-Dec
- IHG Platinum Elite Status (2nd highest out of 4 levels)
- Marriot Bonvoy Gold Elite for 3 months by registering between July 1 and September 30, 2025. And, if you stay 3 paid nights within those 3 months, your status extends through February 2027.
- $120 every 4 years for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or Nexus
- $120 Door Dash Dash Pass
- Door Dash: $5 credit monthly for restaurants, 2-$10 credits monthly for grocery or retail
- Priority Pass Select and Chase Lounge Access with up to 2 guests (valued at $469)
- Apple TV and Apple Music complementary subscription ($250 annually)
- Lyft: $120 in statement credits, $10/month
- Peloton – $120 in statement credits annually for membership/apps
- StubHub and viagogo – $300 in annual statement credits, 150 Jan-Jun, 150 Jul-Dec
- PointsBoost: 2x points on top hotels and select flights through Chase Travel
- Reserve Travel Designers – trip itinerary planning up to $300/trip
Insurance Protection
- Trip Cancellation $10,000/traveler, $20,000/trip
- Emergency Evacuation up to $100,000 if 100 miles from home
- Roadside Assistance: $50/incident, 4x/year
- Rental Car CDW – decline at rental and charge to card, up to $75,000 for theft & damage
- Trip Delay – up to $500 per traveler if delay is 6 hours or more
- Baggage Delay – up to $100/day for 5 days if baggage is delayed more than 6 hours
- Widely accepted
Original Post
Like many amateur travel hackers, I’ve been eyeing up the new Chase Sapphire Reserve card with its incredible 100,000 Chase Reward bonus points. However, as the child of a fiscally responsible accountant and mathematician couple, the thought of paying $450 a year to a credit card company for the pleasure of using its services put a lump in the pit of my stomach.
Here is the article that convinced me to pull the trigger. Apparently, the $300 annual travel credit is per calendar year, not cardholder year. So by signing up prior to the end of 2016, I will get to use the $300 credit this year and again after the first of the year. Right out of the gate, this puts one up $150. Mix in the complimentary Priority Pass Select membership that comes with the card and the triple point earnings on travel and dining, and there is no question that I’ll come out ahead with this card. The mathematical breakeven points for annual spend are demonstrated in an article by The Points Guy.
Immediately after approval, I contacted the Chase team via email portal to see if I could have the card expedited in anticipation of upcoming travel. They replied that due to extreme demand for the card, they were unable to accommodate expedited delivery at this time. Imagine my surprise and delight when just four days after applying (including a weekend), my card arrived via UPS! Thrilled with their customer service and can’t wait to start making a dent in the qualifying minimum spend.
Card Benefit Summary:
- 100,000 Chase Reward points after $4,000 spend in the first three months (worth $2,100 or MORE)
- $300 in statement credits annually for travel purchases
- Up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✔® (NOT limited to primary cardholder)
- Complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Special car rental privileges from National Car Rental, Avis and Silvercar
- Earn 3X points on travel worldwide from airfare and hotels to taxis and trains
- Earn 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide from fast casual to fine dining
- Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- 50% more value when you redeeming for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- Access to benefits through Chase’s The Luxury Hotel & Resort CollectionSM
- No foreign transaction fees
- Travel and purchase protections
- 24/7 direct access to a Customer Service specialist
- Worldwide Travel Assistance
- Access to the Visa Infinite Concierge (reservations or Broadway, music and sporting event tickets)
Thanks so much for your likes, shares, and follows! Until next time,
