12 Chase Sapphire Reserve Benefits You Need To Know About
If you know, you know. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a big fan club despite its jumbo $550 annual fee. All those fans aren’t crazy. They’re willing to pay that fee thanks to the many valuable benefits included with the card.
Unlike some other cards, the Sapphire Reserve’s benefits aren’t just perks that look good on paper. It’s packed with extras worth hundreds of dollars that can save you money and make your travels easier. These are the benefits you need to know about.
Earning and Redeeming Ultimate Rewards Points
Chase Ultimate Rewards® are one of the most popular types of flexible credit card points. Want cash back? No problem. Prefer to redeem rewards for travel? It’s easy. Nearly all of Chase’s redemption options yield a fair value, and in some cases, you’ll get industry-leading redemption rates. That’s a benefit to be excited about.
Welcome Bonus
Although a welcome bonus is a one-time benefit, the Sapphire Reserve’s is big enough to tip the scales. Currently, you can earn .
Since that’s worth hundreds of dollars—maybe more, if you’re strategic—it’s absolutely a perk you won’t want to miss.
Category Bonuses
In the long-term, the earning rates on your credit card can add up to serious rewards potential. Thankfully, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® earns bonus points in several different categories. Cardholders earn .
Through Mar. 31, 2025, cardholders can also earn 10 points per dollar spent on Lyft rides. This elevated rate is more than triple the normal 3 points per dollar earned on rideshares.
50% Redemption Bonus
While earning points on your purchases is important, it’s only half the story. How you can redeem those points is the other half—and the Sapphire Reserve provides bonuses on select redemptions to stretch your points farther.
There are two types of redemptions where you’ll get a 50% bonus when redeeming rewards. First, you’ll get 50% more value when using your points to book travel through Ultimate Rewards (plus, there are no blackout dates). Second, you can also get 50% more value when reimbursing purchases in select, rotating categories through Pay Yourself Back. In both cases, that makes your rewards worth 1.5 cents per point.
Airline and Hotel Transfers
While a value of 1.5 cents per point is industry-leading for some types of redemptions, travelers may do even better by transferring Ultimate Rewards to airline and hotel loyalty programs. Chase partners with more than a dozen popular travel programs.
Transfers are at a 1:1 ratio—1,000 Ultimate Rewards points equal 1,000 airline miles or hotel points—and most transfers go through instantly.
With Chase’s partners including United Airlines, World of Hyatt and more, you have endless opportunities to score travel deals. Redemptions may yield 2 cents or more per point. Some Ultimate Rewards sweet spots can easily lead to even higher value.
Travel Benefits
Many of the Sapphire Reserve’s benefits are centered around travel. For frequent travelers, these benefits are good as gold.
$300 Annual Travel Credit
Not only does the Sapphire Reserve offer statement credits toward travel, but they’re exceptionally easy to use. Each anniversary year, cardholders can receive up to $300 in statement credits toward travel reimbursements. No registration is required. Simply charge qualifying expenses—such as flights and hotels booked directly with the provider—to your card and the credits will automatically be applied to your account.
$100 Trusted Traveler Credit
Like many travel cards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® includes a statement credit of up to $100 as reimbursement for a trusted traveler program application fee once every four years. But, the Sapphire Reserve’s benefit is more flexible than most. It can be used to cover NEXUS, as well as Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, which are more common alternative options.
Airport Lounge Access
Airport lounge access is always hugely valuable and the Sapphire Reserve does it right. Cardholders get Priority Pass lounge access after a one-time enrollment, and it’s expansive coverage. Priority Pass’s partnering airport restaurants and other experiences are also included with your membership. You can bring up to two guests traveling with you on each visit.
If you were to spring for a Priority Pass membership without access through your credit card, a Prestige membership—the level allowing you unlimited visits at no additional cost—would run $429 per year. So for the frequent flyer, this benefit alone goes a long way toward offsetting the Sapphire Reserve’s annual fee.
Chase has also announced the introduction of Chase Sapphire-branded lounges, though they are still in construction. Once open, cardholders will have access to these additional lounges for even more options.
Luxury Hotel Perks
Travelers booking through the Chase Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection receive extra perks with their bookings. Complimentary breakfast, room upgrades and late checkout are just some of the available amenities. Many properties also include unique amenities, such as a credit to the on-site spa or restaurant. You need to hold a select Chase credit card to be eligible—and the Sapphire Reserve is one such card.
Trip Protections
Travel insurance can be expensive but many protections are included with the Sapphire Reserve and automatically apply when you pay for your trip with your card.
Cardholders receive trip cancellation and interruption insurance, trip delay and lost luggage reimbursement, primary auto rental collision damage waiver and emergency evacuation and transportation.
Lifestyle Benefits
Even when you’re not traveling, the Sapphire Reserve has a lot to offer.
DoorDash Discounts
Sapphire Reserve cardholders can enjoy a complimentary DashPass membership of at least one year if they activate this benefit by Dec. 31, 2024. DashPass includes savings like a $0 delivery fee at many DoorDash and Caviar restaurants, lower service fees with minimum spending and 5% DoorDash credits on pickup orders.
The Sapphire Reserve also throws in a $5 credit each month toward DoorDash. If you order food online regularly, these discounts add up to some scrumptious savings.
Gopuff Credits
For other types of delivery, such as household essentials or alcohol, cardholders can take advantage of Gopuff credits. The Sapphire Reserve offers $10 in statement credits to reimburse Gopuff purchases charged to your card until Dec. 31, 2023.
No enrollment is required, but a delivery fee will apply when you order (and can be reimbursed as part of your monthly credit). In most cases, the Gopuff delivery fee is $2.95, but that doubles if you’re buying products such as alcohol or tobacco.
Shopping Protections
Shop with peace of mind when using your Sapphire Reserve. Benefits include purchase protection, return protection and extended warranty coverage. Though terms and limits apply, these are still valuable options for cardholders who need to file a claim.
Bottom Line
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is packed with perks, most of which are straightforward to use without special hoops to jump through. Even if some of the benefits aren’t an exact fit for your needs, there’s a good chance that enough of them make sense to justify the card’s $550 annual fee. For frequent travelers who enjoy a wide range of redemption options and benefits while traveling, the Sapphire Reserve is hard to beat.
