For nearly a decade, the *chase sapphire reserve* has held its own as one of the top premium travel cards on the market. In 2025, that still hasn’t changed.
It all starts with the Sapphire Reserve’s big welcome bonus: 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 in three months. Those 60,000 points are enough to unlock at least $900 in travel through Chase Travel ℠ – or much more by sending points to airlines and hotels that are direct Chase transfer partners.
With an annual fee of $550, it’s not for everyone. But that higher price tag unlocks a slew of premium travel benefits, starting with an easy-to-use $300 annual travel credit that effectively cuts that annual fee down to $250. You also get access to Chase’s growing list of Sapphire Lounges, and more than 1,400 other airport lounges via Priority Pass, up to a $120 credit for NEXUS, Global Entry, or TSA PreCheck, top-notch travel insurance, and much more.
Read on for everything you need to know about Chase’s top travel credit card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Learn more about the *chase sapphire reserve*.
Full Benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
First launched in 2016, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is widely considered the superior sibling to the *chase sapphire preferred*, Chase’s original foray into travel rewards credit cards. To this day, it’s still one of the best travel rewards credit cards on the market.
Here’s a rundown of the full list of benefits.
Sign-Up Bonus
Here is what’s currently at stake: bonus_miles_full
Since Chase Ultimate Rewards points can easily be redeemed for 1.5 cents each through Chase Travel ℠, this bonus is worth a minimum of $900 – or much more by sending points to airlines and hotels that are direct Chase transfer partners.
Just know, you will not be eligible for the Sapphire Reserve if you currently have the Chase Sapphire Preferred – or earned a sign-up bonus on the Sapphire Preferred or Reserve in the last 48 months – four full years. Plus, you won’t get approved for the Reserve if you’ve opened five or more credit cards (from any bank, not just Chase) in the last two years thanks to Chase’s 5/24 Rule.
Related reading: Master Guide to Credit Card Applications: All the Rules You Need to Know, Bank by Bank
Complimentary Airport Lounge Access
For starters, the Sapphire Reserve is your ticket in to the growing list of Chase Sapphire-branded lounges. Over the last couple of years, Chase has been playing catch-up with American Express and lapping Capital One with its network of lounges.
These aren’t your average, run-of-the-mill airport lounges, either. Chase has upped the ante with each new lounge it debuts: The designs are all chic and spacious, the complimentary food and drinks are a big step above your typical airport club, and many feature upscale amenities like showers and wellness areas.
As of publication, Chase has 10 lounge locations already open or in the works:
- Boston (BOS) between Terminals B and C: Now open
- Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) in Terminal D by gate 35
- Hong Kong (HKG) in Terminal 1: Now open
- Las Vegas (LAS) in the C Concourse
- Los Angeles (LAX) in the Tom Bradley International Terminal
- New York City-LaGuardia (LGA) in Terminal B: Now open
- New York City (JFK) in Terminal 4: Now open
- Philadelphia (PHL) in Terminal D/E connector
- Phoenix (PHX) in Terminal 4: Now open
- San Diego (SAN) in Terminal 2: Now open
While it’s not officially dubbed a Sapphire Lounge, Chase also shares a space with Etihad at Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD).
Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders get complimentary access for themselves and two guest at all these lounges.
The card also comes with a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, which gets you free access to an additional 1,400-plus airport lounges around the world. You can bring up to two guests into these lounges with you for free, too.
Priority Pass lounges can be a bit of a mixed bag: Some are great, while others are fairly lackluster. But no matter what, it’s a better place to relax before your flight than the terminal, grabbing a quick snack or a drink for free.
Unfortunately, you can no longer access a airport restaurants and dine for free with a Priority Pass membership through Chase.
Statement Credits
$300 Annual Travel Credit
The Reserve Card carries an incredibly lucrative benefit that easily cuts its annual fee in half – and then some.
Each and every year, Chase automatically reimburses you for up to $300 in purchases that code as travel. Whether that is a taxi, Uber, hotel, plane ticket, cruise, or any other travel expense, this is $300 right back in your pocket, effectively reducing the annual fee to $250.
You don’t book through Chase Travel or jump through any hoops like other cards. Just spend on travel, pay with your Sapphire Reserve, and the $300 credit kicks in automatically.
Up to $120 Application Fee Credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS
If you apply for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS and pay with your Chase Sapphire Reserve, the application fee will get automatically reimbursed, up to $120.
You can receive this credit once every four years and membership in both programs lasts for five years. That means you’re set to enroll in either program.
DoorDash Statement Credits & DashPass Membership
Sapphire Reserve cardholders get a $5 per month discount on DoorDash restaurant orders and a monthly coupon of up to $10 off on grocery, convenience, and other non-restaurant orders.
You’ll also get a complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership which provides access to free deliveries and lower platform fees.
Earning Points
Earn 3x Points On Travel And Restaurants Worldwide
You will earn 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on all travel and dining at restaurants worldwide. After that, you’ll earn 1 point per dollar on all other spending.
Earn 10x Points On Hotels & Rental Cars Booked Through Chase
When you book hotels and rental cars through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal, you’ll earn 10x points per dollar spent.
Additionally, you’ll earn 10x points per dollar spent on rides with Lyft through March 2025.
Earn 5x Points On Air Travel Booked Through Chase
When you book flights through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal, you’ll earn 5x points per dollar spent.
Travel Protections
Primary Car Rental Insurance
When you charge your car rental to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you can simply decline the insurance from the rental company and be covered up to $75,000 for theft and/or collision damage.
Just note that this is not liability insurance: It will not cover medical bills, damage to another vehicle, or damage to property.
Read more: All About the Chase Sapphire Rental Car Insurance Benefit
Roadside Assistance
Receive 24-hour towing assistance (up to $50), 24-hour lockout assistance (up to $50), up to two gallons of fuel delivery, and flat tire changing service all included with your card membership.
Related reading: Car Broke Down? Your Travel Credit Card Might Have Roadside Assistance
Lost Luggage Reimbursement
If you check your bags and they’re delayed more than six hours, the card will reimburse you up to $100 per day for up to five days. This coverage is meant to provide reimbursement for essential items like toiletries, clothing, and cell phone charging cables, for example.
Trip Delay & Cancellation Coverage
The card will reimburse you for any delay lasting six or more hours. Cardholders will be covered along with their spouse or domestic partner and any dependent children under the age of 22 for up to $500 for each purchased ticket.
Read more: A Firsthand Experience With Chase’s Trip Delay Insurance
Medical Evacuation & Travel Accident Coverage
The card provides coverage up to $1,000,000 for accidental death or dismemberment, or a combined loss of speech, sight, or hearing, experienced on a covered trip. Benefits are available when some portion of a trip has been purchased with the card or with Ultimate Rewards points earned on the card.
The card will also provide coverage for a medical evacuation. If you or a member of your immediate family are injured or become sick during a trip far from home that results in an emergency evacuation, you can be covered for medical services and transportation up to $100,000.
Redeeming Ultimate Rewards Points
One of the best parts about the Chase Sapphire Reserve is that it gives you multiple ways to redeem your points for travel.
Using the Chase Travel Portal
The first option is perfect for beginners. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, every point is worth 1.5 cents toward travel booked through Chase Travel. You can use this portal to book airfare, hotels, rental cars, cruises, and even excursions, all at 1.5 cents per point.
Take this $280 flight from Newark (EWR) to Paris (CDG) for example. Booking through the Chase Travel portal, you’d need less than 19,000 points to pay for the flight in full. Not bad!
Best of all, you still earn miles when booking flights this way. That makes it one of our favorite ways to book cheap flight deals, like the ones we send our Thrifty Traveler Premium members!
Transfer Points to Travel Partners
If you want to get even more value out of your points, look into transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to more than a dozen airlines and hotel chains. This is the key to booking amazing travel, including business and first-class flights.
Here’s the full list of Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners:
| Program | Type | Transfer Ratio | Transfer Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Air France/KLM | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| British Airways | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Emirates | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Iberia Plus | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| JetBlue | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Singapore Air | Airline | 1:1 | 12-24 hours |
| Southwest Airlines | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| United Airlines | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Virgin Atlantic | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| World of Hyatt | Hotel | 1:1 | Instant |
| IHG | Hotel | 1:1 | 1 day |
| Marriott Rewards | Hotel | 1:1 | 2 days |
There are plenty of ways to squeeze good value out of these points via transfer partners – including flying business and first-class or staying in all-inclusive resorts for free thanks to Chase’s partnership with Hyatt.
See our top ways to redeem Ultimate Rewards Points.
Is the Sapphire Reserve Worth It?
While the card does have a $550 annual fee, it offers an easy-to-use $300 travel credit that should help most travelers recoup a big chunk of that. In that case, it’s more appropriate to view this as a $250 annual fee travel card. If you wouldn’t ordinarily spend $300 per year on travel, this card simply isn’t for you.
For $250 each year, you’ll get Chase Sapphire and Priority Pass lounge access, points that redeem for 50% more value, a credit for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS, and some of the best travel protections of any card on the market. While there’s a real cost to carrying the card, these benefits will far outweigh it for many travelers.
Still, if Chase Sapphire Lounge access isn’t important to you, other cards like the *venture x*, offer a similar set of perks and benefits at an even lower price point.
Read more: Is the Sapphire Reserve Still Worth the Annual Fee?
Bottom Line
The *chase sapphire reserve* has long been one of the best premium travel credit cards on the market – and for many that still hasn’t changed.
With great bonus categories to earn more points on your everyday expenses, and benefits like lounge access and an easy-to-use $300 annual travel credit, this card can easily be worth its $550 annual fee.
Learn more about the *chase sapphire reserve*.
