Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve [Detailed Comparison]

Chase has some of the most sought-after travel rewards credit cards on the market.

In particular, 2 of its flagship credit cards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve^®, are among the best — and most popular — offerings in the market.

Both of these Chase cards can help you earn lots of Chase Ultimate Rewards points, but that’s not all they offer. Let’s see what they have in common, and where they differ, so you can decide which one is right for you.

Comparing Welcome Bonus Offers

See below for the current welcome offers for both of these Chase credit cards:

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.

Apply Now(at Chase's secure site)

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.

Welcome Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

60,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$1,200

Annual Fee

$550

APR

20.24% - 28.74% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Excellent

Why We Like This Card

If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® is one of the best options out there.

The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like airport lounge access, with excellent point earning and redemption options.  Plus it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to keep you covered whether you’re at home or on the road.

Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel^SM immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
• 5x points on airfare booked through Chase Travel^SM
• 3x points on all other travel and dining purchases; 1x point on all other purchases

Cons

• $550 annual fee
• Does not offer any hotel elite status

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Card Highlights

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• 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
• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $120 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck^®
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.24% - 28.74% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

LIMITED-TIME OFFER

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

Apply Now(at Chase's secure site)

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

Welcome Offer

Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

100,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$2,000

Annual Fee

$95

APR

19.99% - 28.24% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.

Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance. With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
• 3x points on dining purchases, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services
• 2x points on all other travel worldwide

Cons

• $95 annual fee
• No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.99% - 28.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Statement Credits

This is where we see a major difference between the 2 cards.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes with a $550 annual fee, making this card somewhat of an investment with the initial fee hitting upfront. However, there are many valuable benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card that make this card worth the cost (we’ll mention some below).

Each cardmember year, you will receive a $300 travel credit that automatically reimburses you for a wide range of travel expenses, including Uber.

Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders will also enjoy a $5 per month DoorDash credit. If your credit isn’t used within the calendar month, it will be carried over for a maximum of 2 months, and up to $15 in credit be accrued before a $5 credit expires.

Cardmembers will also receive a statement credit for a Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck application fee every 5 years.

These travel credits alone can provide over $400 in credits during your first year with the card.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card comes with a $95 annual fee. For that, you’ll receive a $50 annual credit towards hotel stays booked via the Chase travel portal.

Bottom Line: The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a great starter card, but the Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes with a lot of credits — such as a $300 annual travel credit and a monthly DoorDash credit — that can help offset the $550 annual fee.

Earning Potential

Both of these cards are ideal for people who regularly dine out and travel since those are the 2 main bonus categories. They do, however, come with slightly different earning rates. These 2 cards are also very similar regarding redeeming through the Chase travel portal.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card earns 10x points per dollar on Chase dining, hotels, and car rentals booked through the Chase travel portal, 5x points on airfare booked via the portal, 3x points for each dollar spent on all dining and travel purchases, and 1x for all other purchases. The card also earns a whopping 5 points per $1 spent on Lyft purchases (through September 30, 2027).

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns 5x points for all travel booked via the Chase travel portal, 3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries, 2x points for each dollar spent on all other travel, and 1x on all other purchases. Plus, the card earns 5 points per $1 spent on Lyft purchases (through September 30, 2027).

Hot Tip: Both cards also earn extra points on select Peloton purchases over $150 through December 31, 2027. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns 5x points with a maximum of 25,000 points earned, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card earns 10x points with a maximum of 50,000 points earned.

One other exceptional perk about the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is that cardholders receive a 10% points bonus after every account anniversary! The Chase Sapphire Reserve card doesn’t offer a benefit like this. This number is based on your total dollar amount spent, so it’ll bump your rewards up by another 0.1x points.

Redemption Options

Both of these cards earn Ultimate Rewards points, a valuable points currency that is extremely flexible when you are looking to redeem. You can book any flight (and other qualifying travel) at any time with your points with a fixed value of 1.25 or 1.5 cents per point directly through the Chase travel portal.

Both cards also offer the ability to transfer your points to several Chase airline and hotel partners at a rate of 1:1 almost instantly, providing you with an opportunity to maximize the value of your Chase points.

We’ve outlined some of the best ways to redeem your Ultimate Rewards points for max value if you’re looking for ideas!

Travelers will find it easy to use their Ultimate Reward points thanks to the variety of different travel partners and the flexibility of booking directly through Chase.

Points redeemed that are connected to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card for travel through the Chase travel portal get a 50% bump.

Points redeemed for travel through the Chase travel portal with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card get a 25% bump, making 60,000 points worth $750 for travel redemptions, including airfare, hotels, car rentals, and more.

Hot Tip: If you have other Chase credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards, you can combine them with the points earned from either of these cards.

Travel Benefits and Protections

Each of these cards comes with a wide variety of travel benefits. Like many other cards, there are no foreign transaction fees, plus additional insurance will protect your trips and purchases with some of the best travel coverage available.

While some of the levels of travel protections are similar, let’s highlight the main differences:

One of the best travel benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is access to 1,300 airport lounges with a complimentary membership to Priority Pass, helping frequent flyers travel in comfort and style when passing through airports all over the world.

Both cards offer primary car rental insurance, which insures your car rental before going through your personal car insurance. Any differences here are minor and wouldn’t be noticed by the normal traveler.

The main difference, when it comes to car rental insurance, is that the Chase Sapphire Preferred card doesn’t cover expensive or “exotic” cars, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers additional rental coverage with up to $75,000 in reimbursement for theft or collision.

Hot Tip: For more information on the top cards for coverage, check out our guide to the best credit cards for car rental insurance coverage.

Both cards also offer roadside assistance, but the Chase Sapphire Preferred card charges $69.95 per service call, while the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers 4 free service calls valued up to $50 each per year.

Purchase protection adds additional peace of mind for purchases made with your card. Both offer up to $50,000 in claims per year, but the Chase Sapphire Reserve card protects up to $10,000 per item while the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers $500 per item.

Travel protections that cover lost or delayed luggage and trip cancellation are identical, while the trip delay coverage and travel accident coverage comes with slightly enhanced insurance benefits on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Bottom Line: Both cards offer significant travel protections for the average traveler and solid purchase protections. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card is ideal for those who will benefit from the enhanced perks and 3x bonus categories.

Authorized Users

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card does not charge additional annual fees for authorized users, however, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card charges $75 for each authorized user added to your account.

However, authorized users of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card do receive lounge access through the Priority Pass Select membership.

Final Thoughts

Both of these cards offer incredible benefits and travel protections while offering a flexible rewards program with fantastic value and earning potential for almost everyone.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is perfect for anyone looking for their first travel rewards credit card. Earn up to 3x points per dollar spent on popular categories like dining, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services.

This is also a great card for someone who may not have immediate travel plans but wants to start saving a valuable and flexible rewards points currency. With a lower annual fee, keeping this card long-term is not as much of an investment, and it will keep your points from expiring as long as you keep the card open.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card is the perfect card for the frequent traveler who will take full advantage of all the travel credits (remember, Uber counts as travel, too!), enhanced travel benefits, and protections.

Frequent travelers will also be able to take greater advantage of the increased earning potential with the 3x points for all travel and dining purchases.

The bottom line is that the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a great place to start. If you get the card (or already have it) and notice that you could benefit from an increase to 3x points on travel and dining or some perks that would make your travel better, then you can apply for a Chase Sapphire Reserve card.