How To Upgrade the Chase Sapphire Preferred to the Chase Sapphire Reserve

Among the most popular credit cards in the U.S. are the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®. Most of us who are interested in earning travel rewards hold one of these cards in our wallets.

But what if you’ve already opened the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and think that the Chase Sapphire Reserve card might be the best option for your situation?

In this guide, we’ll go through the A to Z of comparing both cards and outlining the customers who are best suited to upgrade to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

We’ll also show you how you can upgrade your card with ease!

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card have similar names. Indeed, most travelers actually refer to these cards interchangeably as the “Chase Sapphire” when that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Here are some of the key benefits associated with each card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Benefits

BEST BEGINNER CARD

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's 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 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

60,000 bonus points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$1,200

Annual Fee

$95

APR

20.74% - 27.74% 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.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

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
• 5x points on select Peloton purchases over $150 (through March 31, 2025)
• 5x points on Lyft purchases (through March 31, 2025)

Cons

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

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 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: 20.74% - 27.74% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers its cardholders a variety of ways to earn bonus rewards and redeem them for maximum value. Best of all, this card is jam-packed with value without needing to shell out a huge annual fee.

Here are the spending categories where you can earn bonus Ultimate Rewards points:

• 5x points on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025
• 5x points on select Peloton purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025)
• 5x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025)
• 5x points spent on travel booked through Chase Travel
• 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services and takeout
• 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
• 3x points on select streaming services
• 2x points on other travel purchases

Other purchases will earn 1 point per dollar spent.

Also, you’ll enjoy these additional benefits:

• 10% anniversary rewards bonus every account anniversary year
• 25% redemption bonus on travel booked through Chase Travel and on Pay Yourself Back
• $50 annual Ultimate Rewards hotel credit
• Fantastic travel insurance, including primary rental car coverage, trip cancellation insurance, trip interruption insurance, baggage insurance, and more
• Complimentary DoorDash DashPass subscription (activate by December 31, 2027)
• Shopping perks like purchase protection, extended warranty, and no foreign transaction fees

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Benefits

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's 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 $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

60,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$1,200

Annual Fee

$550

APR

21.74% - 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 (740-850)

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 TravelSM immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
• 10x points on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025
• 10x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 through March 31, 2025

Cons

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

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 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: 21.74% - 28.74% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

The ultra-premium Chase Sapphire Reserve card is packed with a ton of value for its considerable price tag. It offers much more in the way of luxury travel benefits than the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

To start off, here are the card’s bonus categories:

• 10x points on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025
• 10x points on select Peloton purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025)
• 10x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025)
• 10x points on hotels, car rentals, and Chase Dining purchased through Chase Travel
• 5x points on flights booked through Chase Travel
• 3x points on other dining and travel purchases

All other purchases will earn 1 Ultimate Rewards point per dollar spent.

With this card, you can get:

• A complimentary Priority Pass Select membership for airport lounge access
• 50% redemption value on travel booked through Chase Travel and on select Pay Yourself Back categories
• Up to $300 annual travel credit
• Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee credit
• Access to the Chase Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection
• Some of the best travel insurance from a credit card
• Complimentary DoorDash DashPass subscription (activate by December 31, 2027) and $5 in DoorDash credit every month
• Purchase protection, extended warranty, return protection, and no foreign transaction fees

Benefits Comparison

Now that we’ve outlined the highlights of both the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, let’s compare these cards head-to-head!

One of the biggest selling points of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is the seemingly unbelievable rewards structure from a card with a sub-$100 annual fee. In fact, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card outperforms its ultra-premium counterpart in a few categories!

Meanwhile, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers a series of other game-changing benefits, such as the ability to earn 3x points on other travel purchases including hotel stays booked directly through the hotel, tour packages, and so much more.

Also, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card boasts airport lounge access, thanks to the complimentary Priority Pass Select membership offered. Furthermore, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card will help you get outsized value from your redemptions through its 50% bonus on Chase Travel portal bookings and Pay Yourself Back.

Hot Tip: Need a comprehensive look at the cards’ merits? Check out our detailed comparison of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card vs. the Chase Sapphire Reserve card to determine which card is best for you!

How To Upgrade Your Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

The process for upgrading your Chase Sapphire Preferred card is super easy!

Just call the number on the back of your Chase Sapphire Preferred card and explain to a live agent that you’d like to upgrade to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Keep in mind that the Chase Sapphire Reserve card has a minimum credit limit of $10,000 by virtue of being a Visa Infinite card.

So if your current Chase Sapphire Preferred card has a lower credit limit than $10,000, part of the upgrade process will involve a request for a credit limit increase, also known as a CLI.

When a credit limit increase is requested, Chase may be required to perform a hard inquiry to increase your credit limit to the necessary amount for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Who Should Upgrade Their Card?

With all that said, the question is: is the upgrade worth it? 

Should you upgrade your Chase Sapphire Preferred card to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card? Here are a few profiles in which it might make sense to upgrade to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

You Spend a Lot on Travel

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card generally offers better rewards on travel. To reiterate, you’ll earn 3x Ultimate Rewards points on travel not booked through Chase Travel, while the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers 2x Ultimate Rewards points.

If you’re the type of person who tends to book hotels, tour packages, or flights directly with the provider, or if you just tend to stray away from booking directly with Chase Travel, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card could be worth it for you.

You Don’t Spend Much on Dining

Arguably, the biggest value proposition of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is the ability to earn 3x points on dining. It’s exceedingly rare to find a credit card with a sub-$100 annual fee that offers a return on spend of 6.6% for dining!

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers 3x points on dining, but it doesn’t offer the 10% anniversary rewards bonus that the Chase Sapphire Preferred card does.

So if you spend a ton of money on dining every month, it’s probably worth keeping your Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

You Don’t Spend Much on Online Groceries

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns 3x points on online groceries, excluding Target, Walmart, and warehouse clubs.

One of the best use cases of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is on Instacart purchases. Remember that the Chase Sapphire Preferred card only earns bonus points on online groceries; so if you don’t spend much on online groceries every year, the value proposition of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card may weaken a bit.

You Want Better Travel Benefits

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers significantly upgraded travel benefits over the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. Sure, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card also comes with a higher annual fee, but the increased benefits deflect the cost almost entirely.

For example, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you’ll get a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, which enables you to access more than 1,400 airport lounges around the world for yourself and up to 2 guests! This benefit alone is worth at least $469 every year.

Plus, you’ll also enjoy an annual travel credit of up to $300 from the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, which is one of the easiest benefits to use.

That’s not even considering the ability to get more perks at hotels through the Chase Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection, better travel insurance protections, and the Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee credit every 4 years!

In short, if you want better travel benefits, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card’s value proposition is enormous.

You Want Better Redemption Value on Chase Travel Portal Bookings

One of the most-discussed benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is the 50% redemption bonus on travel booked through Chase Travel. In comparison, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers a smaller 25% redemption bonus.

If you are constantly redeeming points through the Chase Travel portal, you could come out way ahead in the long run by holding the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

For example, if you book 4 round-trip economy tickets to Hawaii, each costing $500, you’d normally have to pay $2,000 or spend 200,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

By redeeming points through the Chase Travel portal using your Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you could redeem 160,000 Ultimate Rewards points for that same trip. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you could redeem just 133,333 points. And that’s just for 1 trip!

You’ll get some fantastic value with fewer points using the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, and the savings will add up over the years.

You Applied for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Less Than 4 Years Ago

If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and applied less than 4 years ago, your only option to get your hands on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card would be to upgrade.

If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and applied more than 4 years ago, you can follow these steps to qualify for a new bonus on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card:

1. Downgrade your existing Chase Sapphire Preferred card to a card like the Chase Freedom Unlimited^® or the Chase Freedom Flex℠
2. Wait a week or so for Chase’s internal systems to refresh
3. Apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card

By applying for a new card altogether, you should qualify for a new welcome bonus, as long as it’s been at least 4 years since you received a bonus on a Sapphire card. Keep in mind that this process will almost certainly result in a hard inquiry, as it is a new card application.

Final Thoughts

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card are 2 of the most impressive credit cards available. Thanks to industry-leading rewards categories and thoughtfully-designed card benefits, these 2 cards remain some of the most popular credit cards to this day.

If you’re looking for enhanced travel benefits, better bonus rewards on travel not booked through the Chase Travel portal, and don’t spend that much on dining, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card be a fantastic choice for you.

Either way, you can’t go wrong!