14 Things To Do When You Get the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card [2026]

If you’ve recently been approved for the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® and are excited for your card to arrive, we can help you hit the ground running so you can start maximizing your new benefits right away.

Since the Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes loaded with a variety of statement credits and different travel and lifestyle perks, you’ll want to make sure you’re not missing anything and squeezing every drop of value you can out of your new card.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Overview

Before we get into the top things you need to do when your card arrives, here is a quick overview of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card:

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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 points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.

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Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

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

Welcome Offer

Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

125,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$2,500

Annual Fee

$795

APR

19.49% - 27.99% 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 card application.

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.

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

Don’t forget the more than $2,000 in annual credits, which can offset the annual fee!

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 8x points on all Chase Travel purchases
• 5x points on Lyft rides
• 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly

Cons

• $795 annual fee

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Card Highlights

• Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Get more than $2,700 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
• Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
• $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge^® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck^® every 4 years
• Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
• Get complimentary Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music — all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 — a value of $250 annually
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.49% - 27.99% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Do These 14 Things When You Get Your Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

1. Meet Your Minimum Spend Requirement To Earn Your Welcome Offer

The welcome bonus offer on your new Chase Sapphire Reserve card is easily one of the most valuable benefits you receive during your first year of holding the card. Given that, be sure you have a plan in place that will allow you to meet the minimum spending requirement to unlock the bonus.

While the welcome offer of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is subject to change, the current offer is:

• Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.

We value this welcome bonus offer at $2,500 based on our valuation of Chase Ultimate Rewards points. With a welcome offer that lucrative, it goes without saying that earning it should be your top priority.

2. Activate Your Priority Pass Membership

In addition to receiving access to the top-notch Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club network, cardholders can also enroll in a Priority Pass Select membership, which grants them access to over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide, along with the ability to bring 2 guests into any lounge with them.

You need to activate this perk in the benefits section after logging in to your account on the Chase website or mobile app. Afterward, you can access a digital version of your new Priority Pass card on the Priority Pass mobile app. Your physical Priority Pass card will be mailed to your address within 14 business days.

3. Use Your $300 Annual Travel Credit

One of our favorite benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is its $300 annual travel credit, which is particularly valuable due to its flexibility. With it, when you make nearly any travel purchase with your card, you receive an automatic statement credit for the exact amount, up to the $300 annual cap.

You don’t need to activate or preregister this credit prior to making the purchase with your card, and it applies to a wide variety of travel purchases, including airfare purchased from an airline or Chase Travel, airline incidental fees, hotels, bus and train tickets, cruises, rental cars, and more.

If you travel just once a year, this credit should be nearly as good as cash for you, given how easy it is to use and how any trip you take is likely to incur at least $300 in various travel expenses.

4. Activate Your IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Status

Your Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes with automatic IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status, which offers these perks:

• 60% bonus points
• Complimentary upgrades (subject to availability)
• Welcome amenity at check-in
• Early check-in (subject to availability)
• 2 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability)
• Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star status

To activate this benefit, you need to link your IHG One Rewards membership number to your account in the benefits section of your card account, the Chase mobile app, or the Chase website.

5. Activate Your Apple TV+ and Apple Music Subscriptions

Unlike many of the other benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, where you receive statement credits, your complimentary memberships to both Apple TV and Apple Music don’t require a purchase.

All you have to do is activate each service separately through Chase’s website or app, linking your Apple ID. Of course, if you’re already paying for one or both of these subscriptions with another credit card, be sure to cancel that.

At the moment, both of these benefits are valid through June 22, 2027. We have to wait to see if Chase extends the benefit to cardholders after that. Still, this is another $250 in value you can receive from your card if you were already paying for these services.

6. Activate Your DoorDash DashPass Membership and Use Your Monthly Promos

If you’re a fan of DoorDash, you’ll appreciate that your card comes with a complimentary DashPass membership when you activate it by December 31, 2027, which includes $0 delivery fees, reduced service fees on eligible orders, and member-exclusive promotions.

To sweeten things even more, you also receive a monthly $5 DoorDash restaurant credit and 2 $10 credits to spend on other items, such as grocery delivery. When you combine these, it amounts to up to $300 in annual DoorDash credits.

To activate this benefit, simply add your Chase Sapphire Reserve card as a payment method in your DoorDash account. DoorDash will automatically prompt you to activate your complimentary DashPass, and your first eligible purchases each month will automatically receive their credits.

7. Use Your $500 Annual Hotel Credit With The Edit

The Edit by Chase Travel is a Chase-curated collection of more than 1,000 luxury hotels and resorts worldwide. When you book a stay through The Edit, you receive these premium perks:

• $100 property credit
• Daily breakfast for 2
• Room upgrade when available
• Early check-in and late checkout when available

That’s not all you receive, though, as cardholders receive 2 statement credits of $250 each year (up to $500 in credits total each calendar year) on hotel bookings with The Edit paid with their Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Furthermore, unlike competitor cards, these 2 separate credits can be used at any time throughout the year. You must stay a minimum of at least 2 nights at the property for the credit to apply, however.

There is no activation required to use your credits with The Edit. All you need to do is log in to Chase Travel and search for hotels, select a property that’s marked as belonging to The Edit (you can use a filter for The Edit during your search), book a prepaid stay of at least 2 nights, and pay with your card. The $250 statement credit is automatically credited back to your account.

8. Use Your $300 Semiannual Dining Credit

If you’re a foodie, you should take advantage of the up-to-$300 annual dining credit at restaurants included in Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables, many of which are available for booking on OpenTable. The benefit is delivered in 2 separate, biannual credits of $150 each.

The usefulness of this credit depends on where you live, as some cities in the U.S. have very few eligible restaurants, while others may not have any at all.

The first up-to-$150 statement credit is delivered between January and June, and again between July and December. If you receive your new card in April, for instance, you have until June 30 to use it before it resets, as credits do not roll over. That said, you don’t have to use all the credit in a single purchase. You can break it up across multiple restaurant visits within the eligible 6-month window.

You also don’t need to have actually made a reservation to receive the credit. As long as it is an eligible Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables restaurant and you use your card for payment, you will receive the credit.

9. Use Your $300 Semiannual StubHub Credit

Similarly, you receive up to $300 annual StubHub and viagogo credits on concert and event tickets. It’s delivered in 2 separate, biannual credits of $150 each, with the first between January and June and the second between July and December.

You need to activate this perk in the benefits section of your card account before you can use it. Once you’ve done so, simply make a purchase on StubHub for whatever event you’d like, using your card, and you’ll be credited back up to $150.

10. Use Your $10 Monthly Lyft Credit

If you use a ride-sharing service at least once per month, the $10 monthly Lyft credit benefit from your card should come in handy, as it can save you up to $120 each year off eligible Lyft rides. Plus, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card earns 5x rewards on your Lyft rides through September 30, 2027.

To receive your monthly credits, you need to add your Chase Sapphire Reserve card to your Lyft account. After that, when you pay for a ride with your card, you receive up to $10 credited back to you each month.

11. Use Your $10 Monthly Peloton Credit

If you’re a Peloton user or considering becoming one, your Chase Sapphire Reserve card can save you up to $10 per month on your Peloton membership, or up to $120 per year. Cardmembers can also earn 10x points on eligible Peloton equipment purchases through December 31, 2027.

12. Use Your Global Entry, TSA Precheck, or NEXUS Credit

Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, and NEXUS are must-have perks for frequent travelers, as they can help you save a lot of time and stress both on your domestic travels and when you return to the U.S. from abroad.

Those who don’t already have a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS membership from one of the many credit cards that offer this benefit shouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of it.

All you need to do is submit your application and charge the application fee to your card. You will then be automatically reimbursed with a statement credit.

13. Familiarize Yourself With Your Travel and Purchase Protections

Although the hope is that you’ll never need to use any of these protections, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes with a range of travel insurance and purchase protections that can help keep you covered when things go awry. These protections include:

• Primary auto rental coverage
• Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
• Trip delay reimbursement
• Baggage delay and lost luggage reimbursement
• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty protection
• Roadside assistance

Familiarize yourself with the terms and coverage details of each of these benefits so that you can take advantage of them in the event of any hiccups.

14. Decide Whether You Want To Spend $75,000 on the Card To Unlock Additional Benefits

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes with a few more benefits that are only available to cardmembers who spend $75,000 on the card. These perks are:

• IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite Status
  • 100% bonus points
  • Complimentary breakfast
  • Complimentary room upgrades (subject to availability)
  • Early check-in and 2 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability)
  • Hertz President’s Circle status
• Southwest Airlines A-List Status
  • 25% earning bonus
  • New seating benefits for flights departing on or after January 27, 2026
  • Priority boarding
  • 1 checked bag free
  • Free same-day standby
  • Priority Lane and Express Lane access
• A $500 Southwest Airlines credit when booked through Chase Travel 
• The Shops at Chase $250 credit

If you’re someone who would normally spend $75,000 on your card in a year anyway, then receiving these extra perks provides added value. On the other hand, we wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to reach this threshold to unlock these perks, especially when you consider how much it’d cost.

Hot Tip:

If you’re thinking about adding an authorized user to your Chase Sapphire Reserve card to share your perks, we detail all of the benefits of doing so!

Final Thoughts

With your new Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you have no shortage of excellent benefits to take advantage of. But it’s best to take time and form a plan to actually use these benefits, especially the benefits that require prior activation, so that you can get as much value as possible out of your new card.