Chase Sapphire Reserve Card – Full Review [2024]

Great Card If

• You’re a frequent traveler who can easily take advantage of the $300 annual travel credit and lounge access
• You spend a lot on travel and dining purchases
• You regularly use Lyft and order food with apps such as DoorDash
• You want a card with no foreign transaction fees
• You want a card that provides top-notch travel insurance and purchase protection

Don’t Get If

• You don’t frequently travel
• You prefer a card that earns cash-back rewards instead of points
• You cannot afford or justify the $550 annual fee

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card — Is It Worth It?

Make no mistake, the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® is a powerhouse of a card.

Not only does it help you earn rewards on a plethora of purchase categories like hotels, car rentals, flights, dining, and Lyft rides, but the card also comes packed with benefits sure to excite frequent travelers.

Some of our favorite benefits include a $300 annual travel credit, a complimentary Priority Pass membership for complimentary airport lounge access, a complimentary Lyft Pink membership, a complimentary DoorDash DashPass, and access to Chase’s Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection.

Better yet, once you’re ready to redeem your points, you have tons of options for doing so. You can redeem points for cash-back, travel through the Chase Travel portal, statement credits with a 50% bonus via Pay Yourself Back, or for huge value through one of Chase’s travel transfer partners such as World of Hyatt!

That’s not all, though. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers top-notch consumer protections, including trip delay insurance, lost luggage insurance, rental car insurance, purchase protection, and return protection.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card is a must-have for many Upgraded Points writers, including Upgraded Points’ Content Contributor Lori Zaino, who had this to say about her Chase Sapphire Reserve card:

“As someone who spends a significant amount on travel and dining, I’m able to get a lot of value out of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card’s 3x bonus categories. I also love that the $300 annual travel credit makes the annual fee seem much less daunting. With Chase’s ample selection of travel partners, I can always find a high-value way to maximize my points — even more so when Chase offers transfer bonuses. Recent transfer bonuses on Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Iberia Avios have allowed me to bank many additional Avios, leading to some incredible award redemptions. These are some of the main reasons I keep the Chase Sapphire Reserve card year after year — I’m able to bank lots of points, offset the annual fee, and get high-value redemptions thanks to its flexible points and transfer options.”

Lori Zaino, Content Contributor

In our view, if you’re a frequent traveler looking for a premium all-in-one card that’s great at earning points, offers benefits like lounge access, and keeps you covered when things go wrong, then the Chase Sapphire Reserve card would definitely be worth it to you!

Chase Sapphire Reserve Top Benefits

$300 Annual Travel Credit

One of the most important benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is the $300 annual travel credit. You will get up to $300 in statement credits each year for travel purchases charged to your Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

But what counts as a travel purchase? Chase has one of the broadest definitions of travel on the market, and purchases include:

Read our guide to find out how you can use Chase points for Airbnb.

Airport Lounge Access

Another top benefit of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is lounge access. Cardholders have access to the exclusive Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club network, as well as Priority Pass lounges.

You also get a Priority Pass Select membership, which gives cardholders access to 1,400+ airport lounges. With your membership, you’ll be able to bring 2 guests into any lounge with you.

Whether you enjoy a preflight snack, complimentary beverages, or a quiet space to work before a flight, airport lounge access is a great perk to have.

Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck Fee Credit Benefit

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card will help you get the Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck at no out-of-pocket cost once every 4 years. Simply charge the application fee to your card, and it will be automatically reimbursed as a statement credit.

Global Entry is a Customs and Border Protection program that prescreens passengers and then allows expedited entry into the U.S. when returning from international travel. It requires a detailed application and an in-person interview before approval.

When you’re approved for the Global Entry program, you also receive TSA PreCheck. With your application fees covered by the card, there’s no reason not to apply for Global Entry if you’re eligible.

Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection

The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection is a network of over 900 of the world’s best hotels and resorts around the world. Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders get a free Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection membership and can take advantage of special benefits and privileges, including:

• Daily breakfast for 2 guests
• Free Wi-Fi
• Room upgrade (when available at select properties)
• Early check-in and late checkout (when available at select properties)
• Special amenity unique to each property

Special amenities can include lunch or dinner for 2, a spa treatment, golf green fee waivers, welcome gifts, or airport transfers. Details on the amenities available for a specific property are available when searching and booking.

You must book hotels through the Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection program and pay for your stay with your Chase Sapphire Reserve card to take advantage of these benefits — hotel stays booked directly or through another portal are not eligible.

Rental Car Elite Status

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes with great rental car benefits with 3 rental companies.

When you enroll your card with National Emerald Club, you’ll receive a complimentary Executive membership, allowing you to select any car you’d like from the Emerald or Executive aisles. Plus, when you use your card and make a reservation directly through National, you can save up to 25% on qualifying rentals with code 5030849.

When you enroll with Avis Preferred, you’ll receive Plus status, which offers 75% bonus points on every rental. In addition, you’ll receive a 30% discount when using your card and making a reservation directly through Avis.

Primary Rental Car Insurance

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers primary rental coverage and pays for any loss, theft, or damage to your rental car, as well as towing and loss of use for the rental company, up to $75,000 for rentals 31 days or shorter.

For this coverage to apply, you must pay for the entire rental with your Chase Sapphire Reserve card. You also need to refuse any collision damage and loss damage waiver coverages from the rental company — if you don’t do this, the rental company’s coverage will apply first.

There are certain vehicle exclusions, namely for high-end sports and luxury cars. With that in mind, be sure to double-check your coverage if you’re renting any type of specialty vehicle.

Trip Interruption/Cancellation Insurance

If your trip gets cut short due to sickness, extreme weather, or other select situations, you’ll be covered up to $10,000 per person ($20,000 per trip). These benefits cover you and your immediate family for prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotels.

Trip Delay Insurance

If your flight on a common carrier is delayed more than 6 hours or requires an extra overnight stay, you’re covered for up to $500 per person who had a ticket that was delayed. This delay can be for any reason — even bad weather or air traffic control issues.

The $500 can be used to cover expenses incurred during the delay, including meals, lodging, toiletries, medication, and other personal items.

Baggage Delay and Lost Luggage Insurance

If your bag is delayed by an airline, bus, cruise ship, or train for more than 6 hours, your card will cover up to $100 per day in purchases of emergency supplies like toiletries, clothing, and 1 cell phone charger.

If your baggage is lost or damaged during your trip by the carrier, you’re covered up to $3,000 per person per trip. Of that maximum benefit, $500 can be reimbursed for watches, jewelry, and electronics, so don’t check your laptop or other expensive items.

Purchase Protection

When you purchase an item with your card, it’s protected from theft and damage for the first 120 days you own it. In other words: if you buy a new laptop and it’s stolen the next day, you’ll be reimbursed for the cost of replacing it.

There’s a maximum of $10,000 per claim and up to $50,000 per account is available for coverage. Further, this coverage has exclusions and is secondary to your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy, so be sure to check the details of this benefit.

Purchase protection is especially valuable for cell phones, laptops, tablets, and other easily lost items, so consider putting tech purchases on your new Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Extended Warranty Protection

When you purchase eligible items with your card, the manufacturer’s warranty is extended for 1 year. For coverage to apply, the item must have come with an original manufacturer-written U.S. repair warranty of 3 years or less. Certain foreign purchases may also be eligible if they have a store-purchased dealer warranty or an assembler warranty.

This benefit is limited to $10,000 per claim and a maximum of $50,000 per account, making it useful for repairing laptops, cell phones, and other high-end purchases. Purchases made by the cardholder for themselves or others as gifts are eligible for coverage.

Roadside Assistance

Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the roadside assistance provided with your card covers you while driving your own vehicle or any other vehicle with the permission of the owner.

Covered services include the following:

• Battery boost
• Flat tire service
• Fuel delivery
• Towing
• Lockout assistance

Coverage is limited to $50 per occurrence a maximum of 4 times per year, which should be more than enough for most drivers.

Best Ways To Earn and Redeem Your Chase Points

If you’re hooked on travel rewards, you’re likely wondering how you can earn even more points. Our guide covering the best ways to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points will help you hit the ground running.

Of course, earning points is just one part of the equation, as you also need to know how to redeem them effectively. Our dedicated guide breaks down many of our favorite redemption options using Chase Ultimate Rewards points and shows you how you can book them as well!

Most of our favorite redemptions involve utilizing Chase transfer partners, and while there’s a bit of a learning curve, you’ll find that these redemptions can get you the best value for your points by far!

Alternative Cards to the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

The Platinum Card^® from American Express

Often mentioned alongside the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, the Amex Platinum card is a competitive premium rewards credit card that, unlike typical credit cards, lets you carry a balance for certain charges, but not all.

In fact, the Amex Platinum card offers some of the best elite perks on the market, including Gold status with Marriott and Hilton hotels upon enrollment, access to American Express Centurion Lounges and Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta), and even Uber and Saks Fifth Avenue credits with enrollment.

If you prefer a card that offers more elite perks and more expansive lounge access, the Amex Platinum card might be a better option for you.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card

While the Hilton Aspire card is technically a hotel card, it still offers other travel benefits like airport lounge access and 7x Hilton Honors points on airfare.

You’ll also receive up to a $400 Hilton resort credit, complimentary Diamond status, and an annual free night certificate to use at a Hilton hotel.

While Hilton Honors points aren’t as valuable as Chase Ultimate Rewards points, if you’re a Hilton loyalist who spends a large number of nights each year at its hotels, this could be the best card option for you.

We’ve also compared the Chase Sapphire Reserve card to a number of other popular cards:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve card vs. American Express^® Gold Card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve card vs. Amex Platinum card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve card vs. The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express
• Chase Sapphire Reserve card vs. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card*×Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve card vs. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card*×Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve card vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited^®
• Chase Sapphire Reserve card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve card vs. Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve card vs. Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve card vs. Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card