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It’s shaping up to be one of the most exciting times to have a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® as your go-to travel credit card. Last year Chase added Chase Sapphire rewards categories. Plus, they announced a Chase Sapphire Lounge network. Here’s a quick recap if you aren’t familiar with the positive changes to the Sapphire family.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Benefits
The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns up to 5x Ultimate Rewards on purchases:
- 5x points on travel purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3x points on dining, takeout, and qualifying food delivery services (previously 2x points)
- 3x points on select streaming services
- Also 3x points on online grocery purchases (excludes Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs)
All remaining travel purchases earn 2x Ultimate Rewards if you book directly from the carrier or a non-Chase travel booking site. Non-bonus purchases earn 1x points.
In addition to the many Sapphire Preferred benefits, members can also enjoy the following perks:
- $50 annual credit on hotel stay purchases booked through Ultimate Rewards
- 10% anniversary point bonus (receive 10% of the points you earn each year at your next card anniversary)
- Card design also arrives and is available to new and existing cardholders after August 16, 2021
Current cardholders can request a new card design or wait for their next scheduled card replacement.
New Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Member FDIC
There are no benefit reductions. You can continue to get a 25% redemption bonus when booking award travel with points on Chase Ultimate Rewards. You can also make 1:1 point transfers to participating airlines and hotels.
The annual fee remains $95 for the primary card and $0 for additional cards.
Related: Chase Sapphire Preferred Review
Chase Sapphire Reserve Benefits
Chase Sapphire Reserve® purchases earn up to 10x Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Cardholders can earn unlimited:
- 10x total points on hotels and car rentals purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually)
- 10x total points on Chase Dining purchases with Ultimate Rewards
- 5x total points on flights when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually)
- 3x points on other travel worldwide (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually)
- 3x points on other dining at restaurants, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out
- 1x points for all remaining purchases
You will not receive rewards points on your first $300 in annual travel purchases as the annual travel statement credit reimburses these purchases.
Notice that all remaining dining and travel purchases continue to earn 3x points (3x points on travel are earned immediately after earning the $300 travel credit). Additionally, non-bonus purchases earn 1x points.
Other Sapphire Reserve Perks
Two additional benefits include:
- Reserved by Sapphire: Exclusive dining reservations at luxury restaurants in the U.S.
- Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club: Complimentary airport lounge locations across the world
The first lounge opened at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). Additionally, eight other lounges are expected to also open.
Note that Reserve cardholders must activate their complimentary Priority Pass Select membership to visit the Sapphire lounge. An annual Priority Pass membership with unlimited visits currently costs $429 per person. So, this benefit alone almost pays the $550 annual fee itself. Plus, you can bring two guests with you for free.
Unfortunately, this benefit isn’t available to Sapphire Preferred members as a built-in benefit.
These benefits remain intact:
- 50% travel redemption bonus
- 1:1 point transfers
- $300 annual travel credit
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
New Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $900 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
The annual fee stays at $550 for the primary card plus $75 per authorized user.
Related: Chase Sapphire Reserve Review
Summary
In conclusion, you can maximize these exciting benefits by making your travel reservations through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. Several other leading travel credit cards have similar tiered rewards. The best part is that the annual fee doesn’t increase, and you can enjoy the many Ultimate Rewards redemption options.
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