Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Chase
Welcome Offer
The Chase referral page currently lists Sapphire Preferred and the personal Sapphire Reserve. Confirm current offers and eligibility on Chase. The referrer may receive a reward if you are approved; this does not influence OpenCard's evaluation.
Our take
A premium travel card whose value depends less on the headline list of credits than on whether its travel ecosystem matches how you already book. Direct travel earning, airport benefits, protections, and transferable points can be strong, but the annual fee creates a high hurdle. It is not automatically an upgrade from the Preferred: it is a different product for frequent travelers who can use the core benefits repeatedly and with little friction.
Best for
- ✓ Frequent travelers who can use the core travel credit naturally
- ✓ People who value strong travel protections and transferable points
- ✓ Travelers whose airports and routes make the included lounge network useful
Not ideal for
- — Occasional travelers attracted mainly by the welcome offer
- — People who must manufacture spending to use lifestyle credits
- — Cardholders with overlapping lounge access who cannot identify enough additional recurring value
Conservative break-even test
Compare renewal with the Preferred, not just with having no travel card: subtract the two annual fees shown on their pages to get the upgrade hurdle. Then subtract only the additional usable credits and benefits that Reserve provides in your situation. For a sensitivity check, assume four lounge visits replace $20 meals you would otherwise buy: that is $80 a year, not the advertised price of four day passes. Use $0 if meals are already reimbursed or lounge access overlaps another card. Count extra earning only on the same planned spending, and give unused dining, hotel, or subscription credits $0. If the remaining gap is positive, staying with the lower-fee card wins under those assumptions.
First year vs. ongoing year worksheet
For year two, remove the one-time welcome offer entirely. To recover a $795 fee from rewards alone, this card must produce that much more value than your best no-fee alternative. At a 1% incremental return, that would require about $79,500 in eligible annual spend before counting credits you would genuinely buy anyway.
Data reviewed 2026-09-29. Estimate is not cash and depends on redemption. Confirm current issuer terms through the cited sources below.
Would I renew? Adjust your assumptions
Annual fee: $795. Start at zero. Excludes welcome offers, interest, and taxes; reduce portal savings for price differences. These are your estimates, not guaranteed returns.
Estimated annual value after fee: −$795.
Your estimates do not cover the annual fee. Compare a lower-fee alternative.
Earning Rates
Benefits & Credits
$300 annual travel credit for purchases through Chase Travel.
/yearUp to $250 per half (2 × $250 = $500/year) on prepaid hotels via The Edit by Chase Travel.
/6moUp to $150 every six months ($150 H1 / $150 H2) at Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables restaurants.
/6moUp to $150 in statement credits twice per year ($150 H1 / $150 H2) on StubHub or viagogo event ticket purchases.
/6mo$25/month ($300/year) on DoorDash purchases. (Excludes 1-yr DashPass — promotional, not recurring.)
/month$10/month ($120/year) on Lyft rides.
/month$10/month ($120/year) on Peloton.
/monthLounges
Other Benefits
Up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for covered reasons
Up to $100,000 coverage
Available 24/7
Referrals and assistance available
Insurance
Application Rules
Sources
- https://creditcards.chase.com/rewards-credit-cards/sapphire/reserve
- https://roamingcactus.com/credit-cards/2026/4/1/chase-sapphire-reserve-review-2026
Last Updated: Sep 29, 2026