The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is loaded with luxury perks like airport lounge access, travel protections and the ability to earn transferrable travel rewards — but it also has a hefty $550 annual fee. Thankfully, you can recoup over half of that fee thanks to the card’s easy-to-redeem travel credits, which can provide up to $300 of value every year.
If you’ve ever been tempted to sign up for the Chase Sapphire Reserve, now could be an excellent time to give in. Thanks to a limited-time bonus offer, new card members can earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening. This bonus is 25% higher than the standard offer, making one of the best travel credit cards even better.
How to maximize the Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
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Rewards
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 plus, 10X points on Lyft rides through March 2025
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Welcome bonus
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $1,125 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
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Annual fee
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Credit needed
How does the Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit work?
The Chase Sapphire Reserve’s annual travel credit couldn’t be any easier to get — simply use your card to make eligible travel purchases and the first $300 lands in your account as statement credits. Unlike many other cards with a similar benefit, you don’t have to make these purchases through a specific site or rewards portal to earn the credit.
This card offers a generous return on travel spending, however, the first $300 in travel purchases won’t earn points. Frankly, this is a small sacrifice for the opportunity to be reimbursed for over half of the card’s annual fee. According to the card’s terms, the statement credit will be posted to your account the same day as the eligible travel purchase posts.
What triggers the Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit?
Airfare and hotel bookings are just the beginning of what transactions qualify for this credit. These are some of the purchase categories that should count toward your $300 annual credit:
- Airlines
- Hotels
- Motels
- Timeshares
- Car rental agencies
- Cruise lines
- Travel agencies
- Discount travel sites
- Campgrounds
- Trains
- Buses
- Taxis
- Limousines
- Ferries
- Toll bridges and highways
- Parking lots and garages
Whether a purchase triggers the travel credit depends on how the merchant codes the transaction. While this shouldn’t be a common issue, it’s possible certain travel services purchased as part of a packaged offer may not qualify for the credit.
You can add authorized users to your Sapphire Reserve account for $75 per person each year, and authorized user purchases will trigger the credit. However, there is still only a single travel credit per account, not per card. So if the primary accountholder spends $300 in travel on their card and an authorized user spends $300 in travel, only the first $300 in combined travel purchases will be reimbursed.
When does the Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit reset?
The Sapphire Reserve’s travel credit resets every card member year — not the calendar year. If you want to know how much of your credit you’ve used, you can call the number on the back of your card or find the information easily online on your Chase Ultimate Rewards® account page.
Alternate cards with travel credits
The Platinum Card® from American Express is a leader when it comes to offering cardholders travel credits. However, the Amex Platinum’s credits can require enrollment or activation, which puts a barrier between you and your credits that doesn’t exist with the Sapphire Reserve. That said, you can earn well over $1,000 back every year with this card for purchases that include airline fees, digital entertainment, hotels, CLEAR membership and much more. Terms apply.
The Platinum Card® from American Express
On the American Express secure site
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Rewards
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel, 1X points on all other eligible purchases
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Welcome bonus
Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
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U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card
Information about the U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.
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Rewards
5X points on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked through the Altitude Rewards Center; 3X points on every $1 on eligible travel and mobile wallet spending
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Welcome bonus
Earn 50,000 bonus points (worth about $750 in travel) after spending $4,500 within the first 90 days of account opening
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
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Regular APR
22.24% to 29.24% (Variable)
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Balance transfer fee
3% of the amount of each transfer, with a $5 minimum
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
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Bottom line
The Chase Sapphire Reserve has loads of luxury benefits and a pricey $550 annual fee to go along with these perks. However, it has an easy-to-use annual travel credit that allows card members to earn up to $300 back every card anniversary year for eligible travel purchases.
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For rates and fees of the Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.