Chase Sapphire Reserve® Review 2024

While Chase offers a range of financial products and services, including mortgages, personal loans, auto loans, and checking and savings accounts, the bank may be best known for its incredible roster of rewards credit cards. Not only does the card issuer have several top cash back credit cards—including the card_name and the Chase Freedom Flex℠—but its premium travel credit cards are some of the most sought-after credit cards on the market today.

The card_name is the company’s cream-of-the-crop card. It offers the most luxury perks, the best travel protections, and the most lucrative rewards rate for many types of consumers. If you want a luxury metal credit card with all the bells and whistles, read on to learn more about the card_name and everything you get as a cardholder.

TIME's Take

The card_name is a winner for frequent travelers. It requires a relatively high annual fee of annual_fees, yet its generous benefits make it an excellent deal for those who can use them. Users get a Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership (retail value $469), a $300 annual travel credit that applies to travel purchases each year, 50% more value when redeeming their rewards for travel through Chase, a $120 credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck membership, and a generous suite of travel insurance benefits. This card also earns flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards points that transfer to Chase airline and hotel partners at an impressive 1:1 ratio.

Pros & cons

Who is the card for?

The card_name is best for consumers who love to travel and do so on a regular basis. There are several reasons for this. First off, the card earns its best rewards rate on travel and dining purchases. Second, users earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points that transfer to various airline and hotel partners, or offer 50% more value if used to book travel through Chase. Last but not least, this card comes with a generous selection of benefits for travel, including airport lounge access, expedited airport security, a $300 annual travel credit, and travel insurance benefits.

The dining and travel-focused earning rate on the card_name make this card a solid choice for consumers who spend a lot in these categories. Signing up for the card_name gives consumers the chance to bonus_miles_full. From there, cardholders earn rewards with the following earning rates:

• Earn 10x total points on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards (after earning the $300 annual travel credit annually)
• Earn 10x total points on Lyft rides (through March 2025)
• Earn 5x total points on flights through Chase Ultimate Rewards (after earning the $300 annual travel credit annually)
• Earn 3x points on other travel and dining (after earning the $300 annual travel credit annually)
• Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases

In summary, the card_name is for jetsetters who want premium travel benefits and flexible rewards they can use to book free travel or make their travel plans more comfortable or luxurious. Individuals who spend a lot on travel and are willing to book airfare, car rentals, and hotels through the Chase Travel portal probably stand to benefit the most.

Rewards

Before you pick one of the best travel credit cards, you should find out about the different ways points can be redeemed in the end. When you start digging into various cards and rewards programs, you'll quickly find that Chase Ultimate Rewards is the best program out there for most travelers.

Cardholders with the card_name can redeem their rewards in all kinds of ways, including non-travel options like cash back, statement credits, gift cards, or merchandise. Users can also redeem their points for travel through the Chase portal and get 50% more value that way, or a rewards rate of 1.5 cents per point.

Finally, Chase Ultimate Rewards points earned with this card transfer to a range of airline and hotel partners. These partners are probably the most useful out there when you compare to other flexible rewards programs like American Express Membership Rewards or Capital One Miles.

Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners all have the same 1:1 transfer ratio and include the following:

Airline travel partners

• Aer Lingus, AerClub
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• British Airways Executive Club
• Emirates Skywards®
• Flying Blue AIR FRANCE KLM
• Iberia Plus
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®
• United MileagePlus®
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Hotel travel partners

• IHG® Rewards Club
• Marriott Bonvoy®
• World of Hyatt®

Features

Because the card_name has a annual_fees annual fee, it's important to consider its benefits before you can decide if the fee is worth paying the first year or in subsequent years. Main cardholder features you should know about include the following:

• $300 annual travel credit: Use the card for travel purchases and get up to $300 in travel statement credits per year. This is one of the most flexible travel credits among any top travel credit card since you can use it to book nearly any type of travel directly or through discount travel sites.
• Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck membership: Get a fee credit worth up to $120 for membership in any of these programs every four years when you charge membership fees to your card.
• Instacart benefits: Get one year of Instacart+ membership as a cardholder. Instacart+ members who pay for delivery with their card also earn up to $15 in statement credits each month through July 2024.
• Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership: This membership has a retail value of $469 and lets you enter more than 1,400 different airport lounges around the world.

The fine print

The card_name does charge a annual_fees annual fee, but it does not charge foreign transaction fees when you use it for purchases outside the United States.

Other fees and charges that can apply with this card include the following:

• Authorized users: In addition to this card's annual_fees annual fee, each authorized user added to the card requires an additional annual fee of $75.

• Balance transfers: This card doesn't have an intro APR offer, so you wouldn't want to transfer balances to it anyway. If you did decide you needed to, you would pay a 5% (minimum $5) balance transfer fee upfront.

  RELATED: Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards

• Carrying a balance: This card ranges from reg_apr,reg_apr_type, so carrying a balance will become extremely expensive over time.

• Cash advances: Using this card for a cash advance will also be pricey, so we don't recommend it. The fee for cash advances is cash_advance_fee, and you'll also pay a cash advance APR of cash_advance_apr of the transaction (minimum $10) variable.

• Late payments: Late payments and returned payments can both trigger a fee of late_payment_fee. A penalty APR up to 29.99% variable can also apply after late payments are made.

Additional hidden perks

While many of the benefits of the card_name are front and center, a lot of people don't realize how many travel and consumer protections this card has built in. Overall, the card_name is the best credit card for travel insurance among all comparable cards on the market today.

Here's a rundown of the main purchase and travel protections that come with this card automatically:

Purchase protections

• Purchase protection: Get covered against damage or theft for items you purchase for the first 120 days. Coverage is good for up to $10,000 per claim and up to $50,000 per year.
• Return protection: This coverage can help you get reimbursed for items a store won't take back within 90 days of purchase. Coverage is good for up to $500 per item and up to $1,000 per year.
• Extended warranty protection: Get an extra year of extended warranty protection on items that come with a manufacturer's warranty of three years or less.

Travel insurance benefits

• Auto rental coverage: This coverage applies to collision damage and theft for most rental cars in the U.S. and abroad, and coverage is worth up to $75,000. Also note that this coverage is primary, so you can use it in place of your own insurance.
• Baggage delay insurance: This coverage reimburses up to $100 per day for up to five days when bags are delayed by at least six hours and travelers have to buy toiletries and other essentials.
• Emergency evacuation and transportation coverage: This protection is worth up to $100,000 when the cardholder or an immediate family member becomes sick or injured and requires emergency evacuation.
• Emergency medical and dental benefit: This card also comes with up to $2,500 in protection per traveler for emergency medical and dental expenses that occur at least 100 miles from home.
• Lost luggage reimbursement: This coverage is good for up to $3,000 per passenger when luggage is lost or stolen while in the care of a common carrier.
• Roadside assistance: Call into a hotline 24/7 for help with fuel delivery, a flat tire change, and other services. The hotline is free, but cardholders pay for services they receive.
• Travel accident insurance: This coverage is worth up to $1 million for accidental death or dismemberment, and it applies when the cardholder pays for travel with a common carrier with their card.
• Travel and emergency assistance services: Call into this hotline 24/7 for emergency assistance when you need it. The hotline is free, but cardholders pay for services they receive.
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance: This coverage is worth up to $10,000 per person and up to $20,000 per trip when a vacation must be canceled or cut short for a covered reason like a major illness or severe weather.
• Trip delay coverage: Get reimbursed up to $500 per ticket to cover unreimbursed expenses for meals and lodging when a trip is delayed by more than six hours or requires an unexpected overnight stay.

What could be improved

Considering all the perks and benefits you get with the card_name for its annual_fees annual fee, it's hard to find too much to complain about. If the card has any downsides, it would probably be the fact that its bonus rewards categories are heavily tilted to dining and travel, but don't include everyday spending categories like gas, groceries, or drugstores.

The high variable APR on the card_name can also become a problem for consumers who may want to carry a balance from time to time. In that case, it wouldn't make sense to earn rewards with the card_name since the interest charged would cost a lot more than the value of the rewards earned. Our advice? If you're hoping to carry a balance on your card when you need to, look for credit cards that offer 0% APR on purchases for a limited time instead.

Alternatives

Bottom line

Paying annual_fees per year for a travel credit card definitely seems like a lot, but the card_name can be worth considerably more than that based on its cardholder perks alone. When you add in all the rewards you can earn the first year and thereafter, it's easy to see why this card is so popular.

That said, you don't have to pay annual_fees per year to earn points that transfer to Chase airline and hotel partners. If you're willing to go without luxury travel benefits, the card_name earns transferable points with an annual fee of just annual_fees.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

How prestigious is card_name?

The card_name is a metal credit card that was built to impress. This card is definitely one of the more prestigious travel credit cards on the market today.

Is the card_name hard to get?

The card_name is geared to consumers with very good to excellent credit, so individuals whose credit isn't stellar may not be approved.

Why is card_name so popular?

This travel credit card is popular due to its elevated travel benefits and affiliation with the Chase Ultimate Rewards program.