Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months. Earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months. – New! 10 points on Chase dining, hotels and car rentals booked through Chase Travel(SM) – 5 points on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
– 10 points on Lyft rides
– New! 5 points on flights booked through Chase Travel(SM)
– 3 points on all other dining and travel
– 1 point on all other purchases
– 5 points on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025
– 3 points on dining, streaming services, and online grocery excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs
– 2 points on all other travel
– 1 point on all other purchases
Advantages of the Chase Sapphire Reserve over the Preferred
The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers many more travel benefits than the Chase Sapphire Preferred, as you can see listed on the chart above. These benefits are really great to have when traveling, especially if you travel often. The higher rate on Chase travel redemptions (1.5 instead of 1.25) is also a very valuable benefit for consumers who earn lots of Chase Ultimate Reward points.
Keep in mind that earning three points on travel with the Reserve, instead of two points with the Preferred can be enough to pay out the difference in the annual fee, depending on how much you spend on these categories (will pay out after spending approximately $10,000 when you keep in mind the 1.5 redemption value plus the $300 travel credit).
Some Advantages of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Over the Chase Sapphire Reserve
The most obvious advantage of the Preferred is the lower annual fee of only $95, as opposed to the annual fee of the Reserve of $550. Of course, The Reserve comes with the $300 travel credit per year. If you’ll be using it, it’ll bring down the fee to $250 (still more than the Preferred).
Also, the Preferred comes with a larger signup bonus which is currently at an all-time high of 100,000 points after just $4,000 spent in 3 months!, while the signup bonus for the Reserve is at 60,000 points with the same spend requirements. You can only receive one bonus from a Sapphire card within a span of 48 months. It would be smart to first apply for the Preferred and earn a higher bonus. Then, if you would like to receive the extra benefits from the Reserve you can always upgrade the card to the Reserve (you will need to wait 13 months from account opening before Chase will allow you to upgrade).
Additionally, getting approved for the Preferred card is somewhat easier than getting approved for the Reserve card, which will need a top-notch score, since the credit limit for a Reserve credit card starts by $10,000 while the credit limit for the Preferred starts by $5,000.
Conclusion
The Sapphire Reserve is for sure the better option if you travel often and will take advantage of the many travel benefits and credits discussed. But if you’re not such an often traveler and would still appreciate access to basic travel benefits, then the Sapphire Preferred is the way to go.
You can read our full guide on how to maximize the benefits of the Sapphire Reserve here and the Preferred here.
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