Earn 50,000 bonus points with Chase Sapphire Reserve
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This must-have travel credit card will have you booking your next trip in no time.
Six months ago, Shea and I opened Chase Sapphire Reserve, our first ever travel credit card. We took a handful of trips out of our own pockets, and it was time to start reaping some rewards. Chase Sapphire Reserve came with a high recommendation from a close friend of ours, and we read mounds about it from The Points Guy after comparing it with other competitors.
A new release, the card offered 100,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases within three months of opening an account. That’s $1,500 toward travel when redeeming through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Even though we had no prior experience with travel cards, this promotion seemed too good to be true.
It almost was – the promotion had already ended online. So we found ourselves driving over an hour to the nearest Chase Bank branch to open one in-person. Even though that promotion has since ended, Chase Sapphire Reserve still allows you to earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months from account opening.
I can be rewarded too if you apply here and get approved for the card. Learn more:
Having had some time now to use the card and take advantage of its perks, we wanted to share what we love most about it:
3x Points on Travel & Dining
We consider the ability to earn 3x points on travel and dining purchases the biggest highlight of this card.
Chase defines travel as: airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, campgrounds, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, and operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots and garages.
Chase also defines what isn’t included in travel, so take a quick look through before swiping your card.
And for those of you wondering:
- This does include Airbnb, Lyft, and Uber!
- There are no foreign transaction fees.
- There are no blackout dates or travel restrictions. As long as a seat exists on the flight, you can book it through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Shea and I particularly love that Chase includes dining. We always want to experience local cuisine wherever we travel and like eating out in general. Also, we discovered we can earn 3x points by drinking at bars that don’t necessarily serve food.
We also earn 1x points on every other purchase we make
so we use it on everything from gas to groceries. Trust me – the points add up fast! In six months, we’ve tallied close to 130,000 points, and plan to cash them in soon for an all-expenses paid trip that’s been on our wanderlist forever: Hawaii.
Unique to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, cardholders receive a value of 1.5 cents per Ultimate Rewards Point when redeeming for travel via the Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal. You can also redeem your points for additional value through 1:1 point transfer to Chase’s many leading travel partners.
Annual Travel Credit
We admit, the $450 annual fee for the card initially turned us off…until we learned about the annual $300 credit cardholders receive. You basically get reimbursed for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year. Essentially, this credit reduces the annual cost of the card to $150. The points you accumulate from travel and dining can pay this back tenfold.
For an additional $75, you can add an authorized user to your card. Their purchases also count toward this annual travel credit.
Plus, some of the additional perks we’ve outlined below make this annual fee seem like pocket change.
Global Entry, TSA Pre✓® & Priority Pass™
For no reason in particular, I get extremely anxious standing in security and customs lines. I am also unnecessarily impatient, which made this card even more appealing.
Chase Sapphire Reserve offers $100 reimbursement for Global Entry and TSA Pre✓® applications. After submitting our applications and interviewing with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, we received approval on our applications.
Not to mention, the membership lasts for five years, and the card perk resets every four years. It can be a huge time-saver for frequent travelers who arrive to the airport last minute. Or it can help those who need to get somewhere fast after arriving to your destination.
Altogether, the process took four months from application submission, to interview, to approval. We’ll experience the elite benefit of expedited security lines and fast-track immigration for the first time when we head to Germany for Oktoberfest.
Every cardholder also gets access to Priority Pass™ Select. This program gives you and your guests access to more than 900 airport lounges in the U.S. and abroad. Your friends will want to travel with you based on this perk alone – no more lengthy waits in terminals!
Insurance
Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a world-class suite of travel and purchase protections. Luckily, we haven’t had to use it yet (knock on wood). According to Chase’s website, this includes the following:
- TRIP CANCELLATION/INTERRUPTION INSURANCE: If your trip gets canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per trip for your prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours and hotels.
- AUTO RENTAL COLLISION DAMAGE WAIVER: Decline the rental company’s collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card. Coverage is primary and provides reimbursement up to $75,000 for theft and collision damage for rental cars in the U.S. and abroad.
- TRAVEL ACCIDENT INSURANCE: When you pay for your air, bus, train or cruise transportation with your card, you are eligible to receive accidental death or dismemberment coverage of up to $1,000,000.
- LOST LUGGAGE REIMBURSEMENT: If you or an immediate family member check or carry-on luggage that gets damaged or lost by the carrier, you’re covered up to $3,000 per passenger.
- TRIP DELAY REIMBURSEMENT: If your common carrier travel gets delayed more than 6 hours or requires an overnight stay, you and your family are covered for unreimbursed expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per ticket.
- PURCHASE PROTECTION: Covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per year.
- RETURN PROTECTION: You can be reimbursed for eligible items that the store won’t take back within 90 days of purchase, up to $500 per item, $1,000 per year.
- EXTENDED WARRANTY PROTECTION: Extends the time period of the U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by an additional year, on eligible warranties of three years or less.
I don’t know about you, but this takes a huge weight off my shoulders. It alleviates the worries that often accompany traveling, letting me simply enjoy my trips.
Access to Exclusive Events
If you still aren’t convinced you should sign up today, you’ll also receive access to exclusive, on-location events simply for being a cardholder. This includes things like private dining, concert and entertainment tickets and sporting events. It even includes access to a concierge service for booking requests. You’ll also have 24/7 direct access to a Chase customer service specialist.
It’s a no-brainer. Chase Sapphire Reserve has tremendous value through its extremely generous perks alone. It’s top-of-the-line and one of a kind.
Now…*swipes card*… off to our next adventure.
Disclosure: Please assume any links throughout our site are affiliate links. This means, at no extra cost to you, we might earn commission should you decide to make a purchase. We only partner with companies or recommend products we’ve personally used and loved.
