We talk about the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card’s little brother quite a bit (the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card… you may have heard of him).
While the Preferred usually boasts a pretty solid offer, the Reserve is also rocking a nice one right now.
Y’all, that’s worth quite a bit when redeemed through Chase Travel℠.
The Sapphire Reserve is a premium travel card built for frequent flyers who like luxury perks and benefits. In 2025, it underwent a massive overhaul, and now comes with new statement credits, better earning rates, and even more lounge access.
That also means the annual fee went up… sigh.
The annual fee increased to $795, with $195 per authorized user. Here are some important dates:
June 23, 2025: A new version of the card became available to new applicants.
October 26, 2025: Existing cardholders got the new benefits and will pay the increased fee on their next anniversary.
October 26, 2027: You can still redeem points earned before 10/26/25 at 1.5x value through Chase Travel until this date.
Alright, and now for some other details:
Pros and Cons
Let’s get into it, shall we?
Pros:
$300 travel credit each year (note: you won’t earn points on your first $300 in travel purchases, since they’ll be effectively wiped off your statement with this credit)
Up to $2,500+ in annual credits across dining, entertainment, and lifestyle
8x points on Chase Travel bookings
4x points on direct hotel and flight bookings
3x points on dining
Priority Pass and Chase Sapphire Lounge access
Complimentary IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Status
New Points Boost program for up to two cents per point on select bookings
New design — it now weighs 19.6 grams, if that matters to you 😏
Cons:
The new (and higher) annual fee
Loss of 3x on general travel outside Chase Travel
Points redeemed through the Chase Travel portal are no longer 1.5x by default after October 26, 2025
Why we’ve deemed the Sapphire Reserve as the best card for travel credits:
The current welcome offer… amen and amen.
The $300 travel statement credit reimbursement each anniversary year
The NEW up to $300 dining credit each year (with access to “Sapphire Reserve Tables”)
Complimentary membership to Priority Pass lounges and Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club
DoorDash, Apple, Lyft, StubHub, and Peloton credits (to name a few)
Perhaps the world’s best transfer partners list (including our personal fave — World of Hyatt), many of which have frequent transfer bonuses to help you get even more value from your points:
Program Name | Transfer Ratio |
|---|---|
Aer Lingus | 1:1 |
Air Canada | 1:1 |
British Airways | 1:1 |
Iberia | 1:1 |
JetBlue | 1:1 |
Air France/KLM | 1:1 |
Southwest Airlines | 1:1 |
United Airlines | 1:1 |
Singapore Airlines | 1:1 |
Virgin Atlantic | 1:1 |
IHG One Rewards | 1:1 |
Marriott Bonvoy | 1:1 |
World of Hyatt | 1:1 |
Wyndham Hotels | 1:1 |
Points Boost Redemption Program
Chase is launching Points Boost, and it’s basically a fancy “flash sale” system inside the Chase Travel portal. Points Boost applies to both the Preferred and the Reserve, with the Reserve getting access to higher Boost values.
Here’s how it works for Reserve cardholders:
Redeem points for up to 2 cents each on select hotels and flights
Most boosted deals will be in premium economy and business class
Works on a Points + Cash basis, too
Automatically shows the best value available
Available to all Sapphire Reserve cardholders starting Oct 26, 2025
But heads up — the default 1.5x redemption rate is ending. You'll only get those juicy redemptions if you're booking through Points Boost or using older points (earned before Oct 26, 2025).
Bottom Line
The Sapphire Reserve is a full-blown lifestyle card now, and we’re here for it.
With new perks like event ticket credits, luxury hotel stays, fine dining experiences, and boosted redemptions, it’s perfect if you want to live a little larger (and be rewarded for it).
But this card only makes sense if you actually use the perks. So if you’re not planning on tapping into those biannual credits or you tend to book travel outside of Chase, that fee could backfire.
