Good News for Sapphire Card Welcome Offer Eligibility

If you’ve ever held the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® and wondered why you need a degree in linear algebra to understand eligibility for welcome offers, I’ve got good news for you.

Last month, Chase shifted Sapphire bonus eligibility in a way that’s (finally) easy to explain:

You can earn a welcome bonus on each Sapphire card once per card, as long as you haven’t received that specific card’s bonus before.

That means the question is no longer “Have you had any Sapphire bonus recently?” and more like:

• Have you ever gotten the Sapphire Preferred bonus before?

• Have you ever gotten the Sapphire Reserve bonus before?

If the answer is “no” for a specific card, you may be eligible for that card’s bonus – even if you currently have (or previously had) a different Sapphire.

Why this matters

Under the older setup, holding one Sapphire card could effectively block you from snagging the other card’s bonus (even if you’d never had that other bonus before).

Now the door is open for a lot of people who want both cards over time. In other words, more ways to earn more points – and a much more relaxed set of rules.

This is great news for anyone looking to earn either of the two cards’ generous welcome offers:

• Sapphire Preferred: Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

• Sapphire Reserve: Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

It’s also worth noting that the Sapphire Reserve recently relaunched back in 2025 with a whole new set of credits and perks.

A real-world example situation

Years ago, I signed up for the Sapphire Preferred and got the welcome offer.

Years later, I decided to upgrade my card to the Sapphire Reserve, which I still hold today.

Technically, under these new rules, I am now eligible to get the welcome offer on the Sapphire Reserve. I’d simply have to close my card and reapply for the same card.

And you can bet your bottom dollar that’s what I’m going to do. 😉

Quick “Am I eligible?” Checklist

You’re in the best position if:

• You’ve never received a bonus on the specific Sapphire card you’re applying for

• You’re in decent standing for approvals

• You haven’t opened more than five new cards in the past two years

• You’re applying for a new account (not a product change).

Bottom Line

This is a legit quality-of-life upgrade.

If you’ve been blocked from getting the “other” Sapphire bonus in the past, it’s worth taking another look now.