by Daniel | Last Updated April 2nd, 2021
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So today I am going to review the return of the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card and go over some of the benefits that it has.
So when the Chase Sapphire Reserve card first launched in August 2016, it was so popular that Chase actually ran out of metal slabs that were needed to make the cards!
This was due to the fact that you could get 100,000 welcome bonus points upon signing up for the card which was worth over $1,500, and the card only cost $450 per year.
Fast forward to 2021 and the card has increased its annual fee to $550 per year (which is a $100 increase).
And the signup bonus is now 50,000 bonus points which is half the amount of when it first debuted in 2016.
So is the Chase Sapphire Reserve card still worth it?
Let have a look at what benefits the card now offers and see if it can benefit you.
So as I mentioned before when you first sign up for the card you will receive 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 within the first 3 months of opening the account.
And these points are worth up to $750 in travel when you redeem them through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
So even though this is half the amount of points that the card originally offered in 2016, it still covers the annual fee by $200.
Next up and the same as when the card first came out you still receive a $300 annual travel credit which can be used on a wide variety of travel-related expenses.
As for what is covered, according to Case’s website it says –
Merchants in the travel category include 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.
But be aware that there are some things that are are not covered by the $300 travel credit.
As written on Chase’s website it states:
Merchants that provide transportation and travel-related services are not included in this category; for example, real estate agents, websites or owners that rent vacation properties, in-flight goods and services, on-board cruise line goods and services, sightseeing activities, tourist attractions, merchants within airports, and merchants that rent vehicles for the purpose of hauling. In addition, the purchasing of points or miles does not qualify in this category.
Either way, it is relatively easy to utilize the $300 travel credit without too much thought.
I’ve had the card since it was first released in 2016 and I usually use the $300 credit within the first 6 weeks of the year without even thinking about it.
Next up you now get a free DashPass which is usually $9.99 per month or $119.88 over the course of the year.
And this basically gives you free delivery on any orders that are over $12.
According to the DoorDash website, DashPass subscribers save an average of $4-$5 per eligible order.
Along with this, you will also receive up to $60 in statement credits through the rest of this year.
Another benefit that was added to the card in January 2020 is the free Lyft Pink membership which usually costs $19.99 per month or $239.88 per calendar year.
This membership allows you to save 15% on all car rides and also has a more relaxed cancelation fee structure to help save you money.
Along with this free membership you will automatically earn 10x points when you use the card to pay for your Lyft ride which gives you the ability to earn a ton of extra points.
A new bonus that was added to the card on October 27th in 2020 is $120 in statement credits that can be used to pay for a Peleton Digital or All-Access Membership.
Peleton offers a wide variety of different exercise programs through these membership options so it really is a nice extra perk to have.
And next, you still get the choice of receiving a $100 statement credit for either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
This is most useful if you travel a lot as it can save you quite a lot of time when flying out or arriving at the airport.
With the TSA PreCheck, you will get a 5-year membership, and it basically means that when you go through security at the airport you won’t have to remove your shoes, laptop, belt, or light jackets, basically saving you time.
And according to the Homeland security website, most travelers get through security in 5 minutes or less when they have TSA PreCheck.
And with the Global Entry membership, you also receive a 5-year membership and this makes it a lot quicker when you are either checking in or arriving at an airport as you can pretty much bypass everybody else who is in line.
The last notable benefit that you will receive with this card is a free Priority Pass Select membership which is valued at $429.
So if you travel a lot for work this is a really useful perk.
The Priority Pass Membership gives you access to more than 1200 airport lounges around the world.
And this can be really nice when you just want somewhere to go and get a bite to eat and relax before your flight.
Along with access to all of these lounges you will also be able to get a credit of $28-$30 to a selection of airport restaurants from all around the world to use if you don’t want to use one of the lounges.
This can prove to be quite a good money saver if you travel constantly.
So these are all of the benefits you get, so let’s talk about how many points you can earn when using the card.
First up the highest points earner is spending money on your Lyft rides, basically, you will earn 10x points on all Lyft rides until March 2022.
Then from here you will earn 3x points at restaurants worldwide and also eligible delivery companies and take out.
Travel will also earn you 3x points once you have used up your $300 travel credit.
You will also receive 3x points at grocery stores up to a maximum of $1000 per month.
And then all other expenses will receive 1 point per dollar spent.
So needless to say, you can actually accrue quite a lot of points over the course of a year and then use them for whatever you like.
So let’s go over all of the benefits of the card and see how much value you actually get:
So first you have the 50,000 welcome bonus points worth at least $750.
Then there is the $300 annual travel credit.
Then the complimentary Lyft Pink membership which usually costs $19.99 per month which equals $239.88.
You get a free DashPass membership that usually costs $9.99 per month, so that’s worth $119.88.
You also get $60 in statement credits on DoorDash purchases.
You get a free Priority Pass Select membership that is valued at up to $429.
Then the $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check
And then finally you can get $120 back on eligible Peleton digital or all-access memberships.
So all up this equals $2,118.76 in benefits and then minus the annual fee of $550 it comes out at $1,568.76.
So if you know you can utilize all of these benefits it is defiantly a credit card worth having.
And then when you add in the potential earnings from accumulating points just by using the card, I think it’s a great option.