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Official Chase Sapphire Reserve Application: Link
As of yesterday, it’s now possible to sign up for the premium Chase Sapphire Reserve Card. Understandably, many of you are quite excited about Chase’s new flagship card. While we’ve done our best to answer reader questions — and we’ll have plenty of additional posts diving deeper into individual perks and maximization strategies — to help you get a better sense of all the benefits you’ll get as a cardholder, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list below.
EARNING, SIGN-UP BONUS AND OTHER BASICS
Before we get to extras like the travel protections and hotel perks, let’s take a look at some of the most up-front features.
Earning rates — You’ll earn 3 points per dollar on all travel and dining purchases, which equals a 6.3% return based on TPG’s latest valuations. That’s a step up from the 2x points on travel and dining that you’ll get with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, meaning this new card is an even better pick for these purchases.
Sign-up bonus — Currently, you’ll earn 100,000 points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months. Based on TPG’s valuations, that’s worth a stellar $2,100.
Annual fee — $450 per year, putting it in line with other premium cards like the Platinum Card from American Express and the Citi Prestige Card. There’s also a $75 fee per authorized user. Authorized users receive their own Priority Pass Select membership.
Foreign transaction fees — None
Redemption options — You earn points in the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, and you can transfer them to 11 travel partners, including British Airways, Hyatt and United. You can also redeem points for 1.5 cents apiece through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal, but considering the value you can get through the various transfer partners, this might not be your best option — though it’s still better than the 1.25-cent redemption rate per point when you redeem points from the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card through the portal.
TRAVEL AND CAR RENTAL PERKS
$300 annual travel credit — Each year, you’ll receive a credit for $300 of eligible travel purchases. Fortunately, Chase’s definition of what counts as travel is extremely generous — including everything from airfare to parking fees — and the credits are applied automatically to your account as soon as the relevant purchase posts. Note that any eligible charges an authorized user makes will also count toward this annual credit. Chase assigns this credit each calendar year based on your billing cycle. For example, a charge in December will count toward the current year’s credit if it posts to your December statement. If it posts to your January statement, it will count toward the next year’s credit.
Priority Pass Select lounge access — Both the main cardholder and any authorized users can enroll in this program for free, giving you access to more than 900 airport lounges around the world.
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit — The Chase Sapphire Reserve Card joins a long list of cards that offer a reimbursement for your Global Entry or PreCheck application fee. If you aren’t a member of either program yet, it’s a no-brainer to go with Global Entry: Not only do you get access to a fast-track immigration line, but you’ll also be enrolled in the TSA PreCheck expedited security program — essentially getting you a two-for-one. You’ll receive reimbursement for the fee ($100 for Global Entry or $85 for PreCheck) as a statement credit, and this card benefit resets every four years, though your membership in each program is good for five years — making it a perfect opportunity to gift membership to a friend or family member.
Car rental privileges — When you enroll in the rewards programs from Avis, National and Silvercar and book your rental with the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, you’ll enjoy “enhanced benefits” such as upgrades and discounts, and even special offers for luxury car rentals and more. This perk is actually courtesy of the Visa Infinite program — the Reserve Card and the recently updated Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card are two of just a handful of Visa Infinite cards available in the US (the other is the Crystal Visa Infinite Credit Card offered through City National Bank), though it’s worth noting that the selection of Visa Infinite perks varies from card to card, since it’s up to the issuer’s discretion.
HOTEL PERKS
Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection perks — When you book at eligible properties that are part of this program, you’ll enjoy benefits such as complimentary room upgrades, complimentary meals for you and a guest, early check-in and late checkout, special discounts and credits, extra amenities, gifts and more. Note that this program is different than the Visa Luxury Hotel program available to those who hold Visa Signature cards such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred. We don’t yet have details regarding what to expect from the “complimentary meals” benefit, but that’s likely to vary from one property to the next.
Elite hotel benefits at Relais & Châteaux properties — If you stay two nights at qualifying properties in this luxury collection of hotels (in a 12-month period), you’ll be eligible for Club 5C status. This entitles you to room upgrades, “invitations to prestigious events” and a complimentary experience unique to each property, or you can choose to forego the “standard Club 5C benefits” and get a VIP welcome and complimentary breakfast, instead. Note that you’ll need to book your stay through the Visa Infinite Concierge — using your Reserve card, of course.
EXCLUSIVE ACCESS
Sapphire On Location events — Along with Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders, those with the Reserve card get special access to major events, such as the PGA Championship, as well as VIP experiences and exclusive packages such as a private multi-course dinner presented by a star chef. You can book available events using either cash or Ultimate Rewards points.
Preferred seating at Madison Square Garden — This benefit isn’t exclusive to Reserve cardholders, either, but it could come in handy if you’re attending an event at a Madison Square Garden-owned property in New York, Chicago, Inglewood, CA and more. You’ll have access to preferred seats (available only to Chase cardholders) at participating venues when you purchase through Ticketmaster, and you can visit the Chase Lounge to enjoy food and drinks before select events at MSG in New York and The Forum in Inglewood.
CONCIERGE SERVICE
These benefits probably won’t have a huge impact when you’re deciding whether or not to get the card, but they might come in handy down the line — though if you’re applying for Reserve, you might have another premium card in your wallet like the Amex Platinum that offers a similar concierge service.
24/7 customer service support — If you lose a card or have any account-related questions, you can call in ’round the clock to get help.
Worldwide travel assistance — You can call the Chase Travel Team from anywhere for help booking or modifying travel. It would definitely be a problem if you couldn’t, so it’s not like this is a revolutionary benefit or anything.
Visa Infinite concierge services — This dedicated line can help you track down reservations at hard-to-book restaurants, find event tickets and more.
TRAVEL PROTECTION
Primary car rental insurance — One of the Sapphire Preferred’s best travel benefits also applies with the Reserve card. The auto rental collision damage waiver lets you decline a rental company’s insurance and receive up to $75,000 in reimbursement for theft and collision damage when you charge the entire rental cost to your card. If you’re renting from a smaller agency, be sure to confirm eligibility with the benefit provider (by calling the number on the back of your card) before driving away from the lot.
Roadside assistance — If you have a roadside emergency in either the US or Canada, you can call a dedicated number and get a tow, jumpstart, tire, locksmith or gas. You’ll be covered up to $50 per incident four times a year.
Trip cancellation/interruption insurance — If your trip is cut short due to sickness, severe weather or other covered situations, you can be reimbursed for pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses — such as fares, tours and hotels — up to $10,000 per trip.
Trip delay reimbursement — If your travel on a common carrier is delayed for more than 6 hours or requires an overnight stay, you and your family are covered for unreimbursed expenses (including meals and lodging) for up to $500 per ticket. With the Sapphire Preferred Card, you’ll receive the same amount of coverage, but only if your travel is delayed for more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay.
Baggage delay insurance — For baggage delays of more than 6 hours, you can get reimbursed for essentials like toiletries and clothing for up to $100 a day for 5 days.
Lost luggage reimbursement — If you or your immediate family members’ checked or carry-on baggage is damaged or lost by the carrier, you’ll be covered up to $3,000 per passenger.
Travel accident insurance — Hopefully this will never be relevant to you, but if you pay for your air, bus, train or cruise with your card, you’re eligible to receive accidental death or dismemberment coverage of up to $1,000,000.
Travel and emergency assistance services — If you need help finding legal or medical referrals abroad, you can call the Benefit Administrator for these and other travel/emergency assistance. You’ll be responsible for the cost of any services, though.
PURCHASE PROTECTION
When you make a purchase with your card, the item is covered against damage or theft for 120 days — up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per year. This is a big step up from the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s equivalent coverage, which is a maximum of $500 per claim up to $50,000 per account).
Other related protections include:
Extended warranty protection — For eligible US manufacturer warranties of 3 years or less, this benefit extends the warranty by an additional year.
Price protection — If a purchase made with your card is advertised at a lower price in print or online within 90 days, you can be reimbursed the difference, up to $500 per item and $2,500 per year.
Return protection — For eligible items that the store won’t take back within 90 days of purchase, you can be reimbursed up to $500 per item and $1,000 per year.
BOTTOM LINE
There’s a lot to like about the Chase Sapphire Reserve, from the high sign-up bonus to the $300 annual travel credit and the generous 3x bonus categories. A long list of travel and purchase protections help round those features out, and perks like Priority Pass Select lounge access and Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection benefits can definitely improve your travel experience. If you’ve been wondering what the card offers beyond the details shared in our initial post, the , hopefully this list has provided you with some answers. Feel free to share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!
For more on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card:
Source: thepointsguy.com