Chase Sapphire Cards Boost Grocery Rewards for 6 Months

The travel cards will earn 2 or 3 points per dollar on supermarket spending from November 2020 through April 2021.
Gregory Karp
By Gregory Karp 
Published
Edited by Paul Soucy

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The terms of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card have changed, and this article is out of date. See our details page on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for up-to-date details.

Grocery spending will soon be getting a lot more rewarding on Chase’s popular Sapphire-branded travel credit cards.

Starting Nov. 1, 2020, and running for six months, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® will earn elevated rewards at supermarkets.

It's just the latest example of a credit card issuer modifying rewards structures on its travel cards in a year when the COVID-19 pandemic has curtailed most travel. Issuers have been scrambling to beef up rewards in non-travel categories to retain customers.

Additionally, Chase has set an end date for the big limited-time sign-up bonus on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, and it said the $300 annual travel credit on the Chase Sapphire Reserve® will continue to apply to gas and grocery purchases well into 2021.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Double grocery rewards

From Nov. 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card will earn 2 points per $1 spent on grocery store purchases, on up to $1,000 in purchases per month.

The card will continue to earn its regular rewards:

  • 3 points per $1 spent on dining.

  • 2 points per $1 spent on travel.

  • 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Sign-up bonus news

Chase said this week that the huge limited-time sign-up bonus on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card will be available through Nov. 8. The issuer hadn’t previously said how long the promotion would last.

The limited-time bonus, which was introduced in September, is as follows: Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

That's 20,000 points larger than the card's standard sign-up bonus. Points are worth a penny each for cash back, but they take on a value of 1.25 cents each when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

No other details of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are changing. Its annual fee remains $95.

  • Chase has launched a new bonus points promotion for spending in popular categories on select co-branded cards. The offers are targeted, so check your email to see if you're eligible and activate the bonus.

  • Eligible cardholders will earn 5x at Amazon and 3x or 5x on groceries on up to $1,500 in combined purchases per month from November 1 to December 31.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Triple grocery rewards

From Nov. 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® will earn 3 points per $1 spent on grocery store purchases, on up to $1,000 in spending per month.

The card will continue to earn its regular ongoing rewards:

  • 3 points per $1 spent on travel and dining at restaurants.

  • 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Travel credit news

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® comes with a $300 annual travel credit that offsets a significant portion of the card's $550 annual fee. (Purchases that are reimbursed with the credit do not earn 3X points.)

Earlier this year, Chase expanded the spending categories that qualify for the credit, adding gas and grocery as qualifying purchases through the end of 2020. A spokeswoman said that offer will continue through June 30, 2021.

Chase said nearly all holders of the Chase Sapphire Reserve® “reap the full $300 benefit annually.”

The new grocery rewards on both cards will be automatic for all cardholders, including both new and pre-existing accounts.

Chase previously added a Pay Yourself Back feature for redeeming points when so few people are traveling. “We know during this extraordinary time our cardmembers are spending differently and crave flexibility with their rewards, so we are adding value in how they can earn and use their points right now,” Chase said in a statement.

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