11 Reasons Why a Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Could Be Worth It

The major 2025 reboot to the Chase Sapphire Reserve® added many new benefits to the card — and a higher price tag. For some people, those new perks offset its expensive $795 annual fee.

Chase estimates the benefits add up to $2,700 in value, but that's assuming you max out every feature, which is hard to do. But if you can use the coupon-book-style credits to extract more value from the card than its annual fee, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® could be one of the best premium credit cards for travel and dining. Here’s why it might work for you.

» Learn more: Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve worth its annual fee?

1. The huge sign-up offer

The current sign-up offer is: Earn 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

This is the highest bonus we’ve ever seen on the card. We estimate it could be worth $1,500 or more if you transfer the points to high-value redemption partners.

2. An easy-to-use $300 annual travel credit

This is the best travel credit out there for a travel credit card because it is automatic and covers a wide variety of travel-related charges.

You can buy airline tickets, pay for upgrades or bag fees, book rideshares, take a bus or a ferry, pay tolls, reserve a hotel, or even go on a cruise. And unlike other credit cards that require you to book through the issuer’s travel portal, this credit will be applied to eligible travel purchases, even if you booked through an online travel agency or directly with an airline or hotel.

As long as you use your Chase Sapphire Reserve® to pay for these expenses, you will receive an automatic statement credit up to $300 to cover them. That represents a solid chunk of the annual fee back in your pocket.

» Learn more: How does the Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit work?

3. 3x-10x points bonus categories

This card really multiplies the points earned when you use it on a wide range of bonus categories. In fact, the ability to rack up points quickly is what makes this one of the best cards to use for travel and dining.

Keep in mind one of the major changes to the Chase Sapphire Reserve® in 2025 is that other travel purchases outside of those made directly with airlines and hotels (think: cruises, online travel agencies, rental cars, etc.) will only earn 1 point per dollar.

4. 1:1 point transfers to airline and hotel programs

One of the best benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is that you get access to more than a dozen partner programs to book awards using their loyalty miles or points. These include Hyatt, Marriott, Air Canada Aeroplan, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and others.

Transferring your points to some of these programs may allow you to spend fewer points than you would if you were booking through Chase’s travel portal.

» Learn more: The best Chase transfer partners

5. Points Boost feature

When you redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points through Chase’s travel portal, you’ll get a value of 1 cent per point. However, on some flight and hotel bookings in the portal, you’ll see a “Points Boost” label, which signifies you can get twice as much value and redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points at 2 cents per point.

We'll be honest: It's not easy to take advantage of Points Boost rates. They're only available on a small percentage of bookings, and for flights, they're generally found on premium fares. But if you often fly in first class or business, you might be able to get some value out of this feature.

6. Travel credits galore

On top of all the points you can earn and the variety of ways to redeem them, there are also several credits (in addition to the $300 travel credit) that can more than offset the annual fee. These include several travel benefits like:

• $500 each year (split into two $250 credits each half of the calendar year) to spend on properties in Chase’s The Edit, a curated collection of luxury properties that offer extra perks for cardholders that book through the program. A minimum two-night stay is required. This is best if you stay at luxury hotels at least twice a year.

• Up to $120 credit for Global Entry, TSA Precheck or Nexus applications every four years.

• $120 Lyft in-app credits annually (divided into $10 monthly).

7. Elite status perks

If you want to be pampered on your next hotel stay, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® unlocks several options. First, you could book through Chase’s The Edit. Those bookings come with special benefits like potential room upgrades, complimentary daily breakfast for two, $100 in property credits, and early check-in or late checkout if available.

This card also comes with automatic IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status, which also offers complimentary room upgrades at IHG properties.

8. Chase Sapphire, Priority Pass and Maple Leaf lounge access

If you live near an airport with a Chase Sapphire lounge, this card is a must-have if you want access. Chase Sapphire lounges are newer than many of the AmEx Centurion lounges, and provide some of the best amenities of all the lounge networks, including free facials at some locations.

In addition, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® will get you complimentary access to Priority Pass airport lounges, as well as complimentary access to more than 20 select Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges and Air Canada Cafés, as long as you are traveling on a Star Alliance airline.

9. Dining and lifestyle credits

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® might also be able to help you save on purchases outside of travel that you might already be making. The dining and StubHub credits are particularly useful if you live in a major U.S. city with multiple participating restaurants or nearby venues.

• $300 annual dining credit (split into $150 each half of the calendar year) at Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.

• $300 annual StubHub credit (split into $150 each half of the calendar year)  for concert and event tickets.

• Complimentary subscriptions to Apple TV+ and Apple Music (valued at $250).

• $120 annual statement credit to Peloton membership.

• $300 annually in monthly DoorDash promotions ($5 monthly credit for restaurant orders and two monthly $10 credits for non-restaurant orders) and complimentary DashPass membership.

Enrollment is required for some of these credits.

10. Roadside assistance and rental car coverage

This card comes with several car-related benefits, including roadside assistance coverage for up to $50 per incident up to four times a year and primary rental car coverage of up to $75,000.

The standout here is the rental car coverage. Other travel cards usually offer secondary rental car coverage, which will only kick in to cover expenses not covered by your primary car insurance. With a Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you don’t even have to report the incident to your personal auto insurance company.

11. Travel insurance and purchase protections

Chase Sapphire Reserve® has an impressive roster of consumer protections built into the card, which can especially come in handy if something goes wrong during a trip.

All of these have some exclusions and maximums, but in general, this is an excellent array of protections that covers the most common problems that can occur during travel or when buying something new. Check the card’s benefits guide for more details.

» Learn more: The guide to Chase’s travel insurance benefits

Bonus: Additional benefits for the biggest spenders

This one won’t apply to everyone. If you spend more than $75,000 per year on the card, there are even more perks in store. This is in line with what other premium cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express, offer for their top spenders.

If you hit that spending threshold, you’ll earn:

• IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite status.

• Southwest Airlines A-List elite status.

• A $500 Southwest Airlines credit to use via Chase Travel℠.

• A $250 credit to The Shops at Chase for purchases at top brands like Tumi and Sony.