Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Sapphire Reserve Review

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has been a highlight of Chase’s consumer card portfolio for years. However, when Chase released the Chase Sapphire Reserve® in 2016, it stole all the limelight and set the stage for other card issuers to up their game in the premium card arena.

Both cards have great benefits, earn Ultimate Rewards, offer the ability to earn a generous welcome bonus and have the same airline and hotel transfer partners. But since you can’t hold both of these cards at once, you’ll have to decide which one is right for you. This article will outline the pros and cons of each card and aim to steer you in the right direction.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® comes loaded with lots of premium benefits, but it also has a high annual fee. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card comes with fewer benefits but has a much lower annual fee. So will you save money by choosing a card with a lower annual fee? The answer is not always as straightforward as it seems, and you’ll soon see why so many people are faced with this dilemma.

Before we dig deeper into which is the best credit card for you, it’s important to mention that both cards are subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule, so keep that in mind when choosing between the Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Reserve.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Overview

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a mid-tier flexible rewards card that offers a lot of great benefits with an affordable $95 annual fee.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers the following benefits:

• Earn 5X on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3X on restaurants, select streaming services and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, wholesale clubs, and in-store purchases), 2X on all other travel purchases, and 1X on all other purchases.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠.
  Ultimate Rewards can be transferred at a 1:1 rate to airline and hotel partners like United and Hyatt.
• Travel protections like trip cancellation/interruption insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver, trip delay insurance, delayed baggage insurance and more.
• Up to $50 annual Ultimate Rewards hotel credit each account anniversary year for hotel stays purchased through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Overview

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a premium travel rewards card with a high $550 annual fee, but it comes with a ton of built-in benefits above and beyond what’s offered by the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

• Earn 5X points on flights and 10X points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ after the first $300 spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3X points on other travel (after the $300 travel credit) and dining and 1X on all other purchases
• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠.
• Ultimate Rewards can also be transferred at a 1:1 rate to airline and hotel partners like United and Hyatt.
• Travel protections like trip cancellation/interruption insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver, trip delay insurance, delayed baggage insurance and more, some with higher limits or earlier kick-ins compared with the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
• Access to over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership.
• Up to $120 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit for travel purchases made with your card each account anniversary year.

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Reserve

Winner

The Chase Sapphire Reserve comes out ahead in terms of benefits, but with a much higher annual fee, it’ll only make sense for cardholders who can use the benefits often enough.

Annual Fees

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card’s annual fee is $95, and it’s not waived the first year. If you’re able to fully use the annual $50 hotel credit, your effective annual fee would only be $45.

The annual fee for the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is $550, and it’s not waived the first year. If you’re able to fully use the card’s $300 annual travel credit, your effective annual fee would be $250.

Winner

The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a more palatable annual fee.

Welcome Bonus

Typically, both cards offer around 60,000 Ultimate Reward points after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months of being a cardholder. The current bonuses for each card are listed below:

Depending on how you use the welcome bonus, 60,000 points could be worth the exact same regardless of the card you choose. For example, a 60,000-point welcome bonus on each card is worth $600 in cash back or 60,000 United Miles or World of Hyatt points if you take advantage of Chase’s 1:1 transfer partners.

However, if you redeem your points through Chase Travel, you will see a difference in what this bonus is worth. The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a 25% bonus on the value of your points, meaning that 60,000 points will be worth $750. The Sapphire Reserve offers a 50% bonus on your points, so 60,000 points would be worth $900.

Winner

The Chase Sapphire Reserve has a slight edge here since your points are worth more when you redeem them through Chase Travel. That said, if you know you’re going to use Chase’s transfer partners, these two cards tie.

Earning Points

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the Chase Sapphire Preferred both come with a long list of categories offering bonus points on spending—up to 10X points in some cases. These high-earning rates can go a long way toward making an annual fee make sense.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card lets you earn on these categories:

• 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 annual hotel credit
• 5X on Lyft rides (through March 31, 2025)
• 2X points on all other travel purchases
• 3X points on online grocery purchases, excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs (this also excludes in-store purchases)
• 3X points on dining and select streaming services
• 2X points on travel purchases, including airfare, hotels, taxis, trains and many other travel expenses
• 1X on all other purchases

You’ll also get a 10% anniversary points boost. For each account anniversary, you’ll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year. For example, if you spent $10,000 in the last cardmember year, you’ll get a 1,000-point bonus.

With the Chase Sapphire Reserve® you can earn:

• 10X total points on hotels and car rentals when you book travel through Chase Travel℠ after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
• 10X on Lyft rides (through March 31, 2025)
• 5X points on flights purchased through the Chase Travel℠, after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
• 3X points on other travel after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
• 3X on all dining
• 1X on everything else.

Winner

The winner in this category will depend primarily on how much money you spend in these different categories. I spent a lot on travel, so the extra 1X earned on the Sapphire Reserve compared to the Sapphire Preferred makes a big difference to me. Those who spend more on online grocery purchases could come out ahead with the Sapphire Preferred.

Redeeming Points

The Chase Ultimate Rewards program is one of the best flexible point programs out there. Ultimate Rewards points earned through the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred can be redeemed generally in the same ways. Both cards offer cash-back redemptions at a value of 1 cent per point. But to get more value out of your points, you’ll want to take advantage of Chase’s airline and hotel partners or redeem them through Chase Travel.

Both cards offer the ability to transfer Ultimate Rewards at a 1:1 ratio to the following partner airline and hotel programs:

• Aer Lingus AerClub
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• British Airways Executive Club
• Emirates Skywards
• Iberia Plus
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Singapore Airlines Krisflyer
• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
• United MileagePlus
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• IHG One Rewards
• Marriott Bonvoy
• World of Hyatt

The best way to get outsized value for your points is by learning about Chase’s airline and hotel transfer partners’ programs and choosing the best one(s) for your redemptions, however, this will take time.

Redemptions through Chase Travel offer a good middle-ground for those who want more value from their points but don’t want to invest hundreds of hours. The Chase Sapphire Preferred allows redemptions for 1.25 cents per point while the Sapphire Reserve allows redemptions at 1.5 cents per point.

Winner

The Sapphire Reserve is, only by a little, the winner of this category due to its higher value redemptions through Chase Travel.

Travel Benefits

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers the following:

• Travel insurance, including trip cancellation/interruption, trip delay, delayed baggage and lost baggage insurance
• Auto rental collision damage waiver

The Chase Sapphire Reserve insurance package is the same as or better than what’s offered by the Sapphire Preferred. The Sapphire Reserve also offers:

• Priority Pass Select membership to more than 1,300 airport lounges
• Up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck or NEXUS application fee credit every four years

Winner

The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers more and better travel benefits than the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

Additional Perks & Considerations

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers the following credits/extras:

• Complimentary DoorDash DashPass subscription (for one year, must activate by 12/31/2027)

These extras are available on the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Credit Card:

• Complimentary DoorDash DashPass subscription (for one year, activate by 12/31/2027) and $5 in DoorDash credits each month you’re enrolled in DashPass (ends 12/31/2027)

Winner

It’s a tie. Both cards offer the same additional perks.

Who Should Opt For Which Card?

Which card is right for you is going to depend primarily on your travel habits, spending patterns and how willing you are to pay an annual fee. Here’s the card that’s right for you depending on the type of traveler you are.

Budget-Conscious Travelers

If you’re a budget-conscious traveler, the Sapphire Preferred is probably your best bet. It has a lower annual fee and still offers a ton of solid benefits like built-in travel protections and great points-earning potential through the welcome bonus and everyday spending.

Frequent Travelers

If you’re a frequent traveler, the Sapphire Reserve may be your best choice. The ability to hang out at Priority Pass lounges when you fly instead of at an airport restaurant can easily save you more money than the cost of the Reserve’s annual fee. Plus, if you’re putting all of those travel purchases on your credit card, the extra point per dollar earned will add up over time. Add in the best-in-class travel protections for when your travel day goes wrong and you’ll really come out ahead.

Point Maximizers

If you’re a point maximizer, the short answer between CSP vs. CSR is: it depends. You’ll need to consider if you can earn enough points to offset the difference in annual fees, and the answer to that question will also depend on how you plan to use your points and how you value them.

If you never redeem your points through Chase Travel, the higher redemption value offered by the CSR shouldn’t be a factor. That said, maybe you still spend enough on travel that the extra point per dollar spent is enough to make up the difference. If you already have a Priority Pass Membership through another card, don’t count that toward the value of this card.

Are You Ready for Your Next Jet-Set Journey?

Choosing between the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve can be a complex decision. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers significant value with a lower annual fee, making it suitable for budget-conscious travelers who still want to earn substantial rewards on their spending. On the other hand, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® caters to frequent travelers with its premium benefits like airport lounge access, a higher points redemption rate through Chase Travel, and substantial travel credits.

• The Sapphire Reserve is ideal for those who travel frequently and can utilize the extensive travel benefits and credits to offset the higher annual fee.
• The Sapphire Preferred is great for those seeking solid rewards at a lower cost, making it a better fit for budget-conscious users or those new to travel cards.
• Both cards offer excellent opportunities to earn and redeem points, especially when used strategically in line with your spending habits and travel preferences.

Whether you’re leaning towards the Sapphire Preferred or the Sapphire Reserve, 10xTravel can assist in maximizing the benefits of your chosen card. Explore 10xTravel today and make the most out of your points and miles.