Chase Sapphire Reserve: A Rich 100,000-Point Welcome Bonus + $500 Travel Credit
by Krish Patel
It’s not everyday that a premium credit card is offering a high sign-up bonus, especially one that’s been the highest in the card’s history.
That’s exactly what Chase is doing with their Sapphire Reserve credit card ($795 annual fee, an increase from $550). Alongside a major card refresh, Chase has put its best-ever welcome bonus on the Sapphire Reserve.
Chase Sapphire Reserve Welcome Sign-Up Bonus
The current welcome bonus on the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points and a $500 travel credit. All of this comes after spending $5,000 in the first three months of the card’s account opening.
Chase’s new card bonus makes now the best time to apply for a new premium travel credit card. The good news is that Chase will allow you to have both Sapphire credit cards at the same time, the Reserve and Preferred. However, Chase has put eligibility criteria into effect. Instead of being able to earn a sign-up bonus every 4 years, getting a welcome offer now depends on the offers you’ve earned from other cards before and how many credit card accounts you’ve opened. If you earned the welcome bonus on the Chase Sapphire Preferred and still hold that card, you may not be able to earn this one.
Why the Chase Sapphire Reserve is a Solid Travel Credit Card
For the frequent traveler, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is a great card to have in your wallet. It offers excellent earning rates, such as 3 points per dollar spent on dining purchases and 8 points per dollar spent on purchases made via the Chase Travel portal. Also, the card offers statement credits that make up for the steep annual fee. Some of these include a $500 annual statement credit for booking luxury hotels via The Edit, Chase’s platform for booking hotel stays, as well as a $120 travel credit for Nexus, TSA PreCheck, or Global Entry every 48 months.
Park Hyatt Vendome in Paris, France (Category 8)
In addition, you can transfer your credit card points to a specific airline or hotel partner, like World of Hyatt. Chase points transfer to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio and can provide amazing value thanks to Hyatt’s use of a fixed award chart at the vast majority of its properties. Besides Hyatt, valuable Chase transfer partners include United MileagePlus, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, and Air France/KLM Flying Blue.
Conclusion
Chase’s 100,000-point welcome bonus plus the $500 travel credit makes now the best time to apply for a premium travel credit card if you’ve been looking for one. The new card refresh of the Chase Sapphire Reserve has increased its annual fee to $795, however, maximizing the card’s benefits can help offset the steep yearly fee for the luxury traveler.