Latest news with #travelcreditcard
CNET
24-06-2025
- Business
- CNET
I Won't Be Getting the New Chase Sapphire Reserve. Here's Why
Chase/CNET The Chase Sapphire Reserve®* is well-known among travel enthusiasts and average credit card users as a great travel credit card. However, its accessibility to the former crowd is likely to change. The Sapphire Reserve was an expensive card before Chase's recent update at $550 annually, but it now costs $795, which is even more than its top competitor, The Platinum Card® from American Express. Aside from the higher fee, the biggest changes to the card are a greater emphasis on annual credits and a larger welcome offer. Chase is also changing how much your points are worth, but more on that later. The card issuer is adding several new annual credits, elite memberships and subscriptions to its list of benefits. This sounds great on paper, but personally, it makes the card even less attractive. I don't want my credit cards to require a ton of legwork to get the greatest value from them. In my mind, a credit card should make it easier to spend and earn rewards, not have several hoops to jump through to get the maximum value. You shouldn't need to redeem dozens of credits, sign up for several complimentary subscriptions, only book flights and hotels when your points are boosted and feel like you have to buy a Peloton to make sure you're getting enough value to justify a card's annual fee. I have no doubt that some travel experts and credit card aficionados will disagree and could happily squeeze oodles of value from this card, but for credit cardholders like myself who would rather have a more automated, streamlined experience, it just doesn't seem worth the effort. Anyway, here's what's changing. What does the new Chase Sapphire Reserve look like? Chase has changed the card's rewards and how much they're worth when it's time to redeem. New and old rewards compared New rewards Old rewards 8x points for all travel booked through Chase Travel 10x points for booking hotels and rental cars through Chase Travel 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly 5x points on flights booked through Chase 3x points on dining 3x points for all other travel 1x point for everything else 1x point for everything else These changes are good. Dining rewards seem like a no-brainer on a travel card, and it's something I was surprised to not see on the card originally. Also, not needing to always book through Chase Travel opens more travel and earning opportunities. The card also includes a higher welcome offer: 100,000 bonus points and a $500 Chase Travel℠ credit for spending $5,000 in the first three months from account opening. However, Chase is also changing the value of the rewards you earn with its new Points Boost program. You used to be able to redeem your points for travel through Chase at a bonus value of 1.5 cents per point. Now, you'll earn 2 cents per point, but only with rotating boosted redemption flights and hotels. And if you redeem your points for any non-boosted flight or hotel, they'll only be worth 1 cent each. You can still transfer your points at a 1:1 ratio to Chase's travel partners. This is clearly less flexible than the card's previous reward program, and will likely cause cardholders to miss out on value they would've otherwise secured. What if there are no boosted flights or hotels for when and where you're looking to travel? You'll either need to wait or have less of your trip covered. Or, you could transfer your points where they could be worth more -- but again, that takes more work than simply redeeming through your card issuer's portal for a small bonus, as it was before. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card* now uses the Points Boost program as well. New annual credits The card is also gaining a handful of new annual credits: $500 The Edit℠ credit. The Edit is Chase's new collection of over 1,100 hotels. You get $250 from January to June, and the other $250 from July to December. The Edit is Chase's new collection of over 1,100 hotels. You get $250 from January to June, and the other $250 from July to December. $300 dining credit. Again, split in half -- $150 for January through June, and the other $150 for July to December. Again, split in half -- $150 for January through June, and the other $150 for July to December. $300 StubHub credit. $150 for January through June, $150 for July to December. Ends 12/31/27. $150 for January through June, $150 for July to December. Ends 12/31/27. Apple+ and Apple Music membership , worth $250 annually. Ends 6/22/27. , worth $250 annually. Ends 6/22/27. $120 Peloton credit. You get $10 monthly statement credits for a Peloton membership through 12/31/27 for a maximum of $120 annually. Plus, you'll earn 10x rewards on Peloton equipment purchases. Those are the new credits; there are a number of others, too. You can see them all on Chase's page. The issuer says the card offers more than $2,700 in value, but you'll really need to work to achieve that. For those who spend $75,000 in travel on the card in a calendar year, you'll unlock a $500 Southwest travel credit plus A-list status, IHG Diamond Elite Status and $250 in statement credits for The Shop at Chase. That's a high spending threshold that only the most well-off traveller will likely be able to reach, and it doesn't seem like a great return on investment. And a higher fee Lastly, the card now costs $245 more than it did a month ago. The annual fee for the Chase Sapphire Reserve now sits at $795, one of the highest on the market. While the credits offered can surpass the price of the card, you'll need to do the work to use everything it has to offer. That means buying and using a Peloton, checking the Points Boost program, ordering DoorDash, using Lyft and taking advantage of the new dining credit and two travel credits, and on and on. It's a lot of homework. If you don't use enough of the extra perks, you'll likely be on the hook for at least part of its annual fee. Should you get this card? In short, I think there are people who will find this card worth it, particularly those with higher-than-average travel budgets (and perhaps some sort of assistant to help them keep track of everything), but for the average traveler or credit cardholder, they are more likely to leave value on the table and be stuck with a high annual fee. There's just so much offered here, which is great, but the change in how points are valued, how much additional work you, as the cardholder, have to do annually to make the card's $795 fee actually worth the cost, doesn't add up to me. But again, I probably view credit cards a bit differently than most card experts. I like the easy route, the one that guarantees value without any financial corrosion or work beyond my usual routine. So I'll happily stick with my Sapphire Preferred, which offers way less, but only costs $95 each year. I use it for my dining and travel expenses, redeem my points for trips home through Chase Travel and take advantage of its annual $50 hotel statement credit. There may not be countless annual credits, memberships and subscriptions, but I barely need to do any additional work -- and definitely don't need to overspend -- to realize its value versus how much it costs me annually. *All information about the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Earn up to 200,000 points with the updated Sapphire Reserve and new Sapphire Reserve for Business cards
Chase is offering elevated welcome offers on its Sapphire Reserve cards, including the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the brand new Sapphire Reserve for Business: Chase Sapphire Reserve: Receive 100,000 points and a $500 Chase Travel credit after spending $5,000 in the first three months. Sapphire Reserve for Business: Earn 200,000 points after spending $30,000 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. These huge sign-up bonuses follow Chase's announcement of massive updates to its flagship premium travel credit card, the Sapphire Reserve. The Sapphire Reserve updates include a slew of new features and benefits, as well as an annual fee increase to $795. Read more about the new Chase Sapphire card eligibility requirements to see if you qualify for a Chase Sapphire welcome bonus. We calculate the value of Chase Ultimate Rewards points to be about 2.05 cents per point. That means 100,000 Chase points would be worth about $2,050 and 200,000 points would be worth about $4,100. Keep in mind that you can redeem Chase points for a number of different things, but these values are based on redeeming your points for travel. Specifically, you can often get the best value from Chase points by transferring them to certain travel partners, such as World of Hyatt or Air Canada Aeroplan, for high-value redemptions. You can transfer Chase points to your World of Hyatt account and redeem them toward Hyatt stays. A standard night at a Category 1 Hyatt hotel costs between 3,500 to 6,500 points. In the example above, you can stay 20 nights at the Hyatt Place Los Cabos — which is minutes from the beach and offers free breakfast — for less than 100,000 points. That's an excellent way to spend a few weeks if you have the time to spare and like Los Cabos. It's also a great way to work toward earning or maintaining World of Hyatt elite status. You can often get great redemption value by transferring Chase points to certain airline partners and booking premium (first or business class) flights. You should have a specific redemption already in mind, on hold if possible, before transferring your points to a partner, since you can't transfer them back. In the example above, you can book a business class flight with Emirates from New York (JFK) to Milan (MXP) for 87,000 miles plus $101.50 in taxes and fees. The cash price for this flight is $5,778, which gives you a redemption value of about a whopping 6.5 cents per point. You can also get excellent redemption value by redeeming your points toward luxurious hotel stays. For example, this one-night stay at the Park Hyatt Vienna costs $1,005.69 or 30,000 points. Redeeming your points on this stay would give you a value of about 3.4 cents per point, which is well above updated Chase Sapphire Reserve is chock-full of benefits, including loads of new credits that can help offset the increased annual fee. If the credits align with your travel habits and preferences, you should be able to get more than enough value to make the card worth it. If the credits seem too complicated to use, consider other travel credit cards with more straightforward benefits. The Sapphire Reserve for Business makes sense if you can leverage its rewards and benefits for full value as a small business owner. Part of having a premium travel card is traveling enough to use perks like airport lounge access and Lyft credits. With the business card, you also have access to business-related credits from ZipRecruiter and Google Workspace. If you're not sure whether you can get value from these credits, you might want to consider a different business credit card. The Sapphire Reserve cards only make sense if you're willing to pay a hefty annual fee. If you're not, consider no-annual-fee credit cards or other travel cards with lower annual fees. These cards have plenty of valuable benefits, but they aren't always the easiest to use, especially with complicated credits. Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. All opinions belong solely to the Yahoo Finance and are not those of any other entity. The details on financial products, including card rates and fees, are accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank's website for the most current information. This site doesn't include all currently available offers. Credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
Condé Nast Traveler
17-06-2025
- Business
- Condé Nast Traveler
Chase Sapphire Reserve Card: New Look, Updated Benefits, and a $795 Annual Fee
One of the most popular travel credit cards of all time is getting a major facelift—and a much higher annual fee. The Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card will soon have a new look and updated annual benefits, including new credits worth nearly $1,500 that can go toward travel, dining, and lifestyle purchases, to go with its increased annual fee of $795. Additionally, cardholders can now earn up to eight Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar (8x) on travel purchases made through the Chase Travel portal, where they can then redeem their credit card points for travel purchases. Through a new feature called Points Boost, cardholders of the refreshed Chase Sapphire Reserve essentially get 'discounts' when redeeming points for select premium flights and hotels. Because of this refresh, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is losing a few key benefits that some cardholders have long held since the credit card first debuted nearly ten years ago. But some of the card's most beloved perks remain untouched, including its comprehensive travel insurance benefits and the flexible $300 annual travel credit. Here's everything you should know about the Chase Sapphire Reserve's changes, which go into effect on June 23. What is the Chase Sapphire Reserve's new annual fee? The Chase Sapphire Reserve's annual fee increases to $795 on June 23, up from the current rate of $550 yearly. This price point is the highest we've seen yet among premium travel rewards credit cards; The Platinum Card® from American Express currently charges a $695 annual fee. To get additional cards for authorized users (like, say, a spouse or a child), you'll have to pay $195 a year for that extra card; currently, that fee is just $75. The authorized user receives all the same benefits you get as the primary cardholder, including airport lounge access privileges. What are the Chase Sapphire Reserve's new annual credits? The Chase Sapphire Reserve is getting new annual credits that add up to nearly $1,500 in value, which can offset the increased annual fee. For travel, most useful are a new annual credit for eligible hotel stays booked through the Chase Travel portal worth up to $500 (two-night minimum required); dining credits at restaurants that partner with Chase's Reserved by Sapphire program worth up to $300 (no activation required); and credits for buying tickets through StubHub or Viagogo worth up to $300 (activation required). All of these benefits are split into bi-yearly credits; you can use up to 50% of the credit in the first half of the year, then the remaining 50% in the latter. Additionally, cardholders of the new Chase Sapphire Reserve get up to $250 in annual credit for Apple Music and Apple TV+ (one-time activation required), and up to $120 for Peloton purchases like a membership (received in $10 monthly increments). If you can maximize just two or three of these benefits each year—say, the $500 hotels credit and the $300 restaurants credit—you'll essentially earn back the Sapphire Reserve's new annual fee of $795. Just remember that many of these credits only apply to select purchases through Chase partners, and you can only use up to half of the annual credit in any given six-month period. You'll have to do a little bit of work to track your purchases and take advantage of each credit as it becomes available to use. What are the points earning rates for the new Chase Sapphire Reserve? The new Chase Sapphire Reserve now earns eight points per dollar (8x) on all travel booked through Chase Travel; five points per dollar (5x) on eligible Lyft rides; four points per dollar (4x) on direct bookings made with airlines and hotels; three points per dollar (3x) on dining; 10 points per dollar (10x) on eligible Peloton equipment purchases, and one point per dollar (1x) on everything else.
