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If you're interested in travel credit cards, you may narrow it down to the Chase Sapphire Reserve® vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is full of features with an expensive annual fee. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is more budget-friendly while still offering plenty of perks.
Even if you wanted to get both, Chase only allows you to have one Sapphire card. That makes it important to pick the card that's right for you. Here's our comparison to help you decide.
Both Chase credit cards have a variety of features. Here's a look at the Chase Sapphire Reserve® vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card in all the categories that matter most.
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Chase Sapphire Reserve® | Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card |
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
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4 stars equals Excellent.
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1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Reserve®
On Chase's Secure Website. |
Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
On Chase's Secure Website. |
Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Good/Excellent (670-850) |
Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Good/Excellent (670-850) |
Welcome Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠. 60,000 bonus points |
Welcome Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠. 60,000 bonus points |
Rewards Program: Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. 5x points on flights and 10x points on hotels and car rentals through Chase Travel℠. |
Rewards Program: Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more. 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases |
Intro APR: Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A |
Intro APR: N/A Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A |
Regular APR: 22.49%-29.49% Variable |
Regular APR: 21.49%-28.49% Variable |
Annual Fee: N/A $550 |
Annual Fee: N/A $95 |
Highlights:
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Highlights:
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Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Reserve®
On Chase's Secure Website. |
Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
On Chase's Secure Website. |
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The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is much more affordable. It has a $95 annual fee.
Compare that to the Chase Sapphire Reserve® with a $550 annual fee.
Overall, you save $455 in fees with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. While that's a sizable amount, keep in mind that the reason for that is because of the benefits each card offers.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Chase Sapphire Preferred have equal sign-up bonuses. They each offer 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers much larger travel credits. That's a key way that it offsets its annual fee.
You get $320 to $325 per year in travel credits with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, depending on whether you use that membership fee credit every four or five years. That's $270 to $275 more than the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers.
Here's a breakdown of the spending credits for the Chase Sapphire Reserve:
Here's a breakdown of the spending credits for the Chase Sapphire Preferred:
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers higher bonus rates, but the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a better range of bonus categories. While these Chase credit cards used to have very similar rewards structures, Chase revamped them and made them more unique.
Here's what the Chase Sapphire Reserve® earns:
Here's what the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns:
For dining and travel, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is more rewarding. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is great for everyday spending, with bonus rewards on online grocery purchases and select streaming. The better option for you will depend on your spending habits.
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Both cards offer the same ways to redeem points, but the Chase Sapphire Reserve® provides more value on travel bookings that you pay for in points.
Both cards are part of the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. They earn Ultimate Rewards points, some of the most flexible and valuable travel rewards. There are two excellent travel redemption options:
With transfers, these cards are effectively equal. You can send 10,000 Ultimate Rewards points to any partner and get 10,000 points in that partner's loyalty program. It doesn't matter if you're transferring points from the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. The value you get from those points will depend on the award airfare or hotel stay you book. Savvy shoppers can often get more than over $0.02 to $0.03 per point, especially when booking award airfare.
The main difference is using points for cash travel purchases. You can do this through the Chase Travel portal. When you do, you're converting points to cash to make the booking. The value you get per point depends on the card you have. Here's the value you'll get with each:
If you plan to use your points this way, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers more value. Let's say you have 100,000 Chase points. In the Chase Travel portal, those would be worth $1,250 with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, they'd be worth $1,500.
LEARN MORE: Definitive Guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
While each card has similar complimentary protections, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® provides more coverage. Neither card is a slouch in this area, though, as both offer:
Here's where the Chase Sapphire Reserve® does better in terms of complimentary protections:
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is the only one of these cards to offer airport lounge access. It includes a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership.
Through this membership, you and up to two guests can access the Priority Pass network of more than 1,300 airport lounges. Priority Pass also has other types of airport locations where members can receive benefits, including restaurants and spas. At non-lounge locations, such as restaurants, members normally receive spending credits.
If you travel often, lounge access can be helpful. It largely depends on where you travel, though, and how long you spend at the airport. If you know this is a perk you want, then it makes choosing between these two travel credit cards fairly easy.
Both cards have partner benefits, but the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers more. According to Chase, that card has $1,200 in additional partnership benefit value, compared to $200 for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Note that Chase includes Priority Pass airport lounge access as one of these partner benefits for the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
However, that doesn't tell the full story. Many of these benefits are similar on both cards. Here's how they compare:
In addition, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers access to The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection, where cardholders can get room upgrades, complimentary daily breakfast, late checkout, and a special benefit worth up to $100.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers a complimentary fourth night at Ennismore Hotel properties. Cardholders can also receive room upgrades, late checkouts, complimentary daily breakfast, a $30 food and beverage credit, and more.
In the showdown of the Chase Sapphire Reserve® vs. Preferred® Card, they're both top-notch credit cards. It comes down to whether you want luxury travel perks or more everyday benefits.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® benefits are made for frequent flyers with big spending on travel and dining. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has generous bonus categories that reward you for spending in those areas. And all its travel perks, such as airport lounge access and luxury hotel benefits, can improve the quality of your trips.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the superior rewards card if you don't need all the bells and whistles. It's much cheaper and still has excellent travel benefits. It also earns more points on online grocery orders and streaming services, which is great if those are big spending categories for you.
On Chase's Secure Website.
On Chase's Secure Website.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR N/A
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
21.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases
Annual Fee N/A
$95
Welcome Offer Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
60,000 bonus points
The enormous welcome bonus (worth $750), bonus travel and dining rewards, and $50 annual hotel credit alone make this card well worth the annual fee. This card’s points are valuable and easy to use, as you can redeem them at 25% more value for Chase Travel bookings, giving it less of a learning curve than other travel cards. It also has a strong list of travel protections you don't see often from such an affordable card, including primary rental car insurance, trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage reimbursement, and trip cancellation/interruption insurance. Read Full Review
On Chase's Secure Website.
On Chase's Secure Website.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
22.49%-29.49% Variable
Rewards Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
5x points on flights and 10x points on hotels and car rentals through Chase Travel℠.
Annual Fee N/A
$550
Welcome Offer Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
60,000 bonus points
All the perks we've come to expect from a top travel card, including a $300 annual travel credit, airport lounge access, and big bonuses on travel and dining. Points are transferable to airline and hotel partners or worth 50% more if you book through Chase Travel. The annual fee is hefty, but if you can use all its features, this card could be well worth the cost. Read Full Review
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is much more affordable than the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. It has a $95 annual fee, compared to $550 for the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. While both cards feature ample travel benefits, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers more, including a $300 annual travel credit, airport lounge access, and more bonus points on dining and travel.
It could be worth upgrading from the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to the Chase Sapphire Reserve® if you travel several times per year. If you want more travel benefits and you're willing to pay a higher annual fee, then it could be worth switching to the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
You should downgrade from the Chase Sapphire Reserve® to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card if you want a more affordable annual fee. If you don't feel like you're getting your money's worth or it's putting a strain on your finances, then a downgrade is probably a good idea. Keep in mind that you can also downgrade to a Chase Freedom card if you want a no annual fee credit card.
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