Credit Card News
Chase Sapphire Reserve Debuts Best-Ever Welcome Bonus Offer
Chase’s flagship travel card has introduced a new welcome bonus that amounts to the best-ever offer for the card.
About the New Chase Sapphire Reserve Welcome Offer:
For a limited time, new Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders can score an enhanced welcome bonus. Now, the card is offering 150,000 bonus Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $6,000 on the card within the first three months.
Prior to this, the offer was 125,000 points after $6,000 in spending in three months. Meanwhile, when the revamped Chase Sapphire Reserve card launched in June of last year, it offered 100,000 points after $5,000 in spending — although that launch offer also included a $500 Chase Travel credit. Nevertheless, this 150k offer marks a new high for the popular card.
More on the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card:
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a premium card that not only offers attractive rewards on travel but also provides cardholders with special perks and credits.
First, the card earns 8x on Chase Travel purchases as well as 4x on flights booked directly and 4x on hotels booked directly. On top of that, cardholders earn 3x on dining worldwide. All other purchases earn 1 point per dollar spent.
As for credits, the Sapphire Reserve features a $300 annual travel credit (based on cardholder anniversary date) and, through December 31st, 2026, a $250 credit on select prepaid Chase Travel hotel bookings. Those are in addition to the up to $500 per year for stays at properties in Chase’s The Edit program. Other credits include up to $300 per year for DoorDash, up to $300 per year for StubHub purchases, up to $120 per year in credits for Lyft, and more.
With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, cardholders also enjoy access to hundreds of airport lounge locations. This includes Chase’s own Sapphire Lounges by The Club.
Lastly, those who spend upwards of $75,000 per year on their Sapphire Reserve card can unlock additional benefits. These include Hyatt Explorist status, IHG One Rewards Diamond Status, and a $250 credit for The Shops at Chase. Plus, in addition to unlocking A-List status for Southwest, customers can get a credit of up to $500 for Southwest bookings made via Chase Travel.
Currently, the Chase Sapphire Reserve carries an annual fee of $795.
My Thoughts:
Perhaps I’m projecting, but it is interesting to see Chase sweetening the deal less than a year after launching their big refresh. Furthering my point, they’ve also made a couple of tweaks to the card that seem to suggest that not everything about the redo was so well received.
Having said that, this is still a pretty great offer for those who can get value from the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Luckily, the $300 per year travel credit will go a decent amount of the way toward at least breaking even, while the other credits may be a bit harder to use but can pay off for the right cardholder. Regardless, with 150,000 points, you’ll definitely see a positive return in your first year. Then, it’s up to you whether you want to renew, cancel, or downgrade once year two rolls around.