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Many travelers acquired the Chase Sapphire Reserve® in 2016, enticed by a massive introductory offer of 100,000 points. Then, in 2017, the welcome offer decreased to 50,000 points and never exceeded 60,000—until now, that is!
At long last, Chase has once again raised the introductory bonus on the Chase Sapphire Reserve. It’s currently 80,000 points—the equivalent of $1,200 on travel when redeemed through Chase Travel—which is the highest bonus since the card’s debut.
If you’ve been wanting this card for its premium benefits but waiting for a bigger bonus, the time is now. But be quick—this deal will vanish at 9 a.m. EST on December 1, 2022.
Details follow about this offer and why you should take advantage of it before it’s gone.
Chase Sapphire Reserve sign-up offer details
Here are details on the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s latest offer, how to earn that 80,000-point bonus, plus other key perks.
Welcome offer: Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on new purchases within the first three months. You can cash those bonus points out for 1.50 cents apiece—a value equal to $1,200—on travel through the Chase Travel portal.
Annual fee: $550
Earn points: You’ll rack up points quickly with these impressive earnings rates:
- Ten points per dollar spent on hotel and car rentals through Chase Travel
- Five points per dollar spent on flights through Chase Travel
- Three points per dollar on dining, including takeout and international restaurants
- Three points per dollar on travel not booked through Chase—including airfare, hotels, trains, rideshares, and more
- One point per dollar on other purchases
Credits: Earn $300 back each year in statement credits for travel purchases, effectively reducing the annual fee to $250. Also, receive up to a $100 Global Entry or TSA Precheck or Nexus credit every four years.
Key perks: Get Priority Pass Select membership, allowing access to more than 1,400 airport lounges around the world in the Priority Pass network. Moreover, Chase points are exceptionally versatile and can be transferred to 11 airlines and three hotel partners, including Hyatt, Southwest, United, and Air Canada Aeroplan. This means cardholders can rack up points on everyday spending then convert them into points or miles with the partner program they choose when needed for a specific redemption. Chase points can also be redeemed at 1.50 cents apiece for bookings through the Chase travel portal or with select categories, which change quarterly, under the “Pay Yourself Back” feature.
About the Reserve’s credits
If you are looking for an excellent travel credit card but have always dismissed this one because of its high annual fee, it’s time to reconsider. Follow some simple math to discover that, after annual credits, the annual fee isn’t that daunting. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you’ll get up to $300 for travel purchases charged to your card each year of card membership. In effect, this lowers the annual fee from $550 to $250. Then, of course, there are the other card perks (hello: lounge access, welcome bonus, and insurances) plus such credits as the reimbursement for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or Nexus every four years.
About the Reserve’s lounge access
Many high-fee travel credit cards provide cardholders with Priority Pass Select membership, allowing them to access more than 1,400 airport lounges around the world in the Priority Pass network. Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of them. However, Priority Pass membership obtained through the Chase Sapphire Reserve is superior to membership obtained through, say, an American Express–branded card. Why? Well, in addition to its lounges, Priority Pass has numerous airport restaurants, cafés, and bars in its network. At press time, there are 29 of these so-called lounge alternatives where Priority Pass members receive a food and beverage credit of $28 to $32 per guest. Unfortunately, those who obtain membership through an American Express–branded credit card are not privy to the credits at Priority Pass’s lounge alternatives, while those who do so through Chase are.
In addition, Chase is about to roll out its Chase Sapphire Lounge by the Club in upcoming months. While design details are scarce and exact dates unknown, consensus in the points blogosphere is that Chase Sapphire Lounge by the Club will debut soon at either Boston Logan (BOS) or Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX).
We do know with certainty that Chase plans to open at least nine airport lounges. It has revealed the locations of seven so far: Boston (BOS), Las Vegas (LAS), New York (LGA), Phoenix (PHX), San Diego (SAN), Washington Dulles (IAD), and Hong Kong (HKG).
The Reserve’s industry-leading insurance coverage
We consider many factors when getting a new credit card, from welcome offers to lounge access to annual credits. Travel insurance should also be a consideration. Chase Sapphire Reserve carries the most thorough travel coverage of any credit card on the market, hands down. These key implicit travel insurances include the following: Emergency Evacuation & Transportation, Trip Interruption and Cancellation, Emergency Medical and Dental Benefit, Trip Accident Insurance, Trip Delay, Delayed Baggage, Lost Baggage, and Rental Car Insurance.
Why apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve right now
We didn’t expect to see such a generous offer again on this card, and we’re not sure if it will ever return. These 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points can easily score you a one-way international business-class seat through transfer partners like Aeroplan and British Airways or multiple nights in posh properties in Santorini or Paris through transfer partner World of Hyatt. They can also be redeemed for $1,200 toward travel through the Chase Travel portal.
Regardless of a glossy sign-up bonus, this is a top travel credit card and one you’ll want to keep. Earning points is remarkably easy thanks to bonuses when spending in categories like travel and dining. The sky’s the limit when it comes to redeeming points, and the Chase Travel portal makes it simple to do so. We also love the card’s comprehensive travel protections, including trip interruption and cancellation coverage, trip delay coverage, primary rental car collision, and lost luggage protection.
Takeaways
Those who missed out on the big Chase Sapphire Reserve welcome bonus in 2016 now have their chance. Bumped up from 50,000 points, the Chase Sapphire Reserve 80,000-point bonus means now is the time to get this excellent travel credit card.
This story was originally published on October 19, 2022; it was updated on November 30, 2022, with current information.
