I get no commission or incentive to discuss the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card and the changes that have been officially announced on Tuesday, June 17, 2025; but I do have reasons as to why I am keeping my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card — for now, anyway — that no one else seems to be discussing.
Why I Am Keeping My Chase Sapphire Reserve Card — For Now…
I am sure that you likely already know all of the changes that have been announced earlier this week, as they proliferated in countless articles — but a list is provided after the conclusion of this article so that you do not have to wade through it to get to the point of the topic.
First, I want to discuss two reasons — one of which is significant; and the other which is relatively minor — in addition to other reasons as to why I decided to keep my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card despite the increase in the annual fee from $550.00 to a whopping $795.00:
- Insurance. As one example, Tropical Cyclone Alfred impeded upon my travel earlier this year to Brisbane in Australia, which significantly delayed my arrival. This experience included an overnight delay of at least eleven hours in Dallas and a diversion to Honolulu. The airline handled this situation rather poorly, as minor steps could have been taken to significantly improve the ordeal. I submitted a claim for travel interruption, as I paid for the trip with my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card. My claim was paid rather promptly once I submitted all of the information that they requested — and that amount was significantly more than $795.00. This experience alone justifies the higher annual fee for me, as one never knows when the next unexpected travel interruption will occur.
- Chase Offers. Admittedly, most of the offers are useless to me — but with the offers of which I took advantage on hotel stays, fuel, dining, and other items and services that I would have purchased anyway, I already saved $215.75. As one example, one stay at a Holiday Inn hotel property saved me $30.44. The savings may be minimal with each offer; but they do add up.
The other reasons why I decided to keep my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card are as follows:
- $300.00 credit towards travel. This is a “no-brainer”; and this is applied automatically when using the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card for airfare, lodging, and other items and services that are related to travel.
- Access to airport lounges. I use this benefit quite often. I have already been to two Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club locations; and the entire experience was very good to excellent. Additionally, I access lounges in the Priority Pass network worldwide with up to two guests; and I also have access with a guest to Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges and Air Canada Cafés when departing on a flight that is operated by a member of Star Alliance. This benefit becomes significantly more valuable when flights are delayed.
- Pay Yourself Back. The Pay Yourself Back feature allows cardholders to use Ultimate Rewards points to pay for charges on the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card at the rate of 100 points per dollar — but I only use this benefit for quarterly promotions when I want to save some cash for something else. For example, an additional 25 percent is currently available for purchases at fuel stations, grocery stores, and select other categories through Monday, June 30, 2025, which stretches Ultimate Rewards points farther and ultimately saves money.
- A statement credit of up to $120.00 every four years when the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card is used for application to either TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS — and this benefit can be used on someone else if you already have it with a different credit card.
- No foreign transaction fee is charged, which is usually three percent of what one spends on goods and services that are sold in a different currency.
- Rental car insurance coverage includes Australia, New Zealand, and Italy, which American Express does not cover with its benefits. I have two American Express cards; and both exclude those countries from its benefits.
- Unexpected offers. I received an offer for Gold elite status with the Marriott Bonvoy membership program, of which I took full advantage. I also received an offer with which if I spent at least $500.00 on lodging with Chase Travel, I would receive $100.00 back — which was perfect for my stay at Aurora Pyramids in Köngäs in Finland to see the northern lights, as that became the lowest price I could find. These are only two examples of unexpected offers which have benefitted me.
The other benefits that are listed after the conclusion of this article are of little to no use for me — at least, for now.
Final Boarding Call
I vehemently dislike that the annual fee of the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card is increasing by $245.00 per year — that is an increase of almost 45 percent, which is significant — but based on the aforementioned information and experiences, I still believe that the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card offers value in return for the increased fee.
As one of the new benefits includes complimentary IHG One Rewards Platinum elite status, I may consider canceling my IHG One Rewards Premier credit card, which will save me $99.00 per year on its annual fee — but then, I would forego the complimentary anniversary night rewards; the bonus IHG One Rewards points; and special offers such as purchasing points to instantly gain Diamond elite status, which I currently have — and that move has already paid off for me. Are these benefits worth $99.00 per year for me? I will arrive at that decision the next time that the $99.00 annual fee is due for my IHG One Rewards Premier credit card.
Like everybody else, I do not like the “couponing” aspect that credit cards in general are offering, as that requires more time in order to keep up with taking full advantage of the benefits — but what can one do? “Couponing” is a way for credit card companies to give the impression that more value is being offered in order to justify a higher annual fee and the cutting of benefits that were very rewarding — thereby saving money for those companies.
Anyway, I am hoping that the information in this article will help you in arriving at an educated decision as to whether or not to have the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card once the changes are implemented.
All photographs ©2024 and ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
List of New and Revised Benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card
The following travel benefits and credits to the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card include:
- 8x points on all Chase Travel purchases, replacing 5x points on flights and 10x points on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase Travel
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct, replacing 3x points on all travel
- $500 annual The Edit credit – Chase Travel’s collection of over 1,100 hand-picked hotels and resorts
- Points Boost, the new points redemption accelerator program
- With Points Boost offers, all cardmembers’ points will be worth up to 2x on thousands of both top booked hotels and flights with select airlines and hotels through Chase Travel.
- For Chase Travel purchases not eligible for Points Boost Offers, points can be redeemed at a 1:1 rate on Chase Travel, replacing 1.5x on all Chase Travel purchases.
- Points earned prior to October 26, 2025 by Sapphire Reserve cardmembers who applied prior to June 23, 2025 can be redeemed at 1.5x on Chase Travel until October 26, 2027. For points earned prior to October 26, 2025, cardmembers will automatically receive the best offer available, whether it’s Points Boost or 1.5x on Chase Travel, maximizing rewards value for two years.
- Complimentary IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Status
- Cardmembers continue to receive:
- $300 annual travel credit – still the most flexible travel credit available
- $120 Global Entry, TSA Precheck or Nexus credit every four years
- Access to the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Clubnetwork of airport lounges and entry to over 1,300 lounges with Priority Pass Select and more than 20 select Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges and Air Canada Cafés when traveling on a Star Alliance airline
- Complimentary access to Reserve Travel Designers with end-to-end travel planning from custom itinerary to trip support
- The most comprehensive suite of travel protections available through built-in benefits that cover a wider range of travel setbacks than any other card including primary car insurance and trip cancellation
Elevated Dining Benefits
Exclusive dining benefits include:
- A new $300 annual dining credit and primetime reservations at Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables, available for booking on OpenTable
- Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables is a growing list of hundreds of restaurants across the country curated by The Infatuation and OpenTable in collaboration with The Visa Dining Collection
- 3x points on all dining purchases worldwide
Curated Lifestyle Rewards
Cardmembers receive new annual credits in areas they value including entertainment and everyday spending categories:
- $250 annual value through complimentary subscriptions to Apple TV+ and Apple Music
- $300 annual StubHub credit on concert and event tickets
- $120 in annual Lyft in-app credits, up to $10 monthly, plus 5x total points on eligible Lyft rides
- $300 annually in monthly DoorDash promos and complimentary DashPass membership worth $120annually
- 10x points on eligible Peloton equipment and accessory purchases and up to $120 in annual statement credits toward Peloton memberships
Premium Benefits Unlocked with $75,000 Spend
Cardmembers can earn additional status and credits after spending $75,000 each calendar year:
- IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite Status
- Southwest Airlines® A-List Status and a $500 Southwest Airlines credit when booked through Chase Travel
- $250 credit to The Shops at Chase, a new online shopping experience designed exclusively for cardmembers allowing them to shop for brands including Dyson, Sony, Therabody and Tumi, with rotating promotions, using their ultimate rewards points or their card to pay
The annual fee is now $795 with a $195 annual fee for authorized user cards, and no foreign transaction fees. Cardmembers who applied prior to June 23, 2025, will experience these new benefits and features starting October 26, 2025. Their annual fee will be adjusted to $795 on their next anniversary date following October 26, 2025.
