When I wrote about considering ditching all my premium credit cards, one card sparked the most debate: the Sapphire Reserve. Readers passionately defended it, sharing reasons why it was worth the extra cost compared to the Sapphire Preferred. Some arguments I knew, but others surprised me. Curious, I decided to compare these two popular Chase cards in detail. Here’s what I found about how they’re similar and where they differ.
Key Differences at a Glance
| Feature | Sapphire Preferred | Sapphire Reserve |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Fee | $95 | $550 |
| Travel Credit | $50 hotel credit via Chase portal | $300 annual travel credit |
| Priority Pass Membership | Not offered | Included |
| Point Value on Chase Portal | 1.25 cents per point | 1.5 cents per point |
| Global Entry/TSA Pre✓®/NEXUS Credit | Not offered | $120 every 4 years |
| Trip Delay Coverage | Starts after 12 hours | Starts after 6 hours |
| Emergency Evacuation Coverage | Not offered | Up to $100,000 |
| Bonus Points on Travel | 2x points (general travel) | 3x points (general travel) |
Annual Fees
The Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee, while the Sapphire Reserve’s annual fee is $550. However, the Reserve comes with a $300 annual travel credit, effectively reducing the net cost to $250 if you regularly spend on travel.
Additional Cardholders
Adding authorized users to the Sapphire Preferred is free. For the Sapphire Reserve, additional cardholders cost $75 per year, but they receive their own Priority Pass membership.
Sign-Up Bonuses
Currently, both cards offer 60,000 points after spending $4,000 within three months.
Bonus Categories
The Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve reward spending in different ways:
Sapphire Reserve:
- 3x points on travel (excluding expenses covered by the $300 travel credit)
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 5x points on airfare and 10x points on hotels and car rentals booked through the Chase travel portal
- 1x points on all other purchases
Sapphire Preferred:
- 5x points on travel booked through the Chase portal
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 3x points on online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 3x points on select streaming services
- 2x points on general travel
- 1x points on all other purchases
Travel Credits
- Sapphire Reserve: A $300 annual travel credit applies to almost any travel expense. It’s automatic and straightforward, effectively lowering the net annual fee to $250.
- Sapphire Preferred: Offers up to $50 in statement credits annually for hotel stays booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Lounge Access
The Sapphire Reserve is one of the many cards that offer a Priority Pass Select membership, allowing cardholders and two guests to access airport lounges for free. Authorized users also receive their own memberships. The Sapphire Preferred does not offer this benefit.
The Sapphire Reserve also provides access to the Chase Sapphire Lounges for the cardholder and two guests.
Redemption Value on Chase Travel Portal
When using points for travel bookings via the Chase Travel Portal:
- Sapphire Reserve: Points are worth 1.5 cents each.
- Sapphire Preferred: Points are worth 1.25 cents each.
Travel Protections
Both cards offer extensive travel protections, but the Sapphire Reserve’s coverage is more robust:
Trip Delay Reimbursement
- Sapphire Reserve: Covers up to $500 per ticket for delays over 6 hours.
- Sapphire Preferred: Covers up to $500 per ticket for delays over 12 hours.
Emergency Evacuation and Transportation
- Sapphire Reserve: Provides up to $100,000 in coverage for medical emergencies.
- Sapphire Preferred: No coverage.
Collision Damage Waiver (Rental Cars)
- Sapphire Reserve: Covers most vehicles, including luxury and exotic cars, up to $75,000.
- Sapphire Preferred: Auto Rental Coverage up to $60,000 for eligible vehicles with an MSRP of $125,000 or less.
Purchase Protections
Both cards offer purchase protection, but the Sapphire Reserve’s limits are higher:
- Sapphire Reserve: Up to $10,000 per claim, $50,000 per account.
- Sapphire Preferred: Up to $500 per claim, $50,000 per account.
Extended Warranty
Both cards extend warranties on eligible purchases by one additional year for warranties of three years or less. Coverage is capped at $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
Other Travel Coverages (Identical)
- Luggage Delay: $100 per day for 5 days per person after a 6-hour delay
- Lost Luggage: $3,000 per person after reimbursement from airline and other coverages
- Trip Cancellation/Interruption: Up to $10,000 if you are not able to go on or continue a trip due to a covered reason.
Transferring Points to Airline and Hotel Programs
Both the Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve let you transfer points to the following programs at a 1:1 ratio:
- AerLingus AerClub (Avios)
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- British Airways Executive Club (Avios)
- Flying Blue AIR FRANCE KLM
- Emirates Skywards
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Iberia Plus (Avios)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®
- United MileagePlus®
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- IHG One Rewards
- Marriott Bonvoy
- World of Hyatt
Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA Pre✓® Credit
With the Sapphire Reserve, you can get up to a $120 statement credit for the application fee for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA Pre✓® once every four years.
The Sapphire Preferred card does not offer this.
Foreign Transaction Fee
Neither the Sapphire Reserve nor the Sapphire Preferred charge any foreign transaction fees.
Return Protection
The Sapphire Reserve offers return protection coverage as well. If you want to return an item within 90 days but the retailer won’t return the item, you can get reimbursed up to $500 per item and $1,000 per year.
The Sapphire Preferred (and most other Chase cards) have stopped offering this coverage.
Final Thoughts
That’s a lot to unpack. The Sapphire Reserve’s annual fee is $455 more than the fee of the Sapphire Preferred. Right off the bat, you can subtract the $300 Travel Credit. So, is the Reserve worth an additional $155?
Here’s everything else you get with the Reserve:
- Priority Pass Membership
- Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA Pre✓® reimbursement
- Extra value primary rental car coverage
- Trip Delay coverage starts at six hours
- $100,000 Emergency medical evacuation coverage
- $10,000 per item purchase protection coverage
- Return Protection
- Earn an extra point per dollar on travel and dining
- Points worth 1.5 cents on Chase Travel Portal
You have to decide if $155 is worth it for these perks and losing some bonus point categories.
With all this information, I hope you can look at the two cards and decide which one makes the most sense for you.
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5 comments
Good summary of the card differences. We currently have the preferred as it seemed to make more sense at the time we got, as we received an 80,000 pt bonus and there is no authorized user fee. Do you know if the emergency evacuation is for the primary cardholder only? or does it extend to a spouse as well? We primarily got the sapphire card to use for cruising, as it appeared to cover the standard cruise insurance, which is a big bonus. I would certainly never hope to use, but that is another benefit to consider for sure.
Sorry this took so long to reply.
What is Emergency Evacuation and Transportation coverage?
This benefit provides emergency evacuation and transportation if You are injured or become ill during Your Covered
Trip and it results in a necessary emergency evacuation.
The Benefit Administrator must make the actual medical transportation arrangements.
• You are eligible for the coverage when You charge a portion of the cost, or the entire cost of a Covered Trip, made via a Common Carrier, to Your Account.
Who is eligible for coverage?
You, a person to whom a United States (U.S.) credit card has been issued (“Cardholder”), and Your Immediate Family Members, when a portion or the entire cost of the Covered Trip is purchased with Your Chase credit card account (“Account”).
Thanks for the clarification Joe
You can even calculate a breakeven point for spending on dining/travel of $55/.01 = $5500/year. If you value points more, the spend lessens. Also, CSR provides Roadside Assistance. If you are paying for AAA, you can drop it and just use the CSR. Done!
The decision comes down to if you have the Amex Platinum or not. If you do, most of the Reserve’s benefits become redundant. If you don’t, the Reserve’s benefits become worthwhile.