Simply put, the Sapphire Reserve is a beast. While its high yearly fee may leave many reluctant to bite the bullet, it’s an easy card to maximize value with, comfortably earning back the initial investment.
It’s $550 a year for the Sapphire, but the card comes with a $300 annual travel credit. Unlike competing cards, that $300 isn’t limited to things like in-flight purchases or baggage checking, so you can enjoy $300 worth of flights, hotels, Airbnbs, or whatever you like every year you have the card. From there, the Reserve’s 60,000-point intro offer can score you flights worth over $1000. That fee doesn’t seem so bad now, huh?
Pros
High reward rates (10x on hotels and cars booked through Chase, 5x on flights booked through Chase, 3x on travel and dining)
Priority Pass Membership (worth $299 a year)
Global Entry and TSAPrecheck Fee
DoorDash Dashpass Subscription
10x Points on Lyft rides
Chase Coverage on purchases and travel
Chase Points transfer well to other partners
Cons
$550 annual fee
Second-year value may not add up
If you don’t travel at least a few times, it’s not great
No hotel status included
by travelers, for travelers.
