Chase Sapphire Preferred® vs Chase Sapphire Reserve®

One of the questions I get most often…Zach, should I get a Chase Sapphire Preferred® or a Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Well, simply put, I think Chase has made the Chase Sapphire Preferred® so good…they kind of killed the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. I downgraded my Chase Sapphire Reserve® years ago, but with this new 80k offer, I’m eligible for a Sapphire product again and will likely pull the trigger on the CSR.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Learn more

Chase Sapphire Reserve®  learn more

Current Welcome Offers and Annual Fee

Both cards have had all time high offers of a 100k points, but the Chase Sapphire Reserve® currently has a much stronger offer of 80k after $4k spend in 3 months than the 60k points the CSP is offering.

The annual fee? A big difference, but remember both cards come with travel credits that lower the effective cost, but there is still over $200 of difference. Cash in your pocket.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Learn more	Chase Sapphire Reserve®  learn more
60k points after $4k spend in 3 months	60k after $4k spend in 3 months Note some people are getting 70k offers if already Chase account holders when they log in to their accounts and search
$95 annual fee $50 annual hotel credit in Chase travel $45 net cost	$550 annual fee $300 travel credit $250 net cost

Earn Rates

This is where the Chase Sapphire Reserve® used to really pull away from the Chase Sapphire Preferred®. Not so much anymore. The biggest differences are within the Chase Portal on travel and on Peloton.

Personally, I don’t book mucht of my travel within portals, and typically I never book hotels within a portal since you don’t earn hotel points or get elite credit. Airline purchases could still give you elite miles and credit, but the CSP and CSR earn the same rate on airlines, 5x.

The biggest difference is when it comes to travel outside of the portals whereChase Sapphire Reserve® gets 3x and Sapphire Preferred gets 2x. Preferred even has 3x categories for online groceries and select streaming.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Learn more	Chase Sapphire Reserve®  learn more
1x on every single purchase without limit	1x on everything
Purchases in the Chase Travel Portal 5x on hotels, flights and car rentals 5x on Lyft 3x on dining at restaurants worldwide 3x on online grocery 3x on select streaming 2x on all other travel	Purchases in the Chase Travel Portal 10x on hotels and car rentals 5x flights 10x on Lyft + 2 years of Lyft Pink All Access 10x on Peloton 3x on dining at restaurants worldwide 3x on all other travel

Annual Credits 

As mentioned earlier, both of these cards give credits towards travel. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® gives a $50 hotel credit when you book through the Chase Travel Portal vs the Chase Sapphire Reserve® which gets a broader $300 travel credit that is valid on travel purchases outside the Chase travel portal.

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® cost after using the travel credit is $45
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® cost after using the travel credit is $250

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Learn more	Chase Sapphire Reserve®  learn more
$50 Annual Hotel credit in the Chase Travel Portal	$300 Travel Credit
10% anniversary boost	$100 Global Entry/ TSA credit every 4 years

Complimentary DoorDash DashPass for 12 months Must activate by 12/31/24

Complimentary DoorDash DashPass for 12 months Must activate by 12/31/24 $5/month DoorDash credit credit carries over for 2 months, most is $15 Up to 7 Authorized users get the credit as well

Complimentary Instacart+  for 6 months Must activate by 07/31/24

Complimentary Instacart+ for 12 months Must activate by 07/31/24 $15/month Instacart+ credit

You could use the travel credit at hotels that don’t have elite programs, like Peninsula Bangkok

Using points

Both of these cards earn premium Chase Ultimate Rewards that are fully transferrable to any of the over a dozen transfer partners. Please check out our 20 best uses of Chase Ultimate Rewards for some of our favorite uses, but transfer partners are how we are able to travel in some of the finest cabins in the world.

The biggest distinction here is when you’d use your points in the Chase Travel Portal. There, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® only gets 1.25c vs the Chase Sapphire Reserve® gets 1.5c per point when used on travel.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Learn more	Chase Sapphire Reserve®  learn more
Transfer to travel partners	Transfer to travel partners
Redeem at 1.25c in Chase Travel	Redeem at 1.5c in Chase Travel

Book Lufthansa First Class for 100k points one way with Air Canada Aeroplan

Lounge Access

This is where Chase Sapphire Reserve® pulls ahead of Chase Sapphire Preferred®. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has one of the best Priority Pass memberships in the business because it includes restaurant access. However, this is the same memberships that the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card provides which is why I keep a Venture X and a Chase Sapphire Preferred® in my wallet instead of a Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

We have heard rumblings that Chase will be rolling out their own network of lounges, but the details aren’t explicit and we aren’t fully aware of who will have access aside from knowing Chase Sapphire Reserve® members will have access. Will Sapphire Preferred members get a few passes a year? Pay for entry? We just don’t know.

The other rumor is that Priority Pass Select members will have access…so that potentially means that Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card members could access via their Priority Pass membership? That sounds too good to be true.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Learn more	Chase Sapphire Reserve®  learn more
None	Priority Pass select membership (enrollment required ) Comes with restaurant access
At some point Chase lounge access but we aren’t sure when, where, policies just yet and whether users CSP users will have access New York LaGuardia (LGA) Boston Logan International (BOS) Hong Kong International (HKG) San Diego International (SAN) Phoenix ( PHX ) Las Vegas ( LAS )	At some point Chase lounge access but we aren’t sure when, where, policies just yet, but we are told CSR users will have access New York LaGuardia (LGA) Boston Logan International (BOS) Hong Kong International (HKG) San Diego International (SAN) Phoenix ( PHX ) Las Vegas ( LAS )

Other Benefits

This isn’t an extensive list of benefits, but what you start to see is how good the coverage is on Chase Sapphire Preferred® for just $95 a year. While there are small differences, like trip delay starting at 12 hours vs 6 hours with the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, and emergency medical coverage, I’d say they are pretty tight competitors.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Learn more	Chase Sapphire Reserve®  learn more
Primary Rental Car coverage excluding High Value, exotics, etc some exclusions	Primary, up to $75k, some exclusions
Trip Cancellation Up to $10k.	Trip Cancellation Up to $10k
Trip Delay $500 but has to be 12+ hours	Trip Delay $500 starts at 6 hours
Baggage delay Up to $100 a day 5 days max	Baggage delay Up to $100 a day 5 days max
Lost Baggage Max $3k per person (Capped at $500 a person for jewelry, watches, cameras/video/ electronic equipment).	Lost Baggage Max $3k per person (Capped at $500 a person for jewelry, watches, cameras/video/ electronic equipment).
Emergency Medical Doesn’t include	Emergency Medical Up to $2,500 with a $50 deductible
Purchase Protection Up to $50k a year $500 per claim	Purchase Protection Up to $50k a year Up to $10k per claim

5x on Lyft 5x total points on Peloton Bike, Tread, Row and Guide over $250 Max earn of 25,000 total points. Now through March 31, 2025.*

Lyft Pink All Access Free for 2 years, worth $199 a year activate by 12/31/24 50% the 3rd year Other benefits Free Priority Pickup upgrades to get picked up faster Member-exclusive pricing including 10% off all Lux rides Cancellation forgiveness, cancel up to 3 times per month for free In-app roadside assistance for your own car, free up to 4 times a year Free SIXT car rental upgrades Free, unlimited 45-min classic bike rides Free unlimited ebike and scooter unlocks Discounted ebike and scooter rates 3 bike or scooter guest passes per year 10x on Lyft through 3/2025 10x on Peloton Peloton Bike, Tread, Row and Guide purchase over $250 Max earn of 50,000 total points. Now through March 31, 2025.

Overall

Personally, without this increased CSR offer, I don’t see a reason to spend the extra money to have the Chase Sapphire Reserve® when the Preferred earns nearly the same rates of return, offers a bevy of benefits, has transferrable points, and you could add a Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to your wallet to earn 2x everywhere and get some more premium benefits that the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers for lower out of pocket total cost. Every situation is different, but for most people, this is the combo I would say would give you more options for redemption for lower out of pocket cost.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card comes with a $300 travel portal credit and a 10k anniversary points bonus all for a $395 annual fee.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Learn more

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Learn More Capital One lit the premium card market on fire when it dropped this card. It quickly was added to our wallet for the following reasons! ♥ Earn 75k Bonus Points after $4k Spend in 6 months ♥$300 Annual Travel credit within Capital One Travel Portal ♥2x on every single purchase without limit ♥10x on hotels and car rentals purchased via Capital One Travel ♥5x on airfare purchased within Capital One Travel ♥Lounge access: Enjoy two complimentary visits per year to Capital One Lounges or to 100+ Plaza Premium Lounges through our Partner Lounge Network Priority Pass access ( including restaurants for you and two guests ) Authorized Users have access as well ♥ 10k Anniversary Miles every year you keep the card – worth $100 in Capital One Travel or transferred to partners ♥$395 Annual Fee If you spend more than $400 a year on travel, you’ll quickly offset the annual fee with the $300 travel credit and 10k anniversary bonus. The rest is gravy. And you can add up to 4 Authorized Users fee free! Learn More