Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve®
🔥 Update 6/23/25: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is now offering a 75,000 points bonus when you spend $5,000 in 3 months from account opening. Additionally, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is now offering a 100,000 points bonus + $500 Chase Travel℠ credit for $5,000 spend in 3 months
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® are easily two of the best card options you can invest in towards your free travel goals. Both cards offer big value, earning you thousands of points in a short period of time that you can easily transfer to 14 travel partners via Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Regardless of your choice between the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve, both cards offer great value, but with a slight difference depending on who’s using it and how they’re using it. Because Chase rules only allow you to have one or the other, deciding which one is right for you is important.
So, if you want to choose only one card out of these two options, we’ve broken down both cards in terms of annual fees, signup bonuses, credits, earnings, and more to give you a deeper insight into which card best fits your needs.
Our #1 recommended personal card. Hands down the single best “starter card” for beginners and the MVP card for free travel. Note: New application rules as of June 2025 may affect your eligibility—click to learn more before applying.
Great new offer! Completely refreshed and loaded with perks and benefits. Note the large annual fee. Note: New application rules as of June 2025 may affect your eligibility—click to learn more before applying.
Chase Travel℠ Portal Redemption Value
The easiest way to redeem Chase points is in the Chase travel portal.
As of 6/23/25, Chase is going to be moving away from the previous fixed 1.5x points redemption boost for the Chase Sapphire Reserve in the Chase Travel portal. And, they will be moving away from the fixed 1.25x points boost in the portal for the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Ink Preferred.
For the Reserve cards, we know that the new Points Boost tool will be variable and offer a rate of up to 2 cents per point on select offers. For the Preferred cards, the rate will be up to 1.5 cents per point on select flights and hotels (with up to 1.75 cents per point for premium cabin tickets on select airlines). For any travel purchases not covered by Points Boost, the redemption rate drops to 1 cent per point.
Important note: This is a big change, but existing cardholders can relax and take some deep breaths. Existing cardholders with accounts opened prior to June 23, 2025 can still use the 1.25x value for points earned before October 26, 2025, until October 26, 2027. In addition, existing cardholders will automatically get the best offer available, whether it’s Points Boost or 1.25x/1.5x on Chase Travel for points earned before October 26, 2025, until October 26, 2027.
Also remember points transfer to the 14 travel partners at the same 1-to-1 ratio.
Winner for this round: Sapphire Reserve.
Annual Fees
The most notable difference between the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve is the annual fee costs.
While the Chase Sapphire Preferred only charges an annual fee of $95, the Chase Sapphire Reserve charges an annual fee of $795 ($700 more expensive). Both fees are not waived during the first year, so the $795 investment you’ll make in the Chase Sapphire Reserve might be considered heavy.
Winner for this round: The Chase Sapphire Preferred
Annual Credits
The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers more credits than the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which can be quite a game-changer. Despite that hefty $795 annual fee, the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a $300 annual travel credit, which cardholders can directly enjoy for all travel expenses from airlines to hotels and even Uber. This $300 credit easily offsets a portion of the $795 annual fee, which makes it $400 more expensive than the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. Additionally, cardholders receive a variety of premium statement credits including an annual $500 The Edit by Chase Travel credit, a luxury hotel portal run by Chase for select hotels and resorts, $300 annual Dining credit for restaurants available through Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables, $300 StubHub credit and more.
In addition, the Chase Sapphire Reserve also provides a credit of up to $120 that can go towards a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee — once every four years. Being a Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholder, you also have a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership which gives access to 1,400+ lounges in more than 500 airports around the world. As long as you are a Chase Sapphire Reserve holder, you can use the lounges regardless of the airline you are flying, your ticket class or your membership in any club and you can bring 2 guests.
Those with the Chase Sapphire Reserve will also have access to the fairly new Chase Sapphire Lounges (currently located in Boston, Austin, LaGuardia, JFK, Dulles and Hong Kong). Access is eligible to the cardmember (once linking their card to a complimentary Priority Pass membership) and two guests. Authorized users (the cost to add an authorized user is $195/year) also receive this benefit.
Winner for this round: The Chase Sapphire Reserve
Extra Points Earning
When it comes to earning points, there is also a considerable difference between the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can earn 3x the points per dollar spent on all dining (including takeout and delivery), online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs) and select streaming services, 2x points on travel-related expenses and 1x points on all other purchases. However, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can earn 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly, 3x points for dining (including takeout and delivery), and 1x point on everything else.
Additionally, with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you’ll earn 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Travel. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you’ll earn 8x on all travel booked through the Chase Travel portal (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually).
This puts the Chase Sapphire Reserve card at an advantage, especially for members who spend more on travel.
Winner for this round: The Chase Sapphire Reserve
Authorized Users
When you wish to add additional authorized users to your account, the Chase Sapphire Preferred requires no additional fees to do so; however, the Chase Sapphire Reserve charges a fee of $195 per authorized user. There are no bonus points when adding an authorized user, but the only notable benefit that you get is the additional points you earn when they use their cards for spending.
Of the two, however, the Chase Sapphire Reserve does offer an added benefit of a Priority Pass Select Card for every authorized user, which gives access to an independent program offering the same exact lounge access as the primary member including the opportunity to bring up to 2 guests per lounge visit. (NOTE: For any additional guests, your card will be charged $27 per guest, per visit.)
Winner for this round: It’s a tie!
| Chase Sapphire Preferred | Chase Sapphire Reserve | |
|---|---|---|
| Sign Up Bonus | 75,000 points when you spend $5,000 in your first three months. | 100,000 bonus + $500 Chase Travel credit for $5,000 spend in 3 months |
| Value | $750+ towards travel when you redeem points via Chase Travel℠. Get more value through transfer partners. | $1,500+ towards travel when you redeem points via Chase Travel℠. Get more value through transfer partners. |
| Annual Fees | $95/year | $795/year |
| Annual Travel Credits | $50 annual hotel credit, earn 10% of your points back each anniversary year | $300/year for Chase Travel purchases; $500/year for The Edit by Chase Travel; $300 dining credit; $300 StubHub credit; $250 credit to Apple TV+ and Apple Music subscriptions (thru 6/22/27) |
| Other Credits or Benefits | None | $120 every 5 years for Global Entry Applications, $85 for TSA PreCheck Applications |
| Priority Pass Select Membership - offers lounge access to more than 1,400 locations (across 500 cities) worldwide | ||
| Earning Rate | 5x points per dollar for all travel booked through Chase Travel℠ portal, 5x on Lyft (offer extended through September 2027), 3x on all dining, 3x on online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs), 3x on select streaming services, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x points per dollar for other expenses | 8x on all travel booked through Chase Travel℠ portal, 5x on Lyft (offer extended through September 2027), 4x on flights and hotels booked directly, 3x on dining expenses, 1x for other expenses |
| Points Redemption via Chase Travel℠ Portal | 1 point = variable rate of 1 to 1.50 cents with Points Boost | 1 point = variable rate of 1 to 2 cents with Points Boost |
| Authorized Users | Free | $195 per user |
| Benefits for Authorized Users | None | Priority Pass Select Membership - offers lounge access to more than 1,400 locations (across 500 cities) worldwide |
Final thoughts
From our breakdown, it’s easy to see that there isn’t a clear decision to be made here — whether or not the Chase Sapphire Preferred is best or the Chase Sapphire Reserve is best. Both cards offer great value and, as we said earlier, it depends on who’s using it and how they’re using it.
Why Chase Sapphire Preferred is Best
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is best for those who are still getting their feet wet when it comes to free travel. This is a great card to start with as it offers you a lower annual fee, but gives you the guarantee of valuable points and free travel options. So if you’re looking for the best overall card without a huge annual fee, then this card is the right one for you.
Our #1 recommended personal card. Hands down the single best “starter card” for beginners and the MVP card for free travel. Note: New application rules as of June 2025 may affect your eligibility—click to learn more before applying.
Why Chase Sapphire Reserve is Best
On the other hand, if you’re frequently moving from one place to the next or engaged in numerous hours of travel every week or every month, then the Chase Sapphire Reserve suits you best. Your travel habits coupled with how frequently you use your card for travel purchases will guarantee you the chance to earn more points given the 8x all travel Chase Portal and 4x direct flights and hotels earning rate that the card offers. This will bring you better value for your money and will quickly offset the $795 annual fee investment that you put into the card (which is also offset by the $300+ travel credits you get annually).
Great new offer! Completely refreshed and loaded with perks and benefits. Note the large annual fee. Note: New application rules as of June 2025 may affect your eligibility—click to learn more before applying.
