Chase Sapphire Reserve Launches Record-Setting Bonus: 100K Points Plus $500 Travel Promo Credit

• Written by Joseph Hostetler
  

  Joseph Hostetler

  Credit cards, travel rewards

  Joseph Hostetler is a credit card rewards expert who has covered travel and loyalty programs professionally since 2016. He has authored and edited for prominent travel rewards sites such as Million Mile Secrets, The Points Guy, and point.me. He has also written for dozens of national publications, including Business Insider, Newsweek, CNN, TIME and AP News, and more.

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• Edited by Jasmin Baron
  

  Jasmin Baron

  Credit Cards, Travel Rewards, Loyalty Programs, Family Travel, Credit Building, Credit Scores

  Jasmin Baron is CardCritics’ senior editor, responsible for editing and writing credit cards, travel rewards, loyalty program, and other credit-related content. She is passionate about personal finance education and enjoys sharing tips and tricks for making the most credit card points and miles with her readers. Her expertise in maximizing credit card travel rewards originated from over two decades of aviation industry experience, including 18 years working as a pilot and college professor/flight instructor in her native Canada. Her work has appeared on sites such as CNN Underscored Money, Business Insider, The Points Guy, and point.me. When she’s not planning her next trip with credit card rewards, you’ll probably find her tinkering around in the kitchen, hanging out with her three kids, or playing with her dog, Benji.

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• Last Updated Aug 29, 2025

Update: The information below was correct at the time of publishing, but one or more offers are no longer available. Please read our  Chase Sapphire Reserve® review for up-to-date information.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has long been one of the best travel credit cards on the market. Since its inception over the years, Chase has lightly tweaked the card’s benefits.

But as of June 23, 2025, radical Chase Sapphire Reserve changes have made the card virtually unrecognizable, both for the better (over $1,000 in potential added value from new yearly statement credits) and the worse (a jarring $795 annual fee — $225 higher than before).

Another massive (limited-time) improvement is the card’s enormous welcome offer. You’ll earn 100,000 bonus Chase Ultimate Rewards® points — plus a $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit — after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. That’s the most generous bonus we’ve ever seen on a personal Ultimate Rewards-earning credit card.

Here’s what you need to know about this new offer.

What Is the New Chase Sapphire Reserve Bonus Worth?

The Chase Sapphire Reserve’s new bonus is worth potentially thousands of dollars in travel, depending on how you use it.

For example, you can transfer Chase points to airline and hotel partners, such as World of Hyatt, Air Canada Aeroplan, Southwest Rapid Rewards and United MileagePlus. I recently booked a stay at the Park Hyatt Milan by transferring Chase points to Hyatt. The room cost 61,000 Chase points, but the room’s cash price was a whopping $2,833 — a value of 4.6 cents per point.

All to say, it’s not difficult to get an average value of 2 cents per point when redeeming your rewards this way, which translates to $2,000 or more in value. Throw in the $500 Chase Travel credit, and you can easily book $2,500 in travel from this intro offer.

Even if you’re not terribly interested in the process of converting your rewards into airline miles and hotel points, you can still find excellent value when reserving travel through a new feature called “Points Boost.” When booking select flights and hotel stays through Chase Travel, you’ll get up to 2 cents in value for each point. In other words, if an eligible hotel costs $400 per night, Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders can reserve it for just 20,000 Chase points.

Note: Not all flights and hotel stays qualify for Points Boost. Those that don’t qualify will yield a value of 1 cent per point.

Should You Apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve Now?

This card’s price point is higher than ever. Before you even consider applying, you should make sure you’re eligible by answering the following questions:

• How many cards have you opened in the last two years? Chase won’t approve you for most of its cards if you’ve opened five or more credit cards from any bank (excluding most small business cards) within the past 24 months.
• What is your credit score? The Chase Sapphire Reserve is designed for individuals with excellent credit.
• Do you already have a Sapphire Reserve? You won’t be eligible for this card if you already have a  Sapphire Reserve open. And you may not qualify for the bonus if you’ve already had the card (even if you closed it).
• Do you currently have a personal Sapphire card? You won’t be eligible to earn the Sapphire Reserve bonus if you already hold a different Sapphire card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

If you pass those tests, the big question you need to ask yourself is: Are the new Chase Sapphire Reserve benefits worth the annual fee?

If the following benefits will organically save you more money than the $795 fee you’re paying, you should consider the Chase Sapphire Reserve:

Earning Rates

• 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel
• 5x points on Lyft purchases (through Sept. 30, 2027)
• 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
• 3x points on dining
• 1x points on all other purchases

Statement Credits and Lifestyle Benefits

• Up to $300 in annual travel credit
• Complimentary airport lounge access, giving you entry into Priority Pass Lounges and Chase Sapphire Lounges.
• Up to $500 in annual hotel credit when booking stays of up to two nights through The Edit℠, Chase’s luxury hotel program ($250 in credit to be used from January to June and another $250 to be used from July to December)
• Up to $300 in annual dining credit when spending directly with Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables restaurants ($150 in credit to be used from January and June, and another $150 to be used from July to December)
• Complimentary Apple TV+ and Apple Music through June 22, 2027 (a $250 value annually). Activation required.
• Up to $300 in annual statement credits for concert and event tickets bought through StubHub and Viagogo ($150 in credit to be used from January to June and another $150 to be used from July to December). Activation required.
• Up to $120 in Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit every four years
• IHG One Platinum elite status (through Dec. 31, 2027). Activation required.
• Complimentary DoorDash DashPass through Dec. 31, 2027 and up to $300 annually in DoorDash promotions ($25 per month — $5 to spend at restaurants and two $10 promos to be used for groceries, retailers, etc.)
• Up to $120 in annual credit toward Peloton memberships ($10 per month) through Dec. 31, 2027. Activation required.
• Excellent travel insurance

Big Spending Benefits

After spending $75,000 on your card in a calendar year, you’ll unlock:

• Up to $500 in Southwest travel credit when reserving travel through Chase
• Southwest A-List elite status
• IHG One Rewards Diamond elite status
• $250 in credit for purchases through The Shops at Chase

Bottom Line

Once a simple but powerful credit card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve just got a lot more complicated. But its potential has increased significantly, as well. If you can manage to organically use the majority of its perks (which are admittedly unwieldy for most folks), the card’s $795 annual fee may not be a bad deal.

With a welcome bonus of 100,000 points and a $500 Chase Travel credit after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months, it could be worth giving the card a test drive for a year.

The information related to the Chase Sapphire Reserve® was collected by CardCritics™ and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardCritics™ does not receive a commission for this product.