Why you'll love it: The
Chase Sapphire Reserve makes it easy to earn rewards for travel and more with a great sign-up bonus and a lucrative points-earning scheme.
Sign-up Bonus: 50,000 points (after spending $4,000 in the first three months)
Not only is the Sapphire Reserve our favorite Chase card — it's our pick for the best rewards credit card overall.
The huge introductory bonus might have made way for a smaller incentive, but the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is still a great card to keep in your wallet. Earning three times Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on dining and any travel, and one point per dollar on everything else, the Sapphire Reserve earns points quickly through your everyday spending, and it comes with a slew of perks.
Points are worth 1.5¢ each towards travel booked through Chase, but can also be transferred to a number of frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programs — typically, this gets you the most value for your points. Benefits include access to airport lounges through the Priority Pass network, trip delay coverage, purchase protection, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, and car rental primary coverage.
However, while the airport lounge access can be great, most Priority Pass lounges are in international terminals, which isn't helpful when you're flying domestically.
The annual fee is a hefty $450, but that's offset by a $300 travel credit each year, good for things like taxis, subway fare, parking, tolls, and flights.
There aren't many downsides to this card — besides the upfront annual fee. Chase has invested heavily in making the Ultimate Rewards program competitive. Booking flights by transferring points to frequent flyer partners is generally more lucrative — that's usually how people use points to fly in first and business class — but it can be complicated because you have to decipher award charts, find availability, and work around complicated airline rules.
However, because the Sapphire Reserve allows you to get 1.5¢ for each point, if you use them to book travel through Chase's online or phone travel agent, there's a simpler and still-valuable option.
Pros: Solid sign-up bonus, easy to earn points, points work with frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programs, good airport benefits
Cons: High annual fee, Priority Pass lounges are typically in international terminals
Click here to learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy.