KEY LINK: If you want to get a Chase Sapphire Reserve and support Points With a Crew you can compare it with other cards here
The Chase Sapphire Reserve has been the new hotness in the credit card world since it came out back in 2016. In my time in the miles and points world, I’ve never seen a card with so much buzz.
(SEE ALSO: Comparing the Chase Sapphire Reserve vs Chase Sapphire Preferred)
(SEE ALSO: Comparing Chase Sapphire Reserve vs American Express Platinum vs Citi Prestige)
Why I never got a Chase Sapphire Reserve
When the Sapphire Reserve came out, I never got one because of the Chase 5/24 rule. Since I was above 5/24, I was not eligible for a bonus on the card.
There was a brief window of a day or two when it seemed like the 5/24 rule didn’t apply (and I know there were a few folks that got their cards then), but I missed that window and have been shut out
Why I am getting one now
So what’s different now?
Well, I decided that I wanted to book some travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. The rate of 1.5 cents per point when redeemed for travel (compared to 1.25 cpp when booked through my Ink Plus card was enough to make a difference
The other benefits ($300 travel credit, car insurance (which saved my mom $900), Priority Pass, etc) are nice but were not as big a deal to me. The savings I’ll get on this redemption will almost make up the $150 difference between the $450 annual fee and the $300 annual travel credit.
Whether I keep this card once the anniversary comes around again is still up for debate. Certainly I won’t keep TWO cards with $450 annual fees.
But I thought redeeming Chase points through the UR portal was a bad idea?
The “conventional wisdom” for using Chase points is that booking them through the Ultimate Rewards portal is a “bad” value
(SEE ALSO: Why it sometimes pays to check the Ultimate Rewards portal before transferring points)
And in a sense, it’s true. You CAN get better value for your Chase points than 1.25 (or even 1.5) cents per point. Typically that is going to be booking premium cabin airplane travel.
But it all depends on what you want to do with your points, as well as how many you have and how easily you can get them. What I like to say is that the BEST use for your points is the one that gets you where you want to go when you want to go there.
Product Changing from a Chase Freedom to a Sapphire Reserve
The process of product changing from a Chase Freedom to a Chase Sapphire Reserve was pretty painless. I called the number on the back of my Freedom card, and after a brief wait, I was connected to a representative. She said that
- I would not be eligible for a signup bonus on the Sapphire Reserve
- The Sapphire Reserve (as a Visa Infinite card) needs a minimum credit line of $10,000
Both of which I knew and expected. I only had a $5000 CL on my existing Freedom card, so I transferred $10,000 from one of my other cards.
She read a bunch of disclosures, which I agreed to, and that was that! I was able to log in with my Sapphire Reserve immediately in the Ultimate Rewards portal. The card number stayed the same (though the expiration date and CVV code changed and I wouldn’t get that until the new card comes in the mail)
One other important note is that I am still eligible for the signup bonus, should I get under 5/24, though I would need to cancel this card first. It’s just 24 months from the time you get the signup bonus, and since I’m not getting one at all this time, I’ll still be eligible. Whether I ever make it under 5/24, well… that’s another question.
If you want to get a Chase Sapphire Reserve and support Points With a Crew you can compare it with other cards here
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
I was wondering if I have an annual fee card and change mid year to a higher af card say preferred to reserve what’s the af gonna be like ? $150 charged right away or am I getting a discount since I already paid some $$
Thanks
you would get a partial refund based on how much of the card member year left for Preferred, then get charged the full $450 upfront for Reserve. $300 is credited back after you have used it for travel expenses.
My one concern with purchasing tickets using UR points (rather than transferring to partners) is that I often book far in advance and inevitably the airline changes the schedule. If I’ve booked directly with the airline, it’s straightforward to then get the flights I want. What happens trying to fix a schedule change when Chase is in the middle?
Yesterday delta charged us over$300.00 to redeposit 100,000 award miles. As a retired senior on a fixed income I found the amount of the fee both punitive and outrageous.
What do you think? would be adequate.
Dale – I don’t understand your question. A fee to redeposit miles is standard (though annoying), unless you have elite status or if there’s a schedule change on your flight.