Chase Has Added New Bonus Categories to the Sapphire Cards

Doctor of Credit (H/T) has reported today that Chase has added new bonus categories to the Sapphire Cards. However, these bonus categories are not permanent. They will be available from July 1 to September 30, 2020, the third quarter of 2020.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of the most popular premium credit cards in the industry. It has an annual fee of $550 (NOT waived the first year). And it has become one of the most generous credit cards you can have in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a popular mid-tier credit card for those who don’t want to spend a $550 annual fee. It has a $95 annual fee (NOT waived the first year) and comes with many of the same perks as the Sapphire Reserve.

What’s Going On?

Sapphire Reserve

The Chase Sapphire Reserve has become even more generous! Chase has added the following bonus categories and perks:

• 10x Ultimate Rewards (UR) points on select Streaming Services (with a maximum spend limit of $1,500)
• 5x UR points on Instacart (with a maximum spend limit of $1,500)
• 5x UR points at Gas Stations (with a maximum spend limit of $1,500)
• Up to $50 in statement credits towards an Instacart membership

These perks and bonus categories are also in addition to the plethora of perks that Chase announced in May for the Sapphire Reserve.

Sapphire Preferred

However, Chase did not leave Sapphire Preferred cardholders empty handed. Sapphire Preferred cardholders will receive the following bonus categories and perks:

• 5x Ultimate Rewards (UR) points on select Streaming Services (with a maximum spend limit of $1,500)
• 3x UR points on Instacart (with a maximum spend limit of $1,500)
• 3x UR points at Gas Stations (with a maximum spend limit of $1,500)
• Up to $50 in statement credits towards an Instacart membership

More Details

Which Streaming Services Count?

The following streaming services count for the increased earnings:

• Apple Music
• ESPN+
• Fubo TV
• GDisney+
• Hulu
• Netflix
• Pandora
• Sirius XM
• Sling
• Spotify
• Vudu
• YouTube TV

Instacart Statement Credits

Instacart is a company that delivers groceries directly to your front door from the grocery store of your choice. All Instacart purchases made within the third quarter of 2020  count towards the bonus category. However, keep the maximum spend limit in mind because all purchases made beyond the limit will earn just one point per dollar. Plus, bonus points will post within six to eight weeks of the purchase being made.

Furthermore, Instacart Express membership costs either $10 per month or $100 per year. Fortunately, the $50 credits can be used towards either plan. Instacart Express membership includes the following perks:

• $0 delivery fees on orders of $35 or more (typically $3.99-$7.99 for non-Express)
• Reduced service fees (typically 5% for non-Express)
• No busy pricing fees during peak delivery hours

Analysis

I am pleasantly surprised to see Chase add this series of bonus categories and Instacart statement credits to the Sapphire Cards. Even though these perks are temporary, they show that Chase cares about their cardholders.

Chase wants to keep earning annual fees and seeing more people use their cards. That’s how they make money. Chase understands that it takes money to make money and this is an excellent example of that adage.

On the other hand, the new perks and bonus categories is great news for cardholders. The added earning opportunities at the pump, for streaming services, and for Instacart will have cardholders using their cards even more often.

Final Draw

Chase has impressed me once again with another round of temporary bonus categories and statement credits. The Chase Sapphire Cards are some of the best in the industry for general travel. Plus, these new perks and categories will help justify either cards’ annual fee. This is amazing, especially with travel being heavily limited because of the COVID-19 pandemic.