The Chase Sapphire Reserve recently underwent a massive refresh, with Chase increasing the fee to $795. Chase added a brand new dining credit on the card after increasing the annual fee from $550 to $795.
Chase Sapphire Reserve Dining Benefit
Chase offers a dining credit with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. With this benefit, you can earn up to a maximum of $300 during each calendar year. In order to earn the credit, you need to book via Chase Sapphire Reserve Tables program, which is offered via OpenTable. You need to make a reservation and then pay for your meal with the your Sapphire Reserve card.
However, this benefit is split bi-annually. You can earn up to $150 between Jan 1 and Jun 30 and another $150 between Jul 1 and Dec 31 each year.
Get up to $150 in statement credits from January through June and again from July through December for a maximum of $300 annually when you dine at restaurants part of the Sapphire Exclusive Tables program on OpenTable.*
Disappearing Restaurants
Initially, after Chase refreshed the card, the biggest issue that many people reported was that the restaurant list wasn’t exhaustive enough. For many people, they just couldn’t find enough restaurants close to where they live. However, if you look at this Reddit post, this poster came across a totally different issue altogether.
I had a reservation I made 2 months ago for this week for Callie in San Diego to use the Dining Credits and noticed today they were no longer on the list. I had called Chase to verify if they were no longer on the list and they verified it is no longer part of it. I would recommend checking the restaurant list the day of if you really want to ensure the credit benefit.
Edit 1: I thought of a possible conundrum that can occur. If the restaurant goes off the list the day you have a reservation or even the day prior then you may have a penalty with OpenTable should you decide to cancel the reservation since it’s not within 24 hours of the reservation. Callie has a $25 per person penalty. I would think you can talk to a manager at the restaurant regarding the cancellation but still a headache.
The Pundit’s Mantra
Overall, if this issue is more common, then it doesn’t augur well for the Sapphire Reserve. If Chase wants to indeed position the card as a premium card that offers access to ‘exclusive’ dining experiences, then a few problems need to be fixed. Firstly, customers across different markets should ideally have access to more restaurants. I’m assuming that Chase might already be working on this, given the initial response the benefit has seen.
Secondly, Chase needs to communicate effectively when a restaurant falls off their ‘exclusive’ list. In this case, the poster was proactive in tracking status of the reservation and spotted an issue. Ideally, Chase or OpenTable should’ve notified him. The last thing one would want is to book a nice birthday or anniversary dinner, only to see the restaurant fall off the list, then show up at the restaurant on the day of the dinner of an unpleasant surprise.
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