Back in June, Chase refreshed the Chase Sapphire Reserve card and pulled off a few tricks. Firstly, Chase kept a gap between the day the changes were announced and when you could apply. Secondly, they then put in place strict restrictions on people who already had another Sapphire card or had received a welcome bonus for that card in the past. Earlier this week, I wrote about how Chase quietly instituted a ‘once in a lifetime’ rule for bonuses a la Amex.
Earlier this week, multiple blogs were reporting that the Chase Sapphire Card’s limited time offer was about to get over. It did. But guess what? I think the newer offer might actually be better than the offer the Chase advertised right after the card refresh back in June. Let’s compare.
New Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Offer
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | Old Offer | New Offer |
| Spend Requirement | $5,000 | $6,000 |
| Time to meet minimum spend | 3 months | 3 months |
| Welcome Bonus | 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points & $500 promo credit when you book with Chase Travel | 125,000 chase Ultimate Rewards points |
If you, like me, really value Chase Ultimate Rewards points, then you’d probably find the new offer better. Almost nobody saw this coming though. Usually the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers a welcome bonus of 60,000 points. After the refresh, we saw the offer with 100k points and $500 credit with Chase Travel.
New Offer Better?
I’ve been earning and redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards points for over a decade. If I were planning to apply and get the card anyway, I’d go for the new offer over the old one. Why? I simply haven’t been a power user of Chase Travel over the years. Some of my best redemptions have been by transferring over points to Hyatt or leveraging transfer bonuses astutely to partners like Virgin Atlantic or Marriott Bonvoy.
In my opinion, I’d take the extra 25,000 points over the $500 Chase Travel credit anyway. Quite often, Chase Travel simply quotes higher prices compared to other OTAs or direct bookings, so in such cases, that $500 credit is actually not worth a full $500. Also, the $500 Chase Travel credit was for a one-time use only. If you used only $350 in a single transaction, you’d have forfeited the remaining $150.
In case of extra 25,000 points though, you can simply transfer them at a 1:1 ratio to Chase’s partners and use them whenever you feel like. I can already think of some good ways to book a nice 2-3 night stay a Hyatt using 25,000 points transferred over to Hyatt.
Another option that I can think of is flying short haul in Business Class on Star Alliance partners using Aeroplan points. In essence, I simply find the options with points much better.
The Pundit’s Mantra
Either way, the links mentioned in this article are all publicly available offers and I receive no compensation when you apply for the new 125,000 points offer. I just found it a bit odd though that Chase’s newer offer actually seems better to be than the offer they launched back in June with much brouhaha.
When Chase refreshed the card in June, I wrote this piece in which I explained why I found the refresh disappointing and why I was not rushing to get the card. I have continued to carry the Chase Sapphire Preferred card in my wallet for the last 5 years. I has a simply value proposition and unlike the Reserve’s gargantuan $795 fee, it only charges a fee of $95.
According to you, which welcome bonus offer is better? Tell us in the comments section.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
New Credit Card Offers
American Express Business Credit Cards
- Earn 200,000 Membership Rewards points with the Business Platinum Card
- Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards and enjoy a 0% intro APR on the Business Gold Card
Chase Sapphire Cards
- Earn 100,000 bonus points and a $500 statement credit with the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
- Earn 200,000 bonus points with the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card for Business
Co-Branded Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards
- Earn 185,000 bonus points with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card
- Earn 155,000 bonus points with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card
- Earn 125,000 bonus points with the Marriott Bonvoy Business Card
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Never miss out on the deals, news and travel industry trends. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and Twitter to keep getting the latest content!
