New: Earn a Bigger 65K Bonus With the Chase Sapphire Reserve!

In the world of premium travel rewards credit cards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a strong choice for travelers looking to earn bonus points on their travel spending and get some top-of-the-line perks along with it. But for years, its middle-of-the-road 60,000-point sign-up bonus has held it back from truly competing with other premium travel cards like *amex platinum* and the *venture x* – both of which come with more substantial welcome offers. 

Well, if the card’s sign-up bonus has been holding you back from applying, we’ve got good news: You can now earn an elevated 65,000-point bonus after spending $4,000 in the first three months by applying through a special link on the Chase-owned dining review website, The Infatuation. That’s 5,000 more points than the standard offer, and since Chase points can easily be redeemed through Chase Travel℠ at a rate of 1.5 cents each, it makes this bonus at least $75 more valuable than the one available directly from Chase, or through sites like ours. Doctor of Credit was the first to spot this increased bonus (via Reddit). 

To be perfectly clear: There’s nothing in it for us if you apply for this bigger bonus, it’s simply a better offer. 

But as nice as an additional 5,000 points is, this isn’t the biggest offer we’ve ever seen … or even close to it. Just last spring, Chase offered a limited-time 75,000-point bonus on the Sapphire Reserve – and more recently, we saw a better offer on the more affordable *chase sapphire preferred*. Still, more Chase points are always a good thing … especially if you were already considering adding this card to your wallet. 

Here’s what you need to know about the Sapphire Reserve, this bonus offer, and whether or not it’s worth applying for.

Check out our full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve! 

Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link).

Benefits Overview

When looking at the Chase Sapphire Reserve, it’s clear to see why this card is so popular. From it’s solid point-earning to lounge access and more, there’s a lot to love. 

While this is by no means meant to be a complete benefit breakdown, here are some of the card’s best perks and benefits. 

Welcome Offer

Earn 65,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening. Considering Chase points can easily be redeemed for 1.5 cents each through Chase Travel℠, this bonus is worth a minimum of $975 when redeemed for travel. But you can likely do even better than that by kicking those points over to one of Chase’s transfer partners for to book flights or hotels instead.

After meeting the $4,000 minimum spending requirement, you’d have at least 69,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which is enough for a roundtrip business class ticket to Europe when booked through Chase’s partner Iberia. Considering these flights routinely go for $4,000 or more, I’d say this a pretty valuable offer. 

Earning Points

The Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 3x points per dollar on dining and a broad-ranging travel category that covers everything from airfare to hotels, subways to toll charges, and more. And it gets even better if you book travel directly through Chase Travel: You’ll earn 10x points per dollar on hotels and rental cars, and 5x points per dollar on flights. 

Chase Dining and Peloton purchases also earn 10x. All other eligible purchases earn 1x point per dollar spent. 

Lounge Access

It also comes with top-notch perks like access to the growing list of Chase Sapphire Lounges – as well as a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, which will get you into another 1,300+ lounges around the world.

If you frequent an airport with one of these new Chase Sapphire Lounges, that alone could be reason enough to hold the Sapphire Reserve year after year. Each space is unique but they all feature tasty food options, a full-service bar, and unique amenities like showers and wellness areas.

Sapphire Reserve cardholders get unlimited complimentary access for themselves and up to two guests each visit. 

Annual $300 Travel Credit

One of the Sapphire Reserve’s biggest selling points is its annual $300 travel credit – and unlike other banks, this perk couldn’t be easier to use. Simply swipe your card for any travel purchase and Chase will automatically reimburse you up to $300 per year in the form of a statement credit. Yes, it’s really that simple.

Annual Fee

The card’s $550 annual fee is not insignificant. Even with the annual $300 travel credit offsetting more than half of it, you’re effectively paying $250 per year for lounge access and a strong return on your travel spending. 

What About the Sapphire Preferred?

They may earn the same points and share the Sapphire name, but there are major differences between the Sapphire Reserve and the *chase sapphire preferred* that leave travelers asking: “Which Sapphire card is right for me?” Critically, Chase only allows you to hold one or the other – not both.

In general, we recommend travelers get started with the Sapphire Preferred because of its more modest, $95 annual fee and nearly identical bonus offer. Now that the Sapphire Reserve comes with 5,000 more points, the math has shifted slightly – but in most cases, it still isn’t enough to justify paying $455 more in annual fees. 

The Sapphire Preferred comes with nearly identical travel protections to that of the Sapphire Reserve, and still earns 3x points on dining purchases. Where it differs most is in the amount of points you’ll earn on travel (2x, instead of 3x) and the added perks like lounge access. 

If you don’t frequent airports with Sapphire Lounges, you’d probably be better off going with a two-card combination of the Sapphire Preferred and *venture x* instead. This would still get you access to Priority Pass lounges – and Capital One Lounges – and cost you less per year in annual fees. Along the way, you’d earn two sign-up bonuses and have access to multiple transferable point currencies.

If you don’t mind juggling two different cards, this is a really solid alternative! 

Read more: The Perfect Two-Card Combo for Most Travelers

Should You Apply?

If you’re in the market for a new premium travel rewards credit card, this offer is certainly better than the standard bonus.

There’s no telling if or when Chase will run another limited-time offer on the Sapphire Reserve that’s better than this, but it also wouldn’t be a total shock to see something pop up again next spring. Traditionally, the bank has increased the bonus offer on the Sapphire Preferred in April or May and last year, the Sapphire Reserve’s bonus got a boost, too. 

The next thing you’ll need to be aware of is something called the Chase 5/24 Rule, which is a restriction rolled out years ago in order to limit card applicants from opening credit cards for the sole purpose of earning the bonus rewards.

Here’s what it boils down to:

• If you have opened five or more credit cards in the past 24 months from any bank (not just Chase), you will not be approved for Chase credit cards, regardless of your credit score or history with Chase Bank.
• The rule does not count credit inquiries, but rather card products you have applied for and been approved for. That also means mortgages and other lines of credit don’t count.

The rule is not officially published through any of Chase’s platforms. Case in point: If you ask about it in a Chase branch or on the phone with a Chase customer service representative, employees have likely not heard of it.

Finally, you will not be eligible if you earned a sign-up bonus on either the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve in the last 48 months: four full years! The four-year restriction starts from the date you earned the bonus points – not the date that you opened or closed either card. Still, that opens a window for travelers who’ve previously had the card to earn this new bonus.

Bottom Line

There’s a new bonus offer on the Chase Sapphire Reserve® allowing applicants to earn 65,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months – that’s up from the standard 60,000-point offer available through sites like ours. The key to getting a bigger bonus is using a special link only available through The Infatuation. 

Just keep in mind that while this new offer is no doubt better, it isn’t the biggest bonus we’ve ever seen – and for a lot of travelers, the Sapphire Reserve might not even be the best card for you.

Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (for full disclosure, this is not an affiliate link).