How to use the Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is loaded with luxury perks like airport lounge access, travel protections and the ability to earn transferrable travel rewards — but it also has a hefty $550 annual fee. Thankfully, you can recoup over half of that fee thanks to the card’s easy-to-redeem travel credits, which can provide up to $300 of value every year.

If you’ve ever been tempted to sign up for the Chase Sapphire Reserve, now could be an excellent time to give in. Thanks to a limited-time bonus offer, new card members can earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening. This bonus is 25% higher than the standard offer, making one of the best travel credit cards even better.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve’s annual travel credit couldn’t be any easier to get — simply use your card to make eligible travel purchases and the first $300 lands in your account as statement credits. Unlike many other cards with a similar benefit, you don’t have to make these purchases through a specific site or rewards portal to earn the credit.

This card offers a generous return on travel spending, however, the first $300 in travel purchases won’t earn points. Frankly, this is a small sacrifice for the opportunity to be reimbursed for over half of the card’s annual fee. According to the card’s terms, the statement credit will be posted to your account the same day as the eligible travel purchase posts.

Airfare and hotel bookings are just the beginning of what transactions qualify for this credit. These are some of the purchase categories that should count toward your $300 annual credit:

• Airlines
• Hotels
• Motels
• Timeshares
• Car rental agencies
• Cruise lines
• Travel agencies
• Discount travel sites
• Campgrounds
• Trains
• Buses
• Taxis
• Limousines
• Ferries
• Toll bridges and highways
• Parking lots and garages

Whether a purchase triggers the travel credit depends on how the merchant codes the transaction. While this shouldn’t be a common issue, it’s possible certain travel services purchased as part of a packaged offer may not qualify for the credit.

You can add authorized users to your Sapphire Reserve account for $75 per person each year, and authorized user purchases will trigger the credit. However, there is still only a single travel credit per account, not per card. So if the primary accountholder spends $300 in travel on their card and an authorized user spends $300 in travel, only the first $300 in combined travel purchases will be reimbursed.

The Sapphire Reserve’s travel credit resets every card member year — not the calendar year. If you want to know how much of your credit you’ve used, you can call the number on the back of your card or find the information easily online on your Chase Ultimate Rewards® account page.

The Platinum Card® from American Express is a leader when it comes to offering cardholders travel credits. However, the Amex Platinum’s credits can require enrollment or activation, which puts a barrier between you and your credits that doesn’t exist with the Sapphire Reserve. That said, you can earn well over $1,000 back every year with this card for purchases that include airline fees, digital entertainment, hotels, CLEAR membership and much more. Terms apply.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve has loads of luxury benefits and a pricey $550 annual fee to go along with these perks. However, it has an easy-to-use annual travel credit that allows card members to earn up to $300 back every card anniversary year for eligible travel purchases.

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