This post was originally published on this site
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
Amid multiple changes to the [applyLink pid=”221211836″ overridetext=”Chase Sapphire Reserve®”] (see [termsConditions pid=”221211836″ overridetext=”rates and fees”]) in its recent refresh, a marquee benefit remained unchanged: its $300 annual travel credit.
Unlike similar perks on competing cards, this credit is incredibly easy to use for all sorts of travel.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve charges a $795 annual fee. But if you spend at least $300 per year on travel, the effective annual fee becomes more palatable.
This annual credit is in addition to other Sapphire Reserve perks, such as Chase Sapphire Lounge access and a Priority Pass membership, a biannual credit to use toward The Edit (minimum two-night stay required), Chase’s premium collection of more than 1,000 properties bookable via Chase Travel℠, and multiple lifestyle credits, all of which help offset the high annual fee.
So, how exactly do you use the Sapphire Reserve’s travel credit? Thankfully, it’s really, really easy. The (sort of) bad news? It’s so simple and automatic that you may use the credit before you even realize it.
When do you earn the $300 Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit?
The [applyLink pid=”221211836″ overridetext=”Sapphire Reserve”]’s annual $300 travel credit is awarded each year that you have the card and is ready to use as soon as you open your new account.
In most cases, when this credit resets, it is tied to the cardmember year, not the calendar year. That means when you first open the card will usually determine the date you get a fresh $300 travel credit each year.
The exception is those who opened a Sapphire Reserve before May 21, 2017, who are awarded the annual travel credit based on a calendar year. In that case, the credit is awarded after the last statement closure date in December, regardless of when during the year the account was opened.
This contrasts American Express’ airline fee credits on cards such as [applyLink pid=”22504813″ overridetext=”The Platinum Card® from American Express”], as those are always awarded on a calendar-year basis (up to $200 statement credit; enrollment is required; terms apply).
Related: Chase Sapphire Reserve vs. the Amex Platinum
What counts toward the Sapphire Reserve’s travel credit?
A great element of the [applyLink pid=”221211836″ overridetext=”Chase Sapphire Reserve”]’s travel credit is that it covers a wide range of charges.
You can typically use the annual travel credit on anything that codes as travel on your Sapphire Reserve. Although you’ll only earn bonus points on Chase Travel purchases (8 points per dollar) and flights and hotels booked direct with your card (4 points per dollar), your travel credit can cover a wider range of travel expenses. (However, know that you don’t earn points on the travel charges offset by the $300 travel credit.)
Some examples of types of purchases that count for the Sapphire Reserve’s travel credit include:
- Airlines
- Buses
- Campgrounds
- Car rental agencies
- Cruise lines
- Discount travel sites
- Ferries
- Hotels
- Limousines
- Motels
- Parking lots and garages
- Passenger trains
- Taxis
- Timeshares
- Toll bridges and highways
- Travel agencies
Because airline charges generally code as travel, you can use the credit on purchases such as airline tickets, taxes on award tickets, upgrades, seat assignment fees, checked bag fees, onboard snacks, change fees and lap infant fees.
Your cruise deposits and payments should also count, as do hotel bookings and deposits. If you have to pay for parking, taxis or road tolls in your normal life, you can even use the travel credit toward those everyday charges.
What does not count toward the Sapphire Reserve travel credit?
Of course, not all purchases you may think of in the travel space are considered travel charges. If a purchase doesn’t code as a travel charge, you won’t be able to use the [applyLink pid=”221211836″ overridetext=”Sapphire Reserve”]’s $300 travel credit for it.
Items that code as travel vary and can also change at any time. Some things that may not be coded as travel include theme park tickets bought directly from theme parks, ski lift tickets, Points.com purchases, some airline or travel gift card purchases, inflight purchases that are processed by a third party and some meals eaten at a hotel but not charged to a room.
(Pro tip: If you want Disney tickets to code as a travel charge, book them via a third-party travel site such as Get Away Today or Undercover Tourist.)
How do you use the Sapphire Reserve travel credit?
Using your [applyLink pid=”221211836″ overridetext=”Sapphire Reserve”] travel credit is very simple: just use your card to pay for eligible travel purchases — that’s it. There is nothing to activate, no codes to use or special sites to book through.
The offsetting statement credits will usually automatically appear on your account within a couple of days, and this will continue until you’ve used the year’s travel credit in full.
Related: The best travel credit cards
How to see if you’ve used your Sapphire Reserve travel credit
If you’ve lost track of whether you’ve used up your [applyLink pid=”221211836″ overridetext=”Sapphire Reserve”] annual travel credit, you can easily figure it out by logging into Chase Travel, selecting your Chase Sapphire Reserve card and scrolling down the home page.
This section will tell you the month when the next year’s credit will become available, so you know to use up this year’s credit before then.
Bottom line
It’s great when credit cards give you annual travel credits that are easy to use, and the $300 travel credit on the [applyLink pid=”221211836″ overridetext=”Chase Sapphire Reserve”] is about as simple as it comes. Every year, you’ll automatically get $300 in statement credits whenever your card is used on an eligible travel purchase.
Of course, if you aren’t making the most of the Sapphire Reserve’s benefits, you could also talk to Chase about potentially downgrading to the [applyLink pid=”22125056″ overridetext=”Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card”] (see [termsConditions pid=”22125056″ overridetext=”rates and fees”]) or even the no-annual-fee [applyLink pid=”221211281″ overridetext=”Chase Freedom Unlimited®”] (see [termsConditions pid=”221211281″ overridetext=”rates and fees”]).
To learn more about the card, read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Apply here: [applyLink pid=”221211836″ overridetext=”Chase Sapphire Reserve”]
