Is Chase Sapphire Reserve Or Preferred Better?

April 25th, 2020

If you typically spend $300 on travel per year (and you don’t have a spouse/travel partner with the Chase Reserve) the answer is nearly always “get the Reserve card.” If you do not spend $300 on travel (or if your spouse/travel partner already has one) the answer is probably “get the Preferred card.”

Here’s why:

Counting the $300 travel credit you get from the Reserve card, the difference in annual fee between the two cards is only $155. Even better, you receive 3x points with the Reserve (vs. just 2x points with the Preferred) on travel and restaurant purchases. And Chase Reserve points are worth 1.5 (versus 1.25 cents with the Preferred card) in the Chase travel booking portal.

Other additional Reserve benefits include Lyft credits, TSA pre-check reimbursement and Priority Pass for airport lounges. Any two of those would probably justify the additional $155 a year. So all things considered, getting the Reserve is a no-brainer.

If you have a spouse

So why would we say to get the Sapphire Preferred if your spouse/partner has the Sapphire Reserve? First, we recommend that couples each have one of the Sapphire cards. Three reasons for this are (i) the bonuses, (ii) you can then transfer points between accounts, meaning you can turn a point earned with a Preferred card into 1.5 on the Reserved card, and (iii) ease of tracking.

Why having one of each is better:

1. Chase pays referral bonuses on the Preferred card, but not on the Reserve card. This means one of you can receive 75,000 points a year in referrals to friends and family. Getting these referral bonuses is made even easier with Points Navigator's referral portal >
2. With the ability to transfer points between "significant others" living at the same address, you can convert all your points to the 1.5 cents of the Reserve card on the Chase Portal. It also allows you to top off points for those annoying times you might be a few thousand points short with Chase (or one of its many transfer partners).
3. Keeping track of which card has made the $300 in travel purchase can be annoying for some folks. The solution is simple: If one has the Reserve, simply make all travel and restaurant purchases on that card.

We realize that money and accounting between partners can get complicated, so everyone has to make their own decisions regarding how they handle these things. Other sites give you 10 potential paths -- but little specific actionable advice. Our goal on Points Navigator is to lay out the ideal scenario. Then you can decide how closely to follow that advice, based on your personal circumstances.

One final note, if you do go this route: You can not receive a Sapphire sign-up bonus if you have received another Sapphire Bonus (either card) in the last 48 months. So if you have one Sapphire card and are within that period, have your partner get the other card.

Once you are past this period

If you want the other card for a new bonus, don’t cancel your existing card. Simply downgrade to one of the Chase Freedom cards... wait a month... and then you can re-apply. If you and your spouse are switching cards to get new bonuses, make sure the spouse with the Preferred refers the other first for the 10,000 point referral bonus.