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The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees) has a flashy welcome offer that awards 100,000 bonus points once you meet the minimum spending requirement. It might go without saying that 100,000 bonus points are worth a lot — but what are some of the best ways to redeem the points?
Here are five easy ways to maximize the points you'll get from the Sapphire Reserve‘s welcome bonus.
- Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get $3,000 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary subscriptions to Apple TV and Apple Music for a minimum of one year when activated by June 22, 2027, a value of $288 annually.
- Member FDIC
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
Earn 100,000 Points With the Sapphire Reserve
As a new applicant for the Sapphire Reserve, you can earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
This is an incredible offer on a premium travel rewards card. If you're eligible, it’s absolutely worth jumping on. On top of the bonus, the card comes with a bounty of statement credits, solid travel perks and protections, plus a handful of useful bonus categories. It’s one that’s easy to keep long-term if you can keep justifying its annual fee.
But back to those bonus Ultimate Rewards points you’ll earn after meeting the minimum spending requirements. Here are five great ways to put them to use.
Related: Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Worth Its $795 Annual Fee?
5 Ways to Redeem Your Sapphire Reserve Welcome Offer
Most of the best ways to redeem Ultimate Rewards points include transferring them to Chase's 14 travel partners. But in the right circumstances, you can unlock excellent value by redeeming points for up to 2¢ apiece through Chase Travel℠, too.
One of the best-value ways to stretch your Ultimate Rewards points is by redeeming them for premium economy awards on Virgin Atlantic. At a minimum, you can fly between the U.S. and London or Manchester starting at 10,500 points plus taxes and fees each way.
With the current bonus on the Sapphire Reserve, you could book this award nine times and still have points left over. Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at a 1:1 ratio.
If you want to take it a step further and fly business class to Europe, few options are more affordable than Virgin Atlantic’s off-peak pricing. You can redeem as few as 29,000 Virgin points, plus taxes and fees, for a one-way business class ticket between the U.S. and the United Kingdom. That’s less than what many programs charge for economy awards to Europe.
The catch is that these awards come with steeper taxes and fees. That’s why premium economy is such a nice middle ground. It offers better value, lower out-of-pocket costs, and a solid onboard experience for the price.
Related: From Short-Haul Deals to ANA First Class: 6 Best Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Sweet Spots
Kick back in Qatar Airways Qsuite business class
One of the best business class cabins in the sky is Qatar Airways Qsuite. If you’ve never flown it — or just want to experience it again — you can use your Chase welcome bonus to book an award ticket. It’s your key to dine-on-demand meals, comfortable bedding, top-notch service, and more.
There are a few ways to book Qsuite awards with Chase points, since they’re available through multiple transfer partners, including British Airways and JetBlue TrueBlue. You can also move Avios between your British Airways, Iberia, and Qatar Airways Privilege Club accounts to book directly with Qatar.
This flexibility lets you compare rates and lock in the best deal. No matter which route you choose, you can book a one-way seat in this award-winning cabin for as few as 70,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points plus taxes and fees, which is an incredible deal.
The best way to spot availability at this price point is to use an award search tool like Seats.aero.
Save on domestic U.S. travel with United and Southwest
One of the easiest ways to stretch your Sapphire Reserve points is by booking economy tickets on U.S. domestic routes. Chase has several transfer partners that you can utilize to get solid value on economy awards — namely Southwest and United.
Leveraging these partners can be a great way to score flights to Hawaii for less, save on pricey last-minute bookings, or simply avoid paying cash for domestic travel.
Take Hawaii, for example. You can book one-way tickets starting at around 11,500 Southwest Rapid Rewards points or 18,600 United MileagePlus miles. And since both are 1:1 Chase transfer partners, it’s a straightforward and rewarding way to use your points.
Related: How to Maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards Points for Flights Within North America
Stay for free at some of the best Hyatt properties
Generally speaking, Chase’s airline transfer partners offer better value than its hotel partners. But there's one notable exception: World of Hyatt. Hyatt stands out because it’s one of the few hotel programs that still uses an award chart, meaning it isn't subject to dynamic pricing like Marriott or IHG are.
On top of that, Hyatt has some fantastic properties in its portfolio. Thanks to 1:1 transfers from Chase, you can turn points earned from your welcome bonus (or everyday spending) into free nights.
Some of our favorite ways to redeem Hyatt points include saving on pricey stays at the Grand Hyatt Athens, booking incredible suites at top-tier properties like the Park Hyatt New York, or covering multiple nights at budget-friendly Hyatt Place and Hyatt Regency locations around the world.
Take advantage of Points Boost in the Chase Travel℠ portal
We get it. Searching for award space and transferring points to partners isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. If that sounds like you, don’t worry. You can still stretch your Sapphire Reserve welcome bonus pretty far just by booking through Chase Travel℠.
When Sapphire Reserve cardholders redeem points through Chase’s travel portal, they can be worth up to 2¢ each via a feature called Points Boost. That means 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points could cover up to $2,000 in flights or hotels — with no need to hunt for award availability.
That said, you’ll need to find a Points Boost-eligible flight or stay, since not everything qualifies. Other Chase Travel redemptions typically fetch just 1¢ per point.
Final Thoughts
One of the best perks of signing up for a new credit card is redeeming the points earned from the welcome bonus. In the case of the Sapphire Reserve, you can potentially save thousands of dollars on travel thanks to the Ultimate Rewards points you'll earn as part of its high-flying welcome offer.
- Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get $3,000 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary subscriptions to Apple TV and Apple Music for a minimum of one year when activated by June 22, 2027, a value of $288 annually.
- Member FDIC
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
