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Earlier this year, Chase announced that the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees) would lose a key benefit: Airport restaurant access via Priority Pass Select. This news was rather disappointing, given that select Chase cards were some of the few remaining products to offer this valuable perk.
After these changes — which took effect on July 1, 2024 — you may have found yourself wondering if your Sapphire Reserve Priority Pass Select membership is good for anything other than general lounge access. We're here bearing good news. Sapphire Reserve cardholders still have access to various Priority Pass amenities in airports worldwide.
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Chase Made Changes to the Sapphire Reserve Priority Pass Benefit
Before we trek further, let's recap what happened earlier this year. In March, Chase let its Sapphire Reserve cardholders know that:
“As of July 1, 2024, you will no longer have access to restaurants, cafes, and markets participating in the Priority Pass Select network as part of the Priority Pass SelectTM Benefit associated with your card. Access to Priority Pass Select’s network of lounges and other select airport experiences is not impacted by this update.”
These changes applied to not only the Sapphire Reserve, but to The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card and J.P. Morgan Reserve card, too.
And while lounge access is the main feature of Priority Pass Select, you can still enjoy other “experiences” — despite the restaurant, cafe, and market aspects of the benefit going away.
Related: Free Meals, Spa Treatments, Nap Rooms, Even Swimming Pools with Priority Pass
What Priority Pass Amenities Can Sapphire Reserve Cardholders Use?
Here's a look at the airport amenities Sapphire Reserve — and, by extension, Ritz-Carlton Card and J.P. Morgan Reserve card — can still access courtesy of the complimentary Priority Pass Select membership.
Be Relax airport spas
Priority Pass partners with Be Relax airport spas to offer members massages and other spa services. The following services are available to Priority Pass members who obtain their membership through a Chase credit card benefit:
- Be Back: 30-minute lounger massage — a $38 value.
- Be Back: 15-minute lounger massage plus aromatherapy & O2 — a $38 value.
- Polish change and hand massage: A $38 value.
- Be Feet: 10-minute foot massage plus aromatherapy & O2 — a $44 value.
I don't know about you, but I can think of worse ways to spend time in an airport than getting a massage. Be Relax spas are scattered across the globe in airports from Los Angeles (LAX) to London Heathrow (LHR). Next month, I plan to stop by for a massage at the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) location — and maybe another at the Washington Dulles (IAD).
Gameway lounges
Gameway locations in select airports across the U.S. provide a unique lounge experience. Sapphire Reserve Priority Pass members can play on their favorite gaming systems for an hour, thanks to the Priority Pass Select membership. These niche lounges offer personal computers (PCs), Playstations, and Xboxes, complete with headphones and TVs.
Ok, stay with me here. You may not be a gamer, but you may still benefit from this Priority Pass perk. Gameway lounges are one of our favorite spots to visit before a trip with our kids.
Cardholders and their guests can each choose one packaged snack and one bottled beverage (non-alcoholic) or one alcoholic beverage without a snack. However, the latter's availability depends on what Gameway location you visit. Even better, you don't have to stay and play, either. You can get your snack benefit and leave.
Visiting our Gameway at Houston Hobby Airport allows my boys to play video games while my husband and I relax and charge our phones with free Wi-Fi and comfy chairs. We also get snacks and drinks for the plane. It's a win-win.
You'll also find an additional gaming lounge called Game Space in Dubai (DXB). There's no food or beverages at Game Space, but gameplay is unlimited.
Minute Suites
If you love the idea of a comfortable, private spot to nap, watch TV, or rest, then Minute Suites is perfect for you. Your suite includes a day bed, pillows, and a blanket. If you need to get work done in quiet, there's a desk and Wi-Fi available. Want to just chill out in peace? Access Netflix and Direct TV from your in-suite television.
Up to four people can relax in a Minute Suite, so we've brought our whole family into one suite for some downtime. If more than one guest has Priority Pass access, you can even stack your memberships for a two-hour stay! That can make a long layover a lot more bearable.
What Priority Pass Amenities Aren't Available to Chase Cardholders?
Chase's original announcement suggested that “select experiences” were not impacted by the Priority Pass Select benefit changes. That's because some experiences are only available to Priority Pass members who pay for their subscriptions outright.
Some of the benefits available to paying customers — not Sapphire Reserve cardholders — include:
- Jabbrrbox usage: Telephone-box-style soundproof rooms that function as mini-workstations. You can rent them in select airports.
- Airport gyms: Roam Fitness has locations in Baltimore (BWI) and Philadelphia (PHL); paid Priority Pass members can purchase discounted day passes.
- Cafes and markets: While listed as “experiences” in the Priority Pass app, cafe and market access is unavailable to Sapphire Reserve cardholders. Only those who pay for their Priority Pass Select membership can enjoy benefits at these outposts.
Final Thoughts
We're all bummed that one of the last of the big banks have pulled the plug on the Priority Pass restaurant, cafe, and market benefits. It was a perk that I frequently used since there were participating restaurants at my home airport. If you, like me, feel the sting of this latest benefit loss, you may wonder is the Chase Sapphire Reserve is worth the hefty $550 annual fee?
While it isn't the slam dunk it used to be, the Sapphire Reserve is still worth the cost — to me, at least. The other benefits, such as travel protections, increased Chase Travel portal redemption rate, and TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry credit, help tip the scale, but the easy-to-use $300 travel credit is the main factor that keeps the card in my wallet.
Although other cards may give access to Priority Pass lounges worldwide, select Chase cards are the only ones that extend the benefit to these unique experiences I've come to enjoy. So, for now, I'll hang on to mine.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $120 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 10X points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 10X points on Chase Dining (including prepaid reservations and prepaid takeout purchased through Chase)
- 5X points on airfare purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on all other travel
- 3X points on dining at restaurants
- 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)
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