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The Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit stands out as one of the best premium rewards card perks. If you maximize its $300 value, you'll offset more than half of the card's $795 annual fee. But what truly sets this benefit apart from the competition is its flexibility and ease of use.
The credit applies automatically to a wide range of travel purchases made directly with merchants — from airfare and hotels to parking, tolls, and more. In fact, you may see a statement credit appear for a purchase you didn't even realize qualified!
Most importantly, you don't need to book through Chase Travel℠ to trigger the credit. That means you can shop around for the best price — and you can still enjoy perks like elite benefits, loyalty points, and stay credits that are often lost when booking through third-party sites.
- Earn 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get more than $2,700 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 Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music - all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 - a value of $250 annually
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 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
What Purchases are Eligible for the Chase Sapphire Reserve Travel Credit?
Chase defines ‘travel' broadly — one of the key reasons the Sapphire Reserve $300 credit is so easy to use. Here are some purchase categories that typically qualify:
- Airlines
- Hotels and motels
- Home rental platforms like Airbnb or VRBO
- Timeshares
- Car rental agencies
- Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft
- Cruise lines
- Travel agencies
- Discount travel sites
- Campgrounds
- Operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, and ferries
- Highway or bridge tolls, parking lots, and garages
That's a pretty expansive list. Even less obvious purchases — such as parking or tolls — will often trigger the credit, as long as the merchant is coded as “travel.” However, not all travel-related purchases count. Chase specifically excludes transactions from:
- Real estate agents
- Educational merchants arranging travel
- In-flight goods and services
- Onboard cruise line goods and services
- Sightseeing activities
- Excursions
- Tourist attractions
- RV and boat rentals
- Merchants within hotels and airports
- Public campgrounds
- Merchants that rent vehicles for hauling purposes
Chase also clarifies that purchases from gift card merchants or merchants that sell points or miles don't qualify as travel purchases.
Now that you know the types of merchants that qualify, you might wonder what category code a specific merchant might be classified under. A useful resource for this is the AwardWallet Merchant Category Lookup Tool.
Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve $300 Travel Credit Automatic?
Yes! The $300 Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit is available as soon as your account is active and will be applied automatically. In most cases, the statement credit will post on the same day a qualifying travel purchase clears, though it can officially take one or two billing cycles to show up on your statement.
Qualifying purchases made by authorized users on your account are also eligible for the credit — but it's important to note that these additional cardholders don't get a separate $300 credit. Instead, their travel purchases will be reimbursed as part of the primary cardholder's benefit. The Sapphire Reserve charges a $195 annual fee for each authorized user you add to your account.
When Does the $300 Travel Credit Expire?
The Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit resets each year with the billing cycle following your cardmember anniversary date. That means you'll have a new $300 credit available shortly after your annual fee posts and you renew your account.
Note that when the Sapphire Reserve was first launched, the travel credit renewed at the start of each calendar year. That created an interesting opportunity for new cardholders to “double-dip” by using the benefit before the year ended and again in January with a fresh credit. Not surprisingly, Chase later closed this loophole by tying the credit to the cardmember year instead.
How Can I See How Much Credit I Have Left?
Your travel credit will reset after every 12 monthly billing cycles. To check your current balance or reset date, log in to UltimateRewards.com and select your Sapphire Reserve card.
Click “Redeem” next to your Ultimate Rewards balance, then scroll to the “Annual travel credit” section. There, you'll see whether your credit has been fully used — or how much remains.
If you click on the “?” next to “Annual travel credit”, a text box will display the exact date your current credit will reset.
Will I Still Earn Ultimate Rewards on Travel Purchases?
The Sapphire Reserve earns 3X Ultimate Rewards on the same categories of purchases that qualify for the travel credit, but that earning rate only kicks in after you've used up the $300 credit. In other words, purchases reimbursed by the credit won’t earn points.
Other Rewards Cards with Travel Credits
Among premium rewards cards with a credit for travel or airfare, it's hard to beat the Sapphire Reserve.
For comparison, The Platinum Card® from American Express offers an annual $200 airline fee credit. Enrollment is required, and this credit only applies to incidental charges (like seat selection or checked bags) on a single pre-selected airline. Although Amex provides a long list of excluded purchases, it doesn't clearly state which purchases do qualify — leaving cardholders guessing.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers a $300 annual travel credit, but it can only be used for bookings made through the Capital One Travel portal. That’s a major limitation for travelers who prefer to book directly with hotels in order to earn points, qualify for elite status, and unlock members-only pricing. And for those who already have elite status, booking through a third-party platform like Capital One Travel means forgoing elite perks like room upgrades and late checkout.
Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve Worth It?
While the $300 travel credit goes a long way toward offsetting the Chase Sapphire Reserve annual fee, you'll still want to make sure you're getting value from the card’s other benefits before committing long term. Fortunately, the Sapphire Reserve is packed with high-end perks like Priority Pass Lounge access, comprehensive travel and purchase protections, and top earning rates on purchases that make it easy to do just that.
Final Thoughts
Chase makes it incredibly easy to use the Sapphire Reserve’s $300 travel credit — and that’s what makes it one of the most valuable benefits in the world of travel rewards. You don’t need to remember any complex rules or worry about losing out on hotel perks and points by booking through a portal.
If you spend at least $300 a year on anything that codes as travel — everything from airfare to Uber rides — this benefit slashes the card’s effective annual fee. Add in strong point-earning potential, lounge access, and premium protections, and the Sapphire Reserve remains one of the top choices for frequent travelers.
- Earn 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get more than $2,700 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 Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music - all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 - a value of $250 annually
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 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)
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