But recent devaluations and the loss or watering down of many of the card\u2019s best features have left cardholders wondering if it's worth holding for the long term. Today, we\u2019re lining it up against crowd favorite, the Chase Sapphire Reserve\u00ae<\/sup><\/a> (Rates & Fees<\/a>), to determine if the card still deserves a place at the top of the premium rewards card<\/a> category.<\/p>\n The Sapphire Reserve<\/a> offers up 125,000 bonus points bonus points. The welcome offer on the Sapphire Reserve<\/a> is more than enough to cover the out-of-pocket expense of holding the card over the first year. The Sapphire Reserve<\/a> also allows you to receive the bonus more than once, provided you stick within recently tightened application restrictions:<\/p>\n “The product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of any Sapphire credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of any Sapphire credit card who received a new cardmember bonus within the last 48 months. If you are an existing Sapphire customer and would like this product, please call the number on the back of your card to see if you are eligible for a product change. You will not receive the new cardmember bonus if you change products.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Sapphire Reserve<\/a> falls under Chase\u2019s 5\/24 guidelines<\/a>. If you were approved for five or more personal (and some business) cards in the previous 24 months, you stand little chance of an approval on the Sapphire Reserve<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Prestige Card<\/a> provides a robust 5x bonus points on air travel and restaurants, but Chase\u2019s broad interpretation of the travel category means Sapphire Reserve<\/a> cardholders can extract bonus points from more purchases.<\/p>\n The other thing to factor into the equation is the ability to pair cards up for higher-earning\/redeeming ratios<\/a>. The Sapphire Reserve<\/a> counts a number of high-earning stablemates within the Ultimate Rewards family, such as the Chase Freedom\u00ae<\/sup><\/a> and Ink Business Preferred\u00ae<\/sup> Credit Card<\/a> (Rates & Fees<\/a>), that allow you to pool points together<\/a> for fantastic returns on almost every spending category, including business expenses. Unfortunately, outside of the 4th-night free benefit and lounge access, there is a strong argument that Prestige Card<\/a> cardmembers would get more value out of the Citi Strata Premier\u00ae<\/sup> Card<\/a> which features lucrative bonus categories for a significantly lower annual fee.<\/p>\n Related:<\/strong> Is it worth keeping the Chase Sapphire Reserve?<\/a><\/p>\n Both cards feature similar lounge access. The Prestige Card<\/a> allows you to bring up to two guests or immediate family members (spouse, domestic partner, and children under 18 years of age) into the lounge, and additional guests cost $35 each. The Sapphire Reserve<\/a> now features a similar cap — 2 guests or immediate family.<\/p>\n Before Citi stripped Admirals Club access from the Prestige Card<\/a>, this category would have been no contest. As it stands now, for all intents and purposes, there is no difference between the lounge access policies on these cards.<\/p>\n The travel credit on the Prestige Card<\/a> covers almost all travel expenses, making it much more useful than the airline credit it used to offer. Stack it up against Chase's $300 travel credit<\/a> on the Sapphire Reserve<\/a>, however, and Chase comes out a clear winner. Chase defines travel as everything from airline tickets to road tolls and parking fees, and the credit is automatically applied when Chase detects a purchase coding as travel from the merchant.<\/p>\n Where the Prestige Card<\/a> does have the Sapphire Reserve<\/a> beat, is how the credit is allocated in the first year. Chase clamped down on cardmembers double dipping the travel credit in the first 12 months, by shifting the claim period from calendar year to cardmember year. Citi, on the other hand, still defines the claim period as once per calendar year, meaning you can claim the credit twice in the first 12 months. Provided you maximize the $250 credit each time<\/a>, Citi is essentially paying you $5 for holding the Prestige Card<\/a> the first year.<\/p>\n At the risk of our comparison sounding like a one-sided affair, you have to give Ultimate Rewards full credits for redemption value.<\/p>\n ThankYou\u00ae<\/sup> Rewards<\/a> counts some fantastic international programs as transfer partners. You can also redeem ThankYou Points earned on this card for 1\u00a2 per point for flights booked via the ThankYou\u00ae<\/sup> Travel Center.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Flight-Delay-e1497878622537-1024x537.jpeg\")
Signup Bonus<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
Earning Potential & Bonus Categories<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
Lounge Access<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/DNATA-LOUNGE-Singapore-Changi-Intl.jpg\")
Airline\/Travel Credit<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
Rewards Program Redemption Value<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n