The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is widely considered one of the best travel credit cards available to U.S. consumers. Plus, it's currently got a great sign-up bonus of 75,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
But earning points doesn't stop at the welcome bonus. You'll also earn 10 points per dollar on hotels and car rentals booked in Chase Travel℠ , 10 points per dollar on Chase Dining purchases, 5 points per dollar on flights booked through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per dollar on a broadly defined travel category, 3 points per dollar on dining and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. Plus, you'll earn 10 points per dollar with Lyft through March 2025.
You'll also have a very long list of perks to enjoy with the Sapphire Reserve. This includes up to $300 in annual travel credits, a Priority Pass Select lounge membership, no foreign transaction fees, an application fee credit of up to $100 for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus, Instacart and more.
Perks like these have been widely publicized since the card's launch in August 2016 and are among the reasons the Sapphire Reserve consistently makes TPG's list of top travel credit cards.
But did you know that the Sapphire Reserve comes with top-notch travel and shopping protections as well? Here's a look at six benefits that are lesser known but still have the ability to save you thousands of dollars in the long run.
Trip delay reimbursem*nt
Have you ever had a flight delay that required an overnight stay?
The Chase Sapphire Reserve will reimburse you for many of the costs in the event this happens. If your trip (whether by air, bus, cruise ship or train) is delayed by more than six hours or requires an overnight stay, you're entitled to reimbursem*nt if you purchased your ticket with your Reserve card.
Related: Best credit cards that offer trip delay reimbursem*nt
This benefit covers the cardholder, the cardholder's spouse or domestic partner and dependent children under the age of 26 for up to $500 for each purchased ticket. The $500 is limited to one covered incident per trip. To be eligible, the trip must be away from the cardholder's city of residence and fewer than 365 days in length.
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What exactly is covered? Chase defines reimbursable expenses as those incurred for meals, lodging, toiletries, medication and other reasonable expenses incurred during a delay. However, trip delay reimbursem*nt doesn't cover prepaid expenses or any covered hazard that was made public or known prior to the departure of the covered trip.
Related: Chase paid for my $1,100-per-night hotel room thanks to built-in trip delay coverage
Baggage delay insurance
If you've dealt with delayed or lost luggage, you know it's a massive pain and inconvenience to remedy.
If your baggage is delayed or misdirected for six or more hours, the Sapphire Reserve reimburses cardholders for the emergency purchase of essential items.
The baggage delay insurance covers the cardholder, the cardholder's spouse or domestic partner and immediate family members for up to $100 per day for a maximum of five days. Covered items include essential items that are needed as a result of the delay, such as clothing, toiletries and a cellphone charger cable.
Related: Which credit cards cover baggage delays?
For lost, damaged or stolen baggage, the Reserve card covers up to $3,000 per insured person on eligible trips. This reimbursem*nt is valid on both checked and carry-on baggage, and you'll be reimbursed for both the bag and any personal property within the bag. Note there are some limitations on jewelry, watches and electronics, as well as exceptions for documents, money, securities, tickets, checks, travelers' checks or furs.
Related: Lost vs. delayed baggage: How are they different and how do you protect yourself?
For both forms of coverage (baggage delay and lost luggage reimbursem*nt), at least a portion of the cost of your trip must have been charged to your Sapphire Reserve card for the benefits to take effect.
Related: The best credit cards for paying taxes and fees on award tickets
Trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance
What about canceled trip insurance? Thankfully, the Reserve comes with some protections that will help you walk away with as little financial damage as possible. Trip cancellation insurance reimburses you if you cannot travel on or before the departure date and, as a result, you have to cancel your travel plans.
On the flip side, trip interruption insurance covers you if your trip is cut short or postponed, resulting in fees associated with rebooking the trip.
Related: TPG reader question: Does Chase travel insurance apply if I pay for my trip with Ultimate Rewards points?
For both trip cancellation and trip interruption, the Reserve card covers the cardholder and immediate family members (even if the cardholder is not traveling with them) up to $10,000 per person and up to $20,000 per trip. There's a maximum limit of $40,000 during a 12-month period when you pay for the trip with your Reserve card.
Chase offers several examples of eligible cancellation or interruption reasons, such as:
- Accidental bodily injury, loss of life or sickness experienced by the cardholder, a traveling companion or an immediate family member of the cardholder or a traveling companion
- Severe weather that prevents the start or continuation of a covered trip
- Terrorist action or hijacking
- Jury duty or a court subpoena that cannot be postponed or waived
With that generous list of what's covered, Chase also lists forms of cancellations and interruptions that aren't covered. While not an exhaustive list, it includes:
- Travel arrangements canceled or changed by a common carrier, tour operator or any travel agency unless the cancellation is the result of severe weather or an organized strike affecting public transportation
- Change in plans or financial circ*mstances
- Traveling against the advice of a physician or travel booked past the 26th week of pregnancy
- A declared or undeclared war
- Trips that exceed 60 days
- Financial insolvency of the cardholder's travel agency, tour operator or travel supplier
Note that you must file a written claim within 20 days after the occurrence (but it's always better to do so as soon as reasonably possible).
Related: Comparing travel protections with the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum
Emergency medical and dental benefit
If you get sick while traveling and need emergency treatment, the Sapphire Reserve reimburses up to $2,500 in costs, subject to a $50 deductible and up to $75 per day for a hotel room (up to five days) if the doctor determines you can't travel immediately after your release from a hospital.
Covered medical and dental expenses include necessary services performed by a legally qualified physician, surgeon, nurse, dentist or osteopath. In addition, the coverage will reimburse you for the following:
- Hospital/operating room charges
- Charges for anesthetics, x-rays, exams or treatments and lab tests
- Ambulance services
- Drugs, medicines and therapeutic services and supplies
Medical services that aren't reimbursable include non-emergency services, supplies or charges, care not rendered by hospitals and physicians or dentists, care that's experimental, care not medically necessary (as determined by the benefit administrator) and if the injury or illness occurred in any country that's determined by the U.S. government to be unsafe for travel. Coverage also doesn't apply on trips that are for medical tourism purposes.
This benefit covers the cardholder and the cardholder's spouse or domestic partner and/or legally dependent children under 19 years old (or if they're younger than 26 years old and enrolled as full-time students at an accredited university).
To be eligible for the coverage, the travel must have been booked with your Reserve card or with Ultimate Rewards points linked to your account, and you must contact the benefits administrator within 90 days. Finally, a trip must be five to 60 days long and at least 100 miles from home to be covered.
Your benefits can even include emergency medical evacuation coverage.
Auto rental collision damage waiver
Renting a car can include many additional fees, so it's nice to know you have protection if anything goes wrong.
With the Sapphire Reserve card's rental damage waiver, if your rental car is in a collision or you are the victim of theft, you're eligible for up to $75,000 in coverage. The coverage is primary when traveling both in the U.S. and abroad — meaning you don't need to report the incident to your personal car insurance provider.
Related: Credit cards that offer primary car rental coverage
Both physical damages to the car and theft are covered by the insurance. In addition, there's coverage for reasonable and customary towing charges related to a collision or theft when a car must be towed to the nearest repair facility. Finally, valid loss-of-use charges incurred by the rental company are covered.
Unfortunately, there are quite a few exceptions that aren't eligible for coverage. They include:
- Antique cars, cargo vans, vehicles with open cargo beds, trucks other than pickups, motorcycles, mopeds, motorbikes, limousines, recreational vehicles and passenger vans with seating for more than 9 people
- Expenses reimbursed under your personal auto insurance policy, your employer or your employer's insurance
- Any obligation you assume under any other agreement
- Injury to anyone or anything inside or outside of the vehicle
- Leases and mini leases
- Any violation of the auto rental agreement
- Loss or theft of personal belongings
- Rentals over 31 days in length
Both the cardholder and additional drivers included on the rental agreement are eligible for the coverage, though you must decline all supplemental insurance offered by the rental car company to be eligible.
This benefit could save you a lot of out-of-pocket cash if you're in this unfortunate situation with a rental car.
Related: Best credit cards for rental car coverage
Shopping protections
The Sapphire Reserve card offers great purchase protection in three main categories. Remember that you must purchase the item with your Reserve card to qualify for any of these coverage options.
Purchase protection
If you purchase a new item and it breaks or gets stolen within 120 days, you're eligible to receive up to $10,000 per claim and up to $50,000 per cardholder account to reimburse, repair or replace the purchase. You (as the cardholder) or the recipient of a gift are eligible for the protection.
Noncovered purchases include (but aren't limited to): items that mysteriously disappear with no evidence of a wrongful act, used or pre-owned items, antiques and collectibles, boats, automobiles, aircraft, motorized vehicles, computer software, items purchased for resale, professional or commercial use or medical equipment.
Extended warranty protection
If your purchase comes with a U.S. manufacturer's warranty of three years or less, extended warranty protection extends the coverage by one additional year. In total, the warranty protection covers up to $10,000 per claim and up to a maximum of $50,000 per account. What's especially useful with this protection is that items purchased outside the U.S. are covered, so long as they have a valid original manufacturer-written U.S. repair warranty, a store-purchased dealer warranty or an assembler warranty.
Purchases that aren't covered include (but aren't limited to) boats, automobiles, aircraft, motorized vehicles, items purchased for resale, professional or commercial use, used or preowned items and computer software.
Return protection
If you're dissatisfied with a purchase and the original merchant won't accept the return for a refund, exchange or credit, you're eligible for reimbursem*nt through your Sapphire Reserve card. Eligible returned items are those in new or good/working condition that have been purchased in the last 90 days. As the cardholder, you're eligible for up to $500 for each eligible item, up to $1,000 per year.
Non-covered purchases include animals and live plants, boats, aircraft, automobiles, motorized vehicles, cash or cash-equivalents, computer software, items purchased outside the U.S., items purchased for resale, jewelry or collectible items and perishables.
While you can be reimbursed up to the full value of your items (or up to the $500 maximum), it's worth pointing out that your reimbursem*nt could have shipping and handling fees subtracted prior to payment.
Related: Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card review
Bottom line
While the widely-known benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card are incredibly useful, some of the card's lesser-known perks offer great value as well. As always, make sure you read the fine print in your benefits guide. It's important to get familiar with eligibility requirements and the necessary documents before making a claim to ensure the process moves along as smoothly as possible.
As a reminder, the Chase Sapphire Reserve currently comes with a sign-up bonus of 75,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. It has a ton of benefits that help to offset the $550 annual fee. In addition, the 3 points per dollar earned on both travel and dining help to ensure you'll never run dry on valuable Ultimate Rewards points.
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
