I’ve been using the Chase Sapphire Reserve as my primary travel credit card for many years. Even though the annual fee is now a whopping $795, I still find enough value in it to keep using it. Besides the automatic $300 annual travel credit which already offsets a big chunk of the fee, here are the five perks I personally find the most useful:
1. Priority Pass Membership ($469)
The included Priority Pass membership gives access to 1,300+ airport lounges globally. Lounges will usually have free drinks and food, which I almost always take advantage of if time allows instead of paying for the expensive mediocre airport food. There’s also usually free wifi and nice lounge chairs, letting me relax before the flight if I get to the airport early or have a long layover. I can also bring up to two guests, which means my husband benefits too when we travel together.
Side note: Chase actually has their own airport lounges as well, but they’re only in a few airports and I haven’t had a chance to visit one yet. I tried to go to the one in Las Vegas, but it was so popular that the waitlist was over an hour and I only got off the waitlist as I was boarding the flight.
2. Points Boost (Up to 2X Value in the Portal)
Points Boost is a newer feature introduced in 2025 that lets you book select hotels and flights using fewer points through Chase Travel. I used this to book The Reserve hotel (formerly known as Nomad) for my most recent Las Vegas trip. Not only did it cost fewer points than usual, but the booking also came with a $100 dining credit which I used to pay for two meals for two at the hotel!
3. Points Transfers (1:1 for Travel Partners)
One of the best ways to use Chase points is to transfer them to a travel partner at a 1:1 ratio. Travel partners often have better redemption value for their own point system than what you can get through the Chase Travel Portal, and Chase supports transferring points to major airlines and hotel chains. I have booked several free stays on Hyatt this way, as well as business class tickets on Singapore Airlines. While it’s not always easy to find good point flight/hotel deals, when it works you can get a huge amount of value.
4. Lyft Credits ($120)
I don’t like driving and use ride-share frequently, so the $10 monthly Lyft credit is easy for me to use. On top of that, I earn 5x points on Lyft rides.
5. DashPass ($120) + Credits ($300)
I don’t like to cook and order a fair amount of delivery, so it’s nice to get the DashPass membership for free as well as $300 in DoorDash promos. The $5 monthly restaurant credit is easy to use, but the two $10/month on groceries is slightly annoying since it’s split into two and there are usually delivery fees unless you hit a certain amount.
So is the Chase Sapphire Reserve still worth it in 2026? I think if you’re someone like me who travels multiple times a year and already use the services with credits like Lyft and Doordash, the math works. However, if you don’t travel much or don’t want to spend the time and effort maximizing the benefits, a lower-fee card would make more sense.
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