Huge Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Changes: $795 Fee, Big New Perks

The Chase Sapphire Reserve was launched in 2016, and has become one of the most popular premium credit cards on the market. We recently found out that the card would be undergoing major changes, and we now have all the details.

The annual fee is increasing considerably, and we’re also seeing updates to the benefits, including the introduction of lots of new perks. Some will like the changes, while others won’t. For those who are willing to maximize value, I think these updates could prove to be hugely positive.

Details of the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card changes

The Chase Sapphire Reserve will be undergoing major changes. For new cardmembers, these kick in for applications as of June 23, 2025, while for existing cardmembers, these kick in as of October 26, 2025. We’ll see the card’s annual fee increase, and the benefits overhauled. Let’s cover all the changes, in no particular order.

Annual fee increasing from $550 to $795

The Chase Sapphire Reserve’s annual fee will be increasing from $550 to $795 per year. Obviously that’s a significant increase, especially when you consider that the card’s annual fee was $450 at launch. At the same time, we’ve seen quite a bit of credit card annual fee inflation in recent years, so this is hardly surprising, especially with all the new benefits being added.

Authorized user fee increasing from $75 to $195

The Chase Sapphire Reserve’s authorized user fee will be increasing from $75 per person to $195 per person. I’d argue that this is the roughest change we’re seeing with these updates, since being able to add authorized users for $75 was a great value.

I suspect Chase justifies this based on the continued investment in Chase Sapphire Lounges, plus wanting to minimize crowding in those facilities.

3x points being replaced by 3-8x points

Up until now, the Chase Sapphire Reserve has offered 3x Ultimate Rewards points on dining and travel purchases, and 1x points on other purchases. With these changes, the card’s rewards structure will be changing. The card will offer:

• 8x points on all purchases through the Chase Travel portal
• 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
• 3x points on dining
• 1x points on all other purchases

As you can see, this means the card will no longer offer 3x points on all travel purchases. Instead, it will offer more points for purchases through Chase Travel, or for purchases directly with flights and hotels. But this would negatively impact trains, parking, etc.

New credits for dining, travel, and more

The Chase Sapphire Reserve will be getting a bunch of new credits, beyond the ones that are currently offered. This should help many people justify the higher annual fee. The new credits include the following, in addition to the existing ones:

• The card will offer up to $500 per year in hotel credits for The Edit by Chase Travel, in the form of a $250 credit semi-annually; this applies to hotel bookings that are a minimum of two nights
• The card will offer up to $300 per year in statement credits for Chase Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables, in the form of a $150 credit semi-annually; this is for restaurants bookable through OpenTable, as part of The Infatuation & Visa Dining Collection platform
• The card will offer up to $300 in DoorDash credits per year, in the form of a $25 monthly credit, along with one year of DashPass
• The card will offer up to $300 in Stubhub and viagogo credits per year, in the form of a $150 credit semi-annually; this is for the purchase of concert and event tickets
• The card will offer a complimentary subscription to Apple TV+ and Apple Music through June 22, 2027, a $250 annual value

Additional benefits for spending $75,000 annually

The Chase Sapphire Reserve will offer new benefits for those who spend at least $75,000 per year on the card. Specifically, the card will offer the following:

• IHG One Rewards Diamond status, which is IHG’s top tier status
• Southwest Rapid Rewards A-List status, offering perks from priority seating to free checked bags
• A $500 Southwest credit, for flights booked via Chase Travel
• A $250 Shops at Chase credit, valid for purchases with select brands, including Baccarat, Bang & Olufsen, Breitling, Callaway, CALPAK, Cuisinart, Dyson, Samsonite, SMEG, Solo Stove, SONY, Therabody, Tory Burch, and Tumi

1.5 cent redemptions replaced by Points Boost

Personally, my preference is to redeem Ultimate Rewards points by transferring them to Chase’s airline and hotel partners, as that allows me to get the most outsized value. However, one advantage of the card has been that it’s possible to redeem points for 1.5 cents each toward a travel purchase through Chase Travel.

With these changes, that will be dropped down to one cent per point, so that’s a pretty significant devaluation. For what it’s worth, the Chase Sapphire Preferred has offered redemptions for 1.25 cents per point, so that’s being lowered to one cent as well.

Now, there is some good news. This benefit is being replaced by Points Boost, whereby you can redeem points at up to 2x the typical value on select hotel and airfare redemptions (meaning you can get up to two cents of value per point)

• The Edit by Chase Travel offers extra perks at luxury hotels, and you’ll always be able to redeem points for 2x the typical rate through there
• Select airfare will be bookable with points getting you 1.25-2x further, though this will be with rotating options

Other card benefits remain unchanged

The above covers the changes to the card, though let me note that other perks aren’t changing. Most significantly, the card’s (very) easy to use $300 annual travel credit continues to be a perk. The same is true of the TSA PreCheck and Global Entry credit, etc.

Furthermore, the card’s lounge access perks aren’t changing, so the card will continue to offer a Priority Pass membership, access to Chase Sapphire Lounges, access to select Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges, etc.

My take on Chase Sapphire Reserve Card changes

I’m not surprised to see Chase make these changes. We’ve had reason to believe that there’s a general profitability issue with the card, which probably reflects evolving consumer behavior. A large percentage of spending is in categories eligible for bonus points, and people probably aren’t financing charges as much as issuers would like.

At the same time, there has been a premium credit card arms race of sorts, and card issuers feel like they need these cards to compete. Now, to state the obvious, many people won’t like that the annual fee is increasing by $245, and that 3x points is being dropped on some travel purchases.

That being said, personally I still find this card to be worthwhile. Actually, I’ll likely get more value from the card than ever before:

• Being able to earn 8x points for flights booked through Chase Travel might change how I book many of my flights, as that’s a really compelling return
• I also appreciate the ability to earn 4x points on hotel purchases, since that’s an industry leading return on that spending
• Given how easy the $300 annual travel credit is to use, I tend to consider this to be more of a $495 annual fee card after the changes ($795, minus the $300 credit)
• I’ll largely come out ahead compared to the $245 annual fee increase, between the DoorDash credits and dining credits, both of which are wroth close to face value, as far as I’m concerned
• I know some people will be bummed to see the 1.5 cent per point redemption option discontinued, though personally, that’s not how I ever redeemed my points

Ultimately the pattern here is the same with card issuers. Cards are largely becoming more lucrative, but there are more hoops that need to be jumped through to maximize value. Yes, I know more effort is required, but I really think the math checks out here.

Bottom line

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is undergoing major changes, which kick in as of June 23 for new cardmembers, and as of October 26 for existing cardmembers. The bad news is that the annual fee will be increasing, both for the primary cardmember and existing users.

However, there’s also lots of good news. We’re seeing a bunch of new credits added to the card, which will make it much easier to justify. We’re also seeing significant perks added as an incentive for spending $75,000 on the card.

What do you make of these Chase Sapphire Reserve changes?