5 things to do when getting a Chase Sapphire Reserve

At TPG, you’ll hear employees praise their favorite cards for a variety of reasons.

Some of us love premiums travel card with lucrative welcome offers and a generous bonus earning structure. Others prefer more bass, annual fee free card Earn fixed prices on all purchases.

And some of us have one foot firmly planted in both camps.

I fall into this group. I combine my modest annual fee Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express (see exchange rates and fees) with me Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi (see exchange rates and fees) And Reserve Chase Sapphire® card. Together, they provide great value and returns on the everyday purchases I already make regularly.

Sapphire Reserve is the newest addition to my wallet and started providing outstanding value immediately.

Here’s the strategy I followed to maximize the benefits and perks attached to this card, and what you should do once you get your card.

First, I planned the ideal time to apply for jobs. Reserve sapphire. My main goal is to earn a sign-up bonus of 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points by spending $4,000 within three months of account opening without having to worry about meeting spending requirements for another new card at the same time.

Based on current TPG valuationThis offer is worth a solid $1,538 – including more than twice the card’s annual fee.

With one credit score over 800 and a solid credit history, I was confident in my ability to get approved for a Reserve card. The approval notification came immediately, and I moved on to arranging the purchases that would help me reach the spending threshold needed to earn sign up bonus.

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The first purchase I made with my card was a $250 deposit for a family New Year’s Eve cruise. Because this is one buy travelit’s covered by the $300 annual travel credit that comes with this card (though this purchase doesn’t earn points because travel credits aren’t eligible to do so).

I also set my card up to buy a few meals with friends and family, which amounted to a few hundred dollars using my Sapphire Reserve for general everyday purchases, including gas, parking car and grocery run.

I also had to renew my passport recently, it cost $190 — $130 for the book and a $60 expedited processing fee — and I charged it to my Sapphire Reserve card.

Maximize benefits and income rates

As a hobby chef, I love to cook and experiment with new recipes and ingredients, but sometimes, I want nothing more than to order in and call it a day.

When this happens, I usually order delivery on DoorDash. The $5 monthly DoorDash credit, combined with the free DashPass subscription that comes with this card through the end of 2024, saves me a few bucks every time I click “Place Order.”

Another bonus I really like is that you can keep that $5 monthly credit going for up to three months.

Do you remember that trip abroad I mentioned above? I plan to book it through Chase Travel℠ to earn 10 points per dollar on hotel bookings and 5 points per dollar on flights. Additionally, Reserve is a great travel companion because there are no foreign transaction fees.

With the ability to earn 3 points per dollar across a broad travel category (after using your $300 travel credit) and a solid credit line dining categorythe Chase Sapphire Sanctuary should be one of your top cards for booking travel.

Handy not only when accessing hotel or airline websites but also when booking via online travel companies like Expedia and Orbitz because these purchases count towards the travel category. Vacation rental locationsAirbnb and Vrbo, for example, sometimes tokenize travel and earn 3 points per dollar spent.

You should also exercise caution when setting Reserve as the default card on your Lyft account as this also counts as travel.

To make the deal even sweeter, Chase has partnered with Lyft to offer Reserve cardholders two years of free Lyft Pink membership to help save more when riding. The cherry on top? You can also earn 10 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar in Lyft charges with your Sapphire Reserve through March 2025, which equates to over 20% back on your Lyft purchases based TPG valuation.

And if you have monthly bills for train tickets or parking at work, you can earn 3 points per dollar on those expenses, too. Make your Default Card Reservation for these common travel expenses.

Not only do you get access to DashPass and a $5 monthly DoorDash credit, but the Reserve card also earns 3 points per dollar on eat and drink, too — whether it’s eating out at a restaurant or ordering delivery. Just don’t forget to set the card as the default payment method in your account.

Related: How to earn 10 points per dollar on select dining with Chase Sapphire

Activate additional benefits

To get started with these specific Reserve benefits, do the following:

• Sign in to your Chase account.
• Select “Ultimate Reward.”
• Select your Sapphire Reserve account.
• Select “Card Benefits” in the “Use Points” drop-down menu.

From there, you’ll register for each benefit you wish to receive.

Related: How valuable is a Priority Pass lounge membership?

Getting through U.S. Customs and Border Protection or airport security is one of the scariest parts of modern-day air travel, so use Chase Sapphire Sanctuary to apply for either Global entry or TSA Pre-Check and make your trip a little easier. You will receive a waived registration fee, up to $100, when you use Sapphire Reserve to pay for either program.

Already have Global Entry or PreCheck? You can let a friend or family member benefit from your Chase Sapphire Reserve. Use your card to pay for their applicationand the fee will be offset through a Chase statement credit as long as you haven’t used it for yourself or someone else.

Related: Global Entry vs. TSA PreCheck: Which is better?

• Create a game plan to earn sign up bonus. This includes deciding whether the annual fee, earning rate, and bonus types fit my spending habits and travel needs.
• Consider how your upcoming travel plans might fit maximize My spending also earns valuable points and miles that I can use in the future.
• Check to see if there is one more authorized user to help enhance my ability to earn bonuses makes sense.
• Register for the necessary programs to take advantage of the card’s incentives benefits and privileges.

The crown jewel in my current trio of credit cards is the Sapphire Reserve — even with its hefty $550 annual fee — thanks to its myriad of benefits, including a generous travel credit, High entry on travel bookings and excellent travel protections.

If you’re not ready to commit to a high annual fee, consider Sapphire Reserve’s sibling, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Cardhas a modest annual fee of $95 and is a favorite among TPG employees.

To learn more, read our Full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Register here: Chase Sapphire Sanctuary with a welcome offer of 75,000 points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months from account opening.

For Amex Blue Cash Preferred rates and fees, click This.