How does the Chase Sapphire Reserve Global Entry benefit work?

Chase Sapphire Reserve is worth its $450 annual fee for at least 5 years because of its $750 initial bonus and $300 annual travel credit. With just those features considered, cardholders are $600 ahead after the first year ($750 + $300 - $450), $450 ahead after the second year ($600 + $300 - $450), and so on. Sapphire Reserve also gives 3 points per $1 spent on travel and dining, and it comes with a free Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership that would usually cost $399 a year.… read full answer

But those features are only worth it to frequent travelers with the excellent credit needed to get approved for Chase Sapphire Reserve. And “worth it” doesn’t just mean breaking even. You need to consider a card’s net value: rewards minus fees.

In other words, is Chase Sapphire Reserve $450 better than the best no annual fee credit card? That test also applies to cards that have annual fees but charge a lot less than Sapphire Reserve. For example, is Capital One Venture ($95 annual fee) $355 per year worse than Sapphire Reserve?

In answering those questions, don’t forget that there are several ways to squeeze enough value from Sapphire Reserve to make the card worth it.

Is Chase Sapphire Reserve worth it? Here’s when it might be:

• $750 signup bonus + $300 annual travel credit: Sapphire Reserve gives 50,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. Those bonus points are worth $750 when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Combined with Reserve’s $300 annual travel credit, it covers the annual fee for five years.
• $399 Priority Pass membership + $300 annual travel credit: Using the Priority Pass lounges regularly and maxing out the annual travel credit provides $699 in value every year. After the annual fee, that’s $249 left. And that doesn’t count any points earned from using the card.
• $300 annual travel credit + over 10,000 reward points: Spending $3,334 on travel and dining each year ($277 per month) is enough to earn $150 in Chase travel. Add in the $300 annual travel credit, and that recoups the cost of Reserve’s annual fee. From there, any additional rewards go into the cardholder’s pocket.

So, is Chase Sapphire Reserve worth it? Not for people struggling to spend enough to break even. But for consumers who naturally spend several thousand a year on travel, the rewards and other perks will well outweigh the annual fee. Plus, the Reserve card offers several types of travel insurance. That includes a $1 million benefit for serious injury or death.

More moderate spenders may prefer the Sapphire Preferred card. Its initial bonus is worth $625 toward travel. And it gives 2 points per $1 on travel and dining, worth 1.25 cents each toward travel (compared to Reserve’s 1.5). Sapphire Preferred only charges a $95 annual fee.

Of course! It’s actually best to decline the rental agency’s supplemental coverage. That would nullify the coverage you already get from your Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. That coverage includes reimbursement for theft and collision damage up to the actual cash value of most rental cars in the U.S. and abroad. In fact, Chase’s coverage is among the best on the market. You can learn more from our study … read full answerhere.