Is a Chase Sapphire card a Visa or Mastercard?

A Chase Sapphire card is a Visa. That goes for Chase Sapphire, Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve. All three are on the Visa network. First and foremost, that means you can use these cards virtually everywhere in the world.

Chase Sapphire Visa cards are accepted by millions of retailers in over 200 countries and territories. Almost every merchant that takes credit cards accepts Visa. And most people with a credit card have a Visa. There were 325 million Visa cards in circulation at the end of 2016, according to the SEC. That’s 52.8% of the total market and more than the total population of the United States: 323 million.

Having a Chase Sapphire Visa also entitles you to a wide range of Visa benefits. For example, this includes rental car insurance, travel insurance and low currency conversion rates for international purchases.

So, it’s good that Chase Sapphire cards are on the Visa network. But there are lots of Visa cards out there. And the Sapphire cards wouldn’t be notable if they didn’t offer such great rewards. The original Sapphire Card is no longer available to new applicants, of course. But Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve are among the best travel rewards credit cards on the market right now, mainly because of their big initial bonuses. Both cards are well worth checking out if you have excellent credit.

A Chase Sapphire card is a Visa. That goes for Chase Sapphire, Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve. All three are on the Visa network. First and foremost, that means you can use these cards virtually everywhere in the world.

Chase Sapphire Visa cards are accepted by millions of retailers in over 200 countries and territories. Almost every merchant that takes credit cards accepts Visa. And most people with a credit card have a Visa. There were 325 million Visa cards in circulation at the end of 2016, according to the SEC. That’s 52.8% of the total market and more than the total population of the United States: 323 million.

And the more places that accept your card, the more rewards you can get. User @briand1 puts it well: “Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is a card that can be used throughout the world and it has a great rewards program. If this is the card you use predominately and if you like to travel, it is easy to accrue points that can be converted to traveling dollars.”

Having a Chase Sapphire Visa also entitles you to a wide range of Visa benefits. This includes, for example, rental car insurance, travel insurance and low currency conversion rates for international purchases. In particular, you’ll enjoy Visa Signature benefits with Chase Sapphire Preferred, while Chase Sapphire Reserve is a Visa Infinite card. As you might expect, Visa Infinite provides some additional perks, including a special concierge.

So it’s good that Chase Sapphire cards are on the Visa network. And the Sapphire cards stand out among Visa cards because of their great rewards. The original Sapphire Card is no longer available to new applicants, though. But Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve are among the best travel rewards credit cards on the market right now, mainly because of their big initial bonuses.

For what it’s worth, credit cards do change card networks from time to time. Chase Sapphire actually was offered in both Visa and Mastercard versions at one point, but that practice ended in 2013. If your network ever changes in the future, you’ll automatically be issued a new card.

All Chase Sapphire cards are Visa.

It's a Visa, like most credit cards.