Chase partners with Lyft for ride discounts, up to 10x earnings and more
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
For awhile now, the best credit card to use for saving cash on ride-hailing services has been The Platinum Card® from American Express because it comes with up to $200 in annual Uber credits ($15/month and $35 in December). But now Chase is stepping up to the plate and is adding Lyft benefits to the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Starting Jan. 12, 2020, Sapphire Reserve cardholders will get a complimentary year of Lyft Pink membership, which normally costs $19.99/month. This membership gets you 15% off all rides, three free cancellations a month (you must rebook within 15 minutes of cancelling), three free bike or scooter rides per month, priority airport pickups and more. To get the free Pink membership, make sure you have the latest version of the Lyft app downloaded, then set your eligible Chase card as your default payment method. After that, you'll enjoy a complimentary year of Lyft Pink, currently valued at $239.
TPG Reporter Liz Hund found the membership to be worth double the monthly cost. On top of that, you'll also earn 10x Ultimate Rewards points on Lyft rides when you pay with your Reserve card. That's a massive return equal to 20% according to TPG's latest valuations.
You'd normally need to spend $135 a month in Lyft rides for the 15% discount to justify the cost of a Lyft Pink membership, which doesn't include the other perks at all. So this is a solid addition to the card and it isn't hard to get value from these if you use ride-hailing services even occasionally. But, the addition of these benefits is being offset by a $100 increase in the card's annual fee (from $450 to $550 per year).
The Lyft discounts and bonus earning rate aren't the only new features the card is getting, Chase has also added several new benefits for the DoorDash delivery service. You can read more about the other new Sapphire Reserve perks here.
If you're interested in applying for the Sapphire Reserve, now is the time to do it because if you get your application in before Jan. 12, you can lock in the lower annual fee for the first year. For existing cardholders, the higher annual fee will apply to account renewals as of April 1, 2020.
Related reading: Significant changes confirmed for Chase's Sapphire Reserve card
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
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