Making
great trips
even better
Maximize your Chase
Sapphire Reserve® card.
I'm Eric Rosen, director of travel content for The Points Guy.
I applied for the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card (see rates and fees) way back in 2016 when it first debuted. It was the single most exciting new premium travel rewards card to hit the market in years.
In the nearly decade since then,
the Chase Sapphire Reserve card has earned a permanent place in my wallet thanks to the tremendous value I get from the card's various benefits.
$300 annual travel credit
$300 annual travel credit
Get the most flexible travel credit compared to any other card,
with up to $300 in statement credits for travel purchases each
account anniversary year. Purchases that qualify will not earn points.
$300 annual dining
credit ($150 biannually)
$300 annual dining credit
Get up to $150 in statement credits from January through June and again from July through December for a maximum of $300 annually
at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
Access to Chase
Sapphire Lounges
at airports
Access to Chase Sapphire Lounges at airports
Enjoy access to 1,300-plus airport lounges worldwide,
plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club with up to two guests, with a complimentary
Priority Pass Select membership.
$120 annual Lyft credit
($10 per month) + earn
5 points per dollar³
$120 annual Lyft credit + 5 points per dollar
Get up to $10 in monthly in-app credits to use on
rides through Sept. 30, 2027. Plus, earn five points per
dollar spent on Lyft rides through Sept. 30, 2027.³
Elevated earning
rates on dining
and travel
Elevated earning rates on dining and travel
Earn 8 points per dollar spent on all purchases, made through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠.
Earn 3 points per dollar spent on dining worldwide.
Reserve Travel Designers
Reserve Travel Designers
Build and book a custom itinerary that unlocks hidden gems and
new experiences around the world with a Reserve Travel Designer.
This personalized service is valued at up to $300 per trip.
$500 annual credit for stays
with The Edit ($250 biannually)
$500 annual credit for stays with The Edit
Receive up to $250 in statement credits from January through June and again from July through December for prepaid bookings made with The Edit.¹ A two-night minimum is required. Purchases that qualify will
not earn points.
I had a few free days this fall for a getaway with my husband. We got married in August and had a packed travel and work schedule since our wedding, so a few days away doing nothing in particular in an idyllic setting was just what we needed.
Here's how I was able to enjoy the Chase Sapphire Reserve card's many new benefits and how you can, too.
Planning & booking my trip through Chase Travel
I signed into my Chase Sapphire Reserve account and used Chase's new Reserve Travel Designer feature to think through a few trip options. This is a complimentary new online chat feature (though you can also call customer service) that connects cardholders with experts from Valerie Wilson Travel, which JP Morgan Chase acquired in 2022. They can help you build an entire customized itinerary based on your specific requests.
I wanted a relaxed destination but also somewhere with great dining and some live concerts so we could have a fun evening out. Not only that, but I wanted to maximize my Chase Sapphire Reserve's perks (and credits!) with a hotel booking through The Edit by Chase Travel, a carefully curated collection of over 1,000 hotels and resorts, and a reservation at a Chase Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables restaurant partner.
RELAXING DESTINATION
The agent's initial recommendations included Maui, Hawaii, for some beach time and relaxation, Nashville for live music and to visit close friends, and, finally, San Diego, where my family lives, so we could catch up after the wedding.
Explore our Maui recommendations.
Explore our Nashville recommendations.
Explore San Diego below.
San Diego
LUXURY HOTEl STAY
Cardmembers get access to The Edit, a curated collection of hotels with distinct benefits, and after a bit of back and forth, my husband and I decided to head to Encinitas, California. It's a laid-back beach town just north of San Diego and near where my parents live. It would give us a nice chance to see our loved ones after the wedding while enjoying some beach and pool time.
We could book the Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas through The Edit by Chase Travel and even take advantage of my card's $300 annual travel credit, plus $250 of the card's annual $500 in statement credits (split into two biannual allotments, one from January through June and the other from July to December) toward The Edit prepaid bookings of two nights or more.¹
That earned me a cool $550 back on my stay, and I earned 8 points per dollar on the rest of the booking.
KEEP SCROLLING FOR A TPG TIP ON THE LATEST UPDATE.
TPG TIP
CHASE SAPPHIRE RESERVE BENEFITS USED
- $300 annual travel credit
- $250 The Edit statement credit
In 2026, Chase is actually improving the statement credits Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers can enjoy on The Edit bookings and even adding a new hotel statement credit.
Rather than receiving up to $250 back biannually on prepaid The Edit bookings, starting in 2026, Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers will earn up to $250 back for prepaid hotel bookings with The Edit twice, anytime throughout the year, for a total of up to $500, adding a lot more flexibility to this perk.
Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers will also receive a new $250 statement credit for prepaid bookings of two nights or more to use in the 2026 calendar year at select hotels through Chase Travel.¹
Back to my trip, though.
All that was left to do was to make a reservation at one of the nearby Chase Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables restaurants, which was easy to do thanks to the fact that cardmembers get priority reservations and expanded table availability.
I was even able to score tickets via StubHub (and earn my $150 biannual credit)² for a concert at the Del Mar Fairgrounds for one of the evenings we were in town. My trip plan was complete.
We arrived at the Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas early, at 2 p.m.
Early check-in is another benefit through The Edit bookings, based on availability.
It's hard to believe, but the hotel is one of just a handful of luxury resorts that sit right along the coast of Southern California, and it is perched atop dramatic cliffs overlooking the Pacific.
It has sweeping views of the shoreline up to Carlsbad to the north and directly out to sea to the west, so it's one of my favorite places to stay in the area.
The room
We were shown to our King Garden View Fire Pit room overlooking the pool area with its own private, plant-fringed patio complete with a fire pit that was quite romantic in the evenings. Booking through The Edit confers availability-based upgrades, so if you book another room category, like a Coastline View or Lagoon View room, you might have a chance to enjoy a room like mine instead.
The rooms at Alila Marea have a coastal-chic aesthetic,
with floor-to-ceiling sliding doors, pared down concrete floors, driftwood-inspired furnishings, and bedside love seats, accent pillows and carpets woven from all-natural textiles.
Our bathroom had a large well-lit vanity and an enormous walk-in shower embellished with a eucalyptus sprig to create a spalike sensation and complement the rosemary-chia Votary skin and hair care products provided.
The room felt like a little sanctuary.
It was just steps from the pool if we wanted to lounge around in the sunshine but also a quick walk to the compact but well-equipped fitness center if we were more in the mood for some exercise.
By booking through The Edit, we enjoyed free daily breakfast for two, eating our way through almost the entire menu.
On various mornings, we enjoyed dishes like a carne asada omelet, blackberry buckwheat pancakes with whipped lemon ricotta and syrup, a hearty egg and lamb merguez sausage sandwich, avocado toast with smoked salmon, a churro cinnamon roll and plenty of fresh fruit plates, all for free.
TPG TIP
Our reservation through The Edit by Chase also entitled us to $150 in credit toward on-property charges at this particular hotel (it's typically $100), so we put a few of those dollars to use enjoying some mocktails and chips with guacamole from the poolside restaurant, The Pocket Pool and Bar.
Up to $150 in on-property credits to use during our stay
Don't forget, you also earn 8 points per dollar spent on paid hotel bookings made through The Edit after using your annual credits.
You can use your on-property credits from The Edit bookings for charges like dining and the spa during your stay.
Alila resorts are known for their fabulous spas, so for one afternoon of our stay, I booked a Talisman massage performed with soothing herbal poultices of ginger, clove, eucalyptus, dwarf pine, arnica and arrowroot that left me feeling both relaxed and energized, putting the rest of my on-property credit toward that.
Of course, we were also in town to see my mom and dad, so for the final night of our stay, we invited them for sunset drinks at the alfresco cocktail lounge so we could try signature libations like the Black Gold with Michter's rye, blackberry, honey and lemon before dinner at the hotel's flagship restaurant, Vaga.
There, we tucked into ultrafresh seasonal dishes like luscious slices of fresh-caught ahi tuna drizzed with black garlic aguachile over crisp Asian pears, Venus clams with briny bonito and savory pepper sofrito in mellow fennel fumet broth, juicy Iberico pork chops with red pepper muhammara and rich bone marrow pain perdu, and succulent halibut in a sweet nixta corn veloute with beluga lentils and local wild mushrooms.
Dessert included a velvety chocolate semifreddo and tangy mango-coconut sorbet with spiced cashews.
After a dinner like that, you can bet we slept well — all the better knowing we had secured late checkout based on availability, thanks to our The Edit booking, so we could snooze, enjoy a leisurely breakfast and then pack up before an early afternoon departure.
Dessert included a velvety chocolate semifreddo and tangy mango-coconut sorbet with spiced cashews.
There, we tucked into ultrafresh seasonal dishes like luscious slices of fresh-caught ahi tuna drizzed with black garlic aguachile over crisp Asian pears, Venus clams with briny bonito and savory pepper sofrito in mellow fennel fumet broth, juicy Iberico pork chops with red pepper muhammara and rich bone marrow pain perdu, and succulent halibut in a sweet nixta corn veloute with beluga lentils and local wild mushrooms.
After a dinner like that, you can bet we slept well — all the better knowing we had secured late checkout based on availability, thanks to our The Edit booking, so we could snooze, enjoy a leisurely breakfast and then pack up before an early afternoon departure.
Exploring
San Diego
FINE DINING
While staying at the Alila, we had plenty of time to venture out into the nearby beach hamlets of Encinitas, Leucadia, Carlsbad and Del Mar, all of which are former haunts of mine.
We borrowed electric bikes from the hotel and pedaled south one morning, stopping for spicy chai lattes and fluffy raspberry muffins at Pannikin Coffee & Tea, which is an old favorite from when I used to live in the area, before watching surfers shooting the curl at San Elijo State Beach. On the way back, we perused the weekend Moonlight Marketplace flea market for vintage goods, then stopped for crispy fish tacos and icy cold beers at Haggo's Tacos.
By linking my Chase Sapphire Reserve card to my OpenTable account, I was also able to utilize the new Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables benefit to secure a prime-time table for dinner at one of the area's only Michelin-starred restaurants, Jeune et Jolie, right along charming State Street in Carlsbad.
There, accomplished chef Eric Bost presents seasonal tasting menus with mix-and-match options.
KEEP SCROLLING FOR A TPG TIP ON THE LATEST UPDATE.
TPG TIP
CHASE SAPPHIRE RESERVE BENEFITS USED
- Prime-time reservations
- Curated selection of restaurants
- $300 in annual statements credits
- 3 points per dollar spent on dining
Link your Chase Sapphire Reserve to your OpenTable account in order to get access to Chase Sapphire Exclusive Tables bookings with expanded availability.
Jeune et Jolie
We were able to try tempting dishes like amberjack crudo with tart shiso and plum; poached egg with sweet corn foam, chanterelle mushrooms and shaved black truffles; tender squab breast with green garlic and leek; and rich ricotta and mimolette gnudi with carrots in a verdant asparagus saurce, all accompanied by biodynamic French wines, house-made juices and flavorful spirits.
My card's new $150 biannual OpenTable credit
helped make the final bill even more palatable, as did the fact that I would be earning 3 points per dollar spent on the rest of the charge.
LIVE MUSIC
One of the other nights, I took advantage of the card's new biannual $150 StubHub credit (which is available through Dec. 31, 2027)² to help pay for tickets to see country music star Wyatt Flores and his opening band, The Brudi Brothers, play at the intimate The Sound venue at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, just a few minutes' drive from our hotel.
TPG TIP
Through 2027, you get up to $150 in credits toward StubHub purchases from January through June and another up to $150 from July to December (activation required).²
Wyatt Flores at The Sound
TRAVEL PERKS
After three sun-, fun- and family-filled days in San Diego, it was finally time to wrap up our stay. My husband was headed to Los Angeles, but I immediately headed off to a work trip, so I called a Lyft³ to San Diego International Airport (SAN) for my flight, enjoying $10 off the ride as part of my monthly card benefit and earning 5 points per dollar spent on the remainder of the charge.
Thanks to the fact that I used my Chase Sapphire Reserve for a Global Entry application a few years ago to take advantage of a statement credit covering the cost of up to $120, I not only have that benefit, but also TSA PreCheck.
TPG TIP
CHASE SAPPHIRE RESERVE BENEFITS USED
- $10 monthly travel credit and 5 points per dollar spent on rides with Lyft³
- Global Entry/TSA PreCheck statement credit
- Entry to the Chase Sapphire Lounge
Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers can access Chase Sapphire Lounges within three hours of their scheduled departure and even bring two guests along for free.
I've visited several Chase Sapphire Lounges, but the one in my hometown happens to be my favorite, thanks not only to its fantastic tarmac views, but also destination-specific touches like the stunning surfboard installation by San Diego-based artist Hanna Daly.
While waiting for my flight, I got to enjoy dishes from local favorite Oscars Mexican Seafood, including a bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich, which was topped with a sweet and spicy jalapeno aioli. All right, and I might have indulged in a signature Sapphire cocktail made with Mulholland gin, blueberry, goldenberry, bee pollen and sparkling pearl dust, too.
Signature Sapphire cocktail
I made sure to save time for a complimentary 15-minute Face Haus facial treatment.
It was exactly the perfect mixture of self-indulgence and self-care for the end of my vacation before heading back to a packed work schedule and a delightful (and relaxing) final reminder of just how rewarding my Chase Sapphire Reserve card continues to be.
Here's a summary of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card's many new benefits I was able to use during this trip.
Here's how much value I was able to enjoy from my Chase Sapphire Reserve card on my trip:
$300 annual travel statement credit
$250 biannual The Edit hotel booking credit
$150 property credit on The Edit booking
$170 value of complimentary breakfast during The Edit hotel stay at Alila Marea
$150 biannual Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables credit
$150 biannual StubHub and Viagogo credit
$10 monthly Lyft credit
Total: $1,180
Thanks for going with me on my adventure. See you next time!
