Big changes coming to Chase Sapphire Reserve this summer, and Marriott bonus transfers for a limited time
No question this week, just a news round-up.
Welcome to Ask The Group Chat, where each week I am answering questions from my readers, trying to help you figure out the life stuff you think you’re already supposed to understand. This week is a news roundup, but please do keep sending questions for the future!
Chase Sapphire Reserve gets a “refresh” this summer
Every millennial’s favorite credit card is getting a shake-up this summer! I started writing this newsletter as a rumors roundup, but this morning they dropped the new card benefits and set up, so we’re publishing a day early to give you all as much time to digest the changes as possible in advance of the new card rollout on Monday, June 23rd.
First, on the surface, the card got a sleek physical redesign, which Chase is selling heavily on their Instagram this week. But if you need more than aesthetics to get you excited about a credit card, here are the big changes:
Increasing the $550 annual fee to $795, pricing it beyond Amex Platinum!
Continuation of the general $300 yearly credit (tied to card anniversary) for travel purchases.
Complimentary IHG Platinum Elite Status
Replacing the 1.5 earning rate on travel portal purchases with targeted Points Boost, offering 2 cents per point rates.
Earning categories:
8x Chase Travel bookings (currently 10x for hotels and cars and 5x for flights)
4x flights & hotels booked directly (currently 3x on all travel)
3x dining (same as current)
1x everywhere else (same as current)
Statement Credits
$500 annual statement credit for The Edit, Chase's curated collection of luxury hotels and resorts (split into two $250 biannual credits)
$300 annual statement credit for StubHub or Viagogo purchases of concert and event tickets (split into two $150 biannual credits; activation required)
$300 annually in monthly DoorDash promotions (a $5 restaurant promo and two $10 promos on everyday essentials each month; activate by Dec. 31, 2027)
$300 annual dining credit and primetime reservations at Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables, which you can book on OpenTable (split into two $150 biannual credits)
$250 annual statement credit for Apple TV+ and Apple Music subscriptions
$120 in annual statement credits toward Peloton memberships ($10 per month through Dec. 31, 2027)
$120 of a complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership (activate by Dec. 31, 2027)
$120 in annual Lyft in-app credits, up to $10 monthly through Sept. 30, 2027
TSA Pre-Check/Global Entry Credit once every 4 years
Spend $75,000 in a year & receive:
$500 Southwest credit
Southwest A-List status
IHG Diamond status
$250 The Shops credit
For current cardholders with a renewal date before Oct 26th, 2025, your card will renew at the $550 rate. For all current cardholders, the new perks (aside from the Points Boost, which activates on this coming Monday for everyone) will not activate until Oct 26th, and then you will be charged $795 at your next renewal.
If you want to sign up for the card as of June 23rd, you’ll get all the new perks immediately, plus the higher annual rate.
The couponification of the card puts it on par with how the Amex Platinum works, and I’ve found a way to make that card technically cost-neutral in a year. With this offering, I see immediately $610 in value for me ($300 travel credit, $60 of the DoorDash perk, and the $250 Apple credit), and an easy path to neutralizing the card cost with the Stubhub and Dining Perks. If you can maximize every perk this card has to offer, it’s worth around $2940, plus status perks that don’t have a dollar amount attached. That takes work, but if these are natural expenses for you anyway, then this card is definitely more powerful than it was yesterday.
There’s also another exciting development this week: the launch of the Chase Reserve Business card. This is a completely new offering, with the same $795 price tag. The perks list isn’t completely the same. You retain all the points earning rates and credits above, except the Dining and Peloton credits, and then add:
3x points on advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines
Up to $400 ZipRecruiter credit, split into biannual credits of up to $200 from January to June and up to $200 from July to December.
Up to $200 Google Workspace credit: Receive a statement credit for purchases made directly with Google Workspace for AI tools for business.
Up to $100 Giftcards.com credit: Earn up to $100 in statement credits (up to $50 from January through June and $50 from July through December) on gift card purchases made through giftcards.com/reservebusiness.
Unlocking the elevated credits requires a higher annual spend, $120,000 each calendar year, and gets you an extra $250 The Shops credit.
The biggest bit of missing intel for both cards? There are still no details on signup bonuses at the time of publication, but I will update in the next newsletter when we know more.
Even with the higher fee, this card is going to stay in my wallet and is still a powerhouse travel points card, but I’d make sure you’re actually using the credits before you commit to renewing the card. In October, if you’re already holding this card, I’d make sure you grab up the bi-annual perks due to you to see how easy they are to use for your current situation, and then reassess.
Got questions? Drop a line, and I will try to answer for your specific situation.
Marriott’s new Chase Bonus Transfer Rate of 65%
Hot off my topic from last week, Marriott launched a brief, 15-day bonus run on Chase transfers. That means for every 1,000 Chase points you transfer, you get 1,650 points at Marriott. That’s pretty close to my ideal transfer rate, so let’s do a quick fantasy travel equation to show how that compares to a Hyatt transfer (my hotel gold standard).
Let’s look at a New York City redemption, with two comparable hotels in a similar area. You want to stay near Union Square over the 4th of July. The W Hotel (Marriott) would set you back 170,000 points for a 3-night stay, while the Hyatt Union Square would set you back 71,000 points. That means you’d need to convert 104,000 Chase points to book the Marriott, 33,000 points more than the non-bonus Hyatt. For a slightly more glamorous comparison, let’s look at the Andaz Maui (Hyatt) vs the similarly located Wailea Beach Resort - Marriott over a weekend in January 2026 (15-18). Andaz will cost you 135,000 points vs the Wailea Beach at 306,000. So there’s still a difference in converted points of 51,000.
Now, there are some benefits to a longer Marriott stay, where you get a 5th night free, which would drop the above hypotheticals down to slightly more aligned prices, but generally, at the 65% rate, Hyatt will come out on top for sheer bang for your points. However, if you have a Marriott-specific redemption in mind, this is a good time to take advantage of a conversion and lock that trip in.
That’s all for this week, let me know if you like this quick news format and if I should do it more often with a comment!
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Reminder: I’m not a licensed financial advisor, and this is not financial advice. I’m just sharing my personal opinions with my group chat.