Luxury business travel card enthusiasts: Chase has entered the chat. The Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business officially launches June 23.
Some details remain under wraps, including the initial sign-up bonus. So how the Sapphire Reserve for Business stacks up against the best business credit cards is unclear.
But here’s everything we know right now.
It’s expensive. With an annual fee of $795, the Sapphire Reserve for Business is the most expensive mainstream business travel card. That label was long held by The Business Platinum Card from American Express, but not anymore.
It has a super-high reward rate for travel. The Sapphire Reserve for Business easily beats other business travel cards when it comes to flights and hotels.
-
4X points on flights and hotels.
-
8X points on Chase Travel purchases.
Most other business travel cards earn between 1 and 3 points per $1 spent on flights and hotels. The Sapphire Reserve for Business doesn’t earn that 4X rate on all travel, though. Rental cars, gas, taxis, public transportation and passenger trains such as Amtrak, all fall under “everything else” and earn 1 point per $1.
The points you earn can be worth twice as much with the card’s points boost offers, too. With this perk, points redeemed on select flights and hotels (via Chase Travel) are worth 2 cents per point rather than the standard 1 cent per point.
It comes with lounge access. Primary cardholders get access to the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club network of lounges. That includes seven locations, with three more “coming soon.” You’ll also get a free pass into more than 1,300 Priority Pass Select lounges.
Sapphire Reserve for Business primary cardholders can bring two guests when they visit a lounge. That’s a significant advantage over other luxury business cards, like the Venture X Business, which are rolling back guest access.
Its value lies in coupon-style discounts. This is a familiar, if not annoying, model for premium travel cards. Charge a super-high fee and offer statement credits for various services to help offset that upfront cost. Whether the card is worth the annual fee comes down to whether you cash in those discounts.
The Sapphire Reserve for Business offers the following statement credits:
-
$300 annual travel credit.
-
$120 statement credit on TSA PreCheck®, Global Entry or Nexus (every four years).
-
$500 credit for prepaid stays with The Edit by Chase Travel.
-
$400 annual credit for ZipRecruiter purchases.
-
$200 Google Workspace credit toward AI tools for business.
-
$300 in annual DoorDash statement credits (doled out monthly), plus a free DashPass membership.
-
$120 in annual Lyft in-app credits (up to $10 monthly).
-
$100 Giftcards.com credit.
See additional Sapphire Reserve for Business benefits
Spend $120,000 in a calendar year on your Sapphire Reserve for Business to unlock the following benefits:
-
IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite status.
-
Southwest Airlines A-List status, plus a $500 credit when you book Southwest flights via Chase Travel.
-
$500 credit to The Shops at Chase.
It’s a great option for advertising spend. While it’s billed as a travel card, the Sapphire Reserve for Business also earns big-time rewards on social media and search engine advertising.
Cardholders get 3X points for every ad dollar spent on Google, Facebook, Instagram and other eligible platforms. And there’s no cap on eligible spending, setting the Sapphire Reserve for Business apart from other popular cards for advertising rewards, like the AmEx Business Gold.
So if your business spends $250,000 on Google ads each year, you’ll net 750,000 points. Those points could be worth as much as $15,000 in travel via the Chase Travel portal if you take advantage of the card’s “points boost” perk.
Sapphire Reserve for Business vs. AmEx Business Platinum
On rewards alone, the Sapphire Reserve for Business wins by a mile. That’s no surprise. The Business Platinum Card’s low ongoing rewards rate — just 1 point per $1 on most spending — has long been its Achilles’ heel.
Beyond that, it depends on which card offers discounts and perks your business will actually use.
Note: AmEx is planning “major updates” to its Business Platinum card later this year. What those updates are and exactly when they’ll arrive is a mystery.
|
Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business |
|
|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
*You earn complimentary guest access (up to two guests) to Centurion lounges once you spend $75,000 on eligible purchases in a calendar year. Terms apply. |
Spend $120,000 in a calendar year to earn elite status through the following calendar year:
|
|
|
|
Is the Sapphire Reserve for Business worth the annual fee?
For most businesses, no. You’d have to use most of the card’s coupon-style benefits to justify paying the $795 annual fee. And, honestly, what business owner has time to keep track of how many DoorDash grocery credits and restaurant credits they’ve used?
Even businesses that spend a lot on flights, hotels or advertising may find it hard to stomach the annual fee given other business cards at your disposal.
Consider this: You need to spend at least $20,000 per year on flights or hotels just to break even with the Sapphire Reserve for Business. Spend the same $20,000 on a card like the Venture X Business and you’re already in the green.
Other business credit cards to consider
In the premium travel card realm, the Capital One Venture X Business is a better pick for most businesses. At $395, the annual fee is half the cost of the Sapphire Reserve for Business (see rates and fees). It earns 2X points on all purchases, has a $300 credit for travel booked via Capital One’s travel portal and offers a comparable airport lounge network — albeit without the guest access.
The Chase Ink Business Preferred is another easier, simpler alternative. It earns 3X points on all travel — not just flights and hotels — and advertising, plus a handful of other categories (up to $150,000 annually). This card doesn’t have any flashy perks, but the annual fee is just $95.
Source link