Thanks to its plethora of premium travel perks, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see charges and costs) is well-known within the travel bank card house. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see charges and costs) is the Sapphire Reserve’s mid-tier sibling. The two playing cards come with annual charges of $795 and $95, respectively.
No matter which Sapphire card you’ve, Chase clearly defines what counts as travel. However, Chase not too long ago refreshed the Sapphire Reserve, altering the way it rewards spending on travel. (The Sapphire Preferred has not undergone any modifications.)
So, we have up to date this information to make clear which purchases count (and do not count) towards incomes bonus factors on each playing cards.
How many factors does the Chase Sapphire Reserve earn on travel?
Existing cardholders
If you utilized on your Sapphire Reserve earlier than June 23, you may earn on the following charges till Oct. 25:
- 10 factors per greenback spent on resorts and automotive leases booked via Chase Travel℠
- 5 factors per greenback on Lyft rides (via Sept. 30, 2027) and flights booked via Chase Travel
- 3 factors per greenback on all different travel purchases
From Oct. 26, your incomes construction will change to the one beneath.
New cardholders
Those who utilized for his or her card from June 23 — as effectively as current cardholders from Oct. 26 — take pleasure in the next incomes charges:
- 8 factors per greenback on purchases made via Chase Travel
- 5 factors per greenback on Lyft rides (via Sept. 30, 2027)
- 4 factors per greenback on flights and resorts booked instantly
- 1 level per greenback on all different travel purchases
How many factors does the Chase Sapphire Preferred earn on travel?
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card earns:
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily publication
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s consultants
- 5 factors per greenback on all travel booked via Chase Travel
- 5 factors per greenback spent on Lyft rides (via Sept. 30, 2027)
- 2 factors per greenback on all different travel purchases
‘Travel,’ based on Chase
The Chase Travel portal lets you e-book numerous sorts of travel. Here’s how Chase defines “all other travel purchases:”
“Merchants in this category include airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds and operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots and garages.”
Compared to bonus classes from different bank cards, Chase’s travel class is extraordinarily beneficiant. (Remember that flights and resorts booked instantly with the Sapphire Reserve earn at elevated charges.)
While playing cards such as the American Express® Gold Card and The Platinum Card® from American Express supply bonus factors for airfare purchases made instantly with the airline (with a spending cap of $500,000 on the Amex Platinum per calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback), the Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve playing cards allow you to earn a bonus on just about each trip-related cost.
The travel class encompasses all kinds of purchases, from cruises to tolls and taxis to parking charges. Airbnb and Uber purchases additionally count as travel.
The following purchases don’t apply towards the Sapphire Preferred’s normal travel bonus class, however most should not come as a shock:
“Some merchants that provide transportation and travel-related services are not included in this category; for example, real estate agents, educational merchants arranging travel, in-flight goods and services, on-board cruise line goods and services, sightseeing activities, excursions, tourist attractions, RV and boat rentals, merchants within hotels and airports, public campgrounds and merchants that rent vehicles for the purpose of hauling. Purchases from gift card merchants or merchants that sell points or miles will not qualify in the travel category.”
Based on TPG staffers’ experiences within the current previous, there are a number of notable travel-related prices that haven’t posted as travel for the needs of bonus factors with Chase. These embrace an RV rental and a few trip leases through VRBO and related providers.
Whether a trip dwelling rental routinely codes as travel depends upon whether or not a person or a conglomerate operates it. In the latter case, that cost could also be coded as “professional services” as an alternative of travel.
If you are ever uncertain whether or not a given buy counts as travel, it might be value making a small cost and checking whether or not it earns any bonus factors in your on-line Chase account.
If you imagine a travel buy ought to have earned bonus factors however did not, you are not out of choices. Start by checking how the transaction was categorized in your Chase on-line account; this may usually make clear whether or not the service provider was coded accurately as a travel supplier. If it wasn’t, otherwise you’re nonetheless uncertain, you may contact Chase via a safe message or by cellphone to request a guide evaluation of the cost.
While Chase could not all the time modify your factors retroactively, reaching out can present perception into how sure distributors code and make it easier to make extra knowledgeable choices for future purchases. It’s a easy step that might yield additional rewards — or on the very least, peace of thoughts.
What does Chase usually count as travel purchases?
- Airlines (normal travel on the Sapphire Preferred; elevated class on the Sapphire Reserve)
- Buses
- Campgrounds
- Car rental companies (excluding RV and boat leases)
- Cruise traces
- Discount travel websites
- Ferries
- Hotels (normal travel on the Sapphire Preferred; elevated class on the Sapphire Reserve)
- Limousines
- Motels (usually categorized as resorts)
- Parking tons and garages
- Passenger trains
- Taxis
- Timeshares
- Toll bridges and highways
- Travel companies
What does Chase usually not count as travel purchases?
- Educational retailers arranging travel
- Excursions
- Gift card retailers
- Inflight items and providers
- Merchants that promote factors or miles
- Merchants that hire autos for the aim of hauling
- Merchants inside resorts and airports
- Onboard cruise line items and providers
- Public campgrounds
- Real property brokers
- RV and boat leases
- Sightseeing actions
- Tourist sights
Bottom line
The Sapphire Preferred provides sturdy worth on normal travel, whereas the Sapphire Reserve offers much more rewards in elevated classes.
According to TPG’s July 2025 valuations, that interprets to a 4.1% return on normal travel purchases with the Sapphire Preferred. With flight or resort purchases made instantly with the Sapphire Reserve, you may get a return of 8.2%. Then, you may put your factors to make use of with Chase’s airline and resort companions.
On prime of that, these Chase playing cards have a few of the most beneficiant travel insurance coverage and buy protections available on the market. This makes both card a useful addition to your pockets.
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
