Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; data as of September 27, 2026. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.
Annual fees: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card $95/yr, Chase Sapphire Reserve $795/yr. Strongest bonus categories: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card on travel, Chase Sapphire Reserve on travel.
Card data as of September 27, 2026.
Annual Fee
Welcome Bonus
| Category | Chase Sapphire Preferred Card | Chase Sapphire Reserve |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | 1X | 4X |
| Hotels | 1X |
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card wins in 5 of 7 categories. The Chase Sapphire Reserve leads in 2. 1 more category depend on booking channel or caps.
Travel
Depends: via Chase Travel portal
Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 8X when conditions are met; Chase Sapphire Preferred Card earns 5X (2X without restrictions)
Gas Stations
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card earns 3X vs 1X
Electric Vehicle Charging
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card earns 3X vs 1X
Vacation Rentals
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card earns 3X vs 1X
Streaming
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card earns 3X vs 1X
Grocery Stores
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card earns 3X vs 1X
Hotels
Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 4X vs 1X
Flights
Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 4X vs 1X
Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.
Published annual fees: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card $95/yr, Chase Sapphire Reserve $795/yr — a $700 difference before welcome offers and credits.
| 4X |
| Dining | 3X | 3X |
| Electric Vehicle Charging | 3X | 1X |
| Gas Stations | 3X | 1X |
| Grocery Stores | 3X | 1X |
| Streaming | 3X | 1X |
| Vacation Rentals | 3X | 1X |
| Travel | 2X | 1X |
| Everything Else | 1X | 1X |
Network
Key Benefits
Pros
Cons
Modeled net value (bonus categories at unconditional rates, caps applied). Spend mix: dining 15%, groceries 15%, gas 10%, travel 10%, everything else 50%. Statement credits use the same recurring usable estimates as each card's detail page; first-year-only credits count in year one only. Welcome offers valued at each card's program rate shown on this page.
Modeled value is close across spend levels — especially once statement credits are counted.
| Scenario | Chase Sapphire Preferred Card | Chase Sapphire Reserve | Ongoing winner | Year-one winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light spender: $1,000/month | Rewards: $410 Credits (our usable estimate): $109 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $424 Year one: $1,774 | Rewards: $281 Credits (our usable estimate): $1,218 − Annual fee ($795) Ongoing: $704 Year one: $2,554 | Close — depends on how much of the credits you use | Chase Sapphire Reserve |
| Heavy spender: $4,000/month | Rewards: $1,642 Credits (our usable estimate): $109 − Annual fee ($95) Ongoing: $1,656 Year one: $3,006 | Rewards: $1,123 Credits (our usable estimate): $1,218 − Annual fee ($795) Ongoing: $1,546 Year one: $3,396 | Close — depends on how much of the credits you use | Close — depends on how much of the credits you use |
The Chase Sapphire Reserve costs $795/yr — that's $700 more than the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card ($95/yr). To justify that gap, you need to extract at least $700 in annual value from the card's higher earn rates and benefits.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve includes travel credits, dining credits, lounge access, Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit. Those perks are not included in the earn-rate scenario table above — compare their dollar value to the $700 fee gap for your own usage.
Bottom line: Use the year-one vs ongoing table for modeled earn value at your spend level. The $700 fee gap means the Chase Sapphire Reserve needs roughly $700 more in annual rewards (or credits you will use) to break even on travel and hotels and everyday spend.
Choosing one card means missing out on these benefits from the other.
Choosing Chase Sapphire Preferred Card means losing:
Get the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card if you:
Get the Chase Sapphire Reserve if you:
Editorial disclosure: CardRewards.ai is an independent comparison service. Card data comes from issuers' published terms; data as of September 27, 2026. Card issuers do not influence our rankings or content.
