Perks and Travel
I often get asked which credit card I prefer for travel. There are several cards out there that serve people well such as the Citi Premier Card, Capital One Venture Rewards, and the Amex Platinum Card. However, the card I really love the most is the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Here are three things that I love most about this card:
1) It comes with TSA PreCheck or Global Entry(includes TSA PreCheck). Have you ever gone to an airport and in the process of getting through security, there’s roughly about 138 people in front you in line to get through. But when you look at the TSA PreCheck line, there’s less than 20? At several airports, when traveling internationally, getting through Customs have an even higher volume of people. Now with Global Entry, you have the ability to use the Kiosk instead of waiting in line visit the Customs Agent. Going through security at airports as well as US customs can be extremely time consuming! The Global Entry expedites these 2 processes drastically as well as more conveniently. The cost of TSA PreCheck is $85 and $100 for Global Entry. As A Chase Sapphire Reserve Cardholder, this perk is absolutely free.
2) Priority Pass Select. As a CSR card holder, you can sign up for the Priority Pass Select at no cost. Once you sign up, you’ll receive a card in the mail. Priority Pass Select gives you access to over 1,100 restaurants and airport lounges and worldwide. These lounges include private rooms equipped with showers, TV’s, snacks and drinks for a quieter and less crowded space between flights. Not only does this card give you access to these benefits at no cost at all, a guest of your choice is rewarded the same benefit. Why wait in noisy overcrowded terminals between flights when you can have access to dining, private lounges to relax, work(free wifi), charge devices, free food/snacks and beverages?
3) This card comes with a whopping $300 annual travel credit that you can use for any expenses categorized as travel such as local transportation, parking, booking flights(any airline), Uber, hotel stays, etc. If it’s categorized as travel, it’s reimbursable up to $300 each year. The credit for those expenses will automatically be applied to the same statement as the original expense.
These 3 things along with the signup bonus and the rewards points have really allowed my wife and I to travel in an entirely differently way that’s and more conveniently, often times at no cost to us excluding food/dining, and shopping. For our last 2 vacations, our flights and rooms were free due to rewards points earned on the card in addition to the annual travel credit. Travel for our next 2 vacations will be free as well using the points that we’ve racked up on the card from dining, paying bills, groceries, gas, shopping, and coffee(there’s nothing like Chase & Coffee). Rewards points are worth 1.5% more when redeemed for travel. The Chase Sapphire Reserve is considered to be a Premium Credit Card so it does comes with a premium annual fee of $450. For this card, a good credit score required. Despite the annual fee, the ROI makes this card a no brainer for those who travel often as well those who only travel a couple times a year. If you are in the market for a premium credit card, I recommend the Chase Sapphire Reserve!