Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve Getting a Makeover? Here’s What We Know
Is Chase Sapphire Reserve Getting a Makeover? Here’s What We Know?
Heads up, if you’ve got the Chase Sapphire Reserve or have been thinking about getting it—changes are on the way, and they’re kind of a mixed bag. If you're a Hawaii-based traveler, here’s what actually matters.
Rumors (which are looking pretty legit at this point) say Chase is planning to roll out some new benefits this summer—but also cut back on how much value you can squeeze from Pay Yourself Back.
💳 What’s Changing With Sapphire Reserve?
Here’s what’s likely coming (based on internal memos and leaks):
What’s Changing:
Annual fee jumps to $795 (that’s a $245 increase)
Chase Travel hotel and car rentals drop from 10x to 8x points
Flights booked through Chase Travel go up from 5x to 8x points
Direct bookings for flights and hotels increase from 3x to 4x points
Other travel purchases drop from 3x to just 1x point per dollar
Potential New Perks (a mix of travel, lifestyle, and weirdly specific stuff):
$500 “Edit Credit”: You’ll get $250 twice a year to use at a curated hotel collection in Chase’s new hotel portal.
$300 Dining credit: $150 every six months, tied to a new platform called Sapphire Reserve Tables.
$300 StubHub credit: Again, split into two $150 chunks per year.
$300 DoorDash credit: Comes as $25/month.
1-year DoorDash membership (valued at $120)
$250 Apple bundle: Toward Apple TV+ and Apple Music
$120 Lyft credit: 5% back in points, capped at $10/month
$120 Peloton credit: Earn 10x points on Peloton purchases, up to $10/month
High-Spend Perks (after $75,000 in annual spend… Can I pay my Hawaii mortgage with this??? geeez):
$500 Southwest Airlines credit
Southwest A-List status
IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite Status
$250 credit for The Shops at Columbus Circle (NYC)
🤙 What This Means for Hawaii Travelers
Let’s be real: Instacart and DoorDash aren’t super useful for most people in Hawaii. Some areas don’t even have reliable delivery, and $15/month for Instacart won’t go far if you’re buying local anyway.
The biggest bummer? Losing 1.5x value on Pay Yourself Back for travel purchases. That was huge if you used your points to cover Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska, or even Airbnb bookings not made through the Chase portal.
If this rumor is true, the card’s flexibility takes a hit—especially for people who prefer booking flights or vacation rentals directly (like many of us do).
🧠 Should You Keep or Ditch the Sapphire Reserve?
Let’s break it down real quick:
Still worth it if you...
Travel internationally and want lounge access (Priority Pass + Chase Sapphire Lounges)
Use the $300 travel credit each year
Book flights/hotels through the Chase Travel portal to get 1.5x value. I don’t use this as much because I mostly trasnfer to Chase’s partners.
Maybe time to downgrade if you...
Don’t use delivery services like Instacart or DoorDash
Preferred using Pay Yourself Back for Airbnb, dining, or travel not through Chase
Don’t fly mainland or international often
🤙 My Take (for Hawaii Travelers)
If you’re flying to Japan, the mainland, or doing international travel even once a year, the Sapphire Reserve might still be worth it, especially paired with the right transfer partners like Air Canada, Virgin Atlantic, or Singapore KrisFlyer.
But if you mainly fly interisland, book directly with Hawaiian Airlines, and don’t care about lounges or delivery apps, this card is starting to lose some of its shine.
One of the saddest downgraded perks was when the Reserve’s Priority Pass lost its restaurant credit. I recall getting $27 dining credit for myself and 2 guests at certain airport restaurants.. thats gone…
I had canceled my Chase Sapphire Reserve in order to reapply and qualify for the Sapphire preferred 100k bonus. I’m on the fence whether or not ill be upgrading to the Reserve.
Hope you do your research and decide if this card is beneficial to you. If perks is your main desire, there are some other high end travel cards I recommend for the Luxury Traveler!
Mahalo,
Scott Kobayashi | Hawaii Reward Travel
