Should you upgrade your Chase Sapphire Preferred to the Reserve?

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card is one of the most popular premium credit cards on the market today. Many people decide to sign up for the Reserve in order to take advantage of its travel benefits, but there are numerous additional perks that make this card valuable even for cardholders who aren’t on the road as often.

Plus, Chase recently updated the rewards on both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. With the Sapphire Reserve, cardholders earn 10X points on Chase Dining, hotel stays and rental car purchases made through Ultimate Rewards, as well as 5X points on air travel booked through Ultimate Rewards.

If you currently have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you might consider upgrading to the Reserve to take advantage of these perks. The annual fee is much higher, but the value of benefits can offset the cost for many spenders.

See related: Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Sapphire Reserve

First things first: You can’t apply for a Chase Sapphire credit card if you already hold any Sapphire card – whether that’s the Preferred, the Reserve or even the now discontinued basic Sapphire card.

That being said, you won’t have to cancel your Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card in order to get your hands on the Reserve. You can just ask Chase to upgrade the card you hold right now. If your request is approved, you won’t even have to change your credit card number.

If you’ve been weighing the pros and cons of keeping your Sapphire Preferred against upgrading to its big brother, here are some factors to keep in mind as you compare the two cards.

You’ll see that the two cards share many benefits. The main distinctions are:

• 5 points per dollar on the Preferred versus 10 points on the Reserve on Lyft purchases (through March 2022)
• 3X points on dining and takeout versus 10 points on Chase Dining purchases made through Ultimate rewards
• 2X points on general travel purchases versus 3 points on general travel purchases
• 25% versus 50% bonus on rewards redeemed for travel in the Ultimate Rewards portal

Who is the Sapphire Preferred card best for?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a fantastic beginner travel card. This mid-tier rewards card offers generous benefits for a very reasonable annual fee of $95.

The Preferred is ideal for several types of credit card holders, including first-time cardholders, college students and young professionals, budding travelers and people who dine out on occasion.

If you’ve been eyeing Chase’s family of cards or its other banking products, the Preferred is a great way to start your relationship.

Who is the Sapphire Reserve card best for?

The Reserve is ideal for a slightly different profile of customer. Foodies, existing Chase customers and frequent travelers who value Priority Pass lounge access and similar luxury perks all stand to benefit from the Reserve’s numerous benefits, which come at an annual cost of $550.

Also keep in mind that Chase Ultimate Reward points are worth 1.5 cents when used to book travel with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, versus the 1.25 cents that you get with the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

How to upgrade from the Preferred to the Reserve

Chase doesn’t guarantee that upgrade requests will be granted. However, there are a few factors that can boost your chances of upgrading from the Chase Sapphire Preferred to the Reserve, including:

• The length of time that you have been a Chase customer
• The monthly amount of money you spend on your credit card
• Good credit and payment history

Some considerations that may damage your cause include:

• Attempting to upgrade your card before you have held it for at least a year
• Having too many Chase products
• A high amount of outstanding debt against your credit limits, especially against your income
• Spotty payment history

To upgrade, you can reach out to Chase either by phone or via the secure messaging center in your Chase banking portal. In either situation, simply state that you want to upgrade your Preferred credit card to the Reserve. By phone, a representative should be able to pull up your record immediately and get you a response in a few minutes. If you request your upgrade over the online messaging system, Chase will usually respond within a few hours.

Note that you won’t qualify for the 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points sign-up bonus if you upgrade your credit card, since upgrades aren’t considered new sign-ups.

Other Chase cards you can upgrade to the Reserve

The Chase Sapphire Preferred isn’t the only credit card that you can upgrade to the Reserve. If you hold a credit card within the Chase Freedom family, you can upgrade that to the Sapphire Reserve as well, following the same procedure outlined above.

See related: Chase Ultimate Rewards cards

Should you upgrade from the Sapphire Preferred to the Sapphire Reserve?

You can’t go wrong with the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Reserve, since both cards offer substantial benefits for the right cardholder. Based on the criteria above, you should be able to determine which card is best for your current needs.

However, this may not be the right time for you to upgrade your card if you aren’t planning to travel anytime soon – especially if you don’t use Lyft, eat out often, want to book travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards or use streaming services.