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Chase Restricts Dining Category on Sapphire Reserve and Other Cards: Some Merchants No Longer Earn a Bonus

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Disclosure: Miles to Memories has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Miles to Memories and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Links in this post may provide us with a commission.

Chase Dining Category Restrictions

Chase Dining Category Restrictions

It really stinks when you make a purchase fully expecting to get a category bonus for it and then it codes as 1X. This does happen of course and it has to do with the way the processor (Visa or Mastercard) codes the merchant. The truth is though that there are a ton of different codes within a category and credit card issuers decide which ones earn a bonus.

Previously, Chase’s definition of “Dining” on the Sapphire cards was fairly wide. While “Dining” still does include restaurants, fast food, coffee shops and bars, there are a few subcategories that have been eliminated.

According to Dan’s Deals, a Chase rep has confirmed the following via Secure Message:

…as of 8/30/2016 transactions billed as Bakeries, Caterers, & Dairy product stores will no longer qualify as accelerated rewards earnings. This is for all Chase products to remain fair and consistent.

Many bakeries have restaurants, so that is one that will no doubt confuse people. Perhaps the biggest loss though is catering. While I assume most people don’t have catering expenses all too often, I know many businesses often order from caterers as do many people occasionally. Since catering bills can be large, this will hurt some.

Conclusion

I’m not quite sure what motivated this change, but I am guessing Chase saw a lot of larger purchases in these categories which made the bonus spend fall outside of their projected costs. Either way, pay close attention the next time you are swiping a Chase card at a dining establishment, because you might only be earning the dreaded 1X!

Disclosure: Miles to Memories has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Miles to Memories and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

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Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Shawn Coomer
Shawn Coomerhttps://milestomemories.com/
Shawn Coomer earns and burns millions of miles/points per year circling the globe with his family. An expert at accumulating travel rewards, he founded Miles to Memories to help others achieve their travel goals for pennies on the dollar. Shawn also runs a million dollar reselling business, knows Vegas better than most and loves to spend his time at the 12 Disney parks across the world.

Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

11 COMMENTS

  1. Chase have denied me a bonus in Transportation-fuel category at Giant supermarket gas station saying that transaction got coded as grossery. On the same bill, purchase at ACME supermarket gas station was counted and preoccupied

  2. everyone should just be ready for the continuous chase axe… i am sure everyone already knows this… however, I admit this first axe came way too early. wasnt expecting it.

  3. I wouldn’t think the Dairy category will affect most people, and I can absolutely see why they would take catering off the list. The bakery thing confuses me though, not sure I understand the reasoning behind that one.

    • Think of all the ridiculous wedding cakes people spend enormous sums of money on in the “bakery” category. It really feels like most of these changes were aimed at people paying for their honeymoon through their wedding spending purchases, although I still don’t get the dairy category.

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