Chase Sapphire Reserve Benefits
My wife and I are back with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. After signup bonuses several years ago, we’ve gone extended periods holding or living without the Reserve. Much of this has to do with our goals with the Pay Yourself Back benefit. We’ve staggered holding the Reserve, product changing back and forth from the Freedom. Along the way, we’ve become more adept with a long-time benefit while acquainting ourselves with a newer one. I’m sharing both today.
Enroll in Priority Pass Select
The Reserve still comes with Priority Pass Select membership, albeit not the previously-outstanding version with access to restaurants in the Priority Pass program. Still, we like to keep this next evolution of Chase’s Priority Pass Select, as Reserve cardmembers have unlimited access to their stellar Chase Sapphire Lounges. But enrollment isn’t automatic when picking up the Reserve, and with how often we product change, this matter is compounded.
Long story short, we’ve learned that a Chase rep must manually request a Reserve cardholder’s enrollment in Priority Pass Select. Last year, I did so via Chase secure message online. During the phone conversation to upgrade this year, I remembered to request the rep enroll me. The agent said the card would arrive within ten business days, but I had it in my hands within three. The secure message method was reliable, but it took about three weeks for the card to arrive, in our experience.
Review the DoorDash Benefits
The Reserve has historically provided small but useful DoorDash benefits, including a $5 monthly credit and Dash Pass membership. I’ve enjoyed stacking up to three months of this credit for a $15 order. But recently, Chase has extended their DoorDash partnership with the Reserve, bringing new perks along the way. And those benefits are more practical than I first realized.
You can check out the full details in DDG’s article, but here are the main points for Reserve cardholders. The monthly $5 credit for restaurant orders and related terms remain the same, including the stacking of up to three months of credits. And now, cardholders are entitled to two promos, up to $10 each, on monthly non-restaurant orders. To be extra clear, these two promos can’t be combined on one order.
I decided to experiment a bit with this new perk. Unlike the $5 monthly credit automatically added to your DoorDash balance, this comes in the form of a promo to add to the order. Theoretically, this means one can’t add a traditional promo code (% or $ off, free items, etc) when opting for a $10 monthly non-restaurant promo. On the bright side, the options for using this promo are much wider than I initially expected. For instance, these promos are redeemable at restaurants, sort of. In my region, I’m able to redeem the $10 promo for convenience options like Royal Farms and Wawa, which provide fresh meal options. Even better, certain locations allow customer pickup, avoiding costly delivery and service fees.
While at home or on the road, we’re happy for this additional $20 monthly for a variety of handy options, like a quick breakfast or snack to share. And, of course, so many other options exist for cardholders to use this “free” $20, but it won’t come to that for us.
Chase Sapphire Reserve Benefits – Conclusion
Of course, educate yourself on all Chase Sapphire Reserve benefits beyond these ones. Like other products, the Reserve offers cardholders a variety of perks, but it’s the responsibility of informed individuals to know how to play them. Many bemoan the minutiae of myriad, perceived-menial benefit of such credits. Others vaguely write off all lounges as terrible without elaborating. I’ll focus on my own maximizing instead of their complaining, and I encourage you to do the same. At a minimum, identify which benefits are and aren’t worth your time.
How do you leverage your Chase Sapphire Reserve benefits most?
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I tried to use the new $10.00 credit without success. There does not appear to be any supermarkets in my area code (92708) that allow in store pickup. Also, I was not able to get the $10.00 credit to appear at checkout. Any suggestions?
CSR travel insurance has paid for a rental car ripped off the street in broad daylight in SF, a car accident in Lisbon, and a travel delay to Venice. Hertz sent me the rental car bill for $60k and CSR insurance settled it. I’m a >$100k spender on the CSR now.