If you're considering applying for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) or Sapphire Reserve for BusinessSM (see rates and fees), you'll want to be sure you qualify for the welcome bonus.
That's especially true for the Sapphire Preferred, which is once again offering its highest-ever welcome bonus: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first three months from account opening.
To earn any of these cards' intro bonuses, you'll need to meet the minimum spending requirement within the allotted time. But before you start worrying about that, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with each card's eligibility guidelines. Below, we cover everything you need to know about the Chase Sapphire bonus rules.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card packs a punch for a $95 annual fee card, offering annual travel credits, comprehensive travel protections, flexible rewards and more.
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase's travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Long list of travel and shopping protections
- Annual Chase Travel hotel credit
- Has an annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM, 3x on dining, 3x on vacation homes, 3x on gas & EV charging, 3x on top streaming services and online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get a year of complimentary Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 - a value of $156.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card for a Global Entry, TSA Precheck® or NEXUS application.
- Transfer points to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a standout premium credit card with luxury perks including, hotel credits, complimentary hotel elite status, travel credits, dining credits, rideshare and delivery benefits and much more.
- Access Priority Pass lounges, including unlimited access to Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club locations.
- Up to $300 in annual travel credit each account anniversary year
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase's travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Top-tier travel and shopping protections
- High annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
- Complicated list of benefits
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get $3,000 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase TravelSM, including The EditSM and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary subscriptions to Apple TV and Apple Music for a minimum of one year when activated by June 22, 2027, a value of $288 annually.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Current Sapphire welcome bonus eligibility rules
The Chase Sapphire card welcome bonuses change and feature increased limited-time offers, which may vary depending on whether you apply online or in a branch.
Regardless of the offer you apply for, pay attention to the details. When you're trying to meet the minimum spending requirement, certain transactions won't count toward earning the intro bonus, including balance transfers, cash advances, lottery tickets, racetrack wagers, interest, fraudulent charges, fees (including the annual fee) and other cash-like transactions.
Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve rules
You are ineligible for a Sapphire card if you currently have that exact card. In other words, you cannot have more than one Chase Sapphire Preferred card or more than one Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
You can hold both versions of the consumer Sapphire card at the same time (the Preferred and Reserve), and having one doesn't necessarily exclude you from earning a welcome bonus with the other.
However, you're unlikely to qualify for a welcome bonus if you've earned a welcome offer from that specific card before. The terms for the Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve state:
The new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you previously held this card or received a new cardmember bonus for this card.
While this feels like a once-per-lifetime welcome bonus rule for each of the consumer Sapphire cards, that may not always be the case. There are reports of people qualifying for the Sapphire Preferred's welcome bonus even though they previously had the card. However, in these instances, the applicants held the card years ago, often 10+ years prior.
There is no guarantee you'll be approved if you last had the Sapphire Preferred over a decade ago, but if you're not eligible for the welcome offer, Chase will let you know during the application process. After hitting submit, but before your credit is pulled, you'll get a message like this:
The terms also state that Chase may consider the number of cards you've opened and closed to determine whether you're eligible for a Sapphire welcome bonus. There is an unofficial guideline known as the Chase 5/24 rule.
The way it works is that if you've opened five or more cards from any bank in the previous 24 months, you're unlikely to be approved for a new Chase credit card. With this rule, business credit cards typically won't add to your 5/24 count as long as they don't appear on your personal credit report.
Sapphire Reserve for Business rules
Earning a Sapphire Reserve for Business welcome bonus won't make you ineligible for a personal Sapphire card bonus. However, its restrictions are similar to the personal Sapphire cards.
You may not be eligible for its welcome bonus if you currently have or have previously held a Sapphire Reserve Business card. The card's terms state:
The new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you have ever had this card.
Chase also evaluates "factors pertinent to your business" when deciding if you qualify for the welcome bonus, meaning it may review basic details about your business when making its decision.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business brings over $3,000 in value to business owners who value travel and premium experiences
- $400 in annual statement credits on purchases made directly with ZipRecruiter.
- $300 annual travel credit each anniversary year
- $120 Global Entry, TSA Precheck or Nexus fee credit every four years
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide with your complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, including Sapphire Lounge by The Club locations with two complimentary guests
- Can transfer rewards to all of Chase’s 14 travel partners
- IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status through 12/31/27
- Comprehensive suite of travel and purchase protections
- High annual fee
- Significant value tied to statement credits
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 200,000 bonus points after you spend $30,000 on purchases in your first 6 months from account opening.
- $7,000+ in value your first year. 200K points, valued at $4,000 for select flights and hotels through Chase TravelSM, plus $3,000+ in annual value through travel and business benefits.
- Earn 8x points on Chase TravelSM for airline tickets, hotels, including The EditSM, car rentals, cruises, activities and tours.
- Earn 5x total points on Lyft rides through 9/30/27.
- Earn 4x points on flights & hotels booked direct.
- Earn 3x points on social media & search engine advertising.
- Get the most flexible travel credit compared to any other card, with up to $300 in statement credits each anniversary year on travel purchases.
- Enjoy complimentary access to the Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club network and Priority PassTM Select membership. Two guests may accompany the Primary Cardmember to the lounges free of charge.
- Member FDIC
FAQs
How often can you get a Chase Sapphire welcome bonus?
If you have earned a Chase Sapphire card welcome bonus or previously had a Sapphire card, you are unlikely to be able to earn a bonus with that specific type of Sapphire card again. So you may not be able to earn a welcome bonus from the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Sapphire Reserve, but it's unlikely you could earn a welcome bonus from either card more than once.
What's a good Chase Sapphire bonus?
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is currently offering its standard bonus of 100,000 points after spending $6,000 within the first three months, but the Sapphire Preferred has brought back its highest-ever offer: 100,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Typically, any bonus worth 80,000 points or more is a great deal.
Do you need to wait 48 months before applying for a Chase Sapphire card?
Previously, you could earn a Chase Sapphire card bonus once every 48 months. However, that rule has been replaced by what is effectively a once-per-lifetime welcome bonus restriction for each of the consumer Sapphire cards.
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