For the last nine years, the Chase Sapphire Reserve has been my go-to credit card. It was the card that lived at the front of my wallet, the one I reached for on every dining, travel, and everyday purchases. For almost a decade, it was a constant companion that unlocked some fantastic travel perks and made my life easier. Plus, the distinctive metal feel of the card always got a “wow, that’s heavy!” from anyone who touched it. But all good things must come to an end, and with a looming change to the annual fee, it’s time to say goodbye.
When I first got the card, it felt like the perfect fit. The $300 annual travel credit was incredibly flexible and, in my mind, it practically paid for the card’s annual fee. The airport lounge access via Priority Pass was a huge benefit, especially on long layovers. While that perk lost some value for me after Priority Pass lounges were removed from my home airport in Denver, it was still a great feature to have on the road. The card also came with a reimbursement for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, a huge time-saver. I even once took advantage of its extended warranty benefit when a camera needed fixing. And of course, the zero foreign transaction fee was a huge plus on international trips, like when we went to Australia.
Over the last few years, however, I found myself using the card’s points benefits less and less. The biggest selling point was supposed to be the 25% points boost when booking through the Chase travel portal, but most of our hotels were booked through Justin’s Marriott account. My Chase points just sat there, unused. A few months ago, I finally took the leap and transferred some points to my Marriott account when there was a 60% promo, and then transferred to his. It was so incredibly easy, and I realized that this is probably how I’ll be using points from now on—transferring them directly to a partner program for a better redemption value.
The final push came with the announcement of the upgraded Chase Sapphire Reserve new card terms. As of October 26, 2025, the annual fee will increase significantly to $795. The new benefits—including credits for Exclusive Tables on OpenTable, complimentary Apple TV+ and Apple Music subscriptions, and credits for StubHub, Peloton, Lyft, and DoorDash, as well as for a travel designer (help with itinerary or travel support) — surely add up to more than the new annual fee, but that’s a little beyond my needs. I don’t use IHG hotels, Peloton, DoorDash, Apple Music, dining experiences or events. I did stay at an Edit hotel last year because of a Chase promotion, but I still had to pay resort and parking fees, and the hotel wasn’t that amazing. I don’t think I even got an upgrade, even though the hotel was not booked up.
I suppose if I was paying the $800 a year, I’d try some of these new perks, but they just don’t align with my current travel habits enough to justify the new cost. A big concern for me is my high credit limit. It is far more credit than I needed and would mess with credit score and my ability to get other credit cards that I might actually want, which is why I can’t just cancel it. They did not offer a retention offer to keep me, if they did, I might have tried it for a year. So, I’m downgrading to the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. While I won’t be eligible for the promotional bonus points, this decision will allow me to retain all my valuable Chase points while avoiding the high annual fee. It’s a smart move that won’t impact my credit score. I don’t know if I’ll keep it, but it will get me through the next few months until I figure out what card is right for me. The only question now is, what will be my new go-to card?