The New Perks Of Chase's $795 Annual Credit Card Fee

The annual fee for Chase's Sapphire Reserve credit card has jumped significantly — something that can be a red flag when choosing a credit card. Chase's launch of the new and improved Sapphire Reserve card also came with the announcement that the card's annual fee would increase to $795 for already-existing cardholders (up from $550). This fee increase will take place on an existing cardholder's first anniversary date after October 25, 2025. However, cardholders can start to benefit from the card's added features as of October 26, 2025 — even if they're still paying the $550 annual fee due to when their anniversary date falls. Plus, authorized user fees, per cardholder, also went up — from $75 to $195.

With that said, whenever a fee jump like this occurs, it's worth investigating if the increased fees are worth paying for. Oftentimes these increased fees come with added cardholder benefits, many of which can offer more benefits than the annual fee amount. In fact, when you delve into the fine print of Chase's recent fee increase, hidden perks emerge — according to Chase, the Sapphire Reserve card's benefits now offer over $2,700 in added value.

Cardholders can soon take advantage of several new, changed, and enhanced benefits. For example, Chase Travel purchases now receive 8x points across the board — whereas previously, cardholders earned 5x points on flights and 10x on bookings for hotels and car rentals though the Chase Travel platform. Similarly, direct flight and hotel bookings now receive 4x points instead of 3x. Cardholder benefits also now include a $500 annual credit on The Edit, a group of 1,100-plus Chase-selected hospitality sites. Plus, cardholders can accelerate points redemption through the card's brand new Points Boost program. If a hotel or flight booked through Chase Travel falls into rotating Points Boost offerings, cardholders can earn up to 2x the baseline amount. If an airline or hotel doesn't fall within Point Boost choices, points are 1:1 redeemable on Chase Travel, replacing the previous 1.5x across-the-board for Chase Travel purchases.

Ultimately, current cardholders will need to decide if the higher annual fee is worth receiving these extra perks. However, both new and existing cardholders might want to consider the dark side of credit card rewards before deciding. CNBC reported that, per 2019 data, credit cards paid out nearly $35 billion in rewards while only receiving $9.9 billion in fees — but a whopping $89.7 billion in interest. This suggests that credit card issuers fully expect to get their perks and rewards payout money back (plus some) via cardholders who aren't able to pay off their monthly balances. Given current U.S. credit card debt amounts, it's safe to say their expectations are likely right.