Chase Sapphire Preferred & Sapphire Reserve receive enhancements without annual fee increase and take 1-2 for Team Chase

Chase has brought several enhancements to its popular Sapphire Preferred (CSP) and Sapphire Reserve (CSR).  The annual fees ($95 on CSP and $550 on CSR) are kept the same.  We think CSP's enhancements have been long overdue because the non-fee duo Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited have offered some similar bonus categories for a while.  With a reasonable annual fee, CSP is now #3 best credit card for rewards.  While we think CSR has been competitive even after Chase increased the annual fee from $450 to $550 last year mostly due to the COVID related temporary benefits, we certainly welcome the new benefits which will keep this card one of our top recommendations.  With these enhancements, CSR and CSP now take the first and second spots on our Top 10 list.  Citi Prestige was taken off the list because it has been discontinued to new applicants.  Below are the before and after Top 10.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Enhancements (effective August 16, 2021)

• 5x total points on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out (previously 2x)
• 3x points on select streaming services
• 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
• $50 Annual Credit on hotel stays purchased through Ultimate Rewards. New cardmembers will start earning towards the credit immediately and existing cardmembers will start earning after their next account anniversary.  
• 10% Anniversary Point Bonus. Each account anniversary, cardmembers will earn bonus points equal to 10% of total purchases made the previous year. That means, $25,000 in spend will earn an additional 2,500 bonus points. 
• The Sapphire Preferred card will also feature a sleek new card design, which will be available to new and existing cardmembers after August 16.

Chase Sapphire Reserved Enhancements (Effective August 16, 2021)

• 10x total points on Chase Dining purchases through Ultimate Rewards
• 10x total points on hotel stays and car rentals purchased through Ultimate Rewards
• 5x total points on air travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards
• In addition to earning points, later this year Reserve cardmembers will have access to “Reserved by Sapphire,” featuring exclusive opportunities to book reservations at some of the most sought-after restaurants across the country including Canlis in Seattle, WA, Redbird in Los Angeles, CA, SingleThread Farms in Healdsburg, CA, Reverence in New York, NY and One Off Hospitality in Chicago.