NFT: Chase preferred vs reserve: best credit cards

I got it a few years ago when they were giving away 100k miles for sign up. $450 fee seem steep, but the give you a $300 travel credit so automatically down to $150. Also access to all priority club airport lounges which if you travel a lot is a great perk. They also reimburse your TSA precheck/global entry. 3 for 1 miles on eating out, I earn 3-4 free flights a year with my points. Don't know how upgrade works, may ge more miles if you just get a new card

IS a wayyyyy better card. The preferred is actually very dated and there are plenty of cards which outright compete with it for no annual fee. To get the reserve it’s best to wait the 24 months before you open a new account so you are eligible for the sign up bonus. If you simply upgrade you will miss out on the 50k UR points. You can only have one sapphire card at a time I believe.

Thank you. I may need to just miss the extra points because I want to book some travel soon.

People flinch when I tell them it has a $450 annual fee, but as mentioned above you get a $300 credit towards "travel" expenses, including dining. That includes ordering Uber Eats for lunch at work. It just automatically comes off the statement.

For $150 a year you get 3X points instead of 2X for the Preferred, which is $95 a year. Even if you only go on one small vacation a year it's worth it.

If you have the Reserve you get a 50% bonus redemption for ALL your chase points. That means that the 3x points for travel become 4.5x points when redeemed through the Chase portal. Also If you have any other points from other Chase credit cards, you can move them over to the Reserve account and get the same 50% bonus.

Aside from the awards there is the insurance that comes with the Reserve and Preferred card that's superior to just about anything out there. Trip delay insurance, lost baggage insurance, road assistance insurance ( which I've used ) extended warranty service and others.

as others have said, the annual fee is really $150/yr as anyone who uses it regularly will get the automatic $300 travel credit.

My wife and I use it for all our purchases, and we have gotten lots of free flights, etc.