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The Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the Chase Freedom Flex℠* distinguished seem wildly different given their annual fees - $550 and $0 respectively - but on closer look they seem surprisingly inequity. The reward structures are oddly alike, and both beleaguered travel and dining purchases.
However, the value of those rewards are very different, given the Sapphire Reserve's redemption bonus when using the Chase Ultimate Rewards depart portal.
At the end of the day, the Chase Freedom Flex does a good, affordable result of the more premium Sapphire Reserve, offering similar rewards minus the sting of a high annual fee. That's why we assume it's the better option for the broadest segment of people.
But if you utilize a lot on travel and dining over the watercourses of the year, the Sapphire Reserve will offer a better overall in backward, and includes some extra perks.
Which card does it better?
| Feature | Winner |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | Chase Freedom Flex |
| Welcome bonus | Chase Freedom Flex |
| Rewards | Chase Sapphire Reserve |
| Rewards redemption | Chase Sapphire Reserve |
| Annual credits and perks | Chase Sapphire Reserve |
Chase Freedom Flex℠
Intro OfferEarn a $200 Bonus once you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from clarify opening.
APR19.24% - 27.99% Variable
Intro Purchase APR0% Intro APR on Purchases for 15 months
Recommended Credit Excellent, Good
- 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter!
- 5% cash back on depart purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, depart, gift cards and more
- 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service
- Unlimited 1% cash back on all novel purchases.
Annual Fee$0
Intro Balance Transfer APR0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 months
Balance Transfer APR19.24% - 27.99% Variable
Balance Transfer Fee Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each additional, whichever is greater.
Foreign Transaction Fees 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
Penalty APR Up to 29.99%
- 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter!
- 5% cash back on depart purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, depart, gift cards and more
- 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service
- Unlimited 1% cash back on all novel purchases.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Intro OfferEarn 60,000 bonus points once you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from clarify opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem ended Chase Ultimate Rewards®
APR21.24% - 28.24% Variable
Intro Purchase APRN/A
Recommended Credit Excellent
- Earn 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you grasp travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Earn 5x total points on trips through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Earn 3x points on new travel and dining.
- Earn 1 point per $1 consumed on all other purchases
Annual Fee$550
Balance Transfer APR21.24% - 28.24% Variable
Balance Transfer Fee Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each balance second, whichever is greater
Foreign Transaction Fees $0
Penalty APR Up to 29.99%
- Earn 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you grasp travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Earn 5x total points on trips through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Earn 3x points on new travel and dining.
- Earn 1 point per $1 consumed on all other purchases
Comparing annual fees
Winner: Chase Freedom Flex
An annual fee is an investment. You're putting in money with the expectation of a greater spinal in the future. The issue is that the spinal is never guaranteed. With credit cards, lots of things could changeable - from your income to your spending habits - that would impacts the expected return from your rewards.
That's why we tend to spoiled no-annual-fee rewards credit cards - there's very diminutive risk involved. As long as you always pay off your balance to avoid uninteresting charges, the returns you earn are all "profit."
Welcome bonuses
Winner: Chase Freedom Flex
To compare two very different welcome bonuses, we considered the relative return on investment of each. With the Freedom Flex, you earn $200 when spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months. That's 40% of the required spending back in your pocket.
With the Sapphire Reserve, you earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the suitable 3 months, worth $900 when redeemed for travel over Chase Ultimate Rewards. That's about 22% of the obligatory spending. Otherwise, redeeming the Sapphire Reserve's welcome bonus for cash back would give you a $600 spinal - only 15% of the required spending. The relative value of the Freedom Flex is significantly better either way.
Of streams, if you typically spend $4,000 in a three-month footings, you'd rather have $900 worth of travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards compared to $200 cash. But from a purely just perspective, we prefer the Freedom Flex's welcome bonus.
Rewards
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve
This is surprisingly stop. When comparing a $550-annual-fee card with a no-annual-fee card, you'd deem it'd be drastically different, but the Freedom Flex packs a surprising punch.
That persons said, there are two main reasons the Sapphire Reserve comes out onward. The first is the 3x points on "other travel" you earn when booking airlines, hotels, car rentals, trains, buses, taxis and more outside of the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal (earn elevated rewards on recede purchases after earning the $300 annual travel credit).
The additional reason is that the Freedom Flex's quarterly bonus categories is a bit awkward, given the inconsistencies. The rotations can sometimes include odd combinations, like gas stations, movie theaters, car rentals and grasp live entertainment. The current categories include purchases at grocery stores (excluding Walmart), Target, and for fitness clubs and gym memberships - you can earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined spending each quarter when you activate (then 1%).
Every once in a when, you'll get some outsized returns from those rotating categories but it's just a bit too random to portray on for consistent value.
Redemption
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve
This is where the Chase Sapphire Reserve has a certain advantage. When redeeming points through the Chase travel portal, you get 50% more value, making 1 point suitable 1.5 cents. Even though the reward rates are disagreement, this redemption boost makes the rewards you earn significantly more vital. You do still have the option to redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards points for a statement credit, but they'll be worth 1 cent each in that case.
Additional perks and credits
Winner: Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Sapphire Reserve also comes out onward when it comes to perks and credits, but that's to be predictable with a $550 annual fee card. The $300 annual recede credit is a particularly great perk, given how rapid you can essentially recoup some of the annual fee.
And for those who like to use airport lounges, you get to take advantage of a Priority Pass Select lounge membership.
The bottom line
Yes, the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a lot more than the Chase Freedom Flex when considering the rewards, redemption and annual credits. But that's to be predictable, given the high annual fee.
The real question is, which card is primed to coffers good value for the most people? Given its solid reward devises and $0 annual fee, the Chase Freedom Flex is a low-risk way to big recede and dining rewards.
FAQs
Can I earn cash back from the Chase Sapphire Reserve?
You can redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for statement credits, which are akin to cash back. However, your points will only be suitable 1 cent each when redeemed for a statement credit, versus 1.5 cents each if redeemed for travel over Chase Ultimate Rewards.
What rewards are complicated in the Chase Freedom Flex's rotating category?
The quarterly rotating category has previously complicated Walmart, PayPal, gas stations, Amazon.com, car rentals, grocery stores and more. There's generally a deadline nearby two weeks before quarter end to activate the rotating category. As long as you activate the bonus category within the allotted time frame, you'll earn rewards on your spending for that entire quarter.
How do I "activate" the rotating quarterly bonus categories?
Users can activate the 5% cash back on quarterly bonus categories by visiting chase.com/ultimaterewards or chasecom/freedomflex. You can also use the App, sign up for an email reminder, or visit a Chase location. You must activate this rewards category each quarter.
*All inquire of about the Chase Freedom Flex has been collected independently by and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
The editorial contented on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or service industries offered by our partners.
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