Hey there! We are Chai & Sunkist, travel content creators based near Washington, DC. We are just like most of you, with a 9 to 5 job trying to make the most of our paid time off.
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July 15, 2025
Some familiar favorites in the travel rewards space are getting major upgrades, and a few new contenders are entering the ring.
One we recently compared (and still chose) is offering serious value if you know how to use it right.
Another is going from renters’ favorite to a potential must-have for homeowners.
And the OG of premium travel cards? Let’s just say… It’s about to look very different.
🔥 Mad Premium Card Updates
Let’s break down what’s new—and how we’re planning to make the most of it.
Maximizing the $795 annual fee with $2700+ value
In our last edition, we shared how Chase Sapphire Reserve stacks up against Capital One Venture X. Despite already holding the Venture X, we still went for CSR—because the elevated welcome offer was just too good to pass up.
But it’s not just about the bonus—it’s about making every perk count. Here’s how we plan to get outsized value from the CSR over the next year.
🧭 Travel Credit — $300/year
CSR’s travel category is super broad. Check this official footnote from their page.
What is defined as Travel for Chase
HOW WE'LL USE IT: We’ll likely use this up locally just through Uber rides, parking, tolls, and public transportation.
Heads-up: In-flight purchases, travel insurance, and third-party gift cards usually don’t trigger the credit.
🛫 Lounge Access — $469/year
1,300+ lounges through Priority Pass Select with 2 free guests.
Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges and Air Canada Cafés in the U.S., Canada, and Europe with a same-day Star Alliance boarding pass with 1 free guest.
HOW WE'LL USE IT: Pretty much every time we fly! Since our home airport is IAD, we’re especially excited to relax and grab a bite in the new Etihad Lounge, which is otherwise only available once a year to Priority Pass holders from other banks (like Capital One).
We've been turned away several times with our Venture X Priority Pass to prioritize CSR cardholders, so yayy us! Stay tuned for a review soon.
This automatic statement credit resets every six months—no enrollment needed. Just dine at restaurants listed under Chase’s Exclusive Tables program. Find restaurants in your city on this page.
HOW WE’LL USE IT: We’ve got our eye on a few DC gems we wouldn’t usually splurge on: Amazonia, Seven Reasons, and Thip Khao. Booking just one dinner for two every six months will make it easy to get the full $300 back without trying too hard.
This is how prime time availability for CSR cardholders shows up
🛏 The Edit Hotel Credit — $500/year
The Edit is Chase Travel’s curated portfolio of luxury hotels, offering $250 in statement credits every six months (up to $500/year) on prepaid “Pay Now” bookings with a minimum 2-night stay. You’ll also get complimentary benefits like
Daily breakfast for 2
$100 property credit
Room upgrade if available
Early check-in and late checkout
⚠️ Note: These bookings won’t earn points, and the $100 credit applies per stay, not per night.
HOW WE’LL USE IT: Honestly, we don’t have high hopes for maximizing this one within the US. Here’s why:
Nightly rates at Edit properties in the US start around $300 and can go well over $2,000.
With the 2-night minimum, you’re still paying a big chunk out of pocket even after the $250 credit.
Finding Edit hotels isn’t straightforward—you have to search by destination in Chase Travel, and if no Edit properties show up at the top, there aren’t any there.
There’s no filter or tool to preview Edit properties across cities or compare prices easily. We found this list, but can’t guarantee it’s always up to date.
That said, if we had to use the credit:
We would use it in places like Southeast Asia, Mexico, or South America, where nightly prices are lower.
We’d save it for a special occasion like an anniversary—ideally a short stay at a boutique or non-chain property where we don’t have loyalty status.
To make the most of the $100 property credit, we’d research amenities in advance, like an on-site spa or restaurant, so we can actually use it for something memorable.
🛂 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, or NEXUS Credit — Up to $120 every 4 years
Get reimbursed for the application fee when you use your CSR to pay for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, or NEXUS. The benefit renews every 4 years.
HOW WE’LL USE IT: Since we both already have Global Entry (which includes TSA PreCheck) valid for a few more years, we’ll be using this credit for a family member’s Global Entry application. They don’t live in the U.S., but they are eligible—which might be the case for someone in your family too.
If you or your relatives travel to the US often and want to speed through customs and immigration, this credit could be a great way to get started.
📩 Curious about applying or want us to dive deeper into Global Entry in a future edition? Just reply to this email—we’re happy to chat.
🍎 Apple TV+ & Apple Music Credit — $250/year
Get up to $10/month for Apple TV+ and $11/month for Apple Music—just activate the benefits through your Chase portal.
HOW WE’LL USE IT: We already subscribe to both, so this one’s a no-brainer. That’s $250 in savings by switching to CSR.
⚠️ If you use Apple One, you’ll need to cancel it and activate Apple TV+ and Apple Music through Chase separately.
🎟 StubHub + viagogo Credit — $300/year)
Get up to $150 every six months in statement credits when you use your CSR to buy tickets through StubHub or viagogo.
HOW WE’LL USE IT: We’re eyeing big shows like Backstreet Boys at the Sphere in Vegas and Zakir Khan at MSG in NYC. Worst case, we'll catch a concert, sports event, or comedy show locally—because $150 can easily get you a decent seat. If we go for more budget-friendly tickets, it'll cover a +1 too.
🚗 Lyft Credit — $120/year
$10/month in credits, plus 5 points per dollar spent on Lyft rides.
HOW WE’LL USE IT: No big strategy here—we’ve just added CSR as the default payment method in our Lyft account. Anytime we take a ride, we’ll automatically get $10 back that month. Easy win.
🍔 DashPass + DoorDash Credits — $420/year
Get a free DashPass membership valued at $120 for at least 12 months. Activation before 12/31/2027 required.
On top of that, you’ll get up to $25 in monthly credits:
$5/month for restaurant orders
$10 twice/month for grocery, convenience, or retail orders
HOW WE’LL USE IT: We’ll save this for last-minute convenience buys or lazy dinner nights. Pro tip: To use both $10 grocery/retail credits in the same transaction, simply split your order into two back-to-back orders and select pickup to get the best deal.
🚴 Peloton Credit — $120/year
Get $10 in statement credits per month on Peloton memberships through 12/31/2027. Activation required.
Bonus: Earn 10x points on Peloton equipment and accessories over $150.
HOW WE’LL USE IT: We haven’t tried Peloton yet, but the $12.99/month membership ends up costing just $3 with the credit—so we’re planning to test it out for a couple of months and see if it sticks.
🏨 IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Status
Enjoy automatic IHG Platinum Elite status just for holding the card. Benefits include room upgrades, late checkout, bonus points, and more.
HOW WE’LL USE IT: We both already have Platinum status through the IHG Premier credit card and have scored some really sweet upgrades and perks on our travels. So this doesn’t add anything new for us—but it’s a nice perk if you’re not already an IHG cardholder or loyalist.
🤔 The “We’ll See” Perks
Some benefits sound great on paper—but whether they actually add value? We’re keeping an open mind and giving them a fair shot.
Reserve Travel Designers
Complimentary access to a team that promises custom itinerary planning and trip support. Will they wow us with seamless luxury experiences—or just upsell packaged tours? We’ll find out soon enough.
Cardmember-Only Events Think private dinners in unique venues or celebrity-hosted experiences. Cool in theory, but they’re limited to a few cities and often come with a hefty price tag. If something lines up with our travels, we might give it a try.
Points Boost
It lets you redeem points for up to 2¢ each on select flights and hotels (especially luxury stays with The Edit and premium flight cabins). The catch? Availability rotates, economy travel rarely qualifies, and standard redemptions drop to just 1¢. We’ll beta-test this for premium bookings—but we’ll still rely on transfers for more flexibility.
Sapphire Exclusive Offers
Keep an eye out for limited-time offers like the one below. We'll evaluate them as they come and share with you if something catches our attention.
Sapphire Exclusive Offers
And then there’s the ultra-high-spend tier…
Hit $75,000 in spending on your CSR in a calendar year, and you unlock a whole new batch of perks:
IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite status
$500Southwest travel credit through Chase Travel
Southwest A-List status
$250 credit at The Shops at Chase
With that kind of spending, we recommend diversifying your cards, racking up newer welcome offers and bonuses, and unlocking perks that really matter. Please don't put it all on CSR just for the above.
🛡 Protection Perks
These aren't the flashy, headline-grabbing credits—but they’re some of the most valuable perks of holding the Chase Sapphire Reserve. If something goes wrong during your trip, these protections can save you serious money and stress.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what’s included:
🚗 Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver Decline the rental company’s insurance and pay with your CSR to get primary coverage up to $75,000 for theft and collision—valid in the US and abroad.
🧳 Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance If your trip gets canceled or cut short due to sickness, weather, or another covered reason, you’re covered for up to $10,000 per traveler / $20,000 per trip on non-refundable expenses.
⏱ Trip Delay Reimbursement Delayed more than 6 hours or overnight? Get reimbursed up to $500 per traveler for meals and lodging.
🧼 Baggage Delay Insurance If your bags are delayed over 6 hours, get reimbursed up to $100/day for 5 days to buy essentials.
🧳 Lost Luggage Reimbursement Get up to $3,000 per traveler if your checked or carry-on baggage is lost, damaged, or stolen.
💥 Travel Accident Insurance Pay for your flight, train, cruise, or bus with CSR and get up to $1,000,000 in accidental death or dismemberment coverage.
🚑 Emergency Evacuation & Transportation If you’re 100+ miles from home and face a medical emergency, get covered for up to $100,000 in evacuation services.
🦷 Emergency Medical & Dental Covers up to $2,500 in expenses if you or a family member gets sick or injured 100+ miles from home (with a $50 deductible).
🔧 Roadside Assistance Need a tow, jump-start, gas, or a locksmith? You’re covered up to $50/incident, 4 times a year.
📞 Travel & Emergency Assistance Services 24/7 help with medical or legal referrals when traveling. (Service is free—goods/services are not.)
🛍 Purchase Protection Covers eligible new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft, up to $10,000 per item.
🔁 Return Protection If a store won’t take back an item within 90 days, you can be reimbursed—up to $500 per item, and $1,000 per year.
🕒 Extended Warranty Protection Adds 1 extra year to eligible U.S. manufacturer warranties of 3 years or less, for up to 4 years of total coverage from the purchase date.
HOW WE’LL USE IT: We hope we don’t have to use any of these—but we sleep easier knowing they’re there. Just remember, these protections only apply if you book flights, hotels, and rental cars with your CSR.
🎉 And finally the Welcome Offer — 100,000 Points + $500 Chase Travel Credit
We won’t take up your time (again) explaining just how powerful 100,000 points can be—because we already broke it down when the Chase Sapphire Preferred had this same all-time high bonus a few months ago.
Multiple economy flights or a round-trip business class flight to Europe
Luxurious Hyatt stays in stunning destinations
and more as you keep getting better at the miles and points game!
On top of that, you get a $500 Chase Travel credit to use on whatever the portal offers—hotels, flights, car rentals, cruises, or even activities.
HOW WE’LL USE IT: We’ve got some exciting travels coming up at the end of the year, so once we hit the spend and the points post, we’ll be putting both the bonus and the $500 credit to very good use.
💰 Let’s Do the Math
Just the credits alone on the Chase Sapphire Reserve add up to over $2,700 in potential value:
$300 Annual Travel Credit
$500 The Edit Hotel Credit
$300 StubHub/viagogo Credit
$300 Dining Credit
$250 Apple Music + TV+
$120 Lyft Credit
$300 DoorDash Credit
$120 Peloton Credit
$120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck/NEXUS
$500 Chase Travel Credit from welcome offer
Plus, lounge access worth $469/year and all those protections we hope not to use—but love having
So yes, the $795 annual fee is steep—but if you even use half of what’s offered, you’re coming out way ahead.
👉 Ready to apply? Below is our referral link. It won’t cost you a penny extra, but using it is a great way to support our work and all the firsthand breakdowns we share. Thanks for following along—and happy hacking!
Bilt just raised $250 million at a jaw-dropping $10+ billion valuation—and it’s wasting no time scaling up.
Starting February 2026, Bilt will offer three credit cards in partnership with Cardless (goodbye, Wells Fargo):
$0 annual fee card (the one we know and love)
A new $95 annual fee mid-tier card
A new $495 annual fee premium travel card
No full benefit details yet, but Bilt has confirmed that it’ll expand point-earning to mortgage payments—a game-changer for homeowners—with more info coming this fall.
From rent to mortgage, with strong transfer partners and now a multi-card lineup, Bilt is shaping up to be a serious contender in the travel rewards space.
Amex has long been the blueprint for premium travel rewards. The Platinum and Gold cards didn’t just lead the way—they shaped the entire points and perks game we know today.
Now, change is in the air.
Amex has announced that The Platinum Card® and The Business Platinum Card® will receive a full revamp later this year, with broader updates coming to the entire U.S. consumer card lineup by 2026. While the details are still under wraps, the whispers are already out—the Platinum Card may jump to a $1,000 annual fee 👀
No confirmed benefits, no official numbers... yet. But you can bet we’ll keep an eye out and let you know if anything truly game-changing lands.
Hey there! We are Chai & Sunkist, travel content creators based near Washington, DC. We are just like most of you, with a 9 to 5 job trying to make the most of our paid time off.
