What purchases count as travel, dining, streaming, and grocery delivery with the new Chase Sapphire bonus categories?

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A hand holding a Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card above a table filled with food items including sushi, edamame, miso soup, and a bottle of sriracha sauce. — The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve cards have added new categories or improved earning in existing ones, like dining.

Crystal Cox/Business Insider

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® recently added new bonus categories.
In some of these categories (like streaming), you’ll only earn bonus points at select merchants.
Other bonus categories are broader but still have exclusions to keep in mind.
Read Insider’s guide to the best rewards credit cards.

Chase recently made news by introducing new bonus categories and improved earning rates on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® cards. Previously, the cards had offered straightforward bonus earning in the travel and dining categories, but things have become a little more complicated, albeit more rewarding.

The new categories include 3x points on select streaming services and grocery delivery services with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, and 10x points on Chase Dining purchases with the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. These changes are active now for existing and new cardholders.

It’s important to know which purchases qualify in each of the refreshed categories so that you can make an informed decision about which card to use for your expenses. For example, the list of eligible streaming services that will earn bonus points on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card isn’t as broad as what some other issuers classify as streaming.

Here’s a look at the updated Chase Sapphire categories and what purchases will (and won’t) trigger bonus points.

New Chase Sapphire Preferred bonus categories

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Until recently, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offered 2x points on travel and dining purchases, and 1 point per dollar on everything else – along with a temporary 5x points on Lyft purchases through March 2022.

Now, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns points at the following rates:

5x points on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out
3x points on select streaming services
3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
2x points on all other travel purchases
1x points on everything else

Some of these categories are easy to navigate, but others have very specific restrictions.

5x points on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards

The Chase Travel Portal functions much like an online travel agency (OTA) and you can use it to book flights, hotels, rental cars, vacation rentals, activities, and cruises. You have the option to redeem Ultimate Rewards points, pay with your Chase card, or a combination of the two when you make your booking.

When you use your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to pay for your booking – either online through UltimateRewards.com or by calling the Chase Travel phone number on the back of your card – you’ll earn 5 points per dollar. Prepaid airline tickets, hotels, car rentals, vacation rentals, and cruises qualify, but Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection purchases are not eligible.

You won’t earn anything for the portion of your travel you pay for with points.

3x points on dining

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has always earned bonus points for dining purchases, but instead of 2x it now earns 3x. Chase classifies dining as purchases at merchants whose primary business is sit-down or eat-in dining, including fast-food restaurants and fine dining establishments.

In practice, this also includes some places that don’t serve food as their primary business – think bars, breweries, and coffee shops. Food delivery services qualify if they’re classified as a restaurant merchant – so most popular delivery services, like GrubHub and DoorDash, should count.

However, if the location is inside a larger establishment – such as a vendor at a sports stadium or hotel restaurant – it won’t qualify as a dining purchase unless the merchant has set up such purchases to be classified in a restaurant category. Bakeries, caterers, and gift card merchants are also excluded.

3x points on select streaming services

Earning bonus points on streaming services is timely since many of us are still spending a lot of time at home. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card now earns 3x points on select streaming services, but the important word here is select – only purchases from eligible services will qualify.

Disney+
Hulu
ESPN+
Netflix
Sling
Vudu
Fubo TV
Apple Music
SiriusXM
Pandora
Spotify
YouTube TV

If you subscribe to other popular services that aren’t on the list, like HBO Max or Amazon Music, you’ll want to use a card with a wider definition of streaming, like the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, which earns 6% cash back on select U.S. streaming services. Here’s our review of the Blue Cash Preferred for more details.

3x points on online grocery purchases

Online grocery purchases are another new pandemic-friendly category on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. You’ll earn 3x points when you use your card to pay for grocery pickup and delivery orders that are placed online with grocery stores, specialty food stores, or delivery service merchants that classify as grocery store merchants (excluding membership and subscription fees).

Meal kit delivery services are included as well, but purchases from Walmart, Target, wholesale clubs, liquor stores, and merchants that specialize in only a few grocery items do not qualify. Pharmacy purchases (even from those located in supermarkets), gift cards, gift boxes, and gift baskets aren’t eligible, either.

2x points on all other travel

The good news is Chase defines travel very broadly, and (outside of Chase Travel Portal purchases, which earn 5x) you’ll earn 2x points for these travel purchases:

Airlines (including airfare, baggage fees, taxes and fees on award tickets, and most other incidental fees)
Hotels (including room rate, resort fees, and taxes and fees on award stays – and in practice, some vacation rentals, like Airbnb, will trigger the credit too)
Motels
Timeshares
Car rental agencies (including third-party sites such as Autoslash)
Cruise lines
Travel agencies (including online travel agencies like Orbitz and Expedia)
Discount travel sites (like Hotwire)
Campgrounds
Passenger trains (including subways)
Buses (including local transit)
Taxis (including ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft)
Limousines
Ferries
Toll bridges and highways (including prepaid tolls like E-Zpass and SunPass)
Parking lots and garages

Keep in mind there are some expenses you might assume would count as travel that actually don’t. These purchases won’t earn travel bonus points:

Merchants that sell points, miles, or travel gift cards
Inflight goods and services (like Wi-Fi)
Onboard cruise line goods and services
Restaurants or other merchants inside a hotel (these can qualify if you bill them to your room and pay at checkout, though)
Tourist attractions and excursions (unless you purchase the tickets through an online travel agency, then they may count)
Merchants in airports
RV and boat rentals
Real estate agents and merchants that rent vehicles for the purpose of hauling (like U-Haul)

New Chase Sapphire Reserve bonus categories

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Previously, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® had simple bonus categories as well – 3x points on travel and dining, and temporarily 10x points on Lyft purchases through March 2022.

Now you’ll earn points as follows with your Chase Sapphire Reserve®:

10x points on Chase Dining purchases through Ultimate Rewards
10x points on hotel stays and car rentals purchased through Ultimate Rewards
5x points on air travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards
3x points on all other travel and dining purchases
1x points on everything else

Read more: Chase Sapphire Reserve card review

Some of these categories also have restrictions (and others are identical to parallel categories on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card).

10x points on Chase Dining purchases

Chase Dining is a relatively new platform, in partnership with Tock, which allows Sapphire cardholders to make reservations at participating fine-dining establishments, order takeout or produce, take part in private dining events, and more.

When you use your Chase Sapphire Reserve® for prepaid Chase Dining purchases through Ultimate Rewards, you’ll earn 10 points per dollar. This includes delivery, pickup, prepaid reservations, or reservation deposits if you pay for the purchase on UltimateRewards.com.

However, any reservation-related purchases made directly at the restaurant will not qualify, nor will any portion of your purchase paid for with points.

10x points on hotel stays and car rentals purchased through Ultimate Rewards

If you use your Chase Sapphire Reserve® for prepaid car rentals or hotel stays through Chase Ultimate Rewards (either online or by calling the number on the back of your card), you’ll earn 10 points per dollar. Like other Chase Travel Portal purchases, you won’t earn anything for the portion of your transaction you’ve paid for with points.

Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection purchases are not eligible, and you won’t earn bonus points on hotel or car rental-related purchases that aren’t made through Ultimate Rewards (such as hotel restaurants or car rental agency add-ons at the counter).

5x points on air travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards

Similarly, you’ll earn 5x points on airfare as long as you’ve made the purchase with your Chase Sapphire Reserve® through the Chase online portal or by calling the number on the back of your card.

Any air travel-related purchases made outside of the Ultimate Rewards portal – such as inflight purchases, airline miles purchases, or purchases made at the airport – won’t qualify to earn 5x points. And any portion of your purchase paid for with points won’t earn anything.

3x points on all other travel and dining purchases

All other travel and dining purchases not included in the categories above will earn 3x points with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® – and the purchases that qualify are identical to those on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card as listed above.

Chase Sapphire card comparison

If you’re considering either of the Sapphire cards, be sure to read our comparison of the Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve for a detailed rundown of their differences.

Here’s a quick side-by-side look at both cards, including recently added benefits and bonus categories, to help you decide which is best for you.

	Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card	Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Annual fee	Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card	Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Rewards rate (starting August 16, 2021)	5x points on Lyft rides through March 2022 5x points on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out 3x points on select streaming services 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs) 2x points on other travel 1 point per dollar on everything else	10x points on Lyft rides through March 2022 10x points on Chase Dining purchases through Ultimate Rewards 10x points on hotel stays and car rentals purchased through Ultimate Rewards (after earning the $300 travel credit) and dining 5x points on air travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards (after earning the $300 travel credit) 3x points on other travel 1 point per dollar on everything else
Welcome bonus	Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening	Chase Sapphire Reserve® after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening
Card benefits	10% anniversary point bonus Primary car rental insurance Trip interruption/cancellation Trip delay insurance Baggage delay insurance Lost luggage reimbursement Extended warranty Purchase protection	Access to Chase Sapphire Lounges by The Club (when open) Access to Reserved by Sapphire restaurant reservations Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit Primary car rental insurance Complimentary elite status with Avis, National, and Silvercar car rental agencies Emergency medical/dental Medical evacuation/transportation insurance Trip interruption/cancellation Trip delay insurance Baggage delay insurance Lost luggage reimbursement Extended warranty Purchase protection
Statement credits	Up to $50 in statement credits toward hotel stays booked through Chase* Up to $60 back on an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership through December 31, 2021 Complimentary year of DoorDash DashPass membership (activation required by December 31, 2021)	Up to $300 in statement credits each cardmember year toward travel purchases (through December 31, gas and grocery purchases also qualify) Up to $120 back on an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership through December 31, 2021 Complimentary year of Lyft Pink membership when you activate by March 31, 2022 Complimentary year of DoorDash DashPass membership (activation required by December 31, 2021)
Points value through Chase Travel Portal and Pay Yourself Back	1.25 cents per point	1.5 cents per point
Authorized user fee	$0	$75
Foreign transaction fee	No	No
Review	Chase Sapphire Preferred card review	Chase Sapphire Reserve card review

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New Chase Sapphire Preferred bonus categories