Maximizing Your $300 Travel Credit: A Comprehensive Guide

The $300 travel credit is a common feature of premium credit cards with high annual fees. The credit is awarded to cardholders annually and can be used to offset the cost of travel-related purchases. For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers a $300 travel credit that can be used on a variety of travel expenses, including flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and local transportation. This credit is separate from other benefits offered by the card, such as Priority Pass membership and bonus points on Lyft rides.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve $300 travel credit

The credit is triggered by a qualifying purchase and resets each year around your cardholder anniversary. It is awarded each year that you have the card and is ready to use as soon as you open your account. The credit is incredibly easy to use on all sorts of travel and is applied automatically.

The credit covers a broad range of travel expenses, including:

• Car rental agencies
• Discount travel sites
• Operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways
• Parking lots and garages
• Airline tickets, taxes on award tickets, upgrades, seat assignment fees, checked bag fees, onboard snacks, change fees and lap infant fees
• Cruise deposits and payments
• Hotel bookings and deposits

However, not all travel-related purchases will count as travel purchases. Some purchases that don't code as travel include:

• Theme park tickets bought directly from theme parks
• Ski lift tickets
• Points.com purchases
• Some airline or travel gift card purchases
• In-flight purchases that are processed by a third party
• Some meals eaten at a hotel but not charged to a room

How to earn the credit

The $300 travel credit is one of the key perks of the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card. The credit is awarded each year that you have the card and is ready to use as soon as you open your account. The credit is tied to a cardmember year, not a calendar year, so the date you open the card will determine when you get a fresh $300 travel credit.

The credit applies to a broad range of travel-related purchases, including:

• Travel agency services
• Taxis and car services
• Toll bridges and highways
• Parking lots and garages
• Airline tickets, taxes on award tickets, upgrades, seat assignment fees, checked bag fees, onboard snacks, change fees and lap infant fees
• Cruise deposits and payments
• Hotel bookings and deposits

The credit is also valid for local transportation costs, including taxis, Uber, Lyft and spending on tolls and parking fees.

The credit is applied automatically when you use your card to pay for eligible purchases. You can check how much of your credit you have left by logging into your account and checking the Rewards Activity section.

What purchases count towards the credit

The $300 travel credit is one of the key perks of the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. This credit is easy to use, as it can be applied to a wide range of travel-related purchases.

The credit is triggered by a qualifying purchase and is available to use as soon as you open a new account. It resets every year, based on either a cardmember year or a calendar year, depending on when you signed up.

• Airlines (tickets, seat upgrades, bags)
• Travel agencies and discount travel sites
• Parking lots and garages
• Toll bridges, highways, and tunnels
• Car services (including buses, taxis, Lyft, and Uber)

Chase defines travel merchants to include:

• Airlines
• Hotels
• Motels
• Timeshares
• Campgrounds
• Car rental agencies
• Cruise lines
• Travel agencies
• Discount travel sites
• Operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots and garages

However, it's important to note that some merchants that provide transportation and travel-related services are not included in this category. These excluded merchants include:

• Real estate agents
• Websites or owners that rent vacation properties
• In-flight goods and services
• On-board cruise line goods and services
• Sightseeing activities
• Tourist attractions
• Merchants within airports
• Merchants that rent vehicles for the purpose of hauling

What purchases don't count

The following types of purchases do NOT count as travel:

• Educational merchants arranging travel
• In-flight goods and services
• Onboard cruise line goods and services
• Sightseeing activities
• Tourist attractions
• RV and boat rentals
• Merchants within hotels and airports
• Merchants that rent vehicles for the purpose of hauling
• Gift cards (unless the merchant is set up to count as travel)
• Points and miles (unless the merchant is set up to count as travel)

Gas stations, while essential for travel, don't code as travel either. Uber Eats used to count as a travel purchase, but now it counts as dining.

Chase defines travel as including discount travel sites, taxis, toll bridges and highways, parking lots and garages. Citi, meanwhile, includes airfare, hotels, car rentals, travel agencies, cruise lines and purchases from CostcoTravel.com.

How to check your remaining credit

To check your remaining credit on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, log in to your Chase account and view your rewards activity. Under the "Benefits & Redemptions Overview" section, you will find a snapshot of how much of the $300 annual travel credit you have used so far. This section will also provide information about when the credit automatically resets (your cardmember anniversary) and any remaining balance.

• Log in to your Chase account.
• Navigate to the "Rewards Activity" section.
• Locate the "Benefits & Redemptions Overview" section.
• Find the section related to the $300 annual travel credit.
• Check the amount of credit used and the remaining balance.
• Note the date when the credit resets (your cardmember anniversary).

By following these steps, you can easily keep track of your remaining credit and plan your future purchases accordingly. Remember that the travel credit is valid for a range of travel-related purchases, including airlines, hotels, car rentals, cruises, parking, and more.

Frequently asked questions