Big changes are coming to the Chase Sapphire cards in late October 2025, and you'll want to know how it affects your Ultimate Rewards points! The guaranteed 1.5% redemption rate for Sapphire Reserve cardholders (and 1.25% for Sapphire Preferred) for travel booked through the Chase portal is going away. Instead, Chase is introducing a "Points Boost" feature with redemption rates up to 2% for Reserve and 1.75% for Preferred/Ink cards, but only on select flights and hotels. This means the value you get from your points when booking travel through Chase could become less predictable.

Here's the important part: If you currently have a Sapphire Reserve or Preferred card (before June 22, 2025) any points earned before October 26, 2025, will retain that sweet 1.5% (or 1.25%) redemption value for two years, until October 2027. The 2% "Points Boost" will also be available to you. The key takeaway? Transfer all your points to your Sapphire Reserve or Preferred account before October 26, 2025, to lock in that higher redemption rate for longer! Also, if you are thinking of product changing to a Sapphire Reserve from another card do so before June 23, 2025 to get the 1.5 redemption rate locked in.

New cardholders after June 23, 2025 will only get the variable "Points Boost" redemption options. The new system uses a "first-in, first-out" approach. Meaning any points you had in your account the longest will be redeemed first. So, if you have a mix of points with the 1.5% redemption and some without, the older points (with the 1.5% value) will be used up before the newer ones, regardless of what you redeem them for. This is all about maximizing the value of your points while you still can!