The Chase Freedom® is not currently available to new cardholders. Please visit our list of the best cash-back cards for alternative options.
Chase Sapphire cards are popular among travelers who are looking for lucrative rewards programs — so popular, in fact, that many Chase enthusiasts look into adding more than one Sapphire card to their wallets.
Known for high welcome bonuses and easy tools for redeeming rewards at 25% or 50% more value (when eligible), both the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card stand out as some of the top travel cards, and certainly favorites among Chase credit cards in particular.
But unfortunately, it's not always possible to sign up for both. Chase has strict eligibility requirements on who can open a new Chase travel card, be it the Sapphire Preferred or the Reserve. Most of the time, cardholders can't have both at once; they have to choose one or the other.
There is one exception, which we dive into below. Here's what you need to know about who can open a Chase Sapphire credit card — plus some alternatives you may want to check out.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Rewards
$50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3X points on dining, 3X points on select streaming services and online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs), 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases
Welcome bonus
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Annual fee
$95
Intro APR
None
Regular APR
21.49% - 28.49% variable on purchases and balance transfers
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit needed
Excellent/Good
Terms apply.
Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Rewards
Earn 5X total points on flights and 10X total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3X points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases plus, 10X points on Lyft rides through March 2025
Welcome bonus
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
Annual fee
$550
Intro APR
None
Regular APR
22.49% - 29.49% variable
Balance transfer fee
5%, minimum $5
Foreign transaction fee
None
Credit needed
Excellent
Terms apply.
Read our Chase Sapphire Reserve® review.
Who can open a Chase Sapphire card?
Chase doesn’t allow you to be the primary account holder on both the Sapphire Preferred and Reserve cards. So if you already have one Sapphire card, you can’t apply for the other.
This eligibility rule is listed in the terms for Sapphire cards:
The product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of any Sapphire credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of any Sapphire credit card who received a new cardmember bonus within the last 48 months. If you are an existing Sapphire customer and would like this product, please call the number on the back of your card to see if you are eligible for a product change. You will not receive the new cardmember bonus if you change products.
Normally, this is no big deal. When you signed up for either the Sapphire Preferred or Reserve, you probably picked the best option for your lifestyle. The Sapphire Reserve has more bells and whistles and a higher annual fee while the Preferred is more affordable and has great value.
But however happy you may be with the perks of your particular Sapphire card, you may want to apply for the other one to earn a welcome bonus.
Luckily, there is one option you could try: While you can't be a primary account holder on two Sapphire cards, a Chase spokesperson confirmed you can be an authorized user on one card and a primary account holder on another card.
So if a family member added you as an authorized user on their Sapphire Preferred card, but you want to apply for the Sapphire Reserve, you could.
Alternative Chase credit cards
While you can't apply for two Sapphire cards, you can have better chances being approved for multiple Chase cash-back cards. The card issuer allows consumers to have all three Chase Freedom cash-back cards: Chase Freedom Flex℠, Chase Freedom Unlimited® and Chase Freedom® (no longer open to new applicants).
If you want to take advantage of relatively easy-to-earn welcome bonuses, the Freedom Flex is offering $200 cash back after you spend $500 on purchases in your first three months from account opening. Plus, earn 5% cash back on combined gas station and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year.
Chase Freedom Flex℠
Rewards
5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate (then 1%), 5% cash back on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on drugstore purchases and on dining (including takeout and eligible delivery services), 1% cash back on all other purchases
Welcome bonus
Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, earn 5% cash back on combined gas station and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year.
Annual fee
$0
Intro APR
0% for the first 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers
Regular APR
20.49% - 29.24% variable
Balance transfer fee
Intro fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, on transfers made within 60 days of account opening. After that, either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
3%
Credit needed
Excellent/Good
Member FDIC. Terms apply. Information about the Chase Freedom Flex℠ has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.
Read our Chase Freedom Flex℠ review.
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Information about the Chase Freedom Flex has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.
