The Chase Sapphire cards, including the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, are popular for their travel rewards and perks. Understanding What Counts As Travel Chase Sapphire defines is crucial for maximizing your points earnings. This guide breaks down the Chase definition of travel purchases eligible for bonus rewards on these cards.
Earning Points on Travel with Chase Sapphire Cards
The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers 10 points per dollar on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase Travel, and 5 points per dollar on flights booked through Chase Travel. For purchases made directly with airlines, hotels, or other travel companies, you’ll earn 3 points per dollar.
Alternative text: Interior view of a rental car, illustrating car rental bonus category for Chase Sapphire.
The Sapphire Preferred earns 5 points per dollar on travel booked through Chase Travel and 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases.
Both cards also offer bonus points on Lyft rides (through March 2025): 10 points per dollar on the Reserve and 5 points per dollar on the Preferred.
Chase’s Definition of “Travel”
Chase defines travel broadly, giving cardholders ample opportunities to earn bonus points. According to Chase, the travel category includes:
Merchants in the travel category include airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds and operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots and garages.
This definition is more inclusive than many other travel credit cards. While some cards offer bonus points only on airfare booked directly with the airline, the Chase Sapphire cards provide bonuses on a wide array of travel-related expenses. Even services like Uber and Airbnb are typically counted as travel purchases.
Alternative text: A yellow taxi cab in Times Square, New York City, demonstrating eligible taxi travel purchase with Chase Sapphire.
What Doesn’t Count as Travel with Chase Sapphire?
While Chase’s definition of travel is generous, some purchases don’t qualify for bonus points in the travel category. These include:
Merchants in this category include airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds and operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots and garages. Some merchants that provide transportation and travel-related services are not included in this category; for example, real estate agents, educational merchants arranging travel, in-flight goods and services, on-board cruise line goods and services, sightseeing activities, excursions, tourist attractions, RV and boat rentals, merchants within hotels and airports, public campgrounds and merchants that rent vehicles for the purpose of hauling. Purchases from gift card merchants or merchants that sell points or miles will not qualify in the travel category.
Some specific instances where TPG staffers have not received bonus points for travel include RV rentals and some vacation rentals booked through Vrbo or similar services. The coding of vacation rentals can depend on whether the property is managed by an individual or a large company; the latter may code as “professional services” instead of travel.
If you’re unsure whether a purchase will count as travel, consider making a small test charge and checking your Chase account to see if it earns bonus points.
Resolving Incorrectly Coded Purchases
If you believe a travel purchase should have earned bonus points but didn’t, you can contact Chase via phone or secure message to request a review. While there’s no guarantee of a favorable outcome, you’ll gain clarity on how certain charges are coded and can plan your spending accordingly.
Summary of What Counts as Travel with Chase Sapphire
Here’s a quick recap of what typically counts as travel purchases:
- Airlines
- Buses
- Campgrounds
- Car rental agencies (excluding RV and boat rentals)
- Cruise lines
- Discount travel sites
- Ferries
- Hotels
- Limousines
- Motels
- Parking lots and garages
- Passenger trains
- Taxis
- Timeshares
- Toll bridges and highways
- Travel agencies
- Vacation rentals (including some VRBO rentals operated by an individual)
And here’s what typically does not count:
- Educational merchants arranging travel
- Excursions
- Gift card merchants
- Inflight goods and services
- Merchants that rent vehicles for the purpose of hauling
- Merchants within hotels and airports
- Onboard cruise line goods and services
- Purchasing points or miles
- Public campgrounds
- Real estate agents
- RV and boat rentals
- Sightseeing activities
- Tourist attractions
- Vacation rentals (some VRBO rentals operated by a conglomerate rather than an individual)
Final Thoughts
Understanding what counts as travel Chase Sapphire defines is essential for maximizing your rewards. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred cards, you have numerous opportunities to earn bonus points on a wide range of travel-related expenses. These cards also offer valuable travel and purchase protections, making them a worthwhile addition to any traveler’s wallet.
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Reserve with a 60,000-point sign-up bonus after you spend $4,000 in the first three months of account opening.
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Preferred with a 60,000-point sign-up bonus after you spend $4,000 in the first three months of account opening.
