In recent months Chase seems to be making it harder and harder to earn Ultimate Rewards.
Early October 2025 they changed the referral rules for business cards - in that those referring others to business cards will only earn referral points if the card opener is a "new business". IE, if someone already has an existing Chase business card, then you won't earn referral points if you refer them to a new business card.
In a 2-player household, this is a huge bummer! We have earned more than 500,000 points over the years, simply by having one of us refer the other person to an Ink Business card when it was time for a new card. This means in addition to the sign up bonus, we were often earning another 20,000 - 40,000 points for referring as well.
Then in November 2025, Chase came out with new language that says "you may not be eligible for a sign up bonus..." if you've previously earned one on the Ink business cards. Essentially the data points show that if you've earned a sign up bonus (SUB) on a no-fee in card (Ink Unlimited or Cash) then you're not likely to be able to earn another sign up on either of these card types. Similarly, if you've earned a SUB an Ink Preferred previously, you're not likely to able to get another SUB on a new Ink Preferred.
In both of these situations, when applying, you will receive a pop up that tells you you aren't eligible for a sign up bonus; if you receive this pop up, decline the application!
The Good
However, starting today (1/25/2026), there is some good news!
You can now hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred AND the Chase Sapphire Reserve at the same time. Prior to this, you could only hold one of these cards at a time. You also had to wait 48 months in between closing or downgrading a Sapphire card in order to apply for a new card for a new SUB.
Currently, both the Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve have "lifetime language". That is, similar to the Inks change above, if you've previously earned a sign up bonus on a Preferred or Reserve, you're unable to earn another SUB on the same card. However, if you're like me and you've only ever held the Preferred - you ARE still eligible for a SUB on a Reserve! And as of today, if you want, you can hold both the Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve at the same time.
Summary
In a time that's getting harder and harder to continually earn more Chase points, I found the Sapphire update as welcomed news! Neither my P2 nor I have held CSR previously and it's good to know that for now, we still have a way to earn a nice sign up bonus for each of us! The CSR card is on my radar for both of us in the future!
___________________________
Trying to figure out your next card? Here is my FREE personalized Next Card Recommendation form. Simply fill this out and I'll let you know my suggestions.
Wondering how I keep all of this information organized? Check out my Points Tracker!
Curious what cards I (and/or my husband) have, and why? Read here!
No comments:
Post a Comment