The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review) is one of the most popular premium travel rewards cards. The card offers all kinds of valuable benefits, and for many of us the perks more than offset the $550 annual fee. Among other things, the card offers 3x points on dining and travel, a $300 annual travel credit, a Priority Pass membership, a Global Entry fee credit, and more.
While the benefits for the primary cardmember of the Chase Sapphire Reserve might be straightforward, there’s often some confusion about what benefits authorized users on the card receive. I wanted to cover that in this post in a bit more detail.
In this post:
What much does it cost to add a Chase Sapphire Reserve authorized user?
You can add authorized users to the Chase Sapphire Reserve for an annual fee of $75 per person per year. In other words, you’d pay $75 to add one authorized user, $300 to add four authorized users, etc. This is in addition to the annual fee for the primary cardmember.
How do you add a Chase Sapphire Reserve authorized user?
Adding an authorized user to the Chase Sapphire Reserve is easy. Just log into your Chase account, and then click on your Sapphire Reserve. Then go to the “Account services” section, and click on “Add an authorized user.”
There you’ll just have to enter the name, date of birth, and address of the person you want to add to your card. Once requested, the card will be mailed to the primary cardmember, and it will be up to them to get the card to the authorized user.
I should also mention that if you’re an authorized user on the Chase Sapphire Reserve you’d still be eligible to apply for the card yourself, including earning the bonus.
What benefits do Chase Sapphire Reserve authorized users get?
Which Chase Sapphire Reserve benefits do authorized users receive?
- The Chase Sapphire Reserve has awesome bonus categories, and the spending of authorized users racks up points at the higher rate, including earning 3x points on dining and travel; that being said, the points are accrued by the primary cardmember, who is also responsible for paying the bill
- Chase Sapphire Reserve authorized users get a Priority Pass membership, allowing them to access 1,300+ lounges around the world with two guests, including Priority Pass restaurants; this is the same Priority Pass benefit offered to the primary cardmember
- Chase Sapphire Reserve authorized users get the same car rental coverage and travel protection that the primary cardmember receives, when using their card for eligible purchases
- Chase Sapphire Reserve authorized users receive Visa Infinite perks, which include Visa Infinite Concierge Service, access to the Visa Infinite Luxury Collection, and more
I’d say one of the primary reasons to add an authorized user is for the Priority Pass membership with guesting privileges. Getting that for just $75 per year is a phenomenal value for anyone who flies with any frequency.
What benefits don’t Chase Sapphire Reserve authorized users get?
In the interest of being thorough, unlike the Chase Sapphire Reserve primary cardmember, authorized users don’t receive:
- A $300 annual travel credit; charges made by the authorized users can qualify towards this, but there’s no additional credit for authorized users
- An additional Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck credit; charges towards this by authorized users can qualify towards this perk, but there’s no additional credit for authorized users
How does this compare to the Chase Sapphire Preferred authorized user benefits?
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) has an annual fee of just $95 for the primary cardmember, and there’s no cost to add authorized users. Since many people try to decide between the Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve, this is something worth considering.
Being able to add authorized users on the Chase Sapphire Preferred at no extra cost is potentially a valuable advantage. The way I view it:
- If the people you’re adding as authorized users greatly value a Priority Pass membership, then having a Sapphire Reserve and adding them as authorized users is your best bet, because paying just $75 for such a membership is a good deal
- If the people you’re adding as authorized users are using the card primarily for spending (the Chase Sapphire Preferred has awesome bonus categories as well), and if they value great car rental and travel protection, then the Sapphire Preferred does the trick
Bottom line
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a well-rounded premium travel rewards card. Cardmembers can add authorized users to the card for $75 each, and that comes with perks like a Priority Pass membership, as well as the same points earning, travel protection, and car rental coverage, as the primary cardmember gets. Mainly I just think that paying $75 per year for a Priority Pass membership with guesting privileges is a good deal.
However, for many the Chase Sapphire Preferred may be a better fit — there’s no cost to add authorized users, and they rack up points at an accelerated rate, and also get useful travel and car rental coverage.
What do you make of the value proposition of adding Chase Sapphire Reserve authorized users?
Do you know if the authorized user's charges are separated out on the statement or just mixed in with the primary user's? Is the authorized user's card the exact same number as the primary users (but with a different name on card, of course)? AMEX Blue Card issues cards with distinct numbers for each authorized user and charges are separated out on the statement. Wondering if it's the same with the CSR card.
I just added an authorized users on my CSR account, and was shocked to find that there is no way to distinguish which cardmember made the charges. I just spoke with tech support and customer service, and both told me that because the card number is the same on both cards, there's no way to separate them. I'm kind of shocked. With American Express, authorized users have their own login and self-service options, and can...
I just added an authorized users on my CSR account, and was shocked to find that there is no way to distinguish which cardmember made the charges. I just spoke with tech support and customer service, and both told me that because the card number is the same on both cards, there's no way to separate them. I'm kind of shocked. With American Express, authorized users have their own login and self-service options, and can make payments on their own. I don't know how I'm going to be able to work this with Chase... weird. It's a terrible setup.
If I want to add an authorized user, will they get a hard pull on their credit score?
No, not even a soft pull. Authorized users for both cards are available just by requesting additional cards. The primary user is responsible for the account, including all of the charges that authorized users make.
If someone is an authorized user on a CSR but wants to get a CSP (with the current increased sign-up bonus) are they eligible? Assuming here that the 5/24 rule is clear and this auth. user hasn't gotten a Sapphire welcome bonus in 48 months. Curious if their status as a CSR Auth. User disqualifies them from the CSP welcome bonus. Thanks for the guidance!
@ Jason -- An authorized user could pick up the CSP or CSR, including receiving the bonus. :)
Authorized users are just users on someone else's account. So it's like they don't even have an account as far as Chase is concerned. The primary user is responsible for all the purchases the AU makes and receives all of the points. The AU can open their own account, assuming the qualify