When Chase increased the annual fee of the Sapphire Reserve to $795 over the summer, I was on the fence if I would keep it or not. Fortunately, since my annual fee hit in early October, I had one more year grandfathered in at the old $550 fee to decide. One of the main factors for me keeping the card or not would be if I could use the twice-per-year $150 dining credits. With some recent changes, that turned out to be pretty easy.
When the original list of restaurants was released as part of the Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables, it was underwhelming. There were simply too few restaurants in too few cities to be super relevant and for me personally, the closest restaurant was a 5-hour drive away. Compared with the Amex Resy credit on my Gold card, which has many local restaurants included, this Sapphire Reserve dining credit was going to be tough to use.
Positive change
Fortunately for me and many others, Chase expanded their list of covered restaurants a few weeks ago. That gave me a short window to triple-dip this credit before my next annual fee is due and I can decide if it makes sense to keep this card long-term. Both the number of cities with eligible restaurants and total number of restaurants increased, including 3 for me in the St. Louis area. You can see the full list here with OpenTable.
How to use the Sapphire Reserve dining credit
It can be a little confusing when you look on the OpenTable site. At the top of the page, you are prompted to link your card. This is not required to earn the $150 dining credit twice per year but does in theory unlock some exclusive reservations held for Sapphire Reserve customers. You can earn up to $150 from January through June and again from July through December.
I was able to find a reservation at one of the local restaurants for the Sunday before Christmas and simply made a reservation on OpenTable without linking my card. At the restaurant I made sure to pay with my Sapphire Reserve card and the $150 credit posted within 2 days. Some earlier data points of people having trouble getting the credits to post quickly, but it was very quick and easy for me.
I was happy to get one use in before the end of the year so I could ensure keep the triple-dip possibility alive. I was also able to use the $150 Stubhub credit to buy some tickets as a Christmas gift, so overall, I am doing well with the new Chase credits.
TL;DR: I was able to make good use of the new Chase Sapphire Reserve dining credit now that the list of restaurants has been expanded. The easy use of these credits may make the different between keeping this card or not, and fortunately I will get to try it out 3 times before I have to make my decision next October.
