In case you haven’t heard, the 100,000-point opening bonus attached to the wildly popular Chase Sapphire Reserve card was/is apparently a limited-time offer, something we all fretted about since it came out.
Per the Chase website (we like official sources), the 100k online offer requires you to apply by January 11th. It’s January 12th and that language in still on their website.
Perhaps the webmaster forgot to update the site, or a cached copy needs to be flushed. We don’t know. We just know the 100k online offer is supposed to be long gone by now.
It should have been slashed in half, to just 50k points when you spend $4,000 in the first three months. That’s quite a drop, as you know, making the card just so-so now when you factor in the massive $450 annual fee.
In-Branch CSR Offer Still Comes with 100,000 Points Until March
The good news is that the reduced offer is only applicable to the online application. You can apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve in-branch for another two months or so and get the 100k bonus points. The end date is expected to be a full two months later, on or around March 11th, 2017.
Put simply, you should NOT apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card online anymore. You’ll get 50,000 less bonus points if you do, at least, that’s what Chase would have us led to believe.
It should be noted that Chase is very accommodating when it comes to matching public offers, so even if you did flub up and apply online, they might honor the 100k bonus if you send them a secure message from within the Chase website.
Still, it’s probably not worth taking that chance if there’s a Chase branch nearby. For those nowhere close to a Chase branch, you might just have to take that leap of faith and hope for a match after the fact.
For those lucky enough to be close to one of their physical locations, there’s another plus to applying for the CSR at a Chase branch. The personal bankers there can see what cards you’re pre-approved for beforehand. That way you can save a credit inquiry if they let you know you don’t qualify.
No senses in running your credit when you know you won’t be approved. Just be warned that they can’t see (as far as we know) your 5/24 status, and this can sometimes be an impenetrable roadblock even if you’re supposedly good to go.
Some people also seem to think approval odds are higher when you deal directly with a Chase banker, as opposed to applying on some credit card blog that urges you to apply, despite your approval odds being low to nil.
Your chances of instant approval may also be higher when you’re at the branch in full physical glory, so you can get your new card with little delay.
Pro tip: Chase now has a 5/24 rule in place that bars you from getting approved for certain Chase credit cards if you’ve opened five or more credit cards in the past two years (from any company).
You can check your 5/24 status on a free site such as Credit Karma. Once logged in, simply navigate to the credit report tab and filter by date to check how many credit cards have been opened in the past two years. If there are five or more you might be out of luck.
(photo: zack Mccarthy)