Can you switch from chase sapphire preferred to reserve

The Chase Freedom® is not currently available to new cardholders. Please visit our list of the best cash-back cards for alternative options.

Chase Sapphire cards are popular among travelers who are looking for lucrative rewards programs — so popular, in fact, that many Chase enthusiasts look into adding more than one Sapphire card to their wallets.

Known for high welcome bonuses and easy tools for redeeming rewards at 25% or 50% more value (when eligible), both the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card stand out as some of the top travel cards, and certainly favorites among Chase credit cards in particular.

But unfortunately, it's not always possible to sign up for both. Chase has strict eligibility requirements on who can open a new Chase travel card, be it the Sapphire Preferred or the Reserve. Most of the time, cardholders can't have both at once; they have to choose one or the other.

There is one exception, which we dive into below. Here's what you need to know about who can open a Chase Sapphire credit card — plus some alternatives you may want to check out.

Who can open a Chase Sapphire card?

Chase doesn’t allow you to be the primary account holder on both the Sapphire Preferred and Reserve cards. So if you already have one Sapphire card, you can’t apply for the other. 

This eligibility rule is listed in the terms for Sapphire cards:

The product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of any Sapphire credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of any Sapphire credit card who received a new cardmember bonus within the last 48 months. If you are an existing Sapphire customer and would like this product, please call the number on the back of your card to see if you are eligible for a product change. You will not receive the new cardmember bonus if you change products.

Normally, this is no big deal. When you signed up for either the Sapphire Preferred or Reserve, you probably picked the best option for your lifestyle. The Sapphire Reserve has more bells and whistles and a higher annual fee while the Preferred is more affordable and has great value.

But however happy you may be with the perks of your particular Sapphire card, you may want to apply for the other one to earn a welcome bonus.

Luckily, there is one option you could try: While you can't be a primary account holder on two Sapphire cards, a Chase spokesperson confirmed you can be an authorized user on one card and a primary account holder on another card.

So if a family member added you as an authorized user on their Sapphire Preferred card, but you want to apply for the Sapphire Reserve, you could.

Alternative Chase credit cards

While you can't apply for two Sapphire cards, you can have better chances being approved for multiple Chase cash-back cards. The card issuer allows consumers to have all three Chase Freedom cash-back cards: Chase Freedom Flex℠, Chase Freedom Unlimited® and Chase Freedom® (no longer open to new applicants).

If you want to take advantage of relatively easy-to-earn welcome bonuses, the Freedom Flex is offering $200 cash back after you spend $500 on purchases in your first three months from account opening.

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Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.

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