The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) has rolled out the best welcome bonus we have seen in the card’s history: Earn 150,000 bonus factors after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Per TPG’s Could 2026 valuations, this Sapphire Reserve bonus is price $3,075, making this a superb time to use in the event you’ve been contemplating the cardboard.
However some candidates hoping to get in on this stellar supply are operating into an surprising difficulty: A Chase Sapphire Reserve pop-up warning telling them they are not eligible for the welcome bonus.
What does this Sapphire Reserve bonus eligibility pop-up truly imply? And why are some candidates, together with former Sapphire Reserve cardholders, seeing it now?
To raised perceive what’s occurring, we’re breaking down a real-world instance from TPG editor-in-chief Nick Ewen, whose spouse just lately encountered the pop-up whereas making use of for the cardboard. This is what it is advisable to know.
What’s the Sapphire Reserve bonus eligibility pop-up?
We have seen a number of studies of candidates being stopped by Chase’s Sapphire Reserve pop-up through the utility course of.
The message appears like this:
Nick’s spouse was certainly one of these unfortunate candidates. She’d had the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) since 2021 and was wanting so as to add the opposite private Sapphire product now, given the implausible 150,000-point bonus.
She accomplished the applying course of and instantly noticed the pop-up indicating she wasn’t eligible.
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That is when Nick mentioned it hit him. His spouse had truly opened the Sapphire Reserve in 2017, across the time the cardboard featured a 100,000-point launch supply (now not out there).
After a yr, she downgraded it to a Chase Freedom Unlimited® (see rates and fees), and Nick picked up his personal Sapphire Reserve after he fell under 5/24.
Nick mentioned his lengthy tenure with the Sapphire Reserve made him neglect that his spouse had as soon as held the cardboard as properly. However, since she was a cardholder almost a decade in the past, she was not eligible for the present 150,000-point bonus.
What to do in the event you get a pop-up saying you are not eligible for the Sapphire Reserve welcome bonus
Chase helps you to cancel your utility with no impression in your credit score rating in the event you see the eligibility pop-up and notice you will not qualify for the bonus.
After all, you could possibly additionally select to proceed with out the bonus — however with greater than $3,000 on the desk, why would you wish to incur a $795 annual charge with out getting the supply?
Associated: Your biggest Chase Sapphire Reserve questions answered: From bonus eligibility to earning rates
Who’s eligible for the Sapphire Reserve bonus?
These are the fundamental eligibility guidelines to qualify for the Sapphire Reserve:
- You should be below 5/24, which means you have not opened 5 or extra new bank cards up to now 24 months. (Chase usually does not embody enterprise playing cards in its 5/24 equation.)
- You possibly can’t presently have a Sapphire Reserve card open.
- When you beforehand earned a bonus on the Sapphire Reserve, you greater than probably is not going to be eligible to earn one other.
- When you beforehand had a Sapphire Reserve, you might not be eligible for this supply, even in the event you did not earn a bonus on that Sapphire Reserve.
- You probably will not be authorized when you’ve got a poor credit score, low earnings or a negative relationship with Chase.
Associated: Am I eligible for the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s 150,000-point bonus?
Backside line
Many candidates who encounter the Sapphire Reserve pop-up message might not keep in mind having held the cardboard beforehand.
Sadly, real-world applicant knowledge suggests Chase’s once-per-lifetime coverage relating to its card bonuses signifies that you probably aren’t eligible for this 150,000-point supply in the event you’ve ever held the Sapphire Reserve at any level in its historical past — even in the event you did not earn a bonus on the time.
The excellent news is that Chase helps you to cancel your utility after seeing the pop-up, with no impression in your credit score rating.
To study extra, try our full review of the Sapphire Reserve.
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Reserve
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