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Priority Pass memberships received across a range of credit card issuers have dropped restaurant access in recent years. Unfortunately the list of cards offering this benefit will be reducing further still in a few months time as Chase will be dropping restaurant access from the Priority Pass membership for Sapphire Reserve, Ritz-Carlton and J.P. Morgan Reserve cardholders.
Sapphire Reserve cardholders who got their statements in recent days received the following notification on them:
“As of July 1, 2024, you will no longer have access to restaurants, cafes, and markets participating in the Priority Pass Select network as part of the Priority Pass Select Benefit associated with your card. Access to Priority Pass Select’s network of lounges and other select airport experiences is not impacted by this update.”
Award Wallet has also confirmed with Chase that this change will be affecting cardholders of their Ritz-Carlton and J.P. Morgan Reserve cards too.
For cardholders who fly from/through airports that have Priority Pass restaurants, this could be a huge loss, especially if those airports don’t have any actual lounges you can visit as an alternative.
As things stand, that makes the Capital One Venture X Business card the most notable card that still has restaurant access, although there are a few others (e.g. Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite).
Considering so many other cards have lost restaurant access in recent years, it’s disappointing but unsurprising that these premium Chase cards will lose access too as of July 1.
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Altitude Reserve is another notable card with restaurants (albeit limited to 8 total complimentary visits per year) and it looks like I’ll now be taking advantage of that and juggling multiple Priority Pass memberships… Having one Priority Pass card a la Ritz-Carlton with unlimited everything where you never had to keep track of visits or even guests sure was nice while it lasted!
My home airport is PDX, and if I’m reading this right, then the PP becomes pretty useless there. They use to have the Alaska lounge accessible with the PP, but that went away a couple of years ago. They also had Caper’s Cafe,two different ones and the Westward Whiskey Distillery.
Is this just restaurants that this is ending for? Will the distillery still work since it is more of an “experience” than a restaurant?
It’s such a drag! I’ve used my PP multiple dozens of times at Caper’s, so I’ll be bummed to see this end.
In the exact same boat, the amount of Priority Pass sponsored Caper’s coffee and Westward Whisky that has been peed out on flights… It will be missed. I’m telling myself that the new renovation will come with a PP lounge, but I recognize the fantasy I’m living in. Alas, back to the Starbucks line for me.
How long until no cards offer PP restaurants?
I did not realize that the experiences (Be Relax, etc.) were separate from the restaurants. Do the other premium cards (AmEx Plat & Venture X) include the experience feature but not restaurants?
The PP benefit is really not that great anymore as the lounges are frequently packed or lackluster. The last time I was in Cabo San Lucas it was at least a 45 minute wait for the lounge.
I just paid my annual fee on my CSR so I’ll keep it for now. But, I might have to rethink my wallet.
Product change my Bonvoy Bold to Ritz to continue with 15 nights and travel protections.
Product change or cancel my CSR to Preferred.
Good strategy?
good strategy. $300 airline credit, PP + chase lounge access, and annual FNC > CSR’s value proposition
Wow, just upgraded to Ritz card two weeks ago. Lame Chase.
If I have PP through CSR but also have a Citi Prestige, do I just cancel one PP membership and open another through Citi?
Yes.
You don’t have to cancel. Just use a different log in and make a new one. I currently have 3. Had 1 from USB AR for restaurants, 1 from Amex Plat, and then upgraded my CSP to CSR last year and got one from there. I had moved the AR one to the sock drawer in favor of the CSR, but seems like the CSR one will be getting swapped out in june
Does the USB AR still have restaurants? I haven’t signed up for my PP account with this card cuz I have the CSR, but may have to for times when I need restaurant access.
Yes, 8 total visits per year. So far as I know they have not announced any changes to restaurant access
No need to cancel. You can hold multiple PP. Signup under Citi. Just remember which card goes with which bank.
The Ink Preferred has the same earn rate as the CSR on travel (but not dining). Please correct me if I’m wrong, the Ink Preferred has the similar travel protections as the CSR. The Ink SUB merry-go-round is likely a hobbyist’s greatest source of UR points. Given the foregoing . . . without the CSR . . . one can transfer points to Hyatt. I’m seeing a Chase ecosystem that doesn’t really need the CSR.
Given the CSR’s PP benefit is now the same as that of every other card, what exactly is the CSR’s unique value proposition at this point? (10x on portal hotels can be had on Capital One and 1.5cpp on airfare redemptions can be had at Amex.)
This is a sincere question and not sarcasm. Thanks in advance.
The CSR’s travel protections are better than Ink Business Preferred protections. See a comparison here: https://frequentmiler.com/chase-sapphire-reserve-vs-preferred/#Travel_Protection_Comparison
That said, there’s no doubt that the CSR’s value proposition takes a hit with this Priority Pass news.
Thanks. As the premium travel card landscape has evolved, I find fewer and fewer reasons to use the CSR. If the CSR’s travel protections are a draw, I guess the question is whether one’s alternative travel protections are “good enough.” Or, if someone buys a standalone travel insurance policy, what’s left for the CSR? Thanks again.
The Ritz Carlton card has the same travel protections as CSR does. RC gives you free authorized users, each of who gets their own lounge access. CSR charges $75 per authorized user. RC also gives you unlimited guests for the Sapphire Lounge. CSR only gives you 2 guests for the same lounge. Having RC plus either CSP or Ink Preferred would make up for not having CSR.
This is the way.
You have to jump through an extra hoop to get the RC card but unless you absolutely despise Marriott it seems like a clearly better value proposition currently than a CSR.
– Identical or better lounge access
– Same travel protections
– $100 lower annual fee (enough to cover the fee for a CSP instead!)
– $300 airline credit + 85K FNC vs a $300 general travel credit
Pay Yourself Back is mostly dead so the CSR’s main benefits are tied to the Chase travel portal – 1.5cpp redemptions through the portal, 5X or 10X earnings on certain travel portal bookings, and the Chase Luxury Hotel Collection program. On the flip side the Ritz card gets targeted for some of the 5X spending offers for Chase co-branded cards.
If you aren’t a heavy Chase travel portal user or running a ton of employer reimbursed travel spend through the card I don’t see a need for the CSR.
does altitide reserve still allow restaurants?
Yes , 8 visits per year to restaurants or lounges. Any guest count toward the 8 visits allotments.
ugh! gut punch.
Good. I won’t be tempted to go to Landrys in Houston anymore. Awful place.
Worst experience we ever had at a PP restaurant there. And we use it all the time
If B of A keeps the PP restaurant access with the $550 Premium Elite card, those of us with the $95 Premium card might consider switching (I’m not sure of BofA does product changes). The $550 card comes with airline credit and “lifestyle” credits worth $450 that seem to be pretty easy to use. The $95 Premium card does come with $100 airline credit. So, the difference would be effectively $105. A couple of restaurant trips per year would make this a wash.
Also, for the BofA Premium Rewards Elite card, you can add 3 additional Priority Pass users (total of 4 priority pass users) for the effective annual fee for $100.
This is definitely a big incentive to downgrade to CSP from CSR. However, I’m not sure I understand how Chase lounge access works with Priority Pass from another card. I think I understand I can get one visit per year to a Chase lounge if, say, I have Priority Pass through Amex Platinum. But can I stack if I have multiple cards with Priority Pass (e.g., two visits per year with Amex Platinum + Venture X)?
You can access US Chase Lounges once per calendar year (no guest) with any Priority Pass access issued by another lender (Capital One, Amex, etc..). Any additional visit or guest access is at $75 each.
Unlimited visits and 2 guest to US Chase Lounges with the CSR.
Non US Chase Lounges (like Hong Kong) is excluded from this policy
Thanks, very helpful! The other part of the question is whether I can use multiple Priority Pass accounts for multiple visits. Like if I activate Priority Pass through Amex and Capitol One can I visit twice in a year, or is the one visit per year per person no matter how many Priority Pass accounts I have.
Good question. But I think its one per membership, so if you have 2 memberships (Capital One plus Amex) it will be two visits. That’s my thoughts but I have not heard of any data points on this.