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A few days ago, I wrote about 2 great credit cards …
When considering a new credit card, the first thing that I do is assess how much value I can obtain from the card. The ultimate objective is to receive more value FROM the card than I pay with the annual fee.
For example, prior to January 2020, the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card had an annual fee of $450. The card, however, had an annual travel credit of $300 which I can easily spend, thus net $150 annual fee. Given the card had a $100 application fee credit for Global Entry (or TSA Pre✓) and included access to 1,000+ airport lounges worldwide with Priority Pass, it was easy for me to see the value.
FAST FORWARD TO JANUARY 2020
In January 2020, Chase raised the annual fee for the Sapphire Reserve from $450 to $550 for new applicants (with existing cardholders charged the increased fee after 1 April 2020). At the time of the announcement, Chase added some new perks to the card including:
- New! Earning 10 points per dollar on Lyft rides and a free membership to Lyft Pink.
- New! Earn up to $120 in statement credits on DoorDash purchases ($60 in statement credits through 2020 and another $60 in statement credits through 2021)
- New! Get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees from thousands of restaurants for a minimum of one year on qualifying food purchases with DashPass, DoorDash’s subscription service.
I chalked up these benefits as useless as they did not justify the major increase in annual fee.
FAST FORWARD TO THIS WEEK
(Slight) Spoiler Alert: I’ve been invited to speak at various travel events, the blog is gaining traction daily, and 1tattedpassport, as a brand, have some new things in the works including a crew.
Last week I bought lunch for the aforementioned crew, and decided to support a small local Ethiopian Restaurant that I enjoy, Mela Ethiopian Kitchen.
I placed my order and paid with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Not too exciting huh?
The food was delicious (and I totally recommend Ethiopian food if you’ve never had it before) but the best part about this story is that my ENTIRE CHECK was covered by the DoorDash credit. Yeah, the one that I had written off because I was never going to use it.
THE DOORDASH CREDIT
As I mentioned above, the Chase Sapphire Reserve added a $60 statement credit for 2020 and another one for 2021. You also get a complimentary DashPass, which gives free delivery and a reduced service fee at many establishments through 2021.
I never signed up for DashPass because I had never used DoorDash. However, with the restrictions on leaving home, the reduced service fee could save a decent amount over several months.
FINAL STAMP
Generally, banks (in this case Chase) offer perks but assume most people won’t maximize them or use them at all but I bet many more people are using DoorDash than previously anticipated. Who would’ve predicted that benefit would become so valuable!?
Now, I’ll easily use my $60 credit where as before I would’ve had to plan to order out to take advantage of the savings.
“Saving” ~$40 on Ethiopian for work was good. Earning additional points while doing it was a great. I still have $20 of credit to use which I’m sure I won’t have any problem doing and will hopefully be able to support another local business.
I would encourage you to please use these credits to support small businesses instead of using it to have a 20 pack of McNuggets delivered to your house.
Note: If you’re not already a DoorDash member, you can save $5 off your first three orders of $15 or more if you have a referral link. Terms prohibit me from sharing the link on the blog but if you send me a message through the CONTACT ME page or on IG, I’ll have a link for you. 😉
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