Chase took a page out of Amex's playbook last summer, loading up the new-look *chase sapphire reserve* with a laundry list of statement credits in an effort to justify the eye-popping annual_fees annual fee.
One of the biggest credits has little to do with travel: Get up to $150 in statement credits from January through June and again from July through December (up to $300 annually) for StubHub and viagogo purchases through Dec. 31, 2027 (activation required).
The perk is simple: Purchase tickets to a concert, theater, comedy show, sporting event, and more through StubHub and automatically get reimbursed up to $150 every six months. If you typically take in a live event or two ever year, this can be an easy way to justify the card's annual fee.
But right now, this benefit is better than ever: By stacking this semi-annual credit with a couple of limited-time promotions, you can earn a whole bunch of redeemable points and miles in the process. Taking advantage of this deal isn't quite as simple as it seems, but it is a great opportunity to use your credit and come out even further ahead.
Here's how it works.
Related Reading: Chase Sapphire Reserve® Hikes Annual Fee, Adds Tons of Perks
StubHub Credit Overview
With the Sapphire Reserve's new StubHub credit, you can get up to $300 per year back on StubHub and viagogo purchases through Dec. 31, 2027. This credit is split into two, semi-annual chunks of up to $150 each – January through June and July through December.
Before heading to StubHub to make a purchase, you'll first need to activate this credit by logging into your Chase account and heading to the benefits section for your Sapphire Reserve card.
Once you've done that, you're all set – any purchase(s) you make with StubHub or viagogo will be credited back up to $150 every six months.
If you don't yet have a *chase sapphire reserve*, the current limited-time offer makes now a great time to add it to your wallet: bonus_miles_full
That's up from the 125,000 points you could previously earn for the same spending requirement, making it Chase's largest points offer to date.
Why Right Now is the Best Time to Use This Credit
Chase recently added a new benefit to Sapphire and Freedom cards, allowing cardholders to earn an additional 10x Ultimate Rewards when paying through Paze at select merchants through the end of the year. The initial list of eligible merchants was limited, and we figured it would be most impactful for travelers purchasing United flights – and it probably still is.
But it turns out, there are more places you can use Paze than originally advertised – one of which is StubHub. If you carry the top-tier Sapphire Reserve, you can stack three different offers together to earn a ton of points and miles, while spending very little (if anything) out of pocket!
Here's how it works:
- Sapphire Reserve cardholders get up to $150 in statement credits (semi-annually) for concert and event tickets purchased through StubHub.
- You can earn an additional 10x Ultimate Rewards points on StubHub purchases when using Paze at checkout with StubHub.
- Through May 31, Rove is running a promotion – playfully called, “It Pays to Chase More Rove Miles” – offering 9x miles per dollar spent at StubHub … and increased earnings at a dozen-plus other merchants.
If you're thinking: That all sounds great … but what does it mean in practice? Let me walk you through it.
Say you're heading to NYC this summer and want to take in a musical. You could purchase two tickets to Les Misérables at Radio City Music Hall for $212 (ticket prices vary). Assuming you haven't used your Sapphire Reserve card's semi-annual StubHub credit, you'd get a $150 statement credit for your purchase, paying just $62 out of pocket.
Not bad … but you can do better. By selecting Paze as your payment method at checkout, you'll earn an additional 10x Chase Ultimate Rewards (on top of the card's usual 1x points), for a total of over 2,300 points.
Thrifty Tip: You'll need to use the same email address for your StubHub and Chase accounts to use Paze at checkout. Some people also report having trouble with the StubHub mobile app – give it a try on a desktop or in a mobile browser if you run into a similar issue.
Considering those points are worth as much as 2 cents apiece when booking select flights and hotels through Chase Travel℠ with a “Points Boost” offer (or even more when using the bank's slew of transfer partners), that's a pretty decent haul.
But if you start by clicking through Rove – an online shopping/travel portal, similar to Rakuten – you'll earn an additional 9x miles per dollar spent. That's an extra 1,900 (transferable) miles on top of the Chase points and statement credit.
Add it all up, and that's 4,200 transferable points and miles, plus two tickets to a great show for just $62! Even if you have the cheaper *csp* or a no-annual-fee Freedom Card, you can still earn the bonus points … albeit without the StubHub credit.
One final note if you're hoping to take advantage of this deal: You'll need to link your eligible Chase card to Paze before purchasing tickets from StubHub. You can do this by logging into your Chase account on the mobile app and selecting “Manage account” right underneath the picture of your card. Under “Card setup & maintenance,” you'll see the option to “Add card to digital wallets.”
Select Paze from the list of eligible options, choose the card you want to link, agree to the terms, and voila – you're all set!
If you're using the desktop version of Chase's site, you'll find this by clicking on the “More” tab under your account summary. You'll then need to navigate to “Account services” and “Manage digital wallets.”
Bottom Line
Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders can currently stack three promotions on StubHub purchases: the card’s semi-annual $150 statement credit, 10x Chase points when paying through Paze, and 9x bonus miles through the Rove shopping portal.
The result is a rare opportunity to offset the card’s high annual fee while earning thousands of transferable points and miles on concert or event tickets – potentially paying very little out of pocket for experiences you were already planning to book.
