Chase Sapphire Downgrade Process

One of the most frequently asked questions in the Travel on Point(s) Facebook group is how to downgrade a Sapphire product. The Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Chase Sapphire Reserve are the two main Sapphire products. If you're just starting to travel on points, one of these two cards is the card to start with. After the first year though, it might make sense to downgrade that card as part of your broader credit card strategy. Whether you have a Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve, the Chase Sapphire downgrade process is pretty simple.

What is a Downgrade?

Downgrading a credit card (also known as product changing) means changing the credit card product to a different card product with the same bank. Pretty much everything with your account will stay the same, like the card number, issuing bank and your credit limit / outstanding balance. The only thing that changes is the kind of card you are carrying from the bank. As far as the bank and the credit bureaus are concerned, it's like you still have the same original card though.

Why Downgrade a Sapphire Card?

There are two main reasons you would want to downgrade. First is if you want to avoid paying an annual fee after the first year. If you have two cards in your household and your first year is up, you may want to downgrade to avoid paying two annual fees on the same card. Additionally, you can combine Ultimate Rewards in the same household. That means you only need one person to have a premium Chase card like the Preferred, Reserve, Chase Ink Business Preferred or Sapphire Reserve for Business in your household to transfer URs to Chase's valuable transfer partners.

Secondly, if you have not had one of the cards, you may be able to apply for the other Sapphire product and earn a new sign-up bonus at that point. Note: Chase recently changed its rules to allow you to hold both Sapphire cards at the same time, so a downgrade is no longer required—but you may still want to do it to avoid paying fees on both cards. You can learn more about the Sapphire card application rules here. Of course, as with other Chase cards, you need to be under 5/24 to reapply for a Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve.

What Card to Downgrade to

Generally, we recommend downgrading to the original Chase Freedom card. This card does not have an annual fee and earns 5x Ultimate Rewards via the rotating quarterly bonus categories just like the Chase Freedom Flex. The original / vanilla Chase Freedom is no longer available to new applicants, so product changing is the only way to get this card now.

The main reason we recommend downgrading to the original Chase Freedom card is that doing so keeps you eligible to earn the welcome offer for the other Chase Freedom cards (namely, the Chase Freedom Unlimited and Chase Freedom Flex). You can only earn a welcome offer for the Freedom Unlimited or Freedom Flex if you do not have the card and have not earned an offer for that card in the last 24 months. Therefore, if you have already earned a sign-up bonus for either the Unlimited or the Flex, you could downgrade to the one for which you've already earned the bonus on.

You can never have enough Freedom / Freedom Flex cards, since they can each earn 30,000 URs per year if you maximize the quarterly spending categories. That's why the Freedom Flex (or the original Freedom) is an important part of the Chase Trifecta.

The Chase Sapphire Downgrade Process

Downgrading from a Chase Sapphire product is quite simple. You can just call the number on the back of your credit card to reach a customer service rep. Some Chase representatives might be confused by the request to product change to an original Freedom card. This is likely because the original Freedom has not been available for new applications for a couple of years now.

It is usually helpful to specify that you want to product change to the “Freedom Visa that earns Ultimate Rewards.” This usually helps the representative understand that you are looking for the original Freedom instead of the Freedom Flex, which is a MasterCard.

If the Chase representative cannot or will not downgrade your card, simply hang up and call again (HUCA) until you reach a representative who knows how to help.

Earning a Sapphire Welcome Offer Again

If you have never held the Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve before, you can be eligible to earn a welcome offer for the other card in the family. If you have now held both, then you may not be eligible for another offer.

As with other Chase cards, you have to be under 5/24 to open either Sapphire product. You can check the flowchart for the application process should you have any issues. If you end up getting declined, you can do a reconsideration call and have up to 30 days to complete this.

Chase Sapphire Downgrade Process: ToP Thoughts

Maximizing welcome offers is a great way to earn more points, but it isn't the only tool in our toolbelt. Performing a downgrade into a better earning card is always a great long term option. Just be aware of all of the rules, and potential pitfalls, before pulling that downgrade lever. You also want to be sure that you are aware of all of the new card's application rules to see if you are eligible.

If you ever have any questions about what you should do, or how the process works, please come to our ToP Facebook group for assistance.