I Had A Nightmare Travel Day. My Chase Sapphire Reserve Benefits Provided Relief

I often joke that it’s easier to travel from NYC to London than to Upstate New York, where my parents live. They are based out of Rome, a small town where I grew up. I have lived in New York City for the better part of the last twenty years and frequently make my way Upstate to visit them, so I am confident when I say that traveling to London, Paris, or any other major city is truly easier.

Getting to Rome has few viable options, with my best bets being sucking up the five-hour car ride, taking an Amtrak to either Rome or Utica or flying to Syracuse (SYR). On this particular day, I had decided to fly. My flight was out of JFK, which is a little over an hour’s commute from the Financial District in Manhattan that I was coming from.

To start my trek, I jumped on the A Train at Fulton St to head to JFK, where I would eventually connect to the AirTrain. The commute was estimated to be just slightly over one hour according to Google Maps. With a flight that left at 3:40 p.m., I left around 1 p.m., which would give me close to an hour and a half of wiggle room once I had reached JFK. With no checked luggage, a small domestic flight and TSA PreCheck®, I figured I would be fine.

This is where things started to go wrong. While on the subway, I had headphones in and missed an announcement that the A Train was randomly being rerouted to a C Train line. This might sound like I’m speaking German if you don’t live in New York or aren’t familiar with the city’s public transit system. In simpler terms, this meant my train was no longer taking me to the airport. I caught wind of this about 45 minutes into my commute when I noticed we were at an unfamiliar stop.

Not to worry, though. All I had to do was get off that stop, take the C Train back two stops in the opposite direction, and then transfer to an A Train to get back on track. This scenario, on a normal day, would take maybe an extra ten minutes.

I got off the train, caught the subway in the opposite direction and only a few minutes later, I was at Broadway Junction, which would bring me right to the AirTrain to JFK once I caught the next A Train out. However, due to construction, which is likely what made the train reroute in the first place, it said the estimated waiting time for the next train was 24 minutes. This is fairly unheard of in New York, where trains frequently come at least two times every ten minutes. Since I was already cutting it a little close, I didn’t have 20-plus minutes to wait, so I decided to take a Lyft.

I was quite frustrated when I saw that despite a 20-minute drive to JFK, a Lyft would cost me close to $70, a stark difference from my $11.40 public transit commute. Having no choice, however, I sucked it up and put it on my Chase Sapphire Reserve®. This is when the lightbulb flickered on, thinking, This is an annoying situation, but at least I get 10 points per dollar on this car ride. Lyft currently has a promo where, through March 2025, Chase Sapphire Reserve card members get 10 points per dollar spent toward Lyft. The ride ended up being $65, so I got 650 points which I can now put toward hotels or flights through Chase Travel℠, or my personal favorite way to redeem, by transferring out to one of Chase’s travel partners.

To further emphasize that the universe had it out for me that day, ordering a Lyft in New York City usually means a car arrives within two or three minutes. My driver’s estimated arrival time was 13 minutes from the time I ordered the car, and when you’re already running late, every second counts. When I got in the car, he told me he needed to stop for gas, which is when I began to accept I was going to miss my flight.

After a 10-plus minute wait, a gas station pitstop and a failed public transit attempt, I finally made it to JFK. The time was 2:52 p.m., and my flight was leaving at 3:40 p.m. I believe what ultimately saved the day was having TSA PreCheck®. The wait for regular security was estimated to be 25 minutes, but with TSA PreCheck, I was through in less than five. I ran to my gate around 3 p.m., and they weren’t boarding yet, so I was finally able to take a breather. Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders receive a statement credit toward the TSA PreCheck application fee. Alternatively, cardholders can receive a credit for Global Entry (which includes TSA Precheck) or NEXUS enrollment fees.

After all of that, I even had time to swing by a lounge included in the Priority Pass™ network, where my annual membership is yet another perk of my Chase Sapphire Reserve card. After a chaotic journey there, I quickly slurped up some noodles, sipped a crisp glass of much-needed white wine and was on the flight before I knew it.

A little over an hour later, I landed at Syracuse Hancock International Airport. Though my parents typically pick me up, they were unable to on this particular day, so I had to take yet another Lyft. However, I didn’t mind, because now I remembered I was getting 10 times the points. In Lyft rides alone on this day, I earned over 1,000 points to be used toward future travel.

My Chase Sapphire Reserve card could not have prevented any of the day’s mishaps. It couldn’t have fixed me having my music too loud and therefore missing a crucial subway announcement. And it couldn’t have made sure my New York Lyft driver had enough gas in his tank nor made my unexpected Lyft rides any cheaper.

However, using my Chase Sapphire Reserve card in a pinch reminded me of the value of not only the card itself, but fully understanding its perks and benefits. Had I taken an Uber instead of a Lyft, I would have only gotten 3 points per dollar on my rides. And had I not utilized its TSA PreCheck benefit by enrolling in the program, I’m confident I would have missed my flight.

Ultimately, this day proved my theory to be true: Next time I’ll just go to London.