Chase has introduced an interesting new feature called “Edited,” which is designed to compete with American Express’s Fine Hotels & Resorts program. Similar to FHR, this program provides exclusive hotel perks, drawing from a curated list of top hotels and resorts. The excitement comes from the revamped Sapphire Reserve Card, which enhances the reservation experience by offering a $250 credit every six months, a more generous earning rate on stays, and attractive redemptions at two cents per point through a point boost. Plus, most stays booked through this program can earn hotel points and elite benefits, which makes everything even more appealing.
However, a question arises: what if booking through the editor costs more? If that’s the case, all the perks might not matter. So, I took a closer look at how edited rates compared to direct bookings as well as bookings done using hotel points. The findings were quite promising.
Overview of Edited by Chase Travel
Benefits
- Daily breakfast
- $100 property credit
- Room upgrades at check-in, subject to availability
- Early check-in and late check-out, if available
- Complimentary wifi
- Eligibility for earning hotel points and elite benefits at numerous participating hotels
Comparison with FHR
While both programs offer nearly identical benefits, Fine Hotels & Resorts has a distinct advantage: late check-out at 4 PM. So, if that’s a priority for you, sticking with FHR may be the way to go. That being said, Chase makes it clear when a hotel booking earns points, whereas Amex doesn’t highlight this aspect.
Eligibility
To use the editing feature, you need to have one of these cards:
- Sapphire Reserve
- Sapphire Reserve for Business
- JP Morgan Reserve Card
Perks of Sapphire Reserve
Starting June 23, 2025:
- Edit points redemption will value at 2 cents per point
- Earn 8 points per dollar spent through Chase Travel (this benefit starts for long-term holders on October 26, 2025)
- Consumer cardholders will enjoy a $250 rebate every six months for prepaid reservations of at least two nights (effective from October 26, 2025)
My Experiment
The appeal of the new Sapphire Reserve perks hinges on reasonable pricing and an ample selection of hotels. So, here’s what I set out to discover.
Methodology
I picked a random weekend in early October and searched for hotel prices through the editor’s platform. I focused on the ten most popular cities worldwide—London, Istanbul, Paris, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. For each city, I noted the number of hotels available via the editing feature, comparing this to luxury hotels and those booked with points. Whenever possible, I tried to find comparable cancellation policies in both booking options.
Results
City Comparisons
Overall, the edited program had fewer hotel options than Amex’s FHR in most cities. I didn’t factor in Amex’s Hotel Collection in this analysis; if I had, the availability would have shifted even more in Amex’s favor. It’s also worth mentioning that availability may vary on different dates.
| City | # of Edited Hotels | # of FHR Hotels |
|---|---|---|
| London | 27 | 42 |
| Istanbul | 4 | 12 |
| Paris | 16 | 24 |
| Bangkok | 6 | 14 |
| Hong Kong | 3 | 13 |
| Mexico City | 8 | 8 |
| Buenos Aires | 0 | 2 |
| New York | 40 | 36 |
| Miami | 18 | 17 |
| Los Angeles | 21 | 31 |
Price Comparison
I looked into select hotels in each city. Most were well-known brands (like Marriott, IHG, and Hyatt) and I ensured they would earn points through the editing program. Notably, Hilton hotels weren’t available, likely due to their partnership with Amex. For Hong Kong, there was difficulty finding hotels in both programs participating in major loyalty schemes. I excluded Buenos Aires from this analysis as no hotels were available.
| City | Hotel | Direct Price | Edit Price | % Exceeding Direct Price | FHR Price | % Exceeding Direct Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | London Edition | $1,730 | $1,782 | 3% | $1,762 | 2% |
| Istanbul | The Ritz Carlton | $1,234 | $1,192 | -3% | $1,182 | -4% |
| Paris | Park Hyatt Paris | $4,906 | $5,091 | 4% | $5,120 | 4% |
| Bangkok | Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok | $729 | $773 | 6% | $772 | 6% |
| Hong Kong | Shangri-La Island | $1,328 | $1,209 | -9% | $1,209 | -9% |
| Mexico City | St. Regis Mexico City | $1,567 | $1,599 | 2% | $1,598 | 2% |
| New York | Beekman | $1,480 | $1,591 | 8% | $1,439 | -3% |
| Miami | W South Beach | $1,958 | $2,052 | 5% | $2,053 | 5% |
| Los Angeles | Regent Santa Monica | $2,627 | $2,788 | 6% | $2,750 | 5% |
As for total prices after tax, editing and FHR prices were generally close. However, the Beekman hotel in New York showed a notable difference of $152 less with FHR. Overall, I expected editing to be pricier, and while it usually is, the premiums ranged from 2% to 8%. In a couple of cases, editing was cheaper—one hotel was actually 3% less, while another was 9% less.
Point Comparison
All hotels via editing supposedly allow booking at a rate of 2 cents per point. I calculated the points needed for each of the listed hotels and compared them with the point rates from each hotel chain for that same weekend.
| City | Hotel | Edit Price per Night | Tracking Points Needed | Hotel Rewards Program | Hotel Points per Night | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | London Edition | $891 | 44,550 | Marriott | 116,500 | 2.6 |
| Istanbul | The Ritz Carlton | $596 | 29,800 | Marriott | 70,000 | 2.3 |
| Paris | Park Hyatt Paris | $2,546 | 127,275 | Hyatt | 66,000 | 0.5 |
| Bangkok | Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok | $387 | 19,325 | IHG | 54,000 | 2.8 |
| Mexico City | St. Regis Mexico City | $800 | 39,975 | Marriott | 86,000 | 2.2 |
| New York | Beekman | $796 | 39,775 | Hyatt | 29,000 | 0.7 |
| Miami | W South Beach | $1,026 | 51,300 | Marriott | 84,000 | 1.6 |
| Los Angeles | Regent Santa Monica | $1,394 | 69,700 | IHG | 179,000 | 2.6 |
Interestingly, booking with Hyatt points was significantly cheaper than with Chase points, which aligns with the established value of Hyatt points. In contrast, for Marriott and IHG, booking with Chase points often proved cheaper than using their respective loyalty points, usually by a factor of 2.5.
Analysis
The new Edited feature by Chase provides a reasonable selection of hotels in certain major cities, yet it still lags behind Amex’s offerings through Fine Hotels & Resorts. Booking through editing is typically pricier than direct bookings, but often the difference is minimal. Sometimes, editing showed lower prices compared to direct bookings that allow similar cancellation terms.
For Hyatt stays, it’s crucial to check direct booking rates, as they can often provide better deals. But when it comes to other hotel chains, using tracking points can be a savvy choice.
Conclusion
I’m pretty intrigued by the immediate opportunities presented by Edited. Currently, it may not match the quality of what Fine Hotels & Resorts can provide. The limited property selection and lack of guaranteed late check-out at 4 PM certainly affect its appeal. Yet for Sapphire Reserve cardholders, there is value, especially since the pricing is relatively close to direct bookings.
There are distinct advantages to booking through Edited rather than just relying on hotel points:
- You receive perks like a complimentary breakfast and a $100 property credit
- Tracking points are redeemable at a value of 2 cents each
- Eligibility for hotel points and elite benefits during your stays
- Utilizing your card could yield a $250 rebate every six months, especially if you stay two nights or more
- You usually have a wider variety of room types available compared to what hotel points allow
Nevertheless, there are also reasons to reconsider booking through Edited:
- Especially for Hyatt, using Hyatt points can yield much better value
- In many regions, booking through other platforms may present more cost-effective options than major chain hotels available through the editor
