If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you’re sitting on up to $300 per year in free event tickets, and a surprising number of cardholders either don’t know about it or haven’t activated it yet.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve comes with a $150 semiannual StubHub statement credit, which adds up to $300 annually. It works on concerts, sports, theater, comedy, festivals, and basically anything sold on StubHub or viagogo.
Here’s everything you need to know to activate it, use it, and stack it with shopping portals to earn bonus points on money Chase is giving back to you.
What Is the Chase StubHub Credit?
It’s a statement credit built into the Chase Sapphire Reserve as a card benefit. You get $150 every six months to spend on StubHub or viagogo, and Chase automatically credits it back to your statement after you make a qualifying purchase.
That breaks down to:
H1 (Jan–Jun): $150
H2 (Jul–Dec): $150
Important: Each $150 credit expires at the end of its six-month period. If you don’t use your H1 credit by June 30, it’s gone. It does not roll over. So set a calendar reminder at the start of each half, or use a tool like CardPointers+ to keep track of all credits across every single card. This benefit is available to cardholders through December 31, 2027.
How to Activate the Chase StubHub Credit
Unlike some Chase benefits that work automatically, this one requires a one-time activation before your first purchase. Purchases made before you activate are not eligible for the credit. Here’s how to turn it on:
- Log into your Chase account (app or website)
- Go to Benefits & Travel, then select Benefits
- Find the $300 StubHub Credit tile
- Click Activate
- That’s it. You only need to activate once, and it stays active for all future periods
Once you’re activated, any qualifying StubHub or viagogo purchase will automatically trigger the credit. No codes, no coupons, no extra steps at checkout. If you forget to activate before a purchase, try activating right after. Some cardholders have reported the credit still posting, but don’t count on it.
How to Use the Chase StubHub Credit
This is straightforward once you’ve activated:
Shop on StubHub.com or viagogo.com and pay with your Chase Sapphire Reserve. The credit posts to your statement within one to two billing cycles.
There’s no minimum purchase required beyond the credit amount itself. Spend $150 or more and you’ll get the full credit. Spend less than $150 and you’ll get credited for what you spent, but you won’t get the remainder back later, so aim to use the full $150 each period.
One key detail that makes this credit especially flexible: the credit triggers based on when your purchase posts, not when the event takes place. You can buy tickets in June for a concert in October and still use your H1 credit, as long as the purchase posts before June 30.
Payment methods that work: your physical Chase Sapphire Reserve card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay all trigger the credit. PayPal has been reported to work as well, though it’s slightly riskier if you need Chase to manually adjust a credit that doesn’t post automatically.
What Purchases Qualify (and What Doesn’t)
The Chase StubHub credit works on event tickets purchased directly on StubHub.com and viagogo.com. That includes concerts, sports games, theater, comedy shows, festivals, and pretty much any live event listed on the platform.
What does not work: gift cards. StubHub gift card purchases are explicitly excluded in the terms and confirmed by data points. Don’t try to buy a StubHub gift card thinking you’ll trigger the credit, because it won’t work.
Also worth noting: StubHub is primarily for U.S. and Canadian events, while viagogo covers international events. Both are owned by the same company and both qualify for the credit.
How to Stack the Chase StubHub Credit with Rakuten and Rove Miles
Here’s where it gets good. When you shop on StubHub through a shopping portal before checking out, you earn bonus points or miles on top of the Chase statement credit. Chase still reimburses you the $150, and the portal still pays you the rewards. They stack perfectly.
There are two portals worth checking every time: Rakuten and Rove Miles. Rates fluctuate daily, so you should always compare both before you buy.
We track both StubHub portal rates live on our Points Stacker Tool. Bookmark it so you always know which portal is paying more before you buy.
Setting Up Rakuten
If you don’t have a Rakuten account yet, sign up here and you’ll earn 5,000 bonus points after your first $50 purchase. Yes, your StubHub order counts toward that $50 threshold even though Chase reimburses you. That means if you’re new to Rakuten and you spend $150 on StubHub, you’ll get the $150 back from Chase AND earn 5,000 signup bonus points. Free money.
By default, Rakuten pays you in cash back. But in your account settings under “How You Get Paid,” you can switch to earning Amex Membership Rewards points or Bilt Rewards points instead. At that point, your $50 signup bonus becomes 5,000 transferable points, which is a much better deal.
Rakuten’s base rate for StubHub is typically 2%, but it spikes regularly. We’ve seen it hit 10x, 12x, and even 17x on Rakuten Big Deal days. At 10x, that’s 1,500 points on your $150 credit for doing nothing but clicking through a link first.
Setting Up Rove Miles
If you don’t have a Rove Miles account, sign up here and you’ll earn 1,500 bonus miles instantly. Rove Miles is a flexible travel rewards currency that transfers to airline partners like Flying Blue, Turkish Miles&Smiles, JAL Mileage Bank, Lufthansa Miles & More, and more.
Rove’s shopping portal works just like Rakuten. Search for StubHub, click through, and shop. The miles stack on top of your Chase credit and your Chase card rewards. Rove’s StubHub rate has been running around 6.5 miles per dollar at its base, which means 975 miles on your $150 credit without waiting for an elevated rate.
The key difference: Rove pays in transferable airline miles rather than cash back or Amex points. If you’re building a stash for a premium cabin redemption, those Rove Miles can be worth significantly more than their face value.
Rakuten vs Rove: Which Portal Should You Use?
The honest answer: they are both free, so check both every time. Rates change daily and sometimes hourly, especially during promotional events.
As a general rule of thumb, Rakuten’s base rate for StubHub tends to be lower (around 2%) but it spikes much higher during Big Deal days. Rove’s base rate tends to be higher day-to-day (around 6.5 miles per dollar) but doesn’t spike as dramatically.
So on a normal Tuesday, Rove will usually win. On a Rakuten Big Deal Wednesday featuring StubHub at 10x or higher, Rakuten will win by a mile.
The play: bookmark our Points Stacker Tool, which tracks both rates live and side by side. Check it before every StubHub purchase and click through whichever portal is paying more that day. It takes ten seconds and can be the difference between 300 points and 1,500 points on the same purchase.
One more thing to keep in mind: you can only use one portal per purchase. Don’t click through Rakuten and then also try to activate Rove’s browser extension, because one will override the other and you might end up earning nothing. Pick one, click through, and go straight to checkout.
Is the Chase StubHub Credit Worth It?
If you already have the Chase Sapphire Reserve? Absolutely. It’s $300/year in value sitting there waiting to be used.
If you’re considering the card, the StubHub credit is one piece of a much larger benefits package that includes a $300 annual travel credit, up to $500 in hotel credits through The Edit by Chase Travel, Priority Pass lounge access, Chase Sapphire Lounge access, DoorDash benefits, and more.
The key is treating each six-month window as a deadline. Put these dates in your calendar now:
June 30: H1 deadline
December 31: H2 deadline
And remember: you can buy tickets for future events. If you don’t have anything coming up in June, buy tickets for something in September. The credit triggers on purchase date, not event date.
Quick Recap
What: $150 every 6 months ($300/year) StubHub statement credit
Card: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Where: StubHub.com and viagogo.com
Activate: One-time activation in your Chase Benefits hub
Stacks with: Rakuten, Rove Miles, and your regular Chase card rewards
Doesn’t work on: Gift cards
Expires: End of each six-month period (use it or lose it)
Available through: December 31, 2027
Don’t sleep on this one. $300 in free event tickets is one of the easiest credits to use on the Sapphire Reserve, and stacking it with a shopping portal means you’re earning points on money Chase is literally handing back to you. Activate today and buy something fun before the current period ends.
Useful links:
- Join Rakuten (5,000 bonus points after your first $50 purchase)
- Join Rove Miles (1,500 bonus miles instantly, code: CLOUD9)
- Points Stacker Tool: track live StubHub portal rates for Rakuten and Rove
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