We have had the Sapphire card for a long time. The benefits of this card are as good or better than any other card given personal needs. The 7% dividend points are a plus. Historically when we have redeemed miles for flights in the past we had to call their travel agent and do it over the phone and also were charged a $25 or $50 fee to book with the agent. The last time I booked a flight was earlier this summer and I was able to do it completely online. The ticket "cost" was the same as what I could have booked it heads up with the airline.
My struggle right now is that I recently got 3 CitiBank AA cards and have started throwing all our spending at the Citi cards to accumulate AA miles before they change the program. If they change it to not allow AA miles on the Citi card I will be back enjoying the Sapphire perks and benefits.