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At a glance
- Best for: Beginner Travelers
- Annual Fee: $95
- Variable APR: 20.74% - 27.74%
- Reward Rate: 1X - 5X
- Recommended Credit: 670-850
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
60,000 Bonus Points
Offer Details:
60,000 Bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Why we like it
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is the ultimate all-around travel credit card—it fits perfectly into almost any points-earner’s wallet. Points novices can enjoy a significant intro bonus and easy to grasp spending categories with an approachable annual fee. The more experienced can utilize its high value earning potential as a secondary card and also gain access to Chase’s strong travel booking portal.
Reward details
5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠.
3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries.
2x on all other travel purchases.
1x on all other purchases.
Pros & Cons
PROS
Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals, and cruises through Chase Travel℠.
The $50 dollar hotel credit for stays purchased on the Chase Travel Portal already cuts the already approachable $95 annual fee significantly.
A 10% annual points bonus is tacked on every year, adding a little more value.
A free year-long Doordash DashPass membership is also thrown in, which gives you free delivery and some extra discounts. It’s a solid perk if you order food delivery at least semi-frequently (Activate by 12/31/2027).
Along with all of the above, cardholders also have access to a string of travel protections like rental coverage, cancellation insurance, and purchase protection.
CONS
Maximizing the value of Chase points can still be complicated for complete novices.
Competing cards like the Capital One Venture have a better earning rate for non-bonused spend.
It’s subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule. So, if you’ve opened five cards in the last two years, you’re most likely not going to be accepted.
Overview
Finding the right credit card for your lifestyle and spending habits can be confusing. With so many cards offering a different path to earning rewards, there’s a lot to consider. But I’d put good money on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card finding pride of place in almost anyone’s wallet.
As one of the most accessible travel cards on the market, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is perfect for beginners taking their first serious steps into the world of travel credit cards, points and miles. The generous welcome bonus is enough to jump-start the emptiest of travel calendars (and spark a new-found points obsession), but many travel enthusiasts, myself included, still reach for the card thanks to its generous rewards-earning rates and invaluable points system.
Plus, any valuable card with a low annual fee is a winner in my books. It’s only $95 a year!
Let’s take a look at what makes the Chase Sapphire Preferred so great.
Who is the Chase Sapphire Preferred best for:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the best all-around travel cards on the market, making it useful in some shape or form for almost anyone. Beginners, in particular, may reap the most direct value, but its rewards-earning rates, accessible annual fee, and valuable transfer partners give it long-term staying power.
The only customers who may struggle to find a place for it are those who already own its premium sibling the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
The Bottom Line:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is one of the best beginner travel cards on the market and still deserves a place in a travel addict’s wallet.
Intro Bonus
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is currently offering a welcome bonus of 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after opening the card and spending $4,000 within the first three months. Spending $4,000 in three months equates to putting about $1,333 per month on the card.
Ultimate Rewards Points are immensely valuable. In fact, few credit card systems can squeeze as much travel per point as they do.
At the very least, those points are worth $600 in cashback or $750 when booking through Chase Travel℠, which allows you to book just about any flight, hotel or rental car out there.
But savvy cardholders can transfer those points to Chase’s valuable airline and hotel partners to reap thousands of dollars in flights and stays around the world. When transferring those 60,000 bonus points to a partner, it’s reasonable that you’ll get a minimum of $1,200 worth of travel. Read on to find out the ways you could redeem those points for huge value.
Pros & Cons
There’s a good argument to be made for the Chase Sapphire Preferred to have a place in almost anyone’s wallet. It offers a lot of perks despite its low fee, but there are some caveats to consider before opening the card.
I’ve broken down the pros and cons of the card below to help give you a high-level understanding:
Pros
- Strong rewards-earning rates on dining and travel purchases
- Excellent introductory bonus offer
- Ultimate Rewards points have excellent redemption value. This even applies to using Chase Travel℠, where you can redeem points for 1.25 cents instead of the standard 1 cent.
- Cardholders enjoy a 10% annual points bonus on their spending.
- The card runs on the Visa payment network which is accepted virtually anywhere, unlike competing Amex cards
- A free year-long Doordash DashPass membership (must be activated by 12/31/2027), which gets you access to no delivery fees and discounts on DoorDash
- A slew of travel protections when using the card for purchases, like travel insurance and car rental insurance
- $50 hotel credit for stays purchased on Chase Travel — this credit effectively halves the cost of the $95 annual fee.
Cons
- Achieving maximum value requires an understanding of Chase’s airline and hotel partners
- While the bonus spending categories are strong, it only earns 1x points per dollar on everything else
Benefits & Perks
The Chase Sapphire Preferred isn’t a premium card. Because of this, you won’t find a ton of high-end perks like airport lounge access or flauntable elite status. But some cards aren’t built to show off — they’re built to earn points, and the Preferred does that by the gallon.
Here’s what it does offer:
10% annual points bonus
The true value of the Chase Sapphire Preferred is its points-earning ability and, as such, its 10% annual points bonus is one of the best perks.
This bonus awards cardholders a 10% points boost on every dollar they spend each year. So if you spend $25,000 in a year, you’ll earn a bonus of 2,500 points. Think about it this way: for every $10 you spend on the card you’ll earn one extra point. These are extra bonus points on top of the points you already earn from daily spending on the card.
While it may not feel like a lot, this is a unique perk, and those extra points can further boost your already hefty earnings.
$50 hotel statement credit on Chase Travel
The Sapphire Preferred comes with a $50 statement credit for hotels booked through Chase Travel. While it can be frustrating to be limited to the card issuer’s portal, making the switch for one hotel booking can result in direct savings and helps offset the card’s $95 annual fee. Just make sure to set a reminder so you don’t forget to use credit!
Travel insurance
Travel insurance might be the most undervalued credit card perk out there. Sure, the upfront value isn’t always clear, but if you need it, it can save you thousands and get you out of some sticky situations. I recently used the Preferred’s auto-rental coverage to save over $100 on a weekend-long car rental. That’s more than the annual fee.
Here’s all the coverage cardholders receive:
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
- Auto rental coverage
- Baggage delay insurance
- Trip delay reimbursement
- Travel and emergency assistance
- Purchase protection
- Extended warranty protection
Earning rewards & redeeming points
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a card built for earning. That’s why it’s still in my wallet and will remain there unless I upgrade to the Sapphire Reserve. Let’s take a look at the card’s earning rates and some of the best ways to redeem those points.
Earning rewards
The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a number of bonus spending categories, allowing you to maximize your purchases. The highest earning rates are, as to be expected, on purchases made on Chase Travel. I don’t necessarily recommend using Chase’s portal for all your travel needs, as it offers less flexibility on price than booking direct or potentially with another third-party platform, but if the rates are good, it represents a strong opportunity to earn a large haul of points.
You’ll earn 5x points per dollar on any travel purchased on the Chase Travel portal, excluding those that qualify for the $50 hotel credit mentioned above.
The most useful rewards-earning categories are outside of the portal. This is where you should focus your attention. Cardholders earn points at the following rates:
- 3x points per dollar on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out
- 3x points per dollar on online grocery purchases (with some exclusions)
- 3x points per dollar on select streaming services
- 2x points power dollar on all other travel purchases
- 1x points per dollar on everything else
The dining and travel rates are the show-stoppers here and one of the reasons why this card is so useful to new and long-term points and miles users alike.
Redeeming points
Chase Ultimate Rewards Points are immensely valuable. Despite having fewer transfer partners than competitors, they consistently rank as one of the best points systems on the market. This comes down to the quality of Chase’s partners and the flexibility of the points.
Transferring to partners
The best way to maximize the value of Ultimate Rewards Points is to transfer them to an airline or hotel partner.
Using this method, it’s possible to score redemptions of outsized value, often hitting 10 cents per point for business class flights. Whether using the brilliant World of Hyatt program for a luxury hotel stay or swinging ten transatlantic flights with Virgin Atlantic, the potential is limitless.
Here’s a list of Chase’s transfer partners:
Aer Lingus | JetBlue |
Air Canada Aeroplan | Marriott Bonvoy |
British Airways | Singapore Airlines |
Iberia | Southwest |
Emirates | United Airlines |
Flying Blue (Air France and KLM) | Virgin Atlantic |
IHG One Rewards | World of Hyatt |
Using these partners, it’s possible to book flights and hotels like the following:
- Transfer 39,000 points to Singapore Airlines to book a round-trip economy seat from anywhere in the U.S. to Hawaii on United Airlines ($700+ in value)
- Transfer 56,000 points to Virgin Atlantic for a round-trip business class seat to London from JFK ($3,000+ in value)
- Transfer 35,000 points to Iberia for a one-way business class ticket from the US to Madrid ($2,000+ in value).
- Transfer 50,000 points to World of Hyatt for a weekend stay in a luxury hotel in Paris, like at the Hyatt Paris Madeline ($1,200).
Booking through the Chase Travel Portal
Redeeming points on card-issuer travel portals is generally not a good idea. Most programs tie their points to a 1 cent valuation which, while not terrible, it’s a far cry from what’s achievable by transferring to a partner.
Chase is a notable exception.
Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders get 25% more value when redeeming their points on the portal, effectively gifting them a 1.25 cents per point valuation. Again, this isn’t as strong as transferring in many cases, but it could be the better option depending on the route you’re flying.
It’s also great if you’re simply not interested in transferring points. It can be complicated and it takes time to learn the system. The Chase Travel Portal works just like a typical aggregator, like Expedia: search for a flight, book a flight, and redeem points instead of paying cash. It’s easy, and that matters. It allows you to book just about any flight, hotel, car rental or tour that’s available on a platform like Expedia — so you’ll have tons of options no matter where you plan on going.
Cashback and gift cards
The bottom rung of points redemptions is reserved for cashback and gift cards. While they may offer you flexibility, your value will be 1 cent per point at best. So, 10,000 points equals $100 in cashback. On occasion, you may find discounted gift cards that give you a slightly better rate, but generally speaking, it will still be worse than the travel portal or transferring points.
If you do insist on using your points this way, I’d recommend using cashback to offset a gift card purchase. That way you earn points on the gift card purchase and still get it for free — it’d be the same rate anyway.
Is this card right for you?
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is an excellent credit card with an approachable annual fee, strong earning rates, and an excellent introductory offer. Almost anyone can find value in the card, but beginners, in particular, will find it an excellent gateway product into the world of points and miles.
- Best for: Beginner Travelers
- Annual Fee: $95
- Variable APR: 20.74% - 27.74%
- Reward Rate: 1X - 5X
- Recommended Credit: 670-850
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
60,000 Bonus Points
Offer Details:
60,000 Bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Why we like it
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is the ultimate all-around travel credit card—it fits perfectly into almost any points-earner’s wallet. Points novices can enjoy a significant intro bonus and easy to grasp spending categories with an approachable annual fee. The more experienced can utilize its high value earning potential as a secondary card and also gain access to Chase’s strong travel booking portal.
Reward details
5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠.
3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries.
2x on all other travel purchases.
1x on all other purchases.
Pros & Cons
PROS
Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals, and cruises through Chase Travel℠.
The $50 dollar hotel credit for stays purchased on the Chase Travel Portal already cuts the already approachable $95 annual fee significantly.
A 10% annual points bonus is tacked on every year, adding a little more value.
A free year-long Doordash DashPass membership is also thrown in, which gives you free delivery and some extra discounts. It’s a solid perk if you order food delivery at least semi-frequently (Activate by 12/31/2027).
Along with all of the above, cardholders also have access to a string of travel protections like rental coverage, cancellation insurance, and purchase protection.
CONS
Maximizing the value of Chase points can still be complicated for complete novices.
Competing cards like the Capital One Venture have a better earning rate for non-bonused spend.
It’s subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule. So, if you’ve opened five cards in the last two years, you’re most likely not going to be accepted.
by your friends at The Daily Navigator
