Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Review: Still One Of The Best Rewards Credit Cards For Beginners, With A Sign-Up Bonus Worth $750 In Travel

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Review: Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred the best credit card for you?

A longtime favorite of travelers, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is great if you’re looking to earn rewards points to redeem for flights, hotel stays, cruises, rental cars, and other travel adventures. But even if you’re not ready to start traveling again just yet, it’s a valuable option for earning bonus rewards, and you can use points for lots of non-travel redemptions, too.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the best travel cards with an annual fee under $100, and its welcome bonus is currently 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Beyond its rewards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card comes with some of the best travel coverage available, including trip cancellation and interruption insurance and primary car rental insurance.

Read more: The Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s travel insurance has saved me over $4,000 — here’s why I’ll never cancel it

There are even more reasons to consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card with the recent announcement of new benefits and improved earning rates, including a $50 annual credit for hotels booked through the Chase Travel Portal, a 10% anniversary points bonus, and up to 5x points in popular spending categories.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the less-premium sibling of the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, which has a $550 annual fee compared to a $95 annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® earns more points on certain travel purchases and comes with up to a $300 annual travel credit and perks like airport lounge access, so it’s better suited to those who frequently travel.

If you’re interested in both Sapphire cards but you’re on the fence about paying a high annual fee, it makes more sense to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. It’s got a bigger welcome bonus and many of the same travel and shopping perks — and later, if you find yourself traveling more, you could always request an upgrade to the Sapphire Reserve.

Read more: Preferred versus Reserve: How to decide which Chase Sapphire credit card is right for you

Comparison: Chase Sapphire Preferred vs other Chase credit cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred vs other travel cards

*The American Express® Gold Card earns 4x points on the first $25,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets each calendar year, then 1 point per dollar

***the American Express® Gold Card offers up to $10 in dining credits each month when you use your card at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Boxed, and participating Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.

How to earn points with the Chase Sapphire Preferred

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card used to earn an easy-to-remember 2x points on dining and travel and 1x points on all other purchases, but the recent refresh has made the card’s bonus categories much more lucrative, albeit a little more complicated.

Cardholders now earn points at the following rates:

• 5x points on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out (previously 2x)
• 3x points on select streaming services
• 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
• 2x points on all other eligible travel purchases

All other purchases will earn 1 point per dollar as before.

Read more: What purchases count as travel, dining, streaming, and grocery delivery with the new Chase Sapphire bonus categories?

How to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points 

Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1 cent each by default when redeemed through the Chase Travel Portal. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you get 25% more value, or 1.25 cents per point.

Redeem Chase points for travel

You can redeem Ultimate Rewards points for flights, hotels, rental cars, and more through the Chase Travel Portal at the 1.25-cent rate with no limits or blackout dates. The redemption system searches many airline and hotel brands, with a similar feel and layout to major discount travel websites.

Read more: How to earn, redeem, and maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards points

However, if you want to get even more value per point, you can transfer to a list of Chase airline and hotel transfer partners at a 1:1 ratio. That means 1 Chase point equals 1 point or mile these programs:

You generally get the best value per point transferring to airlines and booking premium travel, like a first-class flight or a hotel stay that would cost hundreds of dollars. Also, keep in mind that many transfer partner airlines are members of alliances that give you additional partner airline choices.

When you get a good deal, you can book a domestic round-trip flight for 25,000 points. With British Airways, you can book short-haul flights on partner American Airlines for even fewer points. Southwest also offers many great deals with no checked baggage fees for your first two bags.

Read more: The best way to use Chase points is usually to transfer them to airlines, but there are 2 scenarios where you’re better off redeeming directly with Chase

If you earn the bonus 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you’ll have more than enough for a round-trip award flight to Europe — and depending on the partner you redeem with, you could have points left over to jumpstart your next trip.

Redeem Chase points for other purchases

At the beginning of the pandemic, Chase added limited-time benefits to give you more high-value options for using your Ultimate Rewards points while travel is on hold.

Read more: Why I don’t regret redeeming Chase points this year to save over $3,500 on my bills, even though I usually keep them for travel

You can now redeem points from the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for Awaytravel.com purchases at a rate of 1.25 cents per point through March 31, 2022, for Airbnb purchases through June 30, 2022, and toward eligible charities through December 31, 2022. This Pay Yourself Back feature gives you the same 25% bonus usually reserved for booking travel through Chase, and it’s a great way to use your points for non-travel purchases.

There are lots of other redemption options that don’t involve travel, including:

• Cash back: Cash in your points at a rate of 1 cent each toward a statement credit or direct deposit to your bank account
• Chase Dining: Use points for takeout and dining experiences at a rate of 1.25 cents apiece 
• Gift cards: Your points are worth 1 cent each toward gift cards from popular merchants 
• Apple, PayPal, and Amazon purchases: Use points directly for Apple (1 cent each), PayPal (0.8 cents each) or Amazon (0.8 cents each) purchases; the latter two options aren’t a good value — you’re better off paying for your purchase with the card, then redeeming points at 1 cent apiece toward a statement credit

Chase Sapphire Preferred benefits and features

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card gives you more than just valuable points. This card includes many additional features that come in handy when traveling and shopping at home, online, or anywhere your travels take you.

When you’re traveling outside of the US, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card does not charge any foreign transaction fees. Foreign transaction fees are typically 3% to 5% of your purchase, so they can quickly add up if you don’t take the right card on your trips abroad.

Read more: Beyond the welcome bonus and rewards, 5 benefits make the Chase Sapphire Preferred one of the most valuable credit cards

Annual hotel credit

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card now offers up to $50 in annual statement credits toward hotel purchases made through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal. New cardholders can start earning the credit immediately, while existing cardholders will be eligible after their next account anniversary.

Read more: How to use the new Chase Sapphire Preferred $50 annual hotel credit to save money on your stay

Maximizing this credit is an easy way to shave up to $50 off the card’s $95 annual fee — making your net out-of-pocket cost each year just $45.

10% anniversary point bonus

Each year on your account anniversary, you’ll receive a points bonus equal to 10% of all purchases made in the previous year.

Read more: The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers a 10% points bonus on your account anniversary, but it’s not as lucrative as it sounds

For example, if you spent $25,000 on the card in an anniversary year, you’d receive a bonus of 2,500 points.

Complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholders are eligible for a complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership through December 31, 2024, when they activate. This subscription service can save you money when you order food for delivery or pickup through DoorDash, and it normally costs $9.99 per month. 

Read more: Chase is extending DashPass benefits on select cards through 2024 — and Sapphire Reserve cardholders will receive a monthly DoorDash credit

When you have DashPass, you’ll get waived delivery fees and reduced service fees on orders of $12 or more. Pickup orders are also eligible for 5% back in DoorDash credit. DoorDash says the average DashPass user saves about $5 per order, so this can translate into significant savings if you use the service regularly.

Primary car rental insurance

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card card includes primary car rental insurance for damage due to theft or collision, which means it kicks in before your own car insurance and allows you to confidently pass up the extra charge of a car rental agency’s own insurance whenever you rent a vehicle and pay with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (note that it doesn’t include liability insurance).

Read more: 5 credit card benefits that can protect your travels, from rental car coverage to trip cancellation insurance

Most cars and countries are included, but check the terms and conditions for specific exclusions.

Trip interruption/cancellation insurance

If you’ve paid for an eligible trip with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and it’s cut short or canceled for a covered reason like illness or severe weather, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses.

Read more: The best credit cards for travel insurance

Trip delay insurance

When you use your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to pay for your fare, you can get reimbursed up to $500 per ticket for hotel rooms, food, toiletries, clothes, or other reasonable expenses when your flight is delayed overnight or by 12 hours or more.

Read more: Your credit card might cover your next flight delay — as long as you have the right one

Baggage delay insurance

If you’ve paid for your travel with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and your bags are delayed for six hours or more, you could be reimbursed for essential purchases (like clothing and toiletries) up to $100 per day for up to five days.

Lost luggage reimbursement

If the carrier damages or loses your bags, you and your immediate family members could be covered for up to $3,000 per passenger as long as you’ve paid for your tickets with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Extended warranty

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card extends the time period of a US manufacturer’s warranty on eligible items by an additional year, on warranties of three years or less when you pay with your card.

Purchase protection

If an eligible item you’ve bought with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is damaged or stolen within 120 days of purchase, you could be eligible for up to $500 in reimbursement per claim, and up to $50,000 per account.

Read more: Chase credit cards offer purchase protection if a new item is damaged or stolen — here’s how to file a claim

Travel and emergency assistance services

If you’re traveling away from home and run into a problem, you can get help with medical and legal referrals or other emergency assistance. This service is free for Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholders, but any third-party costs are your responsibility.

Read more: 8 lesser-known Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve benefits that can save you money — whether you’re at home or on the road

Travel accident insurance

When you pay for your air, bus, cruise, or train transportation with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you’re eligible for accidental death or dismemberment coverage of up to $500,000.

Read more: 6 lesser-known credit card travel benefits that can save you thousands of dollars if things go wrong on a trip

Roadside dispatch

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholders can contact the roadside dispatch hotline for help with arranging services like towing and flat tire repair for a set fee.

Gopuff credit

Through December 31, 2023, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers $10 per month in Gopuff credits when you add your card as the default payment method in the Gopuff app. Gopuff is a service that offers speedy delivery of everyday items like food, alcohol, electronics, and medicine.

Read more: Eligible Chase cardholders now get $10 a month per card in credits for Gopuff’s rapid delivery service — find out if your card qualifies

Cardholders receive the credit automatically when they make an eligible purchase with Gopuff. There’s a minimum order amount of $10.95, and a flat $1.95 delivery fee per order.

Fees and costs

It is easy to see how you can get $100 or more in value from this card every year, but it isn’t free. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card charges a $95 annual fee. However, you can use the card for international purchases without worrying about extra charges, because it doesn’t add foreign transaction fees.

Read more: Why I’m convinced the Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the best starter cards to earn points and miles

Like most other credit cards, you’ll pay interest if you carry a balance, and there are fees for balance transfers, cash advances, late payments, and returned payments.

Chase Sapphire Preferred — Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What credit score do you need for the Chase Sapphire Preferred?

Most people who are approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card have a credit score in the good to excellent range. As with other travel rewards credit cards, it will be hard to get approved if you have a limited credit history or are rebuilding your credit score.

Read more: The credit score you need for popular rewards cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture

If you’re new to credit, check out our list of the best starter credit cards and best cards for fair or average credit that can help you improve your credit score with responsible use.

Who is eligible for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card?

Chase only allows you to have one Sapphire card at a time, so if you already have the card (or its sibling, the Chase Sapphire Reserve®), you won’t be approved.

You also aren’t eligible if you’ve earned the bonus on any Sapphire card in the past 48 months, or have opened five or more cards (from any bank) in the past 24 months. The latter restriction is known as the Chase 5/24 rule, and it applies to most Chase cards.

Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred worth it?

The $95 annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card might seem intimidating if you’ve only had no-annual-fee cards in the past. It’s definitely worth it in the first year because the value of the welcome bonus far exceeds the cost.

Beyond that, you’ll want to evaluate your spending habits and if they align with the card’s bonus categories. You’ll also need to consider if you can use perks like up to $50 in annual hotel credit (which effectively reduces your net annual cost to $45) and top-notch travel insurance benefits, which can also translate to significant savings.

Read more: 5 reasons the Chase Sapphire Preferred is still one of the best travel credit cards you can get

The ability to transfer points to travel partners (which you don’t get if you only have a no-annual-fee Chase card) can get you outsized value for your points, too — but if that’s not a perk you’ll use, you may be better off with a different card.

Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred charge for authorized users?

It’s free to add authorized users to your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. They’ll get their own card, but any points earned from their spending will belong to the primary cardholder. 

Keep in mind any transactions made by your authorized users are your responsibility, so only add folks you trust.

What is the credit limit for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card?

Because the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a Visa Signature card, the minimum credit limit is usually $5,000. Many people get approved for credit limits that are higher than that.

Can you upgrade or downgrade the Chase Sapphire Preferred card?

If you’ve had your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for at least a year and decide it’s not a good fit for you, you can call Chase and ask to product change to a different personal Ultimate Rewards earning card. For example, if you find yourself traveling more often and want perks like Priority Pass airport lounge access, you could ask for an upgrade to the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

Read more: 2 reasons why it could be better to downgrade your credit card instead of canceling it

Or, on the other hand, if you find that paying the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card‘s annual fee isn’t worth it for you, you could request a downgrade to the no-annual-fee Chase Freedom Flex℠ or Chase Freedom Unlimited®. You’ll lose the ability to transfer rewards to partners or redeem them for 1.25 cents each for travel booked through Chase, but you’ll still keep any Ultimate Rewards points you already have in your account.

Keep in mind if you upgrade or downgrade, you won’t be eligible to earn the welcome bonus on the card you switch to.

Do points from the Chase Sapphire Preferred expire?

As long as your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is open and in good standing, your Ultimate Rewards points will not expire.

Read more: Unlike most airline and hotel rewards, credit card points never expire — and they’re often a better deal

However, if you close your card, you’ll lose all the points in your account — so be sure to redeem them or transfer them to an airline or hotel partner before you cancel.

Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred cover TSA PreCheck or Global Entry?

No, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card doesn’t come with a TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit. However, its sibling, the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, does offer this feature. You can find more options in our guide to the best credit cards with Global Entry and TSA PreCheck credits.

Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred made of metal?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® are both metal cards. Both cards weigh around 13 grams — a bit lighter than other popular metal cards like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and The Platinum Card® from American Express .

How do you dispose of a metal card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred?

Unlike plastic credit cards that you can cut in half with scissors or put through a shredder, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is very difficult to destroy. 

Read more: Metal credit cards are virtually indestructible, but you have 4 options when it comes time to get rid of them

Typically, when you receive a replacement card, Chase will include a postage-paid envelope so you can mail the old card back for disposal (you can also call and request one). Alternately, you can just keep your old card and file it away.