Chase Sapphire Preferred 10% Anniversary Bonus Ending
Benefits are always worth considering when deciding whether to keep a card beyond year one. Some Chase Sapphire Preferred® cardholders recently saw notices in their accounts that the 10% anniversary bonus will end Oct. 1, 2026. The messages quickly disappeared, but Chase confirmed the news with Doctor Of Credit. Should this perk really affect your decision to keep the card, though? Let's break down what the Chase Sapphire Preferred 10% anniversary bonus ending really means.
What Is The 10% Anniversary Bonus?
Each account anniversary year, Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders earn a 10% bonus on their total eligible purchases over the past year. Points are calculated at a rate of 1 point for each $1 spent, and cardholders get a 10% bonus. So if you spent $10,000 on the credit card, your anniversary bonus amount would be 1,000 points. Cardholder years begin with the anniversary of your account opening date and span the following 12 month. These points may take 1-2 billing cycles after your anniversary date to post. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred 10% anniversary bonus ending, this perk will disappear after Oct. 1, 2026.
Running The Math
Let's crunch some numbers to decipher what cardholders are losing with the Chase Sapphire Preferred 10% anniversary bonus ending. Here are the card's earning rates:
- 5X on purchases through Chase Travel℠(excluding hotels that qualify for the $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit).
- 3X on
- Dining
- Eligible delivery services
- Online grocery (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- Select streaming services
- 2X on other travel purchases
- 1X on all other eligible purchases
If you spend $10,000 over your anniversary year, you would get 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to your account. These points are worth $15-$20 depending on how you redeem them, with $20 representing a 2 cents per point redemption. Spend $20,000, and that amounts to 2,000 points, worth about $30-$40. While a boost on all spend sounds great in theory, many imagine a number much higher than the reality. While there's a lot of longterm value in this card for other reasons, it's not one award travelers tend to put very high spend on. That $20,000 may be better spent earning welcome offers on other cards, for example. And then when you're taking a break between card offers, you can return to those 3X earning categories for little while.
Why This May Not Be A Dealbreaker
If the Chase Sapphire Preferred 10% anniversary bonus ending has you thinking about closing or downgrading the card, consider a few things:
- Every award traveler needs access to a Chase card that allows transfers to partners. Options include the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business or Chase Ink Business Preferred cards. This card and the Ink Business Preferred are the lowest annual fee options, each with a $95 annual fee.
- With the new rules, you can now hold the Chase Sapphire Reserve at the same time as this card. That means you may be spending more on that card or others vs. this card.
- One-Player Mode vs. Two-Player Mode: Many households may elect to have only one card that transfers to partners.
Keep in mind that you can also technically wait for your anniversary points to post and then downgrade, since this bank should prorate your annual fee when downgrading. That may take about $7-$14 off your math above on the points earnings. Ultimately, it will be a personal decision how much this change impacts you.
Chase Ending 10% Sapphire Anniversary Bonus: ToP Thoughts
This has been a nice little perk to have, especially for year one when perhaps more spend goes on the card. But award travelers move at a different pace than most. Overall, I am not sure the Chase Sapphire Preferred 10% anniversary bonus ending makes a big dent in the benefits. Will this influence you at all? Come and tell us your thoughts in the ToP Facebook group.
