Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Review

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card been one of the most popular rewards credit cards since Chase debuted it over 10 years ago. The card remains a mainstay of the Chase Ultimate Rewards family. We typically recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) as the first card for those starting in the points and miles hobby. In this Chase Sapphire Preferred review, we will take a look at the welcome offer, the earning structure, card perks and share our overall thoughts.

Sapphire Preferred's Current Welcome Offer

Here is the current Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offer terms:

• Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• The $95 annual fee is NOT waived the first year.

The standard offer on the card has been 60,000 points for a few years now.

Chase Application Rules

Like other Chase cards, you will not qualify for this card if you have opened more than 5 credit cards with any bank in the last 24 months. Here are the other offer terms displayed on the application page as well:

This credit card is unavailable to you if you currently have this card open. The new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you previously held this card or received a new cardmember bonus for this card. We may also consider the number of cards you have opened and closed in determining your bonus eligibility.

For more details on all of the offer terms for this card be sure to check our complete guide on the new Chase application rules.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Review: Earning Rates

Here are the earning rates for the Chase Sapphire Preferred:

• 5X on travel when purchased through Chase Travel℠(excluding hotel purchases 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

Sapphire Preferred Card Benefits

The Chase Sapphire Preferred comes with a slew of benefits for cardholders, here are some of the more notable ones:

• Get 10% anniversary bonus on points earned each year on the cardholders anniversary.
• Get a $50 annual credit on hotel stays purchased through the Chase Travel℠ portal.
• Auto rental collision damage waiver.
  • This benefit provides reimbursement for damage due to collision or theft up to the actual cash value of most rental vehicles. Since the CSP's coverage is primary, you do not have to file a claim with any other party before you can receive coverage under this benefit.
• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance coverage.
  • If your trip is cut short or interrupted by sickness, severe weather and other covered situations, you can receive reimbursement for prepaid, nonrefundable travel expenses on up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip.
• Baggage delay insurance.
  • If your checked bag is delayed by more than six hours, the CSP provides reimbursement for up to $100 per day for up to five days for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing.

Ultimate Rewards Redemption Potential

You may be able to book travel at higher rates in the Chase Travel℠ portal thanks to their Points Boost program. You may see increased rates at select travel options at the following rates:

• Up to 1.5 cents on eligible Points Boost airline and hotel bookings
• Up to 1.75 cents on eligible Points Boost premium cabin airline bookings
• 1 cent on every other travel bookings that are not Points Boost eligible

Redeeming Ultimate Rewards through the portal is only one of the ways to score free flights with your Chase points. As with other Ultimate Rewards earning cards, you can transfer your points to any of Chase’s airline or hotel transfer partners, such as Hyatt, United Airlines, or Southwest Airlines.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Review: Chase Transfer Partners

Unlike points and miles earned with a specific airline or hotel brand, Chase URs can be transferred to any of Chase's travel partners. Points transfer at a ratio of 1:1 to partners. This means every time you swipe your CSP, you could earn 1x, 2x, 3x or 5x points with any of these partners.

Chase Ultimate Rewards has 11 airline partners and 3 hotel partners:

• Aer Lingus
• Air Canada
• British Airways
• Emirates
• Flying Blue (KLM/Air France)
• Iberia
• JetBlue
• Singapore Airlines
• Southwest Airlines
• United Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic
• Hyatt
• IHG
• Marriott

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Review: Final Thoughts

We typically recommend most folks to start with Chase cards because of the 5/24 rule. And of all the Chase cards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card really is the best option for most of those starting off in award travel. The card and its benefits are easy to use and understand. Dining and travel are straightforward bonus categories that can benefit most travelers. For points redemptions, the Chase Travel℠ portal offers an easy way to redeem points, and the breadth of Chase's travel partners offers something for everyone.

The CSP is often the starting point for the Chase Trifecta. Through this powerful trio of Chase cards, you can earn between 1.5x and 5x on every single purchase. This means your Chase points will accumulate much faster, allowing you to redeem for your dream trip even sooner!

How will you use the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for your dream vacation? Join our Facebook group and share your thoughts!