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Annual Fee: $95
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of our favorite cards! Ultimate Reward points are extremely valuable given their flexibility and ability to make an award booking. The points are worth more when redeemed through the Chase Travel Portal, at 1.25 cents each, so your 60,000 bonus points are actually worth $750 in free travel! You can also transfer your points at a 1:1 ratio to a handful of transfer partners (airlines and hotels) for continued travel benefits—and this is probably our favorite way to use Chase points to maximize their value.
If you're still not convinced why this is the king of all travel cards, or you just want more details about its lucrative perks and benefits, we have an entire resource that gives you NINE reasons why this card should be in your wallet!
[.redeem] 5x [.redeem]per $1 on Chase TravelSM purchases and qualifying Lyft rides (through 03/2025)
[.redeem] 3x [.redeem]per $1 on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
[.redeem] 3x [.redeem]per $1 on select streaming services
[.redeem] 2x [.redeem]per $1 on travel purchases
[.redeem] 1x [.redeem]per $1 on all other purchases
And, your points don't expire as long as your account is open.
Best for 2X on everyday spending
Best for 2X on everyday spending
Annual Fee: $95
🏆 Best for restaurants
🏆 Best for restaurants
Annual Fee: $250
🏆 Best Chase welcome offer
🏆 Best Chase welcome offer
Annual Fee: $95
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
I’ve had the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for five years, and I can honestly tell you its benefits and flexibility make it one of the most consistent cards on the market, making it ideal for travel newbies and experts alike. And in case you missed it, the Sapphire Preferred has a welcome bonus offer of 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points if you spend $4,000 in the first three months. These points are worth $750 in free travel when redeemed through Chase TravelSM, but you can get even more value by using Chase's transfer partners (more on that later).
Every single person on our team either owns the Sapphire Preferred or has in the past. Not only does its current welcome offer add value, but its everyday perks are just too good to pass up. If you’re looking to get started in the miles and points game, having the Sapphire Preferred in your wallet is simply a no-brainer. Not to mention…it’s a really cheap card. From personal experience, this card has been the gateway to some pretty sweet trips and award redemptions, all while paying a very small annual fee.
We love this card so much that we have an entire YouTube video dedicated to its awesomeness. Check it out here 👇
Annual Fee: $95
Annual Fee: $95
[.pro]Ultimate Rewards points are extremely valuable given their flexibility for award bookings.[.pro]
[.pro]Your 60,000 bonus points are worth over $750 in free travel![.pro]
[.pro]You can also transfer your points at a 1:1 ratio to a handful of transfer partners —and this is probably our favorite way to use Chase points to maximize their value.[.pro]
[.con]This card does come with a $95 annual fee[.con]
[.redeem] 5x [.redeem]per $1 on Chase TravelSM purchases and qualifying Lyft rides (through 03/2025)
[.redeem] 3x [.redeem]per $1 on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
[.redeem] 3x [.redeem]per $1 on select streaming services
[.redeem] 2x [.redeem]per $1 on travel purchases
[.redeem] 1x [.redeem]per $1 on all other purchases
And, your points don't expire as long as your account is open.
We both got the Chase Sapphire Preferred to start our miles and points journey and used the sign up bonus for a trip to the Maldives in Qatar QSuites, including several hours in the fantastic lounge in Doha. I am not sure we will ever be able to travel in economy again! I recommend the CSP as the first card to all my friends and clients that are interested in miles and points.
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When it comes to Chase Ultimate Rewards, the best way to maximize your points is to redeem them with travel.
[.dontreco]We don’t recommend: Turning your points into cash-back[.dontreco]
While you can redeem your points for cash back or gift cards at a rate of 1 cent per point, or use Chase's Pay Yourself Back option, it simply doesn’t provide the best value.
[.sometimesreco]We sometimes recommend: Using the Chase Travel Portal[.sometimesreco]
You can redeem your points for flights, hotel stays, and car rentals through Chase TravelSM all at a fixed rate of 1.25 cents per point. While this is a decent option, it’s still not the best.
[.alwaysreco]We always recommend: Using transfer partners to stretch your points.[.alwaysreco]
The bottom line is — if a flight or hotel room can be bought with cash, you can use your points to book it. Transferring your Chase points can score you more than 1.25 cents per point by moving rewards to Chase's 14 amaaaazing airline and hotel partners.
[.favhotels]Our favorite hotels to book with this card[.favhotels]
Chase has three primary hotel transfer partners:
For most travelers, Hyatt tends to offer the best value due to its lower points requirements and high-quality properties. However, if you need more flexibility, Marriott Bonvoy and IHG Rewards Club are also strong choices.
[.favairlines]Our favorite airlines to fly with this card[.favairlines]
Here are the primary Chase airline transfer partners:
Transferring your Chase points is a super simple process. Simply log in to your Chase account and click on “points” in the top right corner. Then, you’ll see three dots on the top of the screen. Click those and select “transfer points to partners.” From there, you’ll be able to view any bonuses and available transfer options.
Let the travel commence!
Oh yeah, did we mention the Chase Sapphire Preferred has possibly the best list of transfer partners in the world?
In case you need convincing, here’s that list:
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Unless you’re new around here (welcome, btw 😊), you may remember when Kara and Nate paid only $270 for Air France Business Class to fly all the way from Tahiti to Los Angeles.
If not, I’ll drop that video here:
What if I told you that you could use your Chase Sapphire Preferred to make the same redemption? Chase points transfer at a 1:1 ratio to Air France’s reward program, Flying Blue, making Air France and KLM bookings extremely easy. And I know…flying business may seem super out of reach, but humor me for a second. If you earned your Sapphire Preferred elevated welcome offer and used your card for only groceries and eating out for a year, you’d be sitting on about 158,400 points (which is more than enough to book a business seat).
Or, you could simply fly economy and stretch your miles for all kinds of fun trips. The options really are endless with the Sapphire Preferred.
Earning an extra 1.5% on EVERYTHING you buy (up to $20,000 in the first year) is a solid offer. That's a return worth up to $300 cash-back... if you choose to go the cash-back route.
However, if you have another Chase card that earns transferable Ultimate Rewards points, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve, or the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, you can turn your cash-back rewards into those coveted Chase points for greater value and the ability to transfer to airline and hotel partners.
If you don't have another Chase card that earns Chase points... fear not! The Freedom Unlimited is still an excellent starter card, and you can always apply for one of Chase's other cards down the road that will allow you to turn these cash-back rewards into points.
At first glance the annual fee may seem expensive, but each year you receive various travel perks and benefits that completely offset that! Additionally, Capital One Rewards allow users to book travel or cover travel booked in the previous 90 days for one cent per mile. That means this card is would cover $750 on travel, even retroactively! Capital One miles can also be transferred to a number of airline programs at a ratio of 1:1, allowing for true flexibility in booking the best reward flights.
Check out our deep dive on this card if you want to learn more about how we're using it to travel hack.
In case you didn’t know, Chase forces travelers to make Sophie’s Choice when it comes to these two cards. While we tend to recommend the little brother, there’s still something to be said about the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
When comparing the two, there are a few things to consider:
While it might not seem like we’re giving you a clear answer as to which card is better, the truth is — it depends. If you want to hear this comparison further broken down, Brendan does a fantastic job showing these card benefits side-by-side. Check it out 👇
Are you just getting started with the miles and points game? At Daily Drop, we’re always going to recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred as a starter card. Not only does it have a manageable annual fee, but its earning on everyday spending is top tier.
Here’s some fun math for you: The average American household spends $475.25 per month on groceries, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Using the Sapphire Preferred for three months of grocery deliveries would grant you about 4,277 points. Americans spend around $300 per month on dining out, which would give you about 2,700 points. This means you'd be over two-thirds of the way to meeting your minimum spend requirement and would have earned nearly 7,000 points just from groceries and dining out. So yeah, if you’re ready to step up from cash-back beginner cards and start earning super-duper-fantastical Chase Ultimate Rewards points on everyday purchases, the Sapphire Preferred is the way to go.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is what we call a “keeper card.” Do you find yourself flying through the air quite often? Our team can certainly relate, which is why we choose to keep this magical piece of metal closeby. Just to get your creative juices flowing, our fearless leader, Mike, booked a 9-week adventure across Mongolia, China, Laos, Thailand, and Indonesia (with a quick stop in London) all with his Sapphire Preferred.
How the heck did you he do that, you ask? He would tell you it was easy thanks to one powerful card that covered every single flight, hotel, and activity. For example, he transferred points to Marriott, IHG, United, and Aeroplan, and by doing so, his entire 9-week trip was possible with one card, which has an annual fee under $100 — pretty incredible!
Let’s face it — we can’t all travel around the world hopping from hotel to hotel (as much as we’d love to). But, we can maximize PTO for some pretty incredible trips.
And when it comes time to book said trips, it’d be reeaaaal nice to have the Sapphire Preferred handy. Remember that math we just did? Let’s say you’re spending that same amount on grocery deliveries and eating out each month. By the end of the year, you’re looking at 83,400 points (and that’s without the welcome offer). Tack that on, and you’ve got 158,400 points…woah. If you only traveled twice a year, you could easily stretch those points for multiple trips, making the Chase Sapphire Preferred worth keeping around, wouldn’t you say?
Here’s a good rule of thumb:
You probably shouldn’t own a credit card if you: (1) have a bad credit score, (2) are a non-U.S. resident (for this particular card), and (3) cannot control your spending.
If your credit score is below 700, you'll need to improve it before applying for travel credit cards, as approval for the best ones, like the Sapphire Preferred, is unlikely.
Be honest with yourself: if a new credit card will tempt you to overspend, it's best to avoid it. Credit cards are crucial for earning miles and points, but they require responsible use.
The recommended credit score for the Sapphire Preferred is 670-850 (Good — Excellent).
But again, if you’re in a solid place with your credit and feel you are ready for a new card, don’t let the fear of being rejected keep you from applying.
We’ve known several people to be rejected on their first application, use the reconsideration line, and be granted the coveted Sapphire Preferred.
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