Chase Sapphire Preferred Review
Top card for beginners
Chase Sapphire Preferred
on Chase's website
The Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card is our top card for beginners - new to travel credit cards.
Top benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred:
-Valuable Sign-up Bonus
-Big Rewards Rate for Travel and Dining
-Transfer Points to Partners
Overall the Chase Sapphire Preferred delivers the big sign-up bonus to start and then valuable rewards and perks.
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Key Benefits - Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Current welcome offer
60,000 Bonus Points. After you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening - that's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Great value here. Plus the points can be worth even much more when you points transfer to a travel partner like Hyatt or Marriott.
Rewards Rate
Earn 2x points on dining - including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining.
Earn 2x points on travel from airfare and hotels to taxis and trains.
Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Redemption rate
Get 25% more value when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
Points transfer
1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
For example, 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points equal 1,000 partner miles/points
Travel benefits
Travel and purchase protection benefits like Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance and Extended Warranty Protection.
Foreign transaction fee
No foreign transaction fees.
Annual Fee
$95 annual fee
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Chase Sapphire Preferred - Top Benefits
Valuable Sign-up Bonus
The Current Welcome offer is 60,000 points, that's $750 when redeemed on the Chase travel portal.
The points from the bonus are valuable and they are flexible as well:
- The points can be used on the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal. This is an easy way to use the points like cash to directly book online travel.
- The points can be transferred to travel partners like Hyatt, Marriott, and United. Using travel partners can give even more value.
Big Rewards Rate for Travel and Dining
Get 2x rewards.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred gives double points for travel and dining. This is a great way to get points faster.
The card gives double points for a wide range of dining and travel. Many purchases are included that we might not expect.
Here's more about the categories that receive 2x points:
Earn 2x points on dining - including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining.
Earn 2x points on travel from airfare and hotels to taxis and trains.
Transfer Points to Partners
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers the ability to transfer points to travel partners. The program allows you to transfer the points to partners including Hyatt, Marriott, and United Airlines.
Transferring points benefits.
- Value - You can get even more value from your points when you transfer to a travel partner. The set value of the points in the Chase portal is already great value. When you start looking at how much the points are worth with a partner you'll start to see you can find even more value out there.
- Flexibility - Chase has a great list of travel partners. You can find ways to use your points with any of the partners and transfer your points when you're ready to book.
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Chase Sapphire Preferred - Transfer Points Partners
Airline Partners:
British Airways
Flying Blue
Jet Blue
Emirates
Singapore Airlines
Southwest Airlines
United
Virgin Atlantic
Aer Lingus
Iberia
Hotel Partners:
Hyatt
Marriott
IHG
All of the partners transfer points on a 1:1 ratio and points must be transferred in increments of 1,000. As an example you can transfer 1,000 points from Chase and receive 1,000 Hyatt points.
Once you transfer points to the partner they may expire according to the partner's rules. I recommend transferring your points when you are ready to use them with the partner.
Grand Hyatt Nashville - stay free with Chase Sapphire Preferred
Earning Points
Right at the start, the sign-up bonus is the biggest part of earning points with the Chase Sapphire Preferred. It’s definitely a good reason to get the card.
Our on-going purchases using the card are going to bring in a lot of valuable points as well. The 2x points for travel and restaurants are a boost to our points. And the other purchases are earning valuable points at 1x as well.
Redeeming Points
Now when we go to redeem our points we’ll really feel their value. The points are worth 1.25 cents each when we redeem on the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal.
We can look for even more value by transferring points to travel partners like Hyatt, Marriott, and United Airlines.
These options give us flexibility in redeeming our points. Together with the high value of the points this is a solid combination.
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Final Thoughts
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a great first card for any beginner. The sign-up bonus is big, it earns valuable points, and redeeming is flexible.
My whole thing is getting on a great vacation to become my best self. This card absolutely can give us a luxury dream vacation – and we can use that time away from the normal to get in our best mood.
If you’re a beginner this card is a great way to start out. And if you’ve had some cards and just haven’t had this one – the Chase Sapphire Preferred card will bring you lots of value too.
Chase Sapphire Preferred
on Chase's website