Over the past decade, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is probably the most well-known and well-rounded travel rewards credit card out there. The landscape of credit cards is constantly changing. The card was even more lucrative in the year 2021.
In this post, I wanted to share eight reasons you should consider getting the Chase Sapphire Preferred, especially in light of the increased bonus available on this card. In no particular order.
A welcome bonus of 80,000 Ultimate rewards points is offered by the Chase Sapphire Preferred. That bonus is a good one with a reasonable spending requirement. 80K Ultimate rewards points can be used for $1,000 worth of travel through the Chase Travel portal. You can get more value out of your points by transferring them to Ultimate rewards airline and hotel partners.
We have seen a bit of annual fee inflation on credit cards. The Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to have a $95 annual fee, which is among the most reasonable for a premium card. When the card was improved last year, the fee didn't change at all.
The rewards structure of the Chase Sapphire Preferred has generous bonus categories.
Points will rack up quickly if you maximize these bonus categories.
10% anniversary bonus points are offered by The Chase. Every account anniversary year, you'll get bonus points for spending 10% of the amount on the card. If you spend $20,000 on the card in an anniversary year, you will earn 2000 bonus points.
This card is more rewarding than the Chase Reserve card for those purchases because you will earn over 3x Ultimate rewards points on dining.
The Chase rewards points are very flexible. Points can be redeemed for 1.25 cents each toward the cost of a travel purchase, but they can also be transferred to Chase's excellent collection of airline and hotel partners.
Transferring points to World of Hyatt for a redemption at a five star Park Hyatt, or to Air Canada Aeroplan for a first or business class award on a Star Alliance partner airline is a way to get outsized value.
You can get more than 1.25 cents of value per point when you use your rewards this way. You could redeem 35,000 to 45,000 points per night for a stay at the all-inclusive Ventana Big Sur, where a paid night would cost over $2,000. That is over four cents of value per point.
The benefit of having a Chase card is not just the immediate rewards, but also the potential value of other cards that it unlocks. Four no annual fee cards you can get if you have the Sapphire Preferred will allow you to earn more Ultimate rewards points.
The cards include the following.
I have all four of these cards and they allow me to maximize my Ultimate rewards points.
CarRentals car coverage is one of the great perks of a premium credit card. We don't think about this because we hope that our travels will go smoothly, but that doesn't always happen. Another area where the Chase Sapphire Preferred shines is that. While you want to check your cardmember agreement for the terms, the card offers:
When I was rear-ended in a car rental once, the rental car protection saved me over $10,000, and I have saved thousands of dollars with travel protection as well.
You can get a $50 hotel credit on your account anniversary year. You can get up to a $50 statement credit when you book a hotel through the travel portal.
If you booked a $50 hotel, you could get $50 back. It will more than make up for half of the annual fee.
The Chase Preferred card is amazing. It has a reasonable annual fee, huge welcome bonus, generous return on spending, and fantastic perks, including travel coverage, which is a reason to apply now.
This card is worth getting if you are eligible. Whether you're brand new to the points world or a points veteran who doesn't have this card, that's true. Read my full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred.