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If you’re new to points and miles, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. There’s no shortage of advice out there — especially when it comes to credit cards. So today, we’re going back to the basics with a look at one of the best beginner travel rewards cards on the market: the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
We’re breaking it down using seven key factors that matter when picking your first travel credit card. Along the way, you’ll see why the Sapphire Preferred is a top choice for beginners — even after you earn the incredible welcome bonus.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
- 10% anniversary points boost - each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
Page Contents
What Makes a Great Beginner's Credit Card?
We think seven factors make a card stand out for beginners:
- A valuable welcome bonus for new cardmembers
- A reasonable spending requirement to earn the bonus
- Easy ways to redeem points (without needing a PhD)
- The potential to redeem points for maximum value
- Points that are easy to earn on everyday purchases
- A low annual fee
- Solid additional cardmember benefits
Let’s look at how the Sapphire Preferred checks all those boxes.
Receive a Valuable Welcome Offer
Credit card issuers make a lot of money on cardholder spending — and welcome bonuses are how they get your attention in the first place. A generous bonus is their way of getting you to choose its card over someone else’s.
A typical credit card sign-up bonus has three aspects. The signup bonus (the number of points you can earn), a spending requirement (what it takes to earn the reward), and a time period for you to earn it.
Right now, the Sapphire Preferred is offering a whopping 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. But it's ending very soon, so if you think this is the card for you, run, don't walk.
Welcome offers for the Sapphire Preferred range between 50,000 and 100,000 Ultimate Rewards.
Iberia business class. Credit: Ben Nickel-D'AndreaWhen comparing credit cards, it’s important to remember that not all points are created equal. A 100,000-point bonus from one program might be worth far more (or far less) than the same number of points in another.
Stick with us to learn some of the reasons why Chase Ultimate Rewards are one of the most valuable rewards currencies available.
Meet a Reasonable Spending Requirement
Earning a welcome bonus is usually an all-or-nothing deal. If you don’t hit the spending requirement in time, you won’t earn any of the bonus points. There is no sliding scale. And while it’s tempting to spend more than you normally would just to hit the threshold, the ideal approach is to move spending you already make onto your new card.
What counts as a “reasonable” spending requirement depends on your own monthly budget. However, several strategies can help you meet the spending requirement without going overboard. Here are some quick examples:
- Pay your monthly bills — Things like power, internet, phone, insurance, daycare, auto maintenance, and even pet care can add up quickly and contribute to your minimum spend.
- Pay your taxes with a credit card — If you time your application well or make estimated quarterly payments, you could meet the entire spending requirement in one go. Services like Pay1040 or ACI Payments, Inc. let you pay for a ~1.75% fee. It's not a great deal if you're earning just one point per dollar, but more justifiable if you’re unlocking a large signup bonus.
- Pay by check with a credit card — Plastiq lets you send a check using your credit card. It’s useful for large expenses like rent or college tuition. Just be aware of the 2.90% service fee.
- Front-load your expenses — Many providers allow prepayment. For example, when we got a $150 utility bill, we paid $450, creating a credit on the account. We’ve also prepaid our HOA fees and property taxes — all to help hit a minimum spend threshold.
Redeem Points Without an Advanced Degree
One of the most frustrating things about rewards programs is how complicated they can be. Some programs are so complex that you practically need a PhD to use your points effectively. That’s where the Chase Ultimate Rewards program shines as one of the best beginner travel credit cards.
At a minimum, you can redeem points for statement credit at 1 cent per point. That should be your baseline value.
You can boost that redemption rate by 25% and get 1.25 cents per point just by using them to book travel through the Chase Travel℠ portal. Doing so is incredibly easy. For example, I was able to redeem 25,589 points for flights from Seattle to Las Vegas round trip for a value of $357.37.
Even better, booking hotels through the Chase portal can trigger the card’s $50 annual hotel credit, which helps offset the card’s annual fee.
Related: Do Chase Points Expire?
Enjoy Ways to Redeem Points for Maximum Value
You won't be a beginner forever if you stick with us. So, it's important to earn points that have a higher upside as you gain more experience with redemption strategies.
In addition, having a card that earns flexible, transferable points is one of the best moves you can make — whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned expert. You’re not locked into a single airline or hotel program. You can keep your options open and choose the best redemption when the time is right.
Chase Ultimate Rewards are special because they can be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to 14 partner loyalty programs. These transfer partners often require far fewer points than you'd pay by booking through the Chase travel portal, creating the opportunity to unlock outsize value.
Ultimate Rewards points transfer into World of Hyatt at a 1:1 rate, and because most Hyatt hotels are priced in category bands, you can redeem a set number of points for some top-notch hotels. For example, I transferred my points so I could book a one-week stay at the Palacio Duhau – Park Hyatt Buenos Aires that would have cost me a few thousand dollars otherwise.
Collect Points That are Easy to Earn
Another reason the Sapphire Preferred stands out is how easy it is to rack up points from everyday spending:
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
This card also has no foreign transaction fees, making it a reliable option when traveling internationally.
Earn more points by creating a card pairing
If you want to fast-track accumulating points earned, you can combine points from multiple Ultimate Rewards earning cards into a single account. We've written a comprehensive post about how to put together the ultimate Chase travel rewards card combo.
This lets you earn a ton of bonus points across different spending categories since virtually all of your purchases could fall into one of the multiple cards' bonus categories. Then, you can combine your points when it comes time to redeem them.
Chase also lets you pool points with family members living in the same household. Ultimately, this makes it easy for you to work towards a common goal with a Player 2.
Related: Cards that Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Pay A Low Annual Fee
While we’d all love it if rewards cards came with no annual fees, the important question is whether you still get more value from the card than you pay in annual fees. At just $95 per year, the Sapphire Preferred’s annual fee is in line with other mid-tier travel cards — and it offers significantly more value.
Another great thing about the Sapphire Preferred is the ability to potentially upgrade it to the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees). As you get more comfortable with annual fees, you can eventually determine if upgrading to the card is worth it based on how much value you get from its points and extra perks.
For many, the ability to earn Ultimate Rewards on everyday purchases can more than cover the cost of the card. However, the additional benefits you get just for being a card member do a great job of lessening the sting of the annual fee.
Enjoy Extra Perks and Benefits
The solid signup bonus and double points on dining and travel are fantastic incentives on their own, but the Sapphire Preferred has a whole bunch of additional perks and benefits.
It pays to read the Sapphire Preferred Benefits Guide as these benefits are a significant reason you want this card as a permanent feature in your wallet. The auto rental Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and trip cancellation/interruption protection, in particular, are fantastic perks.
As an avid rental car renter, I have resorted to these protections multiple times and they have always come to the rescue. For example, I rented a car using my Sapphire Preferred, which ended up covering the damage to this vehicle after a smash-and-grab incident.
Bottom Line
If you’re ready to dive into the world of rewards points, the Sapphire Preferred is one of the best places to start. It combines a massive welcome bonus with an achievable spending requirement, strong earning rates, easy redemption options, and valuable travel protections — all for a low $95 annual fee.
Best of all, Chase Ultimate Rewards points are some of the most valuable you can earn. Even if you never get into complex redemptions, you can still get great value. And if you do decide to go deeper, your points have even more potential, thanks to Chase’s impressive list of transfer partners.
If you're looking for one of the best beginner travel credit cards out there, you really can’t go wrong with the Sapphire Preferred. And with a 60,000-point offer available, there’s no better time to apply than right now.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
- 10% anniversary points boost - each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
I’m new to this platform, so I hope my question makes sense. If I apply for this card, and meet the requirements to earn the 80,000 bonus points ($1,000), would I be able to use the card to purchase air travel directly with an airlines, then later redeem the $1,000 as a statement credit towards that purchase? Or does the air travel have to be purchased through the chase ultimate rewards website, in order to use the bonus points?
Great question. You have to redeem points through Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal to get the full value (1.25 cents per point = $1,000 for 80k points). With that said, you can redeem points for cashback at a lower 1 cent per point rate. So, you can still offset purchases made directly with the airline if you wanted.
So we’ve had these cards for years. Have not applied for a second Chase card in past two years. Had Ink at one point. Any other UR cards to add for additional bonus points?
Can you give more info? “We’ve had these cards for years” Which cards do you have? Without more info, I’d say if you have Sapphire Preferred, the Freedom Unlimited is a good companion with 1.5% / 1.5X points on all purchases.
It’s been the best card for years and years and years! Chase hit a home run with this one.
Ultimate reward points are the best. While they are easy to earn, people forget about the burn side of the equation and here they really shine. If you want cash, no problem. Points for travel are good too. And they have promotions at times where your points are worth more.
It’s the card I recommend to most friends and family, partly because 1.25 cents/point is a good starting place for most people (who may find transfer partners confusing or difficult to use). It’s great for more advanced folks, too, where outsized value can be had (such as Hyatt) with a bit more work.
I just got approved for CSP in branch and had the AF waived. This is truly the best card as I have earned and burned at least half a million points by now by transferring to partners.
This was the first card I started with as well. The rewards were so awesome that I got hooked!
I still think the CSR is the better card. More benefits with only a small difference in annual fee after travel credit.
The sign up bonus is pretty good but I think there are more compelling products that provide better value.
I do love my Chase! I could see having this card maybe after trying out the no annual fee freedom. I would take the chance that Chase might put out a larger bonus amount later. I think that if Citi keeps American as a transfer partner then Chase will have some competition. I know that I am eyeing the Citi cards because of that.
Hopefully, they will not increase the affordable annual fee any time soon.
I started with the preferred and went to the reserve the day sign ups came out. No brainer there!
In the article it talks about combining points with other family members. So if my wife has the preferred card and I have the preferred card how can we combine the point into one account.
Thanks
You have to call them and add them as a household member. I assume you and your spouse live under the same address.
Just got my card yesterday and used a referral link from my husband so he gets 20,000 points too! Not a beginner but would like to learn more about how to book the ANA flights like your example. Downgraded my Reserve to the Freedom Unlimited recently.
I might agree with the notion the Preferred is the best beginner’s card IF the rumored changes to the card actually materialize AND there is no subsequent rise in the annual fee. As it stands now, its meager earning rate is overshadowed by even no annual fee cards such as the Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited.
So…iI can only combine points collected from different Chase cards if I have the CSP? Just want to make sure I have that correct, because that is a big plus for me.
Hi Lauren, you can combine Ultimate Rewards points from the Chase cards that earn them, regardless of whether you have the CSP. For example, you can move points earned from the Freedom Unlimited card to your Freedom Flex card.
CSP gives you the ability to transfer points to Ultimate Rewards partner hotels and airlines. For example, if you only have the Freedom Flex card, you can’t transfer points to partners.
It’s also important to note that the points pooling applies just to Ultimate Rewards. You can’t combine United miles, Marriott points, or Southwest points even though the cobrand cards that earn those points/miles are issued by Chase Bank.
Hope that helps. This post has more info: https://awardwallet.com/blog/chase-ultimate-rewards-transfer-partners/
Ok that makes a bit more sense! Thanks for the clarification!
I would like to learn more about that award calculation chart. Where could I find and download it from? It looks quite valuable!
For a true beginner like someone out of college, might be best to start with a simple cashback card that does charge an annual (e.g., Citi double cash back).
With 80k bonus points, Preferred wins my vote over Reserved from Chase.
The CSP has been my go-to card for several years. You can combine UR points with the other Chase cards (Freedom, Ink) and can either redeem them via the UR portal or transfer them to various partners (my recommendation as you’ll get better value). For a $95 annual fee, the CSP is the perfect card for my personal spending and travel needs.
FYI: Chase’s 5/24 rule is something to be aware of if you’re looking to apply for this card. If you’re new to the points and miles, you may want to get this card first before applying for other rewards cards.
Always had this card….wouldn’t mind getting CSR sometimes in the future though
Right now I am in hoarding mode. After having United’s card for the same price but not traveling enough to utilize the two free passes, I switched over to the Sapphire. Now the points are in my Chase account and I can transfer them to United or other partners when ready.
The only downside to the spending strategy is that those categories do not earn a bonus with the sapphire
It’s a good card for the sign on bonus. CSR may be a better card depending on the benefits you can take advantage of.
I wouldn’t call myself a beginner however I did find this article useful for adding insight into why I should reconsider getting CSP versus CSR
I always recommend this card for those who don’t travel enough to get the Reserve. (For those that do travel and would use Priority Pass and Lyft, the Reserve is a no-brainer) When they balk at the annual fee, I ask them if they ever buy travel insurance or rental car insurance. If the answer to those questions is “yes”, then it is easy to show them that the annual fee is just buying that insurance ahead of time, rather than with the airline ticket or car rental itself. Of course, for beginners, the first question is “do you pay your balance off every month? If the answer is “no”, I stop talking.
gotta agree it’s one of the best cards out there
This is awesome!!!
Thank you for this great article. I loved learning about Plastiq- never heard of that one before. I wonder if you find this card better than the reserve card while the rate is still only 450- really only 150 with travel discount?
I believe the CSR is a better card due to the benefits including the travel credit, so compare that before you decide since you cannot get the bonus for both cards.
I agree! This was my first travel card, and it was a good fit for me.
The travel protection benefits are the most worthwhile part of this deal. I’ve reached out in the past to other cards when needed and it is very reassuring.
We should always remind beginners that if you cannot incur the $4,000, and cannot pay it back without interest, do not do this.
good article- can you change from the reserve to the preferred? I just got the reserve but the annual fee going up to $550 is a killer.
Yes, I *believe* that you can downgrade the CSR to the CSP.
I wonder how you will be protected by the card benefits if you are inconvenienced by the coronavirus chaos during your travels.
The range of transfer partners is great for topping up to redeem towards last minute plans.
The card is great for the “rich beginners” who are simply too busy with the rest of their lives. 🙂
Up until this latest CSR change I would have disagreed as if you flew 2-3 times a year CSR was a money maker. Now you have to use priority pass significantly more or have an insurance claim to make it worth while if you’re not a lyft or doordash user.
I think Chase is targeting the road warriors.
I definitely agree with this article. Get your feet wet (and get your Sapphire clock started) and if it’s for you, upgrade to the CSR and if it’s not for you, product change to a Freedom.
If you travel 3 to 4 times a year internationally, the reserve comes out on top
I wonder if sign up bonuses of 100,000 will ever show up again?
I don’t know the history of loyalty programs, but I would have to believe as a group they’re cyclical… as in the industry goes thru an increase in the value of benefits to lure customers; then everyone devalues those benefits for a time; then the game beings all over again when someone bucks the trend and heads back up.
I think the CSP is not only good for beginners, but also pretty good for more experienced folks in the miles & points world as the CSR is now completely useless.
There is a much better case to be made for the Preferred now due to the increased annual fee on the Reserve. $450 could be justified for even an occasional traveler. At $550, the appeal may narrow considerably if you can’t make good use of the DoorDash and Lyft benefits.
One still needs to consider the earning potential of 3x on travel/dining with CSR vs. only 2x in with CSP. As those categories represent the lion’s share of my annual spend, in terms of return the CSR is still the winner, even if it costs $100 more per year to keep the card.
I’ve been trying to find a new travel rewards card to my portfolio, and many of the points listed here are exactly the criteria I’ve been using to evaluate whether or not a card is the right fit for me or not. the CSP is definitely one of the final contenders. Bookmarking this page for reference so I can compare/contrast the few cards I have left that I’m considering.
I have the CSP and it’s a terrific card. Its super powers increase when paired with a Freedom or United card, I’ve found. Unfortunately Chase recently changed their policy so you can only earn the bonus once every four years (up from two), which has thrown a wrench into some plans…
The restriction makes the cards more expensive in practice. Thank you for the tip.
The points and achievable first spend is easily within reach. What i appreciate most, is the travel protections. That can be a real life saver in far off places.
The travel protection benefits do look generous.
I will be cancelling my Chase Sapphire Reserve when the annual fee posts and then apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred as soon as I am eligible.
I think we’ll see a decent chunk of people do that, but not as many as maybe these type of forums would lead us to believe. I bet many keep the card. But I’m with you.
Well, you couldn’t close the card (and go to no UR earning cards at all) without losing the points (or via spouse transfer, etc). So you’d need to open another card first at a minimum.
That said, at just $95 I think you’ll find it worth keeping the card.
Nice outline of options. Always good, however, to consider individual situation – loyalty to one particular brand of hotel/air, not wanting an annual fee, ability to spend this much are considerations.
While I agree that the annual fee is reasonable. That spend requirement is hardly easy for a beginner. I would think the top end of easy would just be $1000 spend, not $4000.
It’s certainly not easy, though I would say to anyone out there that if they can’t meet the minimum spend, they probably shouldn’t consider this “game” just yet.
Have to say I disagree. If one were to direct all spend (gas, groceries, mobile phone, television, internet, streaming, etc.) to the $4k minimum on this CSP offer its easily achievable for pretty much any household consisting of more than one person.
Agreed. It took some yoga poses, but I was able to hit the $4k target, with breathing room – and this is my first AF card, and third card overall. I put my rent, utilities (used Plastiq at the end to get over the line), prepaid my annual timeshare dues, gas, groceries, cellphone bill, religious donations, tolls, and my biannual insurance premium. Did so concurrently with the Freedom Unlimited (applied for both during the week of 5/24, which is my expiration date on the CSP and CFU), by mixing and matching each of those categories as necessary, so it’s really $4500 in 3 months. Ended up with 87,300+ points, with the balances paid in full.
Now I’m working the Freedom (with that sweet, delicious 5x on groceries for a year bonus; another 53,000+ points!!!)
The SUB is achievable even for single people, as long as they’re willing to turn it into a black hole for all of their monthly spend for that 90 days.
I can see this. I would then recommend a person get the Freedom Unlimited. A card that they wouldn’t have to think about categories. Just like you recommended.
Now that I am more into how to do what and driving my husband nuts with which card gets what charge, I am earning pretty well. My brain is actually thinking about how to consolidate now. How long do ya’ll think you’ll have so many cards? Will you ever consolidate?
The FU is definitely your foundation card. From there get the Freedom and then for one or two categories per quarter, you now use a different card for those categories. Then add a CSP or CSR for travel and dining. You still primarily use your FU but in a few select situations pull out a different card instead.
It’s unfortunate that you use “value” with respect to a First Class international ticket. “Value” equals the amount you’re willing to pay, not the retail price.
Nobody reading your blog would ever pay that kind of money for a flight, so at best that redemption is brag-worthy.
Meaning what? An Intl F flight is value-less? That line of thought doesn’t entirely make sense. Based upon your premise, if a Intl F flight was otherwise an impossibility, if not for redeeming UR points, could it not then be argued that those points are in fact priceless?
In any event, how would you better restate the phrase you disagree with, “outsized value”?
“Value” is always subjective. If you look for practicality, you should go for a cash rebate card.
Absolutely. What is valuable to me may be completely different than it is for you.
Thank you!! I would NEVER pay $21,000 for some of these YOLO flights that are like 150,000 points. Those points are worth about $3,000 and I’d rather use them on a full vacation, or two, not literally a single flight that I’d be sleeping for half of it.
But to each their own.
Is it a practical strategy to open a Sapphire Preferred account to earn the 60,000 sign up bonus and close it before having to pay the $95 free for the second year, then open a different card to earn another sign up bonus of Chase Ultimate Rewards to keep building into the same Ultimate Rewards account?
IMHO, yes. I did this once and the Chase rep even steered me to a zero fee card so I could preserve the credit limit on the closing CSP card. Right now I am thinking about switching to the CSP before the new, higher annual fee on my CSR card kicks in. But I’ll miss my Priority Pass. Sigh.
Then again, the net fee (after the $300 travel allowance) on he CSR is really just $250, or $155 more than the CSP. Is the $155 fee worth the Priority Pass card? Depends on my international travel plans next year. I value the lounge visits at about $25 each (space, food, drinks, amenities), so I need six visits just to break even. Given the lack of access at most major U.S. hubs, that six uses is hard to get. Sorry Chase, goodbye CSR.
@Chuck: IMHO the ongoing earning potential of the CSP is such that it will likely make sense to keep it, unless of course you plan to go for the Sapphire Reserve at some point. In any event, you’ll absolutely want to keep at least one premium UR-earning card (CSP, CSR, Ink Pref) in your Chase portfolio to enable points transfers to partner.
You could but I don’t recommend it at all. For a card you get positive value from, just keep it. And know the rules. You can only earn a Sapphire bonus once every 48 months but this actually means you aren’t eligible for a bonus if you’ve earned one in the last 48 months. ie I applied for my CSR Jan 2017 and earned my bonus in April. If I want to try and get a bonus again, I can’t apply until April (or maybe May) 2021 because it’ll be 48 months at that point.
Great review of the CSR and benefits. I also previously held this card and am waiting for the 48 month period to pass so that I can again cash in on the benefits of this card. I currently hold the Chase Freedom so that I continue to earn UR points. Thanks.
Thank you. I signed up. Now to meet the spending requirement ?