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The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees) is one of the most popular travel cards — and for good reason. This card packs major value, including a generous welcome bonus, solid perks and benefits, and is part of one of the most versatile and valuable rewards programs.
Most cardholders, like myself, find the nominal $95 annual fee justifiable. But is the Sapphire Preferred worth it year after year? Let's go over the card's many selling points to help you decide if it's the right fit for your wallet.
Generous Welcome Bonus
This card features a rather generous welcome bonus and, every now and then, offers an elevated bonus that earns even more points.
Currently, new applicants to the Sapphire Preferred can receive an appealing welcome offer of 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Earn 75,000 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
- 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
- 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
When redeemed through Chase TravelSM — one of the most straightforward ways to use Chase Ultimate Rewards — these points are worth at least $750. But if you don't mind putting in a tad more effort, this bonus can be worth multiple times that when you take advantage of the many hotel and airline transfer partners that Chase offers.
Related: Who Is Eligible To Get a Bonus on the Chase Sapphire Preferred?
Low Annual Fee
Many cards worth applying for and keeping long-term come with hefty annual fees. In fact, the more benefits, the higher the annual fee tends to be. But for a card that offers a good amount of perks and benefits, the Sapphire Preferred charges a relatively low annual fee of just $95, making it well worth the cost.
Earning Categories for Bonus Rewards
You can earn extra points on travel and other common spending categories with the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Here is a current list of the reward categories:
- 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
Additionally, on your account anniversary, you'll receive 10% of your total card spending back as points. For example, if you spend $20,000 on your card during your cardmember year, you'll receive 2,000 points back.
Combining Chase points
Another valuable benefit of this card is the ability to combine points from other Ultimate Rewards-earning Chase credit cards.
This is especially useful if you hold one of Chase's cash back cards, such as a Freedom card or an Ink card. Those cards are marketed as cash back, but actually earn Ultimate Rewards. However, points earned through cash back cards can't be transferred to Chase's travel partners. But if you combine those cash back rewards onto your Sapphire Preferred, you open up a world of possibilities for how to use them.
Furthermore, combining points from other personal and business credit cards to the Sapphire Preferred can increase the value of your points. Redeeming points from the Sapphire Preferred via Chase Travel℠ will yield a value of 1 to 1.5 cents per point — with select hotel and flight redemptions offering greater value than the 1 cent you would receive with redemptions from Chase's cash back cards.
There's no fee or limit to the number of points you can combine this way, and you can combine points with one other member of your household. This allows you to create a family pool of points. To set up this feature, you'll need to first call the number on the back of your card to link the accounts. Moving forward, you can combine points easily online.
Our household takes advantage of combining points quite a bit since my spouse only has a Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees). He earns points on his card, then we combine them onto my Sapphire Preferred, making it easy to redeem for valuable flights or hotels. This benefit alone makes the Chase Sapphire Preferred worth it for us.
Travel Benefits
Points transfer partners
This card is part of the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, which is a huge benefit. While there are dozens of ways to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points, the best way to use points for maximum value tends to be with Chase's four hotel and 10 airline partners.
Remember that you can redeem points through Chase TravelSM for 1 cent each — or potentially up to 1.5 cents each with Chase's Points Boost program. However, AwardWallet users typically redeem Chase points at 2.01¢ each with transfer partners, earning nearly double the value compared to redeeming through Chase TravelSM. That's a significant difference.
Here is the full list of Chase's transfer partners:
One of our favorite redemptions is transferring to World of Hyatt for our hotel stays. These transfers can unlock some seriously great value. For example, I recently transferred Ultimate Rewards to World of Hyatt and booked four nights at the Hyatt Regency Maui. The cash cost would have been over $2,600, but I spent just 100,000 points, making it a 2.6-cent per point redemption.
Chase also offers transfer bonuses throughout the year, helping stretch your points even further. To see all of the current bank transfer bonuses, check out our dedicated post.
$50 annual hotel credit
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers up to $50 in statement credits per cardmember year toward hotel stays purchased through Chase TravelSM. This easy-to-use credit may not seem like much, but don't underestimate it, as it covers half of the card’s annual fee.
Related: How Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred Hotel Credit Work?
No foreign transaction fees
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the perfect travel companion when you travel internationally. Some cards charge an extra percentage on each purchase made outside the U.S., but you won't find those fees here. This can save you significant cash as you won't have to pay more for your purchases abroad.
Related: 8 Tips for Saving Money While Traveling Internationally
Insurance Protections
When it comes to protection, the Sapphire Preferred’s insurance is hard to beat. This card covers everything from trip cancellation to lost luggage, car rental insurance, and purchase protection for items you buy with your card.
Trip cancellation and trip interruption
Travel is unpredictable, and unforeseen circumstances may interrupt your plans. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per prepaid, non-refundable trip if you experience a cancellation due to sickness, severe weather, or other covered situations. Note that there's a maximum of $40,000 per 12-month period.
Trip Delay
Trip delay insurance kicks in if you experience a delay of more than 12 hours or require an overnight stay. The Chase Sapphire Preferred will reimburse up to $500 per ticket for expenses such as hotel stays and meals.
Even when booking award travel, I make sure to pay the taxes and fees for our tickets with my Sapphire Preferred so I'm covered should anything happen.
Related: Chase Sapphire Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Insurance
Baggage delay and lost luggage
Every year, airlines damage or misplace thousands of customers' bags. If your luggage is delayed for six hours or longer, you can receive reimbursement of up to $100 per day for up to five days for necessary items such as toiletries and clothing until your bag turns up.
If the airline loses your or your immediate family members' checked or carry-on bags, you're covered for reimbursement of up to $3,000 per passenger per trip.
Rental car insurance coverage
If you have ever chosen to pay for rental car insurance at the counter, you know it can be costly. Luckily, Sapphire Preferred cardholders can qualify for primary rental car collision coverage by using their card to pay the full price of the rental and declining the rental company's insurance. This coverage provides reimbursement for damages caused by theft or collision up to $60,000 for most rental vehicles.
Related: Best Credit Cards for Rental Car Insurance
Purchase protection
This card offers purchase protection on eligible purchases made using your card. Your items are protected against damage or theft for up to 120 days from the purchase date. Coverage is up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per cardholder per year.
Most of these protections have caveats and carveouts, so it's always good to consult the guide to benefits (warning: PDF) provided by Chase.
Who is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Good For?
Every bank is fighting for a share of your wallet, so choosing a new credit card can feel daunting. But we still feel the Sapphire Preferred stands out for offering solid travel redemptions and travel perks plus earning flexible, transferable rewards — all for a reasonable annual fee.
If you are new to credit card points and miles, this card might be perfect for you, as it is regularly ranked among the best travel cards for beginners. Even more advanced points and miles collectors hold a spot in their wallet for this card.
Related: Why the Chase Sapphire Preferred Is the Best Beginner's Travel Rewards Card
Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Worth It?
Those looking for a new travel rewards credit card will be hard-pressed to find a card that checks more boxes than the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Its $95 annual fee can be easily offset by the $50 annual hotel credit and the value of redeeming the card's welcome bonus. As if that wasn't enough, you'll enjoy many consumer and travel protections when using your card, and you'll incur no additional charges when using it abroad.
The bonus point categories offer exceptional value for most cardholders. Consider the 3 points per dollar you earn on dining and 2 points per dollar spent on travel. Many no-annual-fee credit cards only offer 1% cash back or 1 point per dollar. The $95 annual fee, just a little under $8 a month, is offset easily by the extra rewards you'll rake in.
All of this makes the Sapphire Preferred card worth it for most people.
Related: Complete Chase Sapphire Preferred review
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees)
