If you’re someone who is interested in traveling MORE for LESS money, the Chase Sapphire Preferred NEEDS to be in your wallet. It’s known in the travel-hacking world as the “beginner” card, because it offers sooooo much for the small annual fee of $95.
It was the very first card we started with, and we plan on keeping it because of all the great benefits!
It’s recently undergone some
Redeem 75,000 points for at least $750 in travel!
The current welcome offer on this card is 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $5,000 in 3 months. We’ve even seen the bank elevate the bonus to as high as 100,000 points!
Just by holding the card, you come out ahead. For $95, you COULD cash out the 75,000 points for $750 (you’ve already won!)
Previously, you could use these points to book hotels, flights, rental cars, etc in the Chase travel portal, where your points were worth 1.25 cents. And while this is still the case for those who held the card before June 23 until October 26, 2025, new cardholders can only redeem for 1 cent in the travel portal.
However, Chase has now introduced the Points Boost feature for the Sapphire Preferred. This new feature allows cardholders to redeem points on select hotels and flights for up to 1.5 cents apiece. The select hotels and flights will change so you’ll have to visit the travel portal and compare to determine when Points Boost is a better deal for you.
It’s good value, but I’m going to show you how to make it even better!!!
15,000 MORE bonus points!
Travel Transfer Partners
The way to truly maximize your points is NOT by redeeming them in the travel portal.
Instead, you’ll TRANSFER them out to travel partners!
Chase has partnered with airlines and hotels to allow you to transfer your Ultimate Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio. These partners are:
AIRLINES:
Aer Lingus
British Airways
Emirates
Air France KLM
Iberia
JetBlue
Singapore Airlines
Southwest Airlines
United
Virgin Atlantic
Air Canada
HOTELS:
IHG
Marriott Bonvoy
World of Hyatt (my favorite!)
Essentially, this means that the welcome offer of 75,000 points you earned could be used with any of the above loyalty programs.
This is good news, because 75,000 points with the partners above will get you way more value than booking $750 worth of travel in the portal!
>>>> Tip: Transfer these points to World of Hyatt for suuuper discounted stays!
The examples below show how you can DOUBLE the value of these points – just by transferring to travel partners!
$50 Annual Travel Credit + $10 Monthly Doordash Credit
Not only do you earn the MEGA points from the welcome offer, but you also receive a $50 annual travel credit to use in the Chase travel portal.
We’ve used our annual credit for 3 nights at the Flamingo in Las Vegas (resort fee not included)! But you could use it toward flights or rental cars as well!
In addition to the $50 travel credit, you also get a COMPLIMENTARY Dashpass membership valid for 12 months ($120 value).
And if that wasn’t good enough, this card also includes a $10 monthly Doordash credit, which you can use toward groceries, retail or convenience orders! We redeem this credit for snacks or a case of water while we’re on a trip.
>>>> Tip: choose pickup and save on driver tips!
Just the credits alone ($170!) make this card worthwhile, rightt???
The Travel and Purchase Benefits
Another reason that this card is a keeper for us is because of the GREAT travel benefits it offers.
When you book travel with this card, you’re covered for the folllowing:
Trip Cancellation
Reimbursement up to $10,000 per traveler if your trip is cancelled or cut short by sickness, severe weather, or other covered situations.
Baggage Delay
Reimbursement up to $100 per day for up to 5 days for essential purchases
Travel and Emergency Assistance
Legal and medical referrals and access to other travel and emergency assistance services.
Purchase Protection
Covers eligible new purchases for 120 days up to $500 per item.
Auto Rental Coverage
My favorite!
We book every car rental using the Sapphire Preferred, because of the auto rental coverage. When we do this, we don’t have to purchase the company’s collision insurance!
Reimbursement is up to $60,000 for theft and collision damage. However, the entire rental cost must be charged to the card.
Trip Delay Reimbursement
Reimburses uncovered expenses, like meals and lodging, up to $500 per traveler if you are delayed more than 12 hours or you require an overnight stay.
Extended Warranty Protection
The extended warranty protection of 1 year is great if you know you are making a big purchase soon!
3x on Online Grocery Orders!
Since we value Ultimate Rewards points so much, we use this card every week for our online grocery order. H-E-B, anyone???
If your family spends at least $1,000 a month on groceries (which, let’s be real, most families do), you could be earning at least 36,000 points annually with this card.
For reference, 36,000 points can get you 2 roundtrip flights to Europe!
Unfortunately, Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs are excluded from the 3x earning.
Since this is a keeper card, here are some of the other earning categories you may want to keep in mind:
- 5x travel through the Chase Travel portal
- 2x on other travel purchases
- 3x on dining (yes, please!), including delivery services
- 3x on select streaming services
- 1x on all other purchases
There is a great value to be had from just this ONE card!
If you’re a serious traveler, this card is a necessity.
If the welcome offer is elevated (anything higher than 60,000 points), this card is a no-brainer.
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