Why the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is ideal for both beginners and experts
- mike
- May 13
- 5 min read
Updated: May 14
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the most valuable travel cards on the market. It has a generous earn structure, a modest annual fee, and allows you to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) points to some of those most valuable partners in the game. In this post, I’ll discuss the key characteristics that make this card worth adding to your wallet.
Reasonable annual fee
This card comes with a very modest $95 annual fee, which is easily justifiable when you consider the fact that you are entitled to an annual $50 Chase Travel credit, which can easily be utilized when booking travel in their travel portal, making the effective annual fee $45. Given that this card is PACKED with pretty strong earning multipliers, travel and purchase benefits, a 25% points value boost when redeeming with Chase travel, and an annual 10% earning bonus, an effective fee of $45 is a steal.
Easy to earn
The Chase Sapphire Preferred comes with pretty a generous and easy-to-understand earning structure. Its rewards multipliers are as follows:
5x UR points on travel booked through Chase (not including purchase portions that qualify for the $50 annual Chase Travel credit)
3x UR points on select streaming services
3x UR points on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
3x UR points for online grocery purchases (not including Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs)
2x UR points on travel
1x UR points on all other purchases
As you can see, the categories are pretty broad, making it pretty easy to rack up UR points if you spend in these categories regularly. If you commute to work and use public transportation as your means of getting to and from work, then you will likely benefit generously from the “travel” category since Chase considers the “travel” category pretty broadly to include airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds and operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots and garages.
Elevated value
With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, your points are automatically worth 25% more when redeeming them for travel bookings made directly in the Chase travel portal. This means that at the very least, your points will be worth 1.25 cents instead of 1 cent if you didn’t have the card. No other points currency on the market gives such a boost, and in a world where points currencies are currently being devalued, you can be sure that your Ultimate Rewards points will retain a pretty high value. Whereas for most other programs 10,000 points would be worth $1,000 in redemption value (1 cent apiece), holding the Chase Sapphire Preferred would make the value of 10,000 UR points worth $1,250 if redeeming them for travel in the Chase travel portal.
Excellent transfer partners
Chase has partnered with some of the most valuable loyalty programs in the travel industry. The beauty of the UR points program is that the transfer ratio from Chase to each of these partners is 1:1, meaning 1,000 UR points would convert to 1,000 hotel points or 1,000 airline miles.
Their hotel transfer partners include:
Hyatt
IHG
Marriott
Their airline transfer partners include:
Air Canada
Air France|KLM
British Airways
Aer Lingus
Emirates
JetBlue
Iberia
Singapore Airlines
Southwest
United
Virgin Atlantic
I have highlighted my personal favorite partners above, and they are my favorites because I have used these programs to book some of the most unforgettable travel experiences with my family. Hyatt especially is my top favorite due to its relatively low redemption rates for its top properties.
Back in summer of 2024, my fiancée and I were able to book the Park Hyatt Milan for only 40,000 Chase UR points, which I then transferred to World of Hyatt points at a 1:1 ratio. This hotel normally costs €784, or US $872 with today’s exchange rate. This translates to a point value of 2.18 cents per point, which is GREAT value, considering that booking directly with UR points via the Chase portal would have yielded a 1.25 cents per point value.
You should also keep a look out for transfer bonus promotions, where you will receive extra miles when transferring Chase UR points to travel partners. In the examples below, a 25% bonus means that 1,000 Chase UR points will transfer to 1,250 Flying Blue or Virgin Atlantic miles.
Card benefits
For a card with a modest $95 annual, it comes LOADED with benefits, which are comparable to many of the premium cards currently on the market. Aside from the spend multipliers, there are other benefits associated with the card to give you peace of mind when traveling and/or making purchases with the card. Below is a list of those benefits.
No Foreign Transaction Fees
You will pay no foreign transaction fees when you use your card for purchases made outside the United States. For example, if you spend $5,000 internationally, you would avoid $150 in foreign transaction fees.
Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance
If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather or other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per covered traveler and $20,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotels.
Baggage Delay Insurance
Reimburses you up to $100 a day for up to 5 days for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing when baggage is delayed over 6 hours.
Travel and Emergency Assistance
If you run into a problem while traveling away from home, this benefit provides legal and medical referrals and access to other travel and emergency assistance services. (You will be responsible for the cost of any goods or services obtained.)
Purchase Protection
Covers your eligible new purchases for 120 days from the date of purchase against damage or theft up to $500 per item.
Auto Rental Coverage
Decline the rental company's collision insurance and charge the entire rental cost to your card. Coverage is primary and provides reimbursement up to $60,000 for theft and collision damage for most rental vehicles with an MSRP of $125,000 or less.
Trip Delay Reimbursement
If your common carrier travel is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, you are covered for unreimbursed expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per covered traveler.
Extended Warranty Protection
Extends the time period of the manufacturer's U.S. warranty by an additional year, on eligible warranties of three years or less, up to four years from the date of purchase.
DashPass Subscription
Get complimentary access to DashPass - a membership for both DoorDash and Caviar - a value of $120 for 12 months - which unlocks $0 delivery fee and lower service fees on eligible orders for a minimum of one year when you activate by Dec 31, 2027.
Plus, DoorDash members get up to $10 off a month on non-restaurant DoorDash orders.
Key points
Just about every expert in this industry will agree that the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a must-have for both rookies and pros in the points and miles game, and for good reasons.
Chase UR points are one of most valuable currencies in the game
Chase’s transfer partners offer relatively high value compared to other card competitors
The $95 annual fee is easily justifiable when comparing the total potential value in benefits
The earning structure allows for just about anyone to rack up points quickly
The added 25% value when redeeming points for travel through the Chase Travel portal makes this card more valuable than just about any other card on the market
If you believe this card would be a good fit for you, click here to apply.
If you have more questions about this card, other cards, if you have any other points and miles questions, or if you need help booking travel with points you’ve already earned, feel free to contact me.
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