15 Years Later, Here’s Why the Chase Sapphire Preferred Is Still the Best Travel Card for Beginners

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The Chase Sapphire Preferred® has been around since 2009, and the popular travel card still carries weight as one of the premier mid-tier travel rewards cards on the market.

Besides earning 3x points on dining and 2x points on travel purchases, the card offers elevated earning rates in other bonus categories, including 5x on Chase Travel℠, 3x points on select streaming services and on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs). Plus, its additional benefits and travel protections make it hard to beat for a moderate $95 annual fee. 

In fact, the card’s attributes are so compelling that many would consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred the best travel rewards card for most people looking to accrue valuable travel rewards. Here's why.

Chase Sapphire Preferred®

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• Our Rating 5/5 How our ratings work
• APR20.99% - 27.99% (Variable)
• Annual Fee$95
• Sign Up Bonus 60,000Chase Ultimate Rewards Points More Info

  Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $1,380 (60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points * 0.023 base)

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is one of the gold standards for earning travel rewards. It has a generous sign-up bonus and you can earn points on travel and dining expenses. The card does have an annual fee, but you can continue earning points through bonus categories and an anniversary points boost.

• Overview
• Pros & Cons

Overview

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is pretty flexible as it lets you transfer rewards points into miles or points several airlines and hotel programs. You can take advantage of strong transfer partners such as United, Southwest, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Hyatt. Similarly, you can book any reservation you want through the Chase Travel℠ portal. Although the card might not be ideal for the most frequent travelers, it has a built-in upgrade path, so when it’s time to level up your travel rewards game, you won’t have to start from scratch.

Pros

• Points are easily transferable to airlines and hotel partners
• Accelerated earnings on dining, travel & household purchases
• Excellent travel and purchase protections
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• Not ideal for the highest spenders
• $95 annual fee

A Generous Welcome Offer 

For starters, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers a generous sign-up bonus. New cardholders can earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 within the first three months of account opening.  

Our points and miles guide values Chase Ultimate Rewards points at over of 2 cents per dollar when redeemed for travel. That means the card’s sign-up bonus could potentially be worth much more if you can find a strategic way to transfer your points to one of Chase’s impressive list of transfer partners. 

If you prefer a simple approach to redeeming points, you can book travel directly through Chase Travel℠ —making your 60,000-point bonus worth a redemption value of $750. Regardless of which method you prefer, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s current bonus offer easily outweighs the card’s annual fee.

Lucrative Earning Rates 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred now offers more ways to earn bonus points on popular spend categories than in years past. 

Cardholders can expect to earn the following rates per dollar spent on these categories:

• 5x on all Chase Travel℠ purchases
• 5x on Lyft through March 31, 2025
• 3x on dining (including eligible delivery services and takeout)
• 3x on select streaming services
• 3x on online grocery purchases (not including Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
• 2x on general travel purchases (not through the rewards portal)
• 1x on all other purchases

Travel

As you can see, the card’s earning rates make it a lucrative option for folks looking to earn and redeem points for travel. Besides the multitude of ways to earn bonus points, Chase has a broad definition of what constitutes “travel purchases," including airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds, passenger trains, buses, taxis and limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots and garages. 

That means you can earn 2x on common travel expenses such as airfare and hotels, as well as some uncommon categories that normally don’t earn bonus points, such as tolls, parking garage fees, and commuter trains.

Recommended Travel Credit Cards

Credit Card	Intro Bonus	Annual Fee	Rewards Rate	Learn More
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Apply Now	60,000Chase Ultimate Rewards Points More Info Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $1,380 (60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points * 0.023 base)	$95	1x- 5xPoints More Info 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.	Apply Now
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card Apply Now	$400 statement credit + 40,000 pts.Southwest Rapid Rewards Points More Info Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent:	$69	1x - 2xPoints More Info Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming. Earn 1X points on all other purchases.	Apply Now
Citi Custom Cash® Card Apply Now Rates & Fees	$200Cash Bonus More Info Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.	$0	1% - 5%Cashback More Info Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Also, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2026.	Apply Now Rates & Fees
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card Apply Now Rates & Fees	75,000Citi ThankYou® Points More Info Limited Time Offer: Earn 75,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $750 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com. Dollar Equivalent: $1,350 (75,000 Citi ThankYou® Points * 0.018 base)	$95	1X-10XPoints More Info 10x on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations 1x -- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases	Apply Now Rates & Fees

Other Everyday Purchases

Plus, by earning 3x on dining out, online groceries and on streaming services, and 2x on all travel purchases outside of booking through Chase Travel℠, cardholders can easily rack up thousands of miles each year on everyday purchases. And best of all, there are no foreign transaction fees to worry about, so you can earn bonus points on these categories while you’re traveling abroad.

If the Chase Sapphire Preferred wasn’t packing enough value already, each account anniversary, cardmembers will earn bonus points equal to 10% of total purchases made the previous year. For example, if you make $20,000 in purchases in a given year, Chase will put 2,000 bonus points back into your account.

High-Value Redemptions

There is one way to get the most bang for your buck from your points, and that’s by using some of Chase’s travel partners and transferring points to one of them when it makes sense to do so. All of Chase’s partners have a transfer ratio of 1:1. 

Here is the list of Chase’s airline and hotel transfer partners:

• Transfer Partners 

  Aer Lingus
  Air Canada Aeroplan
  Air France-KLM
  British Airways
  Emirates
  Iberia
  JetBlue
  Singapore
  Southwest
  United
  Virgin Atlantic
  Hyatt
  InterContinental Hotels Group
  Marriott

Chase is well known for partnering with several high-value transfer partners. Your points can take you across the Atlantic in business class or cover a stay at a high-end, all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean. The high-value transfer redemption possibilities are endless. You can also transfer points to Southwest Airlines and book tickets for the whole family to jumpstart your next vacation.

Transfer partners vary greatly from one another. While certain programs tend to offer lower value, others make it simple to obtain outstanding value from your points. Read our guide to 10 high-value travel redemption suggestions with Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Ultimate Rewards points earned from the Chase Sapphire Preferred can also be redeemed through the Chase Travel℠ portal at a value of 1.25 cents per point or you can use points for cash back, gift cards or Amazon purchases at a less-than-desirable 0.8 to 1 cent per point value. However, if you want bigger value from your points, stick to the transfer option.

Bottom Line

There is little doubt that the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is one of the most recognizable travel cards by name. And rightfully so, the card has earned a glowing reputation due to its impressive earning rates, valuable transfer partners, and additional benefits that distinguish it from the competition. As a starter card for those looking to jump headfirst into travel rewards, there may not be a better option out there than the Chase Sapphire Preferred.