A few months back, Chase launched a new travel rewards card called the Continental OnePass Plus, which pays out OnePass frequent flyer miles for every dollar spent. We’re generally not too impressed with these types of airline cards since better deals can normally be had with cash back rewards cards, but this one actually has a respectable rewards plan. Not content to leave it at that however, we decided to pit it up against another one of Chase’s all-star travel cards – the Sapphire Preferred.
Bottom line: As far as airline rewards credit cards go, the Continental OnePass Plus is not too shabby. As you can see on our frequent flyer infographic, this card leads the pack thanks to a huge sign-up bonus and miles that are actually worth a full cent (most frequent flyer programs are worth substantially less to those of us who aren’t business travelers). However, the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers similar bonuses and isn’t restricted to Continental Airlines. So the deciding factor is how much you value choice.
The breakdown
As you can see in the table below, there is a lot of overlap between the two rewards programs. The annual fees are exactly the same, the signup bonuses are similar, and both pay 2x on flights (note that the Sapphire only pays 2x when you book through Chase). Where the Continental card stands out is the additional 5,000 points for adding another user (worth ~$50), and the 10,000 bonus points if you spend more than $25,000 in a year (worth an additional ~$100). Plus let’s not forget the free baggage check, an under-appreciated feature that could turn out to mean big money ($200 per roundtrip flight for a family of four!).
On its face, the Sapphire Preferred doesn’t quite live up to those bonuses. But if you spend less than $25,000 in any given year you’ll still get the 7% reward dividend, whereas you’ll get no bonus at all with the OnePass. Also, if you book your travel through Chase’s Ultimate Rewards Travel Tool, your rewards are worth 25% more, which makes up for some of the bonus difference no matter how much you spend. But numbers aside, the real value in this card is its unrestricted nature. Chase Ultimate Rewards have no restrictions or blackout dates, and you can redeem them for flights on most major airlines. Plus they can be transferred 1-for-1 to Continental and a few other loyalty programs. So even if you don’t get the OnePass Plus, you can still earn OnePass miles while having the flexibility to fly other airlines.
So even though the Sapphire Preferred doesn’t quite beat the OnePass Plus in the numbers game, it comes close. Determining which is right for you depends on whether you put any value in choice and flexibility (I know I do!).
| Continental Airlines OnePass® Plus Card | Chase Sapphire® Preferred Card | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Signing Promo | |||||||||
| 25,000 Continental Airlines Miles Bonus - after your first use, an additional 5,000 when you add an authorized user to your account, and 10,000 more miles when you spend $25,000 on your card. | 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Bonus after spending $3,000 - in the first 3 months. | ||||||||
| Intro APR Promo | |||||||||
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| Annual fee | |||||||||
| $0 the first year, then $95 | $0 the first year, then $95 | ||||||||
| Details | |||||||||
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