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The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has been a mainstay of my wallet — as well as one of NerdWallet's top-rated travel credit cards — for many years. It has a great welcome offer and travel benefits, and the points are easy to use.
In June 2026, Chase updated the card with several new and improved benefits, making it easier than ever for cardholders to get great value in exchange for the card’s $95 annual fee.
Here’s a look at some of the top benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to help you get the most out of this popular card.
Earn a new cardholder bonus
The easiest way to earn a large sum of credit card rewards is through a new card's sign-up bonus. Currently, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has this welcome bonus: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
NerdWallet values Chase points at 1 to 1.8 cents per point, which means earning this welcome offer could unlock a lot of travel. If you’re curious, here’s some inspiration for ways that you can spend a boatload of Chase points.
It also helps that the card has no foreign transaction fees, so you can make purchases abroad without having to worry about additional surcharges. Just make sure you always choose to pay in the local currency, since the converted USD rate typically includes a markup.
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Use the $100 hotel credit
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has an annual fee, but it’s easy to offset it just by booking a hotel stay. That’s because the card comes with an annual $100 hotel credit when you make a prepaid hotel booking through Chase’s travel portal.
You’re not required to stay multiple nights or to book specific properties. Any prepaid hotel booked through the portal will qualify, which makes this credit very simple to use. I love using the credit for one-night airport hotel stays in Europe, which often cost about $100.
However, make sure to compare the price of booking directly with the property, since Chase portal bookings can sometimes be more expensive.
Take Lyft instead of Uber
Rideshare costs can add up, so make sure you’re getting the most points out of each ride. For those who hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, that means picking Lyft over Uber (as long as the prices aren’t wildly different).
Through September 2027, cardholders earn 5 points per $1 spent on Lyft.
Sign up for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
If you hate waiting in long airport lines as much as I do, having TSA PreCheck or Global Entry is a game-changer. Both are paid Trusted Traveler Programs offered by the U.S. government, and they help expedite lines at security screening (TSA PreCheck) and passport control checkpoints (Global Entry).
Your application fee is covered once every four years as long as you apply and pay with your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. While the Global Entry approval process takes longer, enrolled members automatically receive TSA PreCheck as well.
Plus, if you have TSA PreCheck, you’re automatically eligible for the Touchless ID program at security screening checkpoints (my ultimate airport travel hack), although you’ll need to opt in before you can use it.
» Learn more: Your guide to TSA PreCheck and Global Entry
Book a Points Boost-eligible booking
Typically, Chase points are redeemed for 1 cent per point through the travel portal. However, certain bookings may be eligible for Points Boost — where you can redeem your points for up to 1.75 cent per point. In other words, you’d get 75% more value out of your points.
You’re most likely to see Points Boost options worth up to 1.5 cents per point on select hotels and flights in the portal, but some premium cabin tickets may offer the higher 1.75-cent point value.
Transfer to partners when there’s a bonus
You can also move your points to Chase transfer partners, which include both airline and hotel loyalty programs. Sometimes, Chase will even offer limited-time credit card transfer bonuses, giving you more points than you’d usually receive.
For example, Chase offered a 20% transfer bonus to Air France-KLM Flying Blue in May 2026, so if you transferred 50,000 Chase points, you would get the standard 50,000 Flying Blue points, as well as an additional 10,000 points for the bonus.
While bonuses can be enticing, I recommend only transferring points to partners only if you have a specific redemption in mind. Speculative transfers can be risky, since loyalty programs can change redemption options quickly.
Use the rental car insurance
The car insurance that comes with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of its best benefits. If you pay for your rental car with your card, or with Chase Ultimate Rewards® points earned with your card, you’ll be covered for theft and collision damage up to $60,000 for vehicles with an MSRP of $125,000 or less.
This coverage is for most rental cars in the U.S. and most countries abroad. The coverage is primary, and you’ll need to decline the rental company's collision insurance. This can mean big savings if things go wrong with your rental car.
Plus, make sure you use your card to pay when you fill up the tank or charge an EV. The card earns 3 points per $1 on those purchases.
Stay protected while traveling
Your card also comes with a slew of other travel protections in case things go wrong. While you may choose to purchase a separate travel insurance policy, having these benefits alone may be enough:
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance of up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip.
- Baggage delay insurance covering the purchase of toiletries and clothing, up to $100 a day, if your bags are lost or delayed more than six hours.
- Trip delay insurance, which covers you for things like meals and hotel stays, up to $500 per ticket, if your trip is delayed more than 12 hours (or overnight).
- Emergency evacuation and transportation coverage of up to $100,000.
This is why I always pay for my flights with a credit card that offers travel protections, since paying with your card is an eligibility requirement. It’s come in handy several times during flight delays due to inclement weather that have forced me to stay overnight. When delays are outside of an airline’s control, they don’t provide you much, if anything, which is why these protections can be so valuable.
Have peace of mind with purchase protection
Another useful perk of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is its purchase protection benefit, which allows you to file a claim if your new purchases are stolen or damaged. Cardholders can receive up to $500 per eligible claim and $50,000 per account.
You must make your claim within 120 days of purchase (90 days for New York residents). Not all items are eligible, such as used goods or items purchased for commercial purposes, so make sure to check your guide to benefits for any exclusions.
Save with DoorDash DashPass
If you order out often, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card comes with a minimum of one year of DoorDash’s DashPass, which gives a $0 delivery fee and lower service fees on DoorDash orders over $12. You’ll also get a $10 promo reward each month to use on non-restaurant orders.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to use this perk, especially since the monthly $10 discount may require you to meet an order minimum. However, if you’re already a DoorDash user, this could help you save on fees.
Subscribe to Apple TV
Cardholders get a free one-year subscription to Apple TV, which includes access to popular TV shows and movies. To claim the benefit, activate your subscription to the streaming service through the Chase website or mobile app by December 31, 2026.
Compare: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve®
In addition to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase also offers the Chase Sapphire Reserve® — its ultra-premium card. There are some important differences:
How the cards compare
Annual fee
$95
$795
Sign-up bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- 5 points per $1 spent on all travel booked through Chase.
- 3 points per $1 spent on dining (including eligible delivery services and takeout).
- 3 points per $1 spent on select streaming services.
- 3 points per $1 spent on online grocery purchases (not including Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).
- 3 points per $1 spent on gas and electric vehicle charging.
- 3 points per $1 spent on eligible vacation homes.
- 2 points per $1 spent on travel not booked through Chase.
- 1 point per $1 spent on other purchases.
- Through September 2027: 5 points per $1 spent on Lyft.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- 8 points per $1 spent on travel bookings purchased through Chase's travel portal, including flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises, activities and tours.
- 4 points per $1 spent on bookings made directly with an airline or hotel.
- 3 points per $1 spent at restaurants, including eligible food delivery.
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Through September 2027: 5 points per $1 spent on Lyft (plus a $10 monthly Lyft credit).
Other benefits
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- A $100 annual credit on hotel stays booked through Chase.
- Application credit every four years for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS application fees charged to your card.
- Complimentary Apple TV for one year (activate by Dec. 31, 2026).
- 1:1 transfer partners, including United, Southwest, JetBlue and Marriott.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- $300 annual credit, automatically applied to travel spending.
- 1:1 transfer partners (same as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card).
- Access to more than 1,000 airport lounges worldwide through Priority Pass Select.
- Application credit every four years for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS application fees charged to your card.
- Access to “Reserved by Sapphire” restaurant-booking feature.
- Up to $500 in credit for The Edit, Chase’s high-end hotel portal, in the form of two $250 credits a year.
- Up to $300 in credit at restaurants in the Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables program. You get this as two separate credits of $150 in each half of the year.
- Up to $300 in statement credit for StubHub, in the form of two $150 credits a year.
- Up to $250 toward Apple TV+ and Apple Music subscriptions.
- Up to $120 in credit toward Peloton membership, available at $10 a month. Plus you earn 10 points per dollar on eligible Peloton purchases.
- Complimentary IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Status through Dec. 31, 2027.
- If you spend $75,000 or more on the card each year, you’ll also get a $500 credit for Southwest Airlines flights booked through Chase, Southwest A-List status, IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite Status and a $250 credit for purchases through The Shops at Chase.
Learn more
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Still not sure?
The biggest difference is the annual fee, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® being significantly more expensive. However, it also comes loaded with travel perks and credits that can easily offset the fee. It also has airport lounge access, stronger travel protections and 1:1 transfers to World of Hyatt.
Meanwhile, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers solid travel protections, as well as an impressive roster of perks for a card with a $95 annual fee. However, Hyatt transfers are at a lower 4:3 ratio, which can be a pretty significant con for Hyatt loyalists. If you’re just starting out with travel rewards and don’t want to commit to an expensive annual fee, this card is one of my top choices.
Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card's annual fee worth it?
The $95 annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is not waived the first year. However, you can easily recoup the annual fee by using the card’s $100 prepaid hotel credit each year when booking through Chase’s travel portal.
Don’t forget: You’ll also earn a large stash of Chase Ultimate Rewards® points if you meet the spending requirements for the welcome bonus, which can offer significant value.
If you have other Chase cards like the Chase Freedom® or the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, it’s valuable to also have a premium card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card so you can combine points between the cards and access travel partners and enhanced value through Chase's travel portal.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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