The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a number of valuable benefits included in its $95 annual fee. Since Chase offers no-fee credit cards like the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, you may be wondering: Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card worth it?
In this article we’ll help you decide if the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is worth its annual fee given all of its benefits.
» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now
★ LIMITED TIME OFFER
Heads up! For a limited time, new cardholders of the recently refreshed Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can earn a bonus of 100,000 points by meeting the card's initial spending requirement. That matches the biggest bonus this perennial-favorite card has ever offered and is worth $1,000 or more when redeemed for travel. Chase spells out the bonus offer like this: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Learn more and apply here.
What benefits come with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card?
The first step to deciding if the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is worth its annual fee is to know what benefits are offered by the card. You should always check with Chase on the current benefits before applying for the card, but current Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card benefits include:
- Welcome bonus: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Annual $100 in statement credits for prepaid hotels booked through Chase.
- 5 points per dollar spent on travel booked through Chase.
- 3 points per dollar on online grocery purchases – excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs.
- 3 points per dollar spent on dining.
- 3 points per dollar spent on gas and electric vehicle charging.
- 3 points per dollar spent on vacation home rentals through select platforms including Airbnb and Vrbo.
- 2 points per dollar spent on all other travel purchases.
- Credit that covers the application fee for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS every four years.
- Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance.
- Emergency evacuation and transportation coverage
As you can see, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers cardholders a number of benefits that, for the right person, could make the annual fee well worth the cost. For example, you can make up the annual fee each year just by using the credit for booking hotels via Chase’s travel portal.
NerdWallet values Chase points at 1 to 1.8 cents cents per point. Generally, you can get the most value out of your points when you transfer them to Chase’s airline and hotel loyalty partners.
For Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card holders, most programs transfer at a 1:1 ratio, meaning you will get 1 point or mile for each Chase point you transfer, with the exception of World of Hyatt (3 Hyatt points for every 4 Chase points transferred).
» Learn more: The best Chase transfer partners — and which to avoid
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The annual fee is worth it if:
- You book a $100 hotel stay using Chase’s travel portal each year: This perk alone lets you earn back your entire annual fee with one purchase. However, remember to make a prepaid booking in order to get the credit.
- You pay for travel on your card: In addition to earning 2 points per dollar on most travel purchases, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance. If your trip is canceled or cut short due to sickness, severe weather or another qualifying reason, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip.
- You book vacation rentals regularly: If you book Airbnbs and Vrbos more than you book Marriotts and Hiltons, you’ll find even more value with this card. When you book vacation rentals through select platforms, you’ll earn 3 points per dollar spent.
- You dine out or order delivery often: The annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is worth it if you order from restaurants on a regular basis, as you’ll earn 3 points per dollar spent on restaurants (both for dining in and delivery).
- You’re a car owner: Every time you fill up on gas or charge your electric vehicle, you’ll earn 3 points per dollar while doing so. Those points can add up quickly.
- You know how to (or are willing to learn how to) get the most value out of Chase’s transfer partners: Chase has more than a dozen transfer partners, including United Airlines, Hyatt and Air Canada. You can receive an enormous amount of value for your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points if you’re able to take advantage of these programs.
The annual fee is not worth it if:
- You won’t purchase travel or dining on the card: Although there are benefits you can get from the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card that are unrelated to travel, such as 3 points per dollar spent on online grocery purchases and select streaming purchases, the card is generally most valuable to cardholders who take advantage of travel and dining benefits.
- You want airport lounge access: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card doesn’t include lounge access. You’ll need a premium travel card card — such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve® — for that.
- You plan to transfer most of your Chase Ultimate Rewards® points to Hyatt: With this card, your Chase points transfer to Hyatt at a lower 4:3 transfer ratio. That means you’ll need to transfer 25% more Chase points to Hyatt to make up for the lower ratio. If Hyatt is your goal, consider cards that offer 1:1 transfers like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the Bilt Obsidian Card.
The bottom line
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers a host of benefits to cardholders, particularly those who use the card to purchase travel or who use it on dining. Cardholders who are willing to research valuable redemption opportunities with Chase’s travel partners can get outsized value for the card if they are able to use the points on an otherwise expensive redemption.
Before applying for the card, be sure to review the current benefits offered and consider how you’ll use it. Depending on how you use the card, you may easily be able to get enough value from it each year to make it well worth the $95 annual fee.
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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