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Ultra-premium travel rewards cards offer every perk imaginable to soften the blow of their sky-high annual fees. But sometimes you just want a reliable card that provides excellent benefits without the huge price tag.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is as faithful a travel companion as your well-worn suitcase. In exchange for a $95 annual fee, it offers valuable rewards points, worldwide acceptance and travel protections that can help when that suitcase doesn’t make it to the baggage claim.
Here are the benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
Travel rewards
1. A generous sign-up bonus
The issuer phrases the sign-up bonus for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card like this: “Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.”
2. Bonus earnings on travel, dining, select streaming services and online grocery purchases
With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you'll earn 3 points per dollar spent on dining out, select streaming services and online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs). You'll earn 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase and 2 points per dollar on all other travel. All other spending earns 1 point per dollar.
The travel category is very broad and includes:
- Airline purchases.
- Hotel stays.
- Timeshares.
- Rental cars.
- Cruises.
- Travel agencies and travel sites.
- Campgrounds.
- Trains.
- Buses.
- Taxis.
- Limos.
- Ferries.
- Tolls.
- Parking.
3. 10% point bonus each year
Each account anniversary, cardmembers will receive bonus points equaling 10% of total purchases that year. So if you spent $25,000, you'd earn an additional 2,500 bonus points.
4. 'Points Boost' when redeeming for travel via Chase
Points on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are typically worth 1 cent apiece when redeemed for cash back. But they can be worth more when redeemed for travel booked through Chase. On select airline and hotel bookings eligible for what Chase calls "Points Boost," points are worth 1.5 cents apiece (1.75 cents for select premium cabin airline bookings). On bookings not eligible for Points Boost, points are worth 1 cent apiece.
5. A $50 hotel credit
Cardholders can receive a $50 hotel credit each year on reservations booked through Chase. New cardholders will be able to use this credit immediately. Existing cardholders can use this credit after their next account anniversary.
6. Combine points from multiple cards
You can transfer points, for free, among any cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, including the Chase Freedom®, the Chase Freedom Flex®, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® and the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. You can also transfer points to and from another cardholder in your household, making it possible to create a family pool of points. Not only do you increase your points-earning potential by using multiple cards in the Chase Ultimate Rewards® universe, but transferring points into your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card account gives you the opportunity to redeem them at the higher "Points Boost" rate, when available.
7. Transfer points to airline and hotel partners
If you want to book travel directly through an airline or hotel but need just a few thousand points more in your account to get that free flight or stay, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards® points earned through your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to 14 airline and hotel partners at a 1:1 point value. Transfer partners include:
- Airlines: Aer Lingus, Air France/KLM, Air Canada, British Airways, Emirates, Iberia, JetBlue, Singapore Airlines, Southwest, United and Virgin Atlantic.
- Hotels: Hyatt, IHG and Marriott Bonvoy.
8. Worldwide acceptance
As a Visa card with no foreign transaction fee, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card travels well.
Travel and shopping protections
9. Coverage if your trip is canceled or delayed
Get reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for prepaid, nonrefundable travel expenses if your trip is interrupted by sickness, severe weather or other covered situations. If your travel is delayed by more than 12 hours, or the delay requires you to stay overnight, you’re covered up to $500 per ticket for expenses like meals and a hotel stay.
10. Baggage delay insurance
If your luggage is delayed more than six hours, you can get reimbursed up to $100 a day for five days to cover the cost of new toiletries and clothing.
11. Rental car coverage
Charge the entire car rental to your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and get primary insurance coverage for collision and theft in the U.S. and abroad. You must decline the rental company’s insurance to get this coverage.
12. Travel assistance
Get access to legal and medical referrals, or other help as needed if you’re facing an emergency while traveling. The referrals are free, but you’re on the hook for the cost of any services you use.
13. Purchase protections
New purchases are covered for up to 120 days in case of damage or theft, up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account (perfect for those times when your doorbell camera doesn’t scare package thieves away from your front porch). You’ll also get an extra year added onto the manufacturer’s warranty on eligible warranties of three years or less.
14. Customer service without the wait
There’s no annoying hold music and no need to yell “representative” at your phone over and over. Call the toll-free number on the back of your card and you’ll be connected to a real live human.
