It’s no secret that the Chase Sapphire Preferred® is often referred to as a great “starter” card.  It’s often recommended to beginners just starting out in points and miles.  And for good reason too!  I should add it’s not just great for those starting out, but a keeper if you’re looking to continue earning, and redeeming, Chase Ultimate Rewards® for travel.

The Card & Offer

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card currently has an elevated offer of 100k points after spending $5,000 in the first three months.  This card has a $95 annual fee.  Now for starters, we don’t see such offers on this particular card too often!  Last time we saw an offer this high was 4 years ago in 2021!  So if you’ve never had this card before, or are re-eligible, this is the time to jump on 100k flexible bank points.  Generally speaking, we’ve seen such offers last 4-6 weeks, but we don’t have an end date as of now.

Eligibility

First things first.  Who can get this card?  Here are requirements to keep in mind:

• You’ll need to be under 5/24.
• You can’t have any Sapphire cards open – this includes the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
• You can’t have received a bonus on either Sapphire product in the last 48 months.  Remember, 48 months starts from when you received the bonus, not when you applied or closed a card previously.

If you currently hold a Sapphire product, and are re-eligible, you can downgrade to a no-fee card like the Chase Freedom Flex®.  I particularly like this card because it has rotating quarterly bonus categories.  I would recommend waiting a couple weeks, and then reapplying for the currently, elevated offer.

Perks & Benefits

For a $95 annual fee, you get a robust package of benefits.  Those include, but aren’t limited to:

• 14 airline & hotel transfer partners
• Travel insurance that includes trip cancellation/interruptions, baggage delay, and lost luggage reimbursement
• No foreign transaction fees
• $50 Annual Chase Hotel Credit (must be used through Chase Travel℠)
• 5x the points on travel (including flights and hotels) purchased in the travel portal
• 3x points on dining
• $0 delivery fee and lower service fees on eligible orders for a minimum of 1 year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
• 10% anniversary points boost

Beginner-Friendly Redemptions

When you’re just starting out, transferring points to airline and hotel travel partners can seem overwhelming.  Not only can Chase Ultimate Rewards® be transferred to all partners at a 1:1 ratio, redemptions are fairly instant (generally speaking), and more beginner-friendly.  Chase is the only bank that includes so many domestic partners:

• Aer Lingus
• Air Canada
• Air France-KLM
• British Airways
• Emirates
• Iberia
• JetBlue
• Singapore
• Southwest
• United
• Virgin Atlantic
• Hyatt
• IHG
• Marriott

For example, transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards® to World of Hyatt makes for very popular redemptions simply because there are no taxes and fees on award stays.  I’ve also transferred points for flights to Lisbon on Air France, Tokyo on Virgin Atlantic, and Merida, Mexico on British Airways.  They’re honestly my favorite bank points to earn!

Chase Travel℠

You can use your Chase points to book travel in the bank’s portal.  You’ll generally always find the best value by transferring them to airline or hotel partners.  But, we may all find ourselves booking travel such as a car rental, flight, experiences, hotels – in the bank’s travel portal because that is what works best at the time.  The good thing is that you’ll earn 5x the points for that purchase!  Do remember to double check if there are price differences between booking direct and booking in the bank’s travel portal.  Compare prices and read the fine print on changes and cancellations prior to doing so.

Options to Earn Lots of Chase Points

Chase Sapphire products are just one family of personal cards under an umbrella of Chase credit cards.  Here are other card options that earn Chase points:

• Chase Freedom Flex® (advertised as cash back, but can earn Ultimate Rewards®)
• Chase Freedom Unlimited® (advertised as cash back, but can earn Ultimate Rewards®)
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
• Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
• Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

One thing to note: While you can earn points from multiple Chase cards, you’ll need a Sapphire product to be able to transfer points to airline or hotel travel partners.  You can combine points into one of the Sapphire products to redeem for travel, along with individuals in your household.  (I had to call the bank the first time to link my Chase accounts with my husband’s.  Now, I can easily move points between accounts and cards.)

How To Transfer Points

You’ll need to first combine points into a Sapphire card, so for example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.  Log into your account, and go to your Ultimate Rewards®.  Under the Rewards details tab, you’ll find “Combine points” once you scroll down.

On top of the homepage, you’ll see three dots on the far right.  Select them, and scroll down to “transfer points to partners.”  This is where you can transfer points to a travel partner.  If there’s a transfer bonus to any airline or hotel partner, you’ll see that first thing.

Remember, that names on accounts have to match when transferring bank points to an airline or hotel travel partner.  You’ll need to first create free loyalty accounts with the resepective airline or hotel partner you’re trying to transfer points to.  Transfers can’t be undone, so only do so with a plan in mind.

In Sum

This card is a staple in my wallet.  It’s one card I personally use regularly.  If you’re just starting out in award travel and wondering which card to go for – this is the one!

 

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