This Chase Sapphire Preferred Trick Could Save You Hundreds Every Year

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) is often treated like a standalone travel card.

That's understandable. It earns well, comes with a valuable welcome offer, and delivers enough perks to justify the $95 annual fee on its own.

But that's not how Chase designed it to work.

The real value shows up when you pair it with a Chase no-annual-fee card and let each card do a specific job. Done right, this setup can quietly add hundreds of dollars in extra value every year without changing how you spend or paying another annual fee.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the unlock, not the workhorse

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns:

• 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
• 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries
• 2X points on all other travel purchases
• 1X points on all other purchases

It also comes with:

• A $50 annual hotel credit when booking through Chase Travel
• A 10% anniversary points boost based on yearly spending
• Access to Chase transfer partners and higher-value redemptions

That makes it a strong travel card.

But it is not the fastest earner for everyday, non-bonus spending. Chase expects you to solve that with its no-annual-fee cards.

Where the no-annual-fee Chase cards come in

Cards like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (see rates and fees) and Chase Freedom Flex® (see rates and fees) are built for daily spending.

Chase Freedom Unlimited® earns:

• 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel
• 3% cash back on drugstores, restaurants, takeout, and eligible food delivery
• 1.5% cash back on all other purchases

Chase Freedom Flex® earns:

• 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate
• 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
• 3% cash back on dining and drugstores
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

On their own, these look like simple cash back cards.

But Chase lets you combine rewards across cards.

The trick most people never use

You can move the rewards you earn on a Freedom card into your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card account. Once transferred, those rewards become full Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

That means points earned at:

• 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate
• 3% on everyday categories (drugstores, restaurants, takeout, and eligible food delivery)
• 1.5% on all other purchases

Can now be:

• Redeemed through Chase Travel at higher value using Points Boost
• Transferred 1:1 to Chase airline and hotel partners

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card acts as the hub that turns basic cash back into flexible travel rewards. Compare the best Chase cards right here and find which one is best for your spending.

What the math looks like in real life

Imagine a household that puts most everyday spending on a Freedom card and keeps the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for travel, dining, and redemptions.

Over a year, that strategy can easily generate an extra 10,000 to 20,000 points compared with using the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card alone for everything.

Those points could be worth:

• $100-$200 in cash back
• up to $150-$300 when redeemed for thousands of top booked hotels and select flights using Points Boost
• up to $175-$350 when redeemed for premium cabin tickets with select airlines using Points Boost
• Potentially more when transferred to partners

That's before counting the $50 hotel credit or the 10% anniversary points boost.

This setup works because it's simple

There's no category micromanagement.

You use:

• Freedom cards for everyday spending and bonus categories
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for travel, dining, and unlocking point value

Then you move points when it's time to book.

That's it.

You can see all the best Chase cards right here and apply now.