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The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is good for cardholders who love to travel and want a credit card that doesn't break the bank. It has a huge welcome offer and some of the best travel points in the business -- and all for a $95 annual fee.
Check out our full review to see why it's one of the most popular travel cards.
On Chase's Secure Website.
On Chase's Secure Website.
Limited Time Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR N/A
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
21.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases
Annual Fee N/A
$95
Welcome Offer Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
60,000 bonus points
The enormous welcome bonus (worth $750), bonus points for travel and dining, and $50 annual hotel credit alone make this card well worth the $95 annual fee. What really stands out are the rare travel protections such as trip delay reimbursement, lost luggage reimbursement, and trip cancellation/interruption insurance. It’s one of the only low annual fee cards we’ve seen offer those protections.
We recommend comparing options to ensure the card you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of standout credit cards.
Offer | Our Rating | Welcome Offer | Rewards Program | APR | Learn More |
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Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Discover will match all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. N/A | 1% - 5% Cashback Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and more, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases—automatically. |
Intro: Purchases: 0%, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0%, 15 months Regular: 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR |
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Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Up to $300 cash back Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases. | 1.5% - 5% cash back Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases |
Intro: 0% Intro APR on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 15 months Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months Regular: 20.49% - 29.24% Variable |
Apply Now for Chase Freedom Unlimited®
On Chase's Secure Website. |
|
Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.
5.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
75,000 Miles 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening | 2X-5X miles Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options. |
Intro: Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A Regular: 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable) |
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a bargain for $95. It has a $50 annual hotel credit, which already covers more than half the yearly fee. It can also save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year with its travel rewards program.
I'm a huge fan of the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, and I opened a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card several years ago to save on travel. It definitely helped with that -- I've used Chase points to cover a four-star hotel stay in Manhattan (at the Thompson Hotel by Hyatt, right next to Central Park) and business-class airfare.
I also really like the customer experience with Chase. The online platform, including its Ultimate Rewards site, are well-designed, and so is the mobile app. I've had credit cards from just about all the major card issuers, and I consider Chase's platform one of the best.
When you want to book a trip using your travel points, it's nice to have options. This card is part of the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, a huge benefit and a reason this is one of the top travel cards. Through this program, you can transfer your points to over a dozen airline and hotel partners.
This gives you the flexibility to book all kinds of trips. Here are a few examples:
These are all ways I've used my own Chase points, and I've saved over $5,000 multiple times on flights and hotel stays. Not only does being able to transfer your points give you flexibility, you can get incredible value.
The Ultimate Rewards program gives you other options, too. Another popular choice is booking travel through Chase's portal and paying in points. You get $0.0125 per point, so 10,000 points are worth $125 this way. But to get the most from Chase points, transfers are the best option. Learn more about how to do that in The Ascent's guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
If you use this card regularly, you shouldn't have any trouble earning points. For starters, the welcome offer is 60,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months.
That's one of the most valuable welcome offers, especially considering the low annual fee. It's competitive with what cards that cost $500 or more offer. You could easily use that many points to cover multiple flights or hotel stays.
You'll also be earning bonus points on everyday spending and travel purchases:
Chase says that the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers over $150 in partner value. It's technically true, although I wouldn't get your hopes up about saving that much. Here's a quick look at where all this value is coming from:
If you like getting food delivered, you'll probably enjoy having this card. The DoorDash and Instacart benefits are both easy to use, plus you'll earn bonus points on purchases with those delivery apps. And if you also happen to be buying a Peloton bike, even better.
There's nothing like renting a car and hearing that you personally could be on the hook for some absurd sum of money if anything happens to it. If you pay the full rental cost with your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, and decline the add-on the rental company wants to sell you, you won't need to worry about that.
Since this credit card has an auto rental damage collision waiver, it provides complimentary coverage. It's also primary coverage, meaning you wouldn't even need to file a claim with your own insurance first (many travel cards have secondary coverage that only kicks in after your own insurance is exhausted).
That's one of many complimentary protections. Others include:
This card offers up to $50 in statement credits per account year toward hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel. You could look at it like a $50 annual discount on hotels -- but there's a catch.
Chase Travel doesn't always have the best prices. Sometimes it does, or it's equal to what the hotel charges. But sometimes it charges more. This is still a useful benefit, but booking hotels through Chase Travel can be hit or miss.
With all that it offers, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can be a handful. It gives you what seems like a million ways to use your points. Transfer them. Book travel with points in Chase's portal. Get cash back. Shop for Apple products. Those are just some of your options. Don't forget about the card's $50 hotel credit, or the partner benefits with DoorDash, Instacart, and Peloton, either.
Its list of features feels like one of those never-ending infomercials with add-on after add-on. It starts out strong, but you eventually wonder how many of these perks you're actually going to use.
These benefits could be valuable, if you know you'll use them and you don't mind keeping track of everything. Just know that there's a learning curve involved, both in making the most of this card's features and figuring out how to use your points.
This Chase card is great at helping you pay for your trips, particularly airfare and hotels. But it doesn't have the kind of luxury travel perks that improve your experience along the way.
You won't be getting into any airport lounges with this card. That's understandable for a $95 annual fee, but there are cards in this price range that at least offer a few lounge passes per year. You also won't get silver or gold status with your favorite hotel with this card. And it won't pay for your Global Entry/TSA PreCheck membership, so you can get through airport security faster.
If you were hoping for some high roller perks, you'll need to look at other credit card reviews for travel cards with higher annual fees. But if those don't matter to you, then the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card will probably have everything you need for a reasonable annual fee.
Compare credit card rewards, fees, APRs, and more using our side-by-side comparison tool.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is intended for people with good credit, or a FICO® Score of at least 670. Keep in mind that your credit score isn't the only thing that matters. Another important factor with this card is Chase's 5/24 rule, an unofficial rule the card issuer has -- it normally denies any applicant who has already opened five or more credit cards in the last 24 months.
Chase occasionally has a pre-approval tool on its website, but this isn't always available. When it's available, you can use it to see if you're pre-approved for Chase credit cards, including the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a 21.49%-28.49% Variable APR. Like most travel cards, it doesn't have a 0% intro APR, so it's not a good choice if you want to carry a balance.
Here are the fees for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card:
The minimum starting credit limit for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is $5,000, according to the pricing and terms. Credit limits can be much higher, as they depend on your income and credit score. Some cardholders have reported credit limits of up to $50,000.
If you want luxury travel perks: The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a big step up in Chase's lineup. It has a much larger annual fee ($550), but you also get far more benefits. This card has a $300 annual travel credit, airport lounge access, and points are worth even more for travel bookings.
If you want an unlimited 2x miles on purchases: The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a much more straightforward rewards program. While it doesn't have all the bonus categories of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, it earns a regular rate of 2X miles per $1. That makes it a card you can use anywhere.
At The Motley Fool Ascent, we rate credit cards on a five-star scale (1 = poor, 5 = best). Our rating criteria includes rewards rates, welcome bonuses, fees, and perks like travel credits and 0% intro APR offers to evaluate our ratings.
We combine these factors with an evaluation of brand reputation and customer satisfaction to ensure you're getting the best card recommendations. Learn more about how The Ascent rates credit cards.
The minimum credit limit for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is $5,000. Depending on your income and credit score, it's possible to receive a much higher credit limit, with some cardholders reporting limits of over $30,000.
Yes, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is made of a metal alloy.
Yes, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can be used anywhere Visa cards are accepted. It also charges no foreign transaction fees for purchases made abroad and/or in a foreign currency.
Our Credit Cards Experts
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