Credit Cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Review

Overall Ranking

4.45/5

Overview

Rewards Program

4.5/5

Upfront Bonus

5/5

Pricing Details

4/5

Annual Fee

4.25/5

Added Perks

4.5/5

In our Chase Sapphire Preferred® review, we look at the signup bonus. We also calculate the value of the everyday rewards available on this card to determine if the annual fee is worth the cost.

Editor's Note

You can trust the integrity of our balanced, independent financial advice. We may, however, receive compensation from the issuers of some products mentioned in this article. Opinions are the author's alone. This content has not been provided by, reviewed, approved or endorsed by any advertiser, unless otherwise noted below.

It’s tough to find a credit card that offers as big an up-front cash bonus as the Chase Sapphire Preferred®. I’ve written about credit cards for a long time and have carried just about all of them. Chase Sapphire Preferred® is one of the elite offers.

Sign Up Bonus

New cardholders of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® will earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®..

Purchase rewards

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® has a simple and lucrative rewards structure.

  • Earn 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
  • Earn 3X points on dining at restaurants from fast food to fine dining
  • Earn 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
  • Earn 3X points on select streaming services
  • Earn 2X points on other travel
  • Get 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases

Chase Ultimate Rewards®

Chase Ultimate Rewards® is an online portal that enables cardholders to book travel and save money. As a Chase cardholder, I’ve used it many times. The Chase Ultimate Rewards® is an easy way to redeem points online for just about anything, including travel.

As an added incentive, you get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals, and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel. And there are no travel restrictions or blackout dates on airline tickets booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards®

How Much Are the Rewards Worth?

The value of the card depends entirely on your spending habits. It also depends on how you use the points. Points redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® are worth 1.25 cents after factoring in the 25% bonus. Assuming you use the points for travel booked with Chase Ultimate Rewards®, here’s an example of the possible annual rewards:

  • $10,000 a year in travel = $250 / year
  • $300 a month at restaurants = $90 / year
  • $1,000 a month in other spending = $150 / year

Total Value = $490, not including the signup bonus or annual fee.

24/7 service

Perhaps the coolest feature of this card is the 24/7 dedicated service you can receive with a live agent. Cardmembers are provided a telephone number that connects directly to a live agent, so no more spending 10 minutes pressing buttons just to talk with someone.

Fees

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® does come with a $95 annual fee. All international purchases can be made without being charged a foreign transaction fee. Many credit cards charge up to 3% when used somewhere other than US soil (which includes international companies online) but this card is foreign transaction fee-free.

Transfer Points to Other Rewards Programs

One of the unheralded perks of this card is the ability to transfer points to several miles and hotel programs. This means the points have significant value beyond Chase’s own ecosystem. And the transfers are on a 1-to-1 basis. One thousand points equate to 1,000 miles on any of the following frequent flyer or hotel rewards programs:

  • Aer Lingus, AerClub
  • Air Canada Aeroplan
  • British Airways Executive Club
  • Emirates Skywards®
  • Flying Blue AIR FRANCE KLM
  • Iberia Plus
  • IHG® Rewards Club
  • JetBlue TrueBlue
  • Marriott Bonvoy®
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
  • Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®
  • United MileagePlus®
  • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
  • World of Hyatt®

Pros and Cons

  • Signup Bonus

  • Everyday Rewards Program

  • Chase Ultimate Rewards


  • Annual Fee

  • Excellent Credit Required

Other Features

While the travel rewards are by far the most important feature, there are several other features of the card worth noting. Earning points is just half the battle. Once you’ve earned your free travel, you want a credit card to take on your trip that offers enhanced travel benefits. As a Visa Signature card, the card offers several of them.

  • Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: The card offers reimbursement for travel due to covered cancellations, losses and emergencies when you purchase tickets with the card.
  • Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver: Receive coverage for covered damage due to collision or theft up to the actual cash value of most rental vehicles. Remember to charge your entire rental transaction to your card and decline the rental company’s collision damage waiver.
  • Trip Delay Reimbursement: When a covered trip is delayed more than 12 hours due to a covered event, expenses incurred as a result of the delay, such as meals and lodging, are reimbursed.
  • Baggage Delay Insurance: If your checked bags are delayed for 6 hours or more by a common carrier, you will be reimbursed for the emergency purchase of covered essential items.
  • Travel and Emergency Assistance Services: Get help coordinating medical, legal, and travel services while you’re away from home.
  • Dedicated Customer Service: Every call you place to Chase will always be answered by a live customer service representative. No exceptions.
  • Complimentary Access: Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
  • $95 Annual Fee.

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