Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review: Chase’s flagship travel rewards card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is Chase’s flagship travel rewards card. The Sapphire Preferred offers elevated rewards in useful categories like travel, online grocery, dining, and select streaming services and best-in-class travel insurance protections.

Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.

Review: Best in class travel card with great perks

Cards and Points Rating: 4.5/5.0
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The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is Chase’s mainstream travel credit card offering bonus points in travel categories, paired with excellent travel insurance protections. It is an excellent choice if you travel a few times a year and want to redeem your credit card rewards primarily for travel.

The cards two biggest strengths are in its travel insurance protections and the redemption options offered on the Ultimate Rewards® points the card earns. When you book your travel with the card, you’ll be covered by best-in-class credit card travel protections. And the card offers a good mix of easy redemption options (cash back and travel through Chase Travel℠) and high-value redemption options through transfer partners.

Our biggest complaint about the Sapphire Preferred is its relatively paltry rewards earnings on spending. You’ll earn 5x points on travel booked through Chase, but only 2x on other travel. (The small business variant, the Chase Ink Business Preferred®, earns more points on travel.) You can increase the number of points you earn day-to-day by using a card like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® for your general spending and combining your points across cards—which we recommend doing if you get the Sapphire Preferred.

Overall, the Sapphire Preferred is a card that delivers on its promise of being a solid travel card. If you value travel rewards, the Sapphire Preferred is likely a card that should be in your wallet.

Welcome offer: Earn Ultimate Rewards® points

Annual fee: annual_fees

Best offer online: bonus_miles_full
Learn how to apply.

This bonus is earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.

Additional sign-up bonus in-branch: As of January 13, 2025, Chase is offering an exclusive in-branch offer. You can earn 70,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. This offer is only available in-branch from a Chase banker.

Chase frequently offers a slightly larger bonus in-branch. See our coverage of the best Chase Sapphire Preferred bonuses for more on that. We always tell you about the best offer we know about.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card at a glance

Annual fee: annual_fees
Foreign transaction fee: foreign_transaction_fee

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers excellent travel insurance protections, additional points on travel and two lucrative point redemption options: Booking travel through Chase Travel℠ and getting 25% more value; and point transfers to loyalty program partners.

Sign-up bonus

Best offer online: bonus_miles_full
Learn how to apply.

This bonus is earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.

Additional sign-up bonus in-branch: As of January 13, 2025, Chase is offering an exclusive in-branch offer. You can earn 70,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. This offer is only available in-branch from a Chase banker.

Chase frequently offers a slightly larger bonus in-branch. See our coverage of the best Chase Sapphire Preferred bonuses for more on that. We always tell you about the best offer we know about.

Rewards

• 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠,
  excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 annual Chase Travel hotel credit.
• 5x on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150,
  with a maximum of 25,000 total points through March 31, 2025.
• 3x on dining, including eligible takeout and delivery services.
• 3x on online grocery purchases,
  excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs.
• 3x points on select streaming services.
• 2x on other travel purchases.
• 1x on other purchases.

Rewards are earned as Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.

Ultimate Rewards® can be combined across cards you hold. If you hold a premium Ultimate Rewards card, you can transfer your points to Chase’s transfer partners or use your points for increased value when you book travel through Chase Travel℠. For more about using Ultimate Rewards, check out our guide on the Ultimate Rewards program.

Benefits

Consumer insurance benefits

• Purchase protection. Offers coverage for up to 120 days against damage or theft of new purchases for up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.
• Extended warranty protection. Adds one year of coverage to U.S. manufacturer’s warranties of 3 years or less.

Travel insurance benefits

• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance. Covers non-refundable pre-paid travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotels if your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather, or other covered situations. Coverage is included up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip.
• Auto rental collision damage waiver. Provides primary rental car coverage against collision and theft for most rental cars in the U.S. and abroad when you decline the rental company’s collision damage waiver insurance and use your card to rent your car.
• Baggage delay insurance. Offers reimbursement for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing when your baggage is delayed by more than 6 hours. Coverage is provided up to $100 a day for 5 days.
• Trip delay reimbursement. Covers essential expenses, such as meals and lodging if your travel by common carrier is delayed by 12 hours or more or requires an overnight stay. Coverage is provided up to $500 per ticket.
• Lost luggage reimbursement. If your luggage is lost while traveling by common carrier, this benefit can reimburse you up to $3,000 per covered person, per trip to replace your lost luggage.
• Travel accident insurance. This insurance pays a fixed amount for certain losses of life and limb when you charge your airfare to your card.
• Travel and emergency assistance services. This service can provide referrals to a variety of medical, legal, and travel emergency services when traveling abroad. You are responsible for the costs of any services provided.

Partner benefits and statement credits

• DoorDash DashPass Subscription, plus $10 monthly discount. Receive complimentary access to DashPass—a membership for both DoorDash and Caviar—for at least one year when you activate by December 31, 2027. DoorDash members get up to $10 off a month on non-restaurant orders.
• $50 Chase Travel℠ annual credit. Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotels stays purchased through Chase Travel.

Rewards benefits

• More value for points when redeemed through Chase Travel℠. Get 25% more value when your points are redeemed for travel through Chase Travel.
• 10% anniversary bonus. Get bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases in the previous account anniversary year on your account anniversary. For example, if you made $25,000 of purchases on your card, you’ll get 2,500 bonus points.
• Point transfers to airline and hotel partners. Transfer your points to one of Chase’s many airline and hotel transfer partners. See our guide to Ultimate Rewards® for more details on how to use points.

Rewards: Ultimate® rewards on a variety of travel purchases.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns Ultimate Rewards® points, which can be redeemed for a variety of cash back and travel rewards. Here’s what the Sapphire Preferred earns:

• 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠,
  excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 annual Chase Travel hotel credit.
• 5x on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150,
  with a maximum of 25,000 total points through March 31, 2025.
• 3x on dining, including eligible takeout and delivery services.
• 3x on online grocery purchases,
  excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs.
• 3x points on select streaming services.
• 2x on other travel purchases.
• 1x on other purchases.

Bonus points: 10% anniversary bonus rewards

With the Sapphire Preferred, you’ll receive a “10% reward bonus” at the end of your cardmember year based on the amount you spent on your card in the prior year. If you spend $10,000 on your card in your cardmember year, you will receive 1,000 bonus points. Spending in bonus categories does not increase the amount of the reward bonus you receive.

Benefits: Best-in-class travel insurance benefits

The core of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card‘s benefits are its travel insurance protections, but the card also offers solid consumer insurance benefits, plus a few ways to eke a bit more value out of the card.

Consumer insurance benefits

• Extended warranty protection provides additional warranty coverage on items you purchase with your card. Chase extended warranty protection extends the time period of the U.S. manufacturer’s warranty by an additional year, on eligible warranties of three years or less.
• Purchase protection protects the things you buy with your card from damage or theft for a certain amount of time after you buy them. Chase Sapphire Preferred® purchase protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.

Travel insurance benefits

• Auto rental collision damage waiver protects you against damage to or theft of your rental vehicle. For coverage to apply, you need to reserve and pay for your vehicle using your card and decline your car rental company’s collision damage waiver. The coverage provided by your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is primary to your personal auto insurance. It covers rentals up to 31 consecutive days.
• Baggage Delay Insurance reimburses you for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing for baggage delays over 6 hours by passenger carriers up to $100 per day for five days.
• Lost luggage reimbursement offers reimbursement if your bags are lost, damaged or stolen while traveling on a common carrier. Coverage is included up to $3,000 per passenger, per trip.
• Roadside dispatch service provides a single number that you can use to get connected to local providers for roadside services like towing, lockout service, tire changes, fuel delivery, and more. Services are provided for a pre-negotiated, per-service fee.
• Travel accident insurance pays set benefit amounts for loss of life or limb while traveling, as long as you book your common carrier tickets with your card. Chase travel accident insurance provides coverage both while being transported by a common carrier and during your trip.
• Trip Cancelation and Interruption Insurance: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotels.
• Trip delay reimbursement can cover your incidental expenses or a hotel room when your travel is delayed for a covered reason. Chase Sapphire Preferred trip delay insurance covers delays of 12 or delays requiring an overnight stay and up to $500 for each ticket purchased.
• Travel and emergency assistance services can provide local referrals to legal help, medical professionals, transportation providers and many other services. This benefit does not cover the cost of these services; it only provides referrals.

Statement credits and partner benefits

• $50 for Chase hotel bookings. Receive up to a $50 statement credit each cardmember year when you book hotel stays through Chase Travel℠.
• DashPass DashPass. Receive 12 months of complimentary access to DashPass when you activate by December 31, 2027. Additionally, DoorDash members get up to $10 off each month on non-restaurant DoorDash orders.

Our experiences: We love Ultimate Rewards, but use other cards

I’ve held the Chase Sapphire Preferred card on-and-off since the card’s launch. Sometimes I’ve upgraded to the Sapphire Reserve. Currently, I carry an Ink Business Preferred card, which I think is a better card, on balance. For me, the biggest value of the Sapphire Preferred (and the other Chase cards that carry an annual fee) is the ability to transfer points to Hyatt.

While I am fortunate enough to not have personal experience with Chase’s travel insurance protections, I do have many friends who have said good things about the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s trip delay reimbursement—I’d feel confident in using the card to book travel.

If I went all-in with one travel rewards program, it would probably be Chase Ultimate Rewards. I’d probably upgrade to the Chase Sapphire Reserve since I travel a lot and value the airport lounge access. And if I didn’t, I’d probably use the Ink Preferred instead of the Sapphire Preferred. The Ink Preferred trades off some travel protections for earning more points on general travel, which I’d value more.

Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® right for you?

If you want to redeem points for travel, chances are that the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a great card for you. Here’s how to tell if the Sapphire Preferred is a good fit:

• You want to redeem your points for travel rewards. The biggest strength of the Sapphire Preferred (and Chase points in general) is the travel redemption options available with Ultimate Rewards. If you want to redeem points for travel, you’ll get more value from the points you earn.
• You don’t need (or want to pay for) airport lounge access. The card to get for airport lounge access within the Chase ecosystem is the Sapphire Reserve. If that lounge access is important to you, upgrade. If not, it’s probably best to stick with the Sapphire Preferred.

Complements: Cards that pair well with the Chase Sapphire Preferred®

Here are a few other cards that can increase the value you get from the Sapphire Preferred or augment the Sapphire Preferred’s rewards earning:

• For spending everywhere else. The Chase Freedom Unlimited or Chase Ink Business Unlimited are good choices for your “everywhere else” spending. Both of these cards earn 50% more points on general purchases and have no annual fee, plus you can combine the points you earn with either card with your Sapphire Preferred points to get travel rewards faster.
• 5% in rotating categories. The Chase Freedom Flex® is a no-annual-fee card that earns Ultimate Rewards and features 5% back in categories that change quarterly. Using this card can increase the number of Ultimate Rewards you have for travel redemptions.
• For gas and groceries. Chase doesn’t offer cards that offer great rates of return on gas. Check out our list of the best grocery credit cards and our list of the best gas credit cards to find a good cash back card to add to your wallet.

Alternatives: Cards to consider instead of the Chase Sapphire Preferred®

If you’re looking at the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you probably travel a bit and are looking at rewards cards for travel. Here are some alternatives to consider before you apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

• You want increased value with Ultimate Rewards®. To get the most value out of your Ultimate Rewards® points, you’ll need to carry a Chase Ultimate Rewards card with an annual fee. That means either the Sapphire Preferred, Ink Business Preferred, or Sapphire Reserve. Go for the Sapphire Reserve if you want airport lounge access or the Ink Preferred if you have a small business and want to earn more points on your travel spending.
• You want airport lounge access. There are myriad cards offering airport lounge access. Your best bet is to find a card that offers access to the lounge network(s) that match your travel patterns.
• You’re looking for an everyday spending card. For a good rate of rewards everywhere, the Chase Freedom Unlimited is a good choice within Chase’s ecosystem of cards. But check out our list of the best 2% cash back cards if you want a single card to use everywhere.

Bottom line: A good mainstream travel credit card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a good option if you want to redeem your Chase points for travel, since it opens up the high-value travel redemption options of Ultimate Rewards. You’d do well to pair the card with a few no-annual-fee cards within Chase’s ecosystem if you want to earn more points or upgrade to the Sapphire Reserve if you want airport lounge access.

Frequently asked questions

Advertiser disclosure: Cards and Points has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Cards and Points and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on this site are from advertisers. Compensation may affect how and where card products appear on the site. The site does not include all card companies or all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card benefits.