Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card Review

If you’re a frequent traveler who wants to earn an influx of rewards to use toward free travel, the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is an ideal choice. The card offers the following sign-up bonus: Get up to $1,050 in Chase Travel℠ value. Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. That's worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year.

Cardholders can also 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.

Along with redeeming points for cash, statement credits, gift cards, travel, and products and services, Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card holders can transfer points to a variety of travel transfer partners at a rate of 1:1.

Although the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card charges an annual fee of $95, the value you can get from the card’s sign-up bonus and rewards rate more than makes up for the cost.

In this review, we’ll break down the pros and cons of the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card, as well as show how it compares to the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

• Sign-up bonus

  Get up to $1,050 in Chase Travel℠ value. Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. That's worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year.

• Rewards rate

  Cardholders will 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. Additionally, earn 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2025.

  Plus, Chase offers a 10% anniversary points boost. For example, if you spend $25,000 in purchases, that’s a bonus of 2,500 points.

• 25% boost in rewards value

  When you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel^SM, you’ll get 25% more value from your rewards. So instead of being worth 1 cent each, points will be worth 1.25 cents each.

  Additionally, for a limited time, Ultimate Rewards points will be worth 25% more when redeemed for statement credits against purchases with Airbnb and Away.

  To receive your statement credit, select an eligible purchase made within the past 90 days and apply your points to all or part of the purchase.

• Travel transfer partners

  You can transfer points at a rate of 1:1 to 11 airline partners and three hotel partners. Travel transfer partners include Aer Lingus AerClub, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club, Emirates Skywards, Flying Blue AIR FRANCE KLM, Iberia Plus, JetBlue TrueBlue, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, United MileagePlus, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, IHG Rewards Club, Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt.

• Hotel credit of up to $50 per year

  You can earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year when you book hotel stays through Chase Travel^SM.

• Annual fee

  The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card comes with a $95 annual fee. However, the value of the sign-up bonus more than covers that cost during the first year of card membership.

• No intro APR

  If you’re planning to finance a large purchase and pay it off over time or transfer a balance from a high-interest credit card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card may not be ideal, since it does not offer a 0% introductory APR on purchase or balance transfers.

Compare it to the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

If you want to earn an elevated rewards rate on general purchases, you may want to consider the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card ($95 annual fee). The card offers 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day; 5 Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card comes with several benefits, including a credit of up to $100 to cover your Global Entry or TSA Precheck application fee, trip cancellation/interruption insurance and car rental insurance.

If you travel regularly, the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is a great option. It comes with a valuable sign-up bonus, as well as an elevated rewards rate on travel, dining at restaurants, select streaming services and online grocery purchases. But if you want a travel rewards card that offers a solid rewards rate on every purchase you make, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is more ideal.

Or, if you’d prefer a travel rewards card with a higher rewards rate and more premium benefits, the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® is a step above the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card.

The card lets you earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases., 3X points on other travel and dining, and 1X points on all other purchases. Cardholders also enjoy 10x points on Lyft rides through March 2025, in addition to 15% off Lyft car rides and a year of complimentary Lyft Pink membership.

Additionally, the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® offers several valuable benefits, including a $300 annual travel credit and 50% more rewards value when you redeem points for travel through Chase Travel^SM.

The downside? The card comes with an annual fee of $550.