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NEW: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in your first 3-months from account opening.
Every time a friend or family member asks me, “Which credit card should I get first?” My answer is always the same.
I start with one question: “Do you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card yet?”
If the answer is no, it’s my immediate #1 recommendation for anyone who’s looking to start turning their everyday spending into world-class travel.
There are flashier cards out there with airport lounge access and huge annual fees with tons of perks and credits. But if you’re just getting started with points and miles, the Sapphire Preferred hits the sweet spot between simplicity, flexibility, and value.
It’s one of the easiest cards to understand, and it opens the door to some incredibly valuable travel rewards. Here’s why it’s still my #1 starter card.
NEW Massive Welcome Bonus
A brand new limited time welcome offer just dropped, where you can currently earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
Chase Ultimate Rewards® points are arguably some of the most valuable points out there.
For a beginner card with a $95 annual fee, that’s a strong starting point.
NEW Everyday Earning Categories
The Sapphire Preferred also earns points in categories that most people already spend money on, including some brand new categories that were just added as part of the refresh.
With the recent refresh, you can now earn 3x points on a variety of NEW categories including 3x points on Gas & EV Charging, along with 3x points on vacation rental homes like Airbnb and Vrbo.
On top of that, you’ll keep the same great earning rate of 3x points on categories like dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs) plus, you’ll even get a bonus on travel earning 2x points on travel purchases and 5x points on travel booked through Chase Travel℠, along with 1x points on everything else.
Dining, gas, and travel are two categories where a lot of people already spend regularly, so those points can add up quickly.
NEW Perks That Add Value
Beyond the points earned, the card also includes a few additional perks including a NEW $100 Annual Hotel Credit (previously $50) when booking through Chase Travel℠.
With this credit alone, the card is essentially already paying for itself.
On top of that, Chase also added a NEW credit up to $120 every four years for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or a Nexus Application Fee.
This credit is pretty common among premium travel credits, but more rare on cards like the Preferred which only has an annual fee of only $95.
Plus, there’s no foreign transaction fees, which I believe is a must for any travel credit card. Along with a NEW credit perk offering a one-year complimentary Apple-TV subscription as long as it’s activated by December 31st, 2026.
NEW Built-In Travel Protections
Some of the most underrated benefits of this card are the travel protections, which are arguably some of the best offered by any travel credit card with this annual fee.
When you pay for travel with the Sapphire Preferred, it includes coverage for things like trip cancellation and interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, and trip delay reimbursement.
Plus, there’s NEW protections that have been added recently with emergency evacuation & transportation coverage covering you or a covered traveler if you are injured or become sick during a trip 100 miles or more from home that results in an emergency evacuation, you can be covered for medical services and transportation up to $100,000.
But my favorite travel protection? It’s the primary auto rental coverage that you get when using your Chase Sapphire Preferred for auto rentals. Nearly every time I’ve rented a car, I’ve used my Chase Sapphire Preferred.
These protections can save you hundreds of dollars if something goes wrong during a trip, and they’re one of the reasons many people keep the card long term.
Flexible Points That Are Easy to Use
The real reason this card is so powerful is the type of points it earns.
You earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which are some of the most flexible travel points available.
You can use them in two main ways.
First, you can book flights, hotels, or rental cars through the Chase travel portal.
But where things get interesting is the ability to transfer points to airline and hotel partners. These include partners like United MileagePlus, World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, and many more.
Keep in mind that with the recent refresh, the transfer ratio to the World of Hyatt program has dropped from 1:1, down to 4:3, which definitely stings a bit.
The other negative that came out of the refresh was the removal of 10% anniversary points bonus. However, you had to be spending A LOT on the card in order to get a big benefit out of this, so I’d argue the transfer ratio to Hyatt is the one that hurts a bit more for most people.
The great news is that even then Chase still has many incredible transfer partners that transfer at a 1:1 rate, and are still some of the best points in all of award travel, which means the 100,000 bonus points offer is 100% worth looking into.
My Final Thoughts
If you’re new to travel rewards and want a card that’s easy to understand but still incredibly powerful, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the best places to start.
And most importantly, it gives you access to the Chase Ultimate Rewards ecosystem, which opens the door to some amazing travel opportunities.
That’s why it continues to be my #1 recommended travel starter card.
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Editorial Disclosure: The opinions are Pat’s alone. This content is not reviewed or endorsed by any entities.
