The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the most popular travel credit cards in the United States. It strikes a strong balance between generous rewards, valuable travel benefits, and a reasonable annual fee. Whether you’re a frequent traveler or someone looking to get more value from everyday spending, this card is often a top recommendation. Here’s why.
Rewards and Bonus Categories
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® offers 2x points on travel and dining at restaurants—including takeout and delivery services. All other purchases earn 1x point per dollar. Through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal, users can redeem points for travel, cash back, gift cards, or even transfer points to partner airline and hotel loyalty programs.
One of the most attractive features is the 25% point boost when redeeming travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. For example, 60,000 points would be worth $750 in travel bookings. This gives users more value than typical cashback cards.
Welcome Bonus
Chase frequently runs promotions for new cardholders. As of 2025, the card offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months. When redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards, this bonus is worth $750 in travel, making it one of the most valuable sign-up offers in its class.
Travel and Purchase Protections
Despite its moderate $95 annual fee, the card comes with impressive travel protections, including:
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
- Primary rental car insurance
- Baggage delay insurance
- Trip delay reimbursement
These benefits are typically found on premium cards with much higher fees. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® stands out by offering strong protection with minimal cost.
Flexible Points Transfers
Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to leading travel partners like United, Southwest, JetBlue, Marriott Bonvoy, and World of Hyatt. This makes the card extremely flexible for those who know how to maximize point transfers with airline or hotel loyalty programs.
Easy-to-Use Interface
The Chase app and website are user-friendly, making it easy to manage transactions, track spending, and redeem points. The bank also offers top-rated customer support, and the card includes fraud protection and zero liability for unauthorized purchases.
Any Downsides?
The card doesn’t offer lounge access or luxury travel perks like higher-tier cards. Also, international travelers should be aware that while it has no foreign transaction fees, it may not be accepted everywhere compared to a Visa or Mastercard, though this is rare with Chase.
Some users may also find better earning rates with more specialized cards (like 3% or 5% categories), but for overall travel flexibility, this card remains a leader.
Final Verdict
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is an excellent choice for travelers who want strong rewards, valuable perks, and flexibility—without paying a high annual fee. Its sign-up bonus, travel protections, and redemption options make it one of the best mid-tier travel cards on the market today.