Top 5 Reasons the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Should Be the First Card in Your Wallet
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Finding the perfect travel rewards credit card for your specific travel style is extremely important in order to enable you to maximize your points and miles in ways that work for you.
There are plenty of cards to choose from, but here are the top five reasons we think the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card should be the first card you always pull out of your wallet.
1. Sign-Up Bonus
The best and current offer for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening.
You can also earn an additional 5,000 bonus points for adding an authorized user to your account and making a single purchase with that card in the first three months of account opening.
The 50,000 point bonus alone is worth at least $625 when you redeem through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal since points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel rewards with Chase.
After adding an authorized user and complete the spending requirements, you will have earned at least 59,000 Ultimate Rewards points which will add over $100 in value to your stash.
We value Chase Ultimate Rewards points as one of the most valuable travel rewards currencies on the market, and not just for the increase of value when redeeming your points on the Chase travel portal.
To maximize the value of your Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you can transfer your points directly to select Chase travel partners at a 1:1 ratio, which include a variety of airline and hotel loyalty programs like United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airlines and Hyatt.
Double Points on Travel and Dining
You will earn an unlimited 2 points for every dollar spent on travel and dining expenses on your card. This benefit compares to most other premium travel rewards cards, but this card gives an extended range and applies to purchases made worldwide and provides a wide variety of options to earn extra points in the specific categories that qualify for this double point bonus.
That is why we recommend having the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card be the first card you always pull out of your wallet because these are just some of the places where you will earn 2x points on each dollar spent:
- Restaurants, Bars, and Coffee Shops
- Uber and other ride-sharing/taxi services
- Airfare – booked directly through the airline or through 3rd party sites like Expedia
- Metro fares and other public transportation like buses and trains
- Postmates and other food-delivery services
- Airbnb and other house-sharing services
- Parking meters and garages
- Tours organized by travel companies
The one odd downside is that this card specifically excludes gas from the travel bonus category, however as you can see there are plenty of ways to earn double the points for every dollar you spend.
Maximizing Point Value with Transfer Partners
Chase Ultimate Rewards points earned with your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can be transferred to seven elite airline frequent flyer programs and four luxurious hotel loyalty programs, all at a rate of 1:1. Transferring your points directly to these different travel rewards programs can unlock some incredible premium travel experiences held exclusively to these elite programs like first class tickets on Singapore Airlines, which is reserved solely for KrisFlyer members. Here is a detailed guide to explain exactly how to redeem your points for these amazing Singapore Airlines first class flights.
The Singapore Airlines First Suites Class on their A380 aircraft has been impressing fliers since it was introduced in 2007 offering a full double bed to couples flying together in the middle cabin. The easiest way to experience this amazing flight is to transfer just 76,000 Ultimate Rewards points to your existing or newly created Singapore KrisFlyer account and redeem for a one-way First Suites Class ticket from New York’s JFK to Frankfurt, Germany.
Want to continue all the way to the Far-East and visit Singapore? Save up to get 120,000 points and spend 20 hours in your own private suite in the sky for the ride.
Lufthansa has also been hailed as one of the best airlines for first class experiences. With your Ultimate Rewards points, you can easily transfer your miles to United MileagePlus, both Star Alliance partners to book first class flights with Lufthansa. United charges a steep 110,000 each way, however United does not charge any additional surcharges, you’ll just have to pay the taxes and fees. Here is a complete go-to guide to finding and booking Lufthansa first class.
One of the most sought after flights for Lufthansa first class is on the A380, which connect Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and New York to Frankfurt. Looking for the ultimate first class experience? Be sure to use your miles to fly from Frankfurt to the USA and get a chance to explore Lufthansa’s exclusive first class terminal where you can wine and dine at a full-scale restaurant, take a bubble bath with a Lufthansa rubber ducky, and be driven right to your flight in a luxurious private car from your very own personal assistant.
Still looking to travel to Europe in a premium cabin but with fewer points? You can experience Virgin Atlantic Upper Class to Europe using your Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles for less than flying on Singapore Airlines and have more options for your final destination.
Singapore Airlines partners with Virgin Atlantic and only charges 100,000 miles for a round-trip ticket in their Upper-Class premium cabin. That’s saving of over 50,000 points for a premium cabin ticket to Europe!
There are so many ways to maximize the value of your Chase Ultimate Rewards points earned from using your Chase Sapphire Preferred® card. We’ve come up with the 49 best ways to redeem your Ultimate Rewards points for maximum value.
Annual Fee
This card comes with an introductory annual fee of $0 the first year, making it the perfect card to get to see how great a flexible travel rewards card can be. After the first year, the annual fee of $95 will be billed on every account anniversary. All you need to do is spend at least $3,800 a year in travel and dining in order to offset the annual fee each year and earn at least 7,600 points, which offers at least $95 in value when redeeming for travel on the Chase travel portal.
Extra Protection and Travel Benefits
Purchases made with this card come with an extra layer of protection and insurance to ensure you enjoy all your trips and purchases no matter what happens. We’ve listed the top 10 benefits the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, but here is a quick look at some of the most useful benefits:
Car Rental Primary Insurance Benefit: When renting cars from car rental agencies, we are often pressured to purchase extra protection like the Auto Collision Damage Waiver or CDW, which is an extra daily fee which can really increase the cost of your car rental. However, car rentals made entirely with your card are already covered when you decline to purchase that extra protection.
The CDW benefit provides reimbursement for damage or theft of the vehicle for up to the actual cash value of most rental vehicles. The major perk of the card is that it offers this benefit as primary coverage, which means you do not need to make a claim with your personal insurance first, while other credit cards mostly offer secondary coverage, which only covers anything above what your personal insurance will cover first.
Purchase Protection: Your purchases made with this card are insured for 120 days from accidental damage, theft or unintended separation from the item for a value up to $500. This benefit is great for mid-level priced electronics, like a new iPad or set of headphones, that could be easily misplaced or damaged since you are constantly bringing them everywhere.
Extended Warranty Protection: Purchases made with this card that comes with a manufacturer’s warranty of 3 years or less will have an additional one year of protection with the same terms as the original warranty to cover up to $10,000 of your purchase, but not more than the original purchase price.
Overall
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has one of the best sign-up bonus offers on the market, offering up to 55,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 and adding an authorized user and making a purchase on that card in the first three months of account opening.
Using this card on travel and dining expenses will earn you double points anywhere in the world with no foreign transaction fees. You will also be able to maximize the value of your points significantly by transferring your Ultimate Rewards points to select travel partners and experience some of the most exclusive travel rewards out there.
Plus with the additional travel protections and benefits, this card offers to make your mind at ease when using your card knowing your purchases are protected, it’s worth looking into this card that offers a 0$ introductory annual fee, which increases to $95 after the first year.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the best travel rewards credit card that you want front and center in your wallet to make sure that it’s always the first one you pull out of your wallet.
