Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Review

Chances are you’ve seen your fair share of advertisements for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card. Perhaps you’ve seen your friends using it to pay for their meal at dinner, or overheard your coworkers mention how they use their Chase Ultimate Reward points for free flights.

So what makes the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card so special? Is it actually worth all of this hype?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® card gives you an excellent earning rate of 2x points per $1 on all travel and dining purchases, flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and great travel insurance coverage.

With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is one of the best travel credit cards on the market and an excellent choice for any traveler.

• Earns 2x points per $1 on all travel and dining purchases worldwide and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
• No foreign transaction fees
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs like United and Hyatt
• Points are worth 25% more when redeemed for flights, hotels, car rentals, and cruises through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal
• Travel and car rental insurance

• $95 annual fee
• No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status

Do you love exploring the world? Do you love trying your city’s newest restaurants with friends? Are you new to the world of points and miles and want a card with flexible redemption options?

Then the Chase Sapphire Preferred® could be a great card for you! With 2x points per $1 on travel and dining, you can earn more value for the money you’re already spending —  each purchase getting you closer to your next vacation.

• You want a card with flexible redemption options
• You spend a lot on travel and dining out
• You travel frequently for work
• You’re new to the world of points and miles
• You frequently use rideshare services (like Uber or Lyft)

• You seldom eat out and prefer cooking at home
• You don’t enjoy traveling
• You prefer a card with increased offerings like airport lounge access or hotel elite status

Travel & Dining Expenses

Seeing as the bonus categories on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card are travel and dining, you’ll want to make this card your primary option for all purchases that fall within those categories.

So what exactly counts as a “travel” purchase with Chase? You’ll be happy to know that Chase’s definition of travel is quite broad — so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to earn 2x points.

Purchases that fall within the category include:

• airlines
• hotels/motels (including Airbnb)
• timeshares
• campgrounds
• car rental agencies
• cruise lines
• travel agencies
• discount travel sites
• trains
• buses
• taxis (including Uber and Lyft)
• limousines
• ferries
• toll bridges and highways
• parking lots and garages

Hot Tip: You can monitor each of your transactions via your online Chase account. This will allow you to be certain you’re receiving the 2x multiplier on qualified purchases — and has the additional benefit of helping you keep track of your spending.

Chase Shopping Portal

If you prefer to skip the crowds and do all of your shopping online, then you’re in luck. With the Chase Ultimate Rewards shopping portal you can earn 2x, 5x, or even 20x points per $1 spent with companies like Apple, Bose, and Nike.

Just make sure to click through the Ultimate Rewards shopping portal first before heading to your chosen website to ensure you get the bonus.

Adding More Ultimate Rewards-Earning Cards

Adding more Ultimate Rewards-earning cards allows you to optimize your spending with further bonus categories. Take the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, which earns 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points on all purchases.

This gives cardholders a 50% increase in points earned compared to the 1x earned with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® on purchases outside of the travel and dining categories.

Hot Tip: An optimal strategy, in this case, would be to use your Chase Sapphire Preferred® to earn 2x on all travel and dining purchases, and the Chase Freedom Unlimited® to earn 1.5x on all purchases falling outside of those 2 categories.

Interested in learning about more Chase Ultimate Rewards cards? Detailed below are some of our recommended options.

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

CHASE CARD	BENEFITS & INFO
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card How We Get $1k+ Value From Just 60k Pts >	Biggest Bonus Ever! Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months That's worth $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards. 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide. Annual Fee: $95
Chase Freedom Unlimited®	Earn $150 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase - it's automatic. 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases & balance transfers, then a variable APR of 17.24 - 25.99%. Annual Fee: $0
Chase Sapphire Reserve®	Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. $300 Annual Travel Credit 3X points on travel immediately after earning your $300 travel credit. 3X points on dining at restaurants. Access to 1,000+ airport lounges worldwide. Annual Fee: $450

Recommended Chase Cards (Business)

CHASE CARD	BENEFITS & INFO
Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card We Get $1,600+ of Value Using This Card >>	Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months That's $1,000 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards® Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in the following categories each account anniversary year: Travel, Shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, Advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines. Get up to $600 per claim in Cell Phone Protection against covered theft or damage. Annual Fee: $95
Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card	Earn $500 bonus cash-back after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 15.49% - 21.49% $0 Annual Fee
Are you a business owner? For more detail, see our Chase business credit cards article, or in-depth business credit card guide to make an ideal choice for your situation.

Bottom Line: Overall, there are many methods you can pursue to rack up the Chase Ultimate Rewards points.  For even more ways to earn, check out our guide on the Best Ways to Earn Lots of Chase Ultimate Reward Points.

When it comes to Chase Ultimate Rewards points, there are 6 main redemption options that vary in flexibility and value.

Transferring to Airline or Hotel Partners

Chase makes it easy for you to transfer your Ultimate Reward points to a number of airline and hotels that they’ve partnered with. For the most part, these transfers happen almost instantaneously and can make for some very high-value redemptions.

If you’ve never transferred points before, or you’re new to the world of points and miles, it can seem like a daunting task. However, it’s not nearly as difficult as it may seem. With just a little extra work, utilizing transfer partners can help you get huge value from your points.

If you need some help getting started, check out our guide on Chase’s Transfer Partners and How to Use Them.

Using Points Through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal

This method is great for travelers looking for simplicity and flexibility. With the Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal, there’s no need to worry about transfers, comparing point values, finding award space, or blackout dates.

When booking through the travel portal with your Chase Sapphire Preferred® card, your points are worth a fixed 1.25 cents each — meaning 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points are worth $750 in travel purchases.

Through the portal, you can use your points to book flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises, and other experiences.

For those who aren’t interested in dealing with point transfers, the Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal offers a simple way to book travel while still providing good value for your points.

Redeeming for Gift Cards

You also have the option of redeeming your points for gift cards from over 150 different brands. Unless a deal or promotion is being run with a certain brand, your points are worth 1 cent each for the gift card of your choice — meaning a $50 Starbucks gift card would cost 5,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

Redeeming for Cash-Back

If you’re not interested in using your points toward travel, you can easily redeem them for cash-back at a fixed rate of 1 cent per point. You can use the cash-back as a statement credit toward your purchases, or have the money deposited straight into your bank account.

Use Points With Amazon or Apple

If you have an Ultimate Rewards-earning card linked as a payment option on your Amazon or Apple account, you’ll have the option to pay for your item using points. As with previous options, your points will be worth 1 cent each.

Chase Experience Portal

With the Chase Experience Portal, you can use your points to book VIP access to select sports, entertainment, and dining experiences. You can purchase experiences with points or cash, and point redemption options are most often valued at 1 cent each.

Hot Tip: At Upgraded Points, we don’t recommend redeeming your points for cash-back, Amazon purchases, or any option that only earns you 1 cent per point in value. Instead, we highly recommend transferring your points to airline and hotel travel partners, so you can use your Chase points for maximum value.

Chase Airline Transfer Partners

Chase Hotel Transfer Partners

Interested in the Chase Sapphire Preferred® but curious to learn about your other options? Check out these other offerings:

Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card

Credit Card	Benefits & Info
Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card	Earn 50,000 mile sign up bonus (worth $500) once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. Earn 10X miles per $1 spent across thousands of hotels Annual Fee: $0 intro for the first year, $95 after that.

There’s a lot to love about the Capital One® Venture® Rewards card. With the introduction of airline transfer partners, 10x points earned with Hotels.com, and 2x on all other purchases, it’s easy to see why this is a direct competitor of the Chase Sapphire Preferred®.

If you’re a Hotels.com loyalist or the majority of your daily spending comes from purchases outside of dining and travel categories, then the Capital One® Venture® Rewards card might be a great option for you.

Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card

The Bank of America® Premium Rewards® card offers a nice points-earning structure, along with simplicity and flexibility when it comes to redeeming those points.

The Premium Rewards® card is a strong choice for travelers who already have a banking relationship with Bank of America. Depending on the balance in their checking, savings, or investment accounts, customers earn a higher point multiplier when using the card.

Citi Premier℠ Card

The Citi Premier℠ card is one of the few travel credit cards on the market to offer a high return on gas purchases. This makes the card an excellent choice for those who drive often for work or love taking road-trips.