How I Turned 100K Chase Sapphire Preferred Bonus Points Into a Summer Trip to Paris

The best-ever welcome offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card couldn’t have returned at a better time.

With the popular travel card once again offering 100,000 bonus points — only the third time this bonus offer has appeared — I’ll be able to put those points toward a late-summer trip to Paris.

As airfare and hotel prices continue to climb, having access to a flexible rewards currency like Chase Ultimate Rewards can make a significant difference in reducing out-of-pocket travel costs. Here’s a look at how exactly I’m redeeming the 100,000 points from a single credit card application.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card’s 100K Welcome Offer

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is one of the most affordable travel credit cards on the market. With a $95 annual fee, the cost of having this card hasn’t increased at all since it first debuted in 2009.

For many travelers focused on earning valuable points to offset flight and hotel expenses, it could be the only card they need.

The fastest way to build a large balance of points is to earn the card’s welcome offer. While the typical bonus offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is 75,000 points, eligible applicants can earn a record-high 100,000-point welcome offer after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months.

Based on our valuation of 2 cents per Chase Ultimate Rewards point, that bonus offer is worth approximately $2,000 in travel. For my upcoming trip to Paris, I expect to get way more value from those points.

Why Chase Points Are Worth More Than Cash Back

Cash-back credit cards are straightforward, typically offering 1 cent in value per point. On the other hand, travel rewards points operate differently and can often double the value — or more.

Ultimate Rewards points are among the best in the industry thanks to their wide range of airline and hotel transfer partners. These points give you the flexibility to choose the airline or hotel program that offers the best redemption value for your trip and transfer your rewards accordingly:

Chase Ultimate Rewards points generally transfer to all partner programs at a 1:1 ratio. The only exception is the World of Hyatt program. As of June 15, 2026, new Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt at a 4:3 ratio. However, existing cardholders before that date can continue transferring points to Hyatt at the previous 1:1 ratio through October 1, 2026.

Throughout the year, Chase regularly offers transfer bonus promotions, allowing cardholders to receive more airline or hotel points than the standard 1:1 transfer ratio. With all these factors in play, let’s take a look at how I plan to maximize the value of 100,000 bonus points.

Using 100K Chase Points To Book a Paris Trip

The $5,000 spending requirement within the first 3 months works out to about $1,667 per month, and I had a plan to meet that threshold responsibly and pay off my balance in full.

I had several upcoming tuition payments, making it easy to satisfy the spending requirement as soon as I got my new card. That left me with exactly 105,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to use for my upcoming trip, since I also earned points on the minimum spend requirement.

Hot Tip:

Once you’ve met the minimum spending requirement, the bonus points typically post within a few business days after your statement closes for that billing cycle. If you’re hoping to redeem the points right away, keep in mind that there can be a delay of a few weeks between completing the spending requirement and seeing the points appear in your account.

Flights to Paris With the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

My go-to loyalty programs for flights to Europe are Air France-KLM Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. My travel dates in July and August were fairly flexible, so I logged into my Flying Blue account and used the program’s flexible-date search feature to begin.

I entered my origin and destination cities, but left the travel dates blank. Flying Blue displayed a calendar showing mileage rates across a range of dates, making it easy to quickly spot the lowest-priced flights.

I was determined to fly business class to Europe as most transatlantic flights operate overnight. Award availability from my home airport, Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), can be limited, but I found an excellent redemption by positioning to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

The cost? Just 60,000 miles and $346 in taxes and fees.

For the flight home, I used the same flexible booking calendar. I found multiple dates for the nonstop Delta Air Lines flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG) to SLC. The rate was slightly higher at 33,000 miles and $361 in taxes and fees, but I knew I could do better.

For nonstop flights that have award seats (like the one above), I always double-check with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club too, since it’s also a SkyTeam airline. Sure enough, that exact same flight could be booked with Virgin Atlantic for 30,000 miles and $420 in taxes and fees.

While the taxes and fees were higher, Chase is offering a 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic until July 7, 2026. That means I only had to transfer 24,000 points to Virgin to book this nonstop flight departing a week later.

I transferred 60,000 points to Flying Blue and 24,000 points to Virgin Atlantic. The transfers showed up instantly in my accounts, and I booked these flights very quickly.

There were 2 important factors I considered when calculating the value of this redemption. First, award tickets through Flying Blue or Virgin Atlantic are booked into standard economy rather than basic economy, which means I’ll receive free seat selection, a checked bag, and flexible change policies.

Second, I paid roughly $700 in taxes and fees. By paying with my Chase Sapphire Preferred card, I earned 2x points on the purchase and unlocked the card’s valuable travel protections. These include trip cancellation and interruption coverage, as well as emergency evacuation and transportation coverage (a new benefit added in 2026), providing peace of mind if anything goes wrong during my trip.

The equivalent cash cost of a business-class flight to Paris paired with a nonstop economy flight back to Salt Lake City would have exceeded $3,000. Even after the taxes and fees I paid out of pocket, I still received approximately 2.7 cents per point in value from the 84,000 Chase points redeemed — well above our estimated valuation of 2 cents per point.

Hotel in Paris With the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

I was thrilled to have covered the most expensive portions of my trip, leaving 21,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to work with. I still needed accommodations for 6 nights, with a goal of 5 nights in central Paris and my final night near the airport for my morning departure.

For my first 5 nights in Paris, I turned to the Chase Travel portal. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns 5x points on Chase Travel and has an annual $100 Chase Travel hotel statement credit that can help offset the cost of a stay.

My go-to hotel in Paris is the Best Western Plus Bretagne Montparnasse in the 14th arrondissement.

The neighborhood feels far more local than the tourist-heavy areas, offering a residential Parisian atmosphere while still being just steps from the Metro. The boulangerie on the corner is my favorite spot in the entire city.

The 5-night stay cost just $670, including taxes and fees. After applying the $100 annual hotel credit from the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, my out-of-pocket cost dropped to $570. As an added bonus, booking through Chase Travel earned me 2,850 Ultimate Rewards points thanks to the card’s 5x earning rate.

For that last night in France, I booked the Hyatt Place Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport for 10,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

The award stay itself cost just 7,500 World of Hyatt points, but because Hyatt transfers now occur at a 4:3 ratio, I needed to transfer 10,000 Chase points to book it.

Total Value From 100K Chase Points

I effectively wiped out my entire Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s welcome bonus, but in return, I got more than $3,000 in travel value — well above our valuation of 100,000 Chase points.

I also needed to book a flight from SLC to DFW for my business class flight, but my points came to the rescue yet again. Instead of paying $290 for a Main Cabin flight, I booked through Virgin Atlantic for 11,000 miles and $5.60 in taxes and fees.

With the 30% Virgin transfer bonus, I transferred just 9,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book it. The flight time is perfect, giving me a couple of hours in the business class lounge.

There are many moving parts, but I pieced together a perfect Europe trip thanks to my Chase Sapphire Preferred card. Here’s the total recap:

Hot Tip:

Bookmark our transfer partner calculator before your next transfer. It factors in transfer bonus promotions and Hyatt’s devalued transfer rate for World of Hyatt, so you never have to do actual math again.

Final Thoughts

The fun part about the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is its flexibility, and that’s especially true when you’re working with a 100,000-point welcome bonus offer. With a bit of research and strategic planning, I was able to put together an incredible summer trip to Paris that would have cost over $4,000.

Instead, I paid just 105,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points and less than $1,400 in cash, while earning additional points on portions of the trip paid for with my card. Those extra rewards will help offset the cost of future travel, and that’s a deal I’ll gladly take any day of the week.