Who’s Eligible for the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s 100K Welcome Offer?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card has brought back its highest-ever public welcome offer, giving new applicants the chance to earn 100,000 bonus points:

• Earn 100,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.

Whether you’re new to Chase or a longtime Chase Sapphire Reserve^® cardholder, you could qualify for this 100,000-point welcome offer. This guide covers the 3 key eligibility rules in 2026, including recent changes that may expand your chances of earning the bonus offer.

1. Chase’s 5/24 Rule Still Applies

The first hurdle for many applicants is Chase’s 5/24 rule. In general, Chase won’t approve you if you’ve opened 5 or more credit cards across all banks within the past 24 months. This includes cards from other issuers, such as American Express, Capital One, Citi, and Bank of America.

This restriction was introduced more than a decade ago to discourage consumers from repeatedly opening new credit cards to earn welcome bonus offers.

Even in 2026, Chase evaluates your 5/24 eligibility during the application process by reviewing your credit profile, including the number of credit card accounts you’ve opened in the past 24 months. If you’re considering applying for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card (or other Chase credit cards), it’s generally best to be under the issuer’s 5/24 threshold to maximize your approval odds.

To estimate your 5/24 status, request a free credit report and count the number of credit card accounts you’ve opened within the past 24 months. If you’ve opened 5 or more cards during that period, you may have difficulty qualifying for a new Chase card.

Chase has made the application process more transparent, even if you don’t know where exactly you stand. You should be informed if you’re ineligible for the welcome offer shortly after you submit the application. If you receive this notice, it could be related to your 5/24 status or another eligibility factor. At that point, you can choose to withdraw the application or continue knowing you won’t be eligible to earn the welcome offer.

2. You Can Qualify Even if You Have the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

Historically, Chase enforced strict rules across its Sapphire card lineup, generally limiting consumers to 1 Sapphire card at a time. That changed in 2025 when Chase completely overhauled its Sapphire application criteria.

Today, welcome offer eligibility is evaluated on a card-by-card basis rather than across the entire Sapphire family. Having the Chase Sapphire Reserve card no longer automatically prevents you from earning a welcome offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card are treated as distinct products. If you currently have (or previously held) the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you can now submit a new application for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and earn its 100,000-point welcome offer.

This may be one of the easiest ways to earn 100,000 valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points, as the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has a reasonable $95 annual fee.

3. Other Approval Requirements

Lastly, if you’ve decided to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, make sure your credit profile is in good standing. In general, you’ll want to ensure that you have a good to excellent credit score of 670 or higher, at least 1 to 2 years of established credit history, and a solid debt-to-income ratio.

The application process is just 1 page, and you’ll need to submit your full name, Social Security number (SSN), address, and income details. Once you hit submit, Chase will let you know if you aren’t eligible for the welcome offer before running the official hard credit pull.

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Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

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Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

Welcome Offer

Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

100,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$2,000

Annual Fee

$95

APR

19.24% - 27.49% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, gas, EV charging, vacation homes, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.

Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance and emergency evacuation. With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
• 3x points on dining purchases, online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), gas, EV charging, vacation homes (such as Airbnb and Vrbo), and select streaming services
• 2x points on all other travel worldwide

Cons

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

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Card Highlights

• Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel^SM, 3x on dining, 3x on vacation homes, 3x on gas & EV charging, 3x on top streaming services and online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
• Earn up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get a year of complimentary Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 – a value of $156.
• Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
• Receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card for a Global Entry, TSA Precheck^® or NEXUS application.
• Transfer points to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.24% - 27.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

If you don’t see any messages and you get approved for the card, you’re in the clear to open the account. You can start working toward the minimum spending requirements for the welcome offer.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card 2026 Changes

Chase introduced new benefits for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card in 2026 without increasing the card’s $95 annual fee.

Here’s a quick recap of the new and existing benefits that cardholders enjoy:

• New: Earn 3x points on gas, EV charging, and vacation homes, including Airbnb and Vrbo
• New: $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit every 4 years
• New: Complimentary Apple TV subscription for 1 year when activated by December 31, 2026
• New: $100 Chase Travel hotel credit every account anniversary (previously $50)
• Existing: Earn 5x points on Chase Travel purchases, 3x points on dining, select streaming services, and 1x points on all other eligible purchases

Note that the 10% anniversary bonus benefit is now discontinued for new cardholders as of June 15, 2026. For existing cardmembers before this date, eligible purchases made through October 1, 2026, will continue to earn the 10% bonus, which will be awarded by January 31, 2027.

Chase is also devaluing World of Hyatt transfers from 1:1 to 4:3. This impacts new Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders as of June 15, 2026, but is effective October 1, 2026, for existing cardholders, offering a few more months to transfer points at the better rate.

Final Thoughts

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card rarely offers a 100,000-point welcome bonus offer. That’s roughly 33% more points than its typical 75,000-point bonus offer, making this one of the best times to apply if you’re planning to redeem rewards for any sort of travel.

Before submitting an application, review all of these eligibility requirements to maximize your chances of approval and put yourself in a position to earn the 100,000-point bonus offer.