Why My Authorized User Is Getting Their Own Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is the primary card in my wallet for travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services. My family also benefits from a host of amazing benefits, including excellent travel insurance coverage and purchase protection.

My husband is an authorized user of my Chase Sapphire Preferred card, but a fantastic new welcome bonus offer has prompted me to change up our strategy.

Instead, I’ll refer him to apply for a primary Chase Sapphire Preferred card of his own. Why are we doing this, and should you consider this strategy to bulk up your Chase Ultimate Rewards balance? Read on to learn more.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Overview

BEST FIRST TRAVEL CARD

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

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 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

75,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$1,500

Annual Fee

$95

APR

19.49 - 27.74% 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 bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), gas, EV charging, vacation home rentals with top brands, and streaming services.

It offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and strong travel insurance coverage, including primary car rental insurance. If you travel a few times a year and spend on dining, the card is likely to be a good choice, but it’s hard to justify if you don’t dine out or travel often.

Pros & Cons

Pros

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

Cons

• $95 annual fee
• Subject to Chase’s 5/24 application restrictions

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Card Highlights

• Earn 75,000 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℠, 3x on dining, 3x on vacation homes at top brands, 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 Coverage, Emergency Evacuation and Transportation, and more.
• Get a year of complimentary Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 - a value of $180.
• Complimentary DashPass membership, a $120 value for 12 months. Enjoy $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible DoorDash orders, plus exclusive Chase savings on grocery, everyday essentials, and more. Activate by 12/31/29.
• 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: 19.49 - 27.74% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

I most often use my Chase Sapphire Preferred card for its strong earning rates on dining and travel, but it earns well across a variety of categories:

• 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel
• 3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries
• 2x points on all other travel purchases
• 1x points on all other purchases

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s benefits are numerous, but the ones my family utilizes most are the annual Chase Travel hotel credit, primary rental car insurance, travel insurance, and purchase protection.

Why My Authorized User Wants To Get Their Own Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

My husband is my “Player 2” when it comes to earning points and miles. Essentially, we take a team approach — well, he racks up the points and I manage how we spend them.

The primary reason for him to apply for his own Chase Sapphire Preferred card is because he is eligible for the new welcome bonus offer:

• Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Even better, I’ll also score 10,000 Ultimate Rewards points when he applies and is approved when using my referral link.

We will shift usage away from my primary card onto his while he works toward the bonus offer’s minimum spending requirements.

There is no annual fee to have my husband as an authorized user on my Chase Sapphire Preferred card account, but once he has a primary card of his own, he’ll be paying$95 annually. The annual Chase Travel hotel credit helps cover this, which I’m comfortable with.

Should we want to reduce duplicate benefits and fees, we can always downgrade one of our Chase Sapphire Preferred cards to a no-annual-fee card from Chase later on, like the Chase Freedom Unlimited^® or Chase Freedom Flex^®.

How We Would Redeem 75,000 Chase Points

A bonus of 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points can be used in many ways, but one of our favorite redemptions is for World of Hyatt award nights.

Hyatt Place almost always accommodates our family of 5 in 1 room, the brand has a consistent free breakfast, and many locations are Category 1. With award nights starting at 3,000 points per night when off-peak, we could redeem these points for many hotel nights!

To transfer the points from his Ultimate Rewards balance into one of my personal loyalty program accounts, I would need to be an authorized user on his new account (yes, there’s a bit of a merry-go-round involved here, but it’s worth it!). Otherwise, we can transfer the points to any of Chase’s airline or hotel partners to book family travel from his loyalty accounts.

Can Authorized Users Get Their Own Chase Sapphire Preferred Card?

Even if you have an authorized user on your Chase Sapphire Preferred card, they may be eligible to apply for their own card. While credit score, income, and credit history all play a role in a successful application, there are 3 additional considerations when applying for a Chase Sapphire Preferred card:

• Is the applicant within the Chase 5/24 rule parameters (opened less than 5 new credit cards from any bank within 24 months)?
• Does the applicant have any other primary Sapphire family cards?
• Has the applicant received a welcome bonus offer on a Sapphire family card in the previous 48 months?

Fortunately, my husband is sitting pretty at 3 new cards in the last 24 months, so he definitely has room for a new card. He does not currently have any other Sapphire cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®, though he did have this card in the past.

In 2023, he was rejected for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card because he had received the bonus offer on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card within the previous 48 months. That’s now in the past, so he should be in the clear.

What To Do If You Get Rejected for Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Rejection is never fun, but it especially stings when you are looking forward to an amazing points redemption. Applications may be rejected for too many credit cards, reaching the maximum credit limit Chase is willing to extend to you, or even a mistake on the application.

Should your authorized user’s primary card application be rejected, have them call Chase’s reconsideration line at 888-270-2127. They may need to verify additional details or suppress authorized user accounts from the personal credit check if those would put the applicant over 5/24.

Final Thoughts

The stellar new welcome bonus offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is an exciting opportunity, even for eligible authorized users, to apply for their own card. This will allow my spouse to boost his rewards and unlock even more travel possibilities for our family.