6 Reasons Why I’d Recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred to Every Beginner

Although I am now a seasoned points and miles traveler, I was once a beginner who made many mistakes. I applied for the wrong cards with no strategy, hoarded my points, transferred points without checking award availability, and even let some of my hard-earned rewards expire.

Though there are numerous travel rewards cards out there, one stands out as an excellent starter card, and I recommend it to everyone starting out: the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card.

Here’s a detailed explanation of why it would be my first credit card if I were starting over.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Overview

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is one of the most popular travel rewards cards on the market, thanks to how much value it offers, especially given its $95 annual fee.

It offers several enticing perks and benefits, including an annual $100 Chase Travel hotel credit, flexible redemption options, and fantastic travel insurance coverage, which includes best-in-class primary car rental insurance.

BEST FIRST TRAVEL CARD

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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 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

19.24% - 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 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 TravelSM, 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, Emergency Evacuation and Transportation 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 12 months 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

The card also earns bonus points across several everyday spending categories:

• 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
• 3x points on dining purchases, online grocery purchases, gas and EV charging, vacation homes, and certain streaming services
• 2x points on all other travel worldwide

Best of all, it earns Ultimate Rewards points, some of the most valuable rewards points you can earn. Right now, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card features its all-time-high welcome offer:

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

That’s an incredible amount of Ultimate Rewards points from a single welcome offer, especially for someone just beginning their miles and points journey. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to redeem Ultimate Rewards points.

Why I Wouldn’t Start With an Airline or Hotel Card

Before I got serious about travel rewards, I approached travel the way most people do: I saved money, hunted for deals, and hoped airfare wasn’t outrageously expensive when it came time to book.

Points and miles completely changed that equation. The process started with applying for my first travel rewards card — a co-branded United Airlines credit card. While many beginners (including me at the time) assume they should start with a co-branded airline or hotel credit card, I disagree. There are excellent co-branded cards, but they should not be the first priority.

Airline and hotel cards lock you into a single loyalty program. If you earn rewards with a single airline or hotel and then find a better deal elsewhere, you’re stuck with the points currency you have.

This is where the Chase Sapphire Preferred card takes a different approach. Instead of earning airline or hotel-specific points and miles, it earns flexible Ultimate Rewards points. You could transfer those Ultimate Rewards points to Chase’s airline and hotel partners. And by doing so, you can book long-haul business class flights on some of the best airlines in the world.

This kind of flexibility is everything, especially when you’re new to points and miles — and it’s one of the biggest reasons the card remains a favorite among both beginners and experienced travelers. You don’t yet know which airline or hotel programs you’ll love and use most often. You don’t know how you’ll prefer to redeem your rewards.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card gives you room to learn, and here are 6 other reasons why it deserves a home in your wallet.

1. The Welcome Offer Gives You a Head Start

One of the fastest ways to build a meaningful points balance is through a strong welcome offer — and that’s another reason I’d point beginners toward the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. After meeting the card’s spending requirements, you’re awarded 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Simply put, that is an extraordinary number of points. Many people spend years slowly accumulating airline miles or hotel points through occasional travel. A welcome offer often provides enough points for flights, hotel stays, or even an entire vacation within just a few months of you opening a new travel rewards card.

2. You Get Access to Chase Travel Partners

Arguably, the bestselling point of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card may be its transfer partners.

The card allows points transfers to numerous airline and hotel loyalty programs, including Air Canada Aeroplan, United MileagePlus, Southwest Rapid Rewards, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, British Airways Club, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Marriott Bonvoy, IHG One Rewards, and World of Hyatt, among many others.

Transferring points to transfer partners is where you can start getting tremendous value from your points.

3. The Annual Fee is Reasonable

One mistake many beginners make is assuming they need a premium card with all the bells and whistles, like airport lounge access and other luxury perks. Unfortunately, these cards typically come with sky-high annual fees to match the benefits.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card carries a relatively modest annual fee of $95 while still providing excellent travel perks. When you’re new to travel rewards, you want a card that provides strong value without forcing you to justify a hefty annual fee.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card hits that sweet spot.

4. It Has Excellent Earning Categories

Travel rewards cards are only useful if you can consistently earn points. Fortunately, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers elevated earnings in spending categories that most people naturally use.

Cardholders earn elevated rewards on travel purchases (particularly for travel booked through the Chase Travel portal), dining, online grocery purchases, and several everyday spending categories, like some gas and EV charging and streaming services. 

A great starter card should fit into your life without requiring complicated spending strategies. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card does just that.

5. No Foreign Transaction Fees

For anyone planning international travel, this benefit alone is worth mentioning. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card charges no foreign transaction fees. That means you can use the card abroad without worrying about additional charges every time you make a purchase.

It’s one of those benefits that feels small until you’re traveling internationally and realize you’re saving money on every meal, train ticket, taxi ride, accommodation, and souvenir purchase.

6. The Card Grows With You

Arguably, my favorite thing about the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is that it remains useful long after you’re no longer a beginner.

Many starter cards eventually get replaced. That is almost never the case with this card, as it often serves as the foundation of an entire travel rewards strategy. As your knowledge grows and you gain more experience with points and miles, you can pair it with other Chase cards, combine points, and unlock even more redemption opportunities. 

Final Thoughts

Points and miles have allowed me to travel more often and stretch my budget further than I ever thought possible. If I were starting over today with zero points, zero miles, and no travel rewards strategy, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card would be the first card in my wallet.

It may not be the flashiest card, but it provides the perfect combination of flexibility, simplicity, great earning potential, solid transfer partners, valuable travel protections, and long-term value. And it’s not just a great beginner travel card — it teaches you why points and miles are worth pursuing in the first place.