5 Reasons Why the Chase Sapphire Preferred Is a Great Card, Even for a Casual Traveler

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is one of the top card options for points and miles travelers thanks to its combination of rewards, perks, and a low $95 annual fee.

But casual travelers might be wondering whether that Chase Sapphire Preferred card would be worth it for you.

In our view, even if you only travel once or twice per year, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is worth having — here’s why.

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

19.49 - 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

1. Great Bonus Categories

One of the main ways to judge the effectiveness of any travel credit card is its bonus categories and whether those categories will help you earn as many points as possible toward your next trip.

This shouldn’t be a problem for Chase Sapphire Preferred card holders, as with it, you will earn:

• 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
• 5x points on Lyft purchases (through September 30, 2027)
• 3x points on dining purchases, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services
• 2x points on all other travel worldwide
• 1x point on all other purchases

This combination of bonus categories should ensure that you will rack up the points on a variety of purchases throughout the year. Even more so when you consider that dining, grocery purchases, and streaming services can make up a large portion of your month-to-month expenses.

Further, the travel category is quite broad and doesn’t just include purchases like flights and hotels. It also includes rental cars, cruises, trains, parking, tolls, public transportation, taxis, travel agencies, vacation rentals, and more.

2. Flexible Redemption Options

Once you’ve built up a stash of points, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card gives you multiple great redemption options to ensure you always get great value out of your points.

Thanks to the up to 75% point bonus on select flight and hotel redemptions made through Chase Travel, you can redeem your points at a rate of up to 1.75 cents per point.

That said, our favorite redemption option, and the one that often offers the best value proposition, is transferring your points to one of Chase’s travel partners. In our view, this is the best way to redeem Chase points, as it allows you to book flights and hotel stays for far less than what you would need when booking through Chase Travel or what the cash price would cost you.

Of course, travel isn’t your only redemption option when it comes to your Chase Ultimate Rewards points. You can also redeem your points for cash-back, gift cards, shopping with select merchants, and more, at a rate of 1 cent per point.

3. Chase Travel Statement Credit [Up to $100 in Value]

Each year, on your account anniversary, you’ll be eligible to use a $100 statement credit toward hotel bookings made through Chase Travel.

This is a great feature for casual travelers as it easily gives you the ability to knock $100 off a hotel booking you make each year. Presuming you would have made at least 1 hotel booking each year anyway, this more than covers the annual fee.

4. Travel Protections

Even if you only travel occasionally, it pays to have a travel rewards card that keeps you protected when things go wrong during your travels.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a great fit here and offers a variety of travel protections like:

• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver: Keeps your rental car covered in the case of accidental damage or theft, and kicks in before your personal auto insurance.
• Trip Delay Insurance: If your flight is delayed 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, you can be reimbursed for up to $500 in expenses toward items like meals and lodging.
• Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance: If you need to cancel a trip due to illness, severe weather, or another covered circumstance, you can receive up to $10,000 in coverage toward non-refundable travel expenses.
• Baggage Delay Insurance: If your checked baggage is delayed by more than 6 hours, you can receive up to $100 in coverage toward essential items per day for up to 5 days.
• Travel Accident Insurance: Receive up to $500,000 in coverage should you or your immediate family members experience accidental death or loss of speech, sight, or hearing during your travels.

The less often you travel, the less likely you are to need any of these protections. But in the event that something goes wrong during any of your trips, you will be very glad that your Chase Sapphire Preferred card has you covered.

5. No Foreign Transaction Fees

Even if you only travel a few times a year, if any of those trips ever take you internationally, then it’s imperative that you have a card in your wallet that does not charge foreign transaction fees.

Otherwise, without a card that does not charge foreign transaction fees, these fees can add 2% to 3% to each transaction you make overseas, which can get quite costly depending on how much you spend.

Final Thoughts

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers great bonus categories to help you earn more points, flexible redemption options, solid travel protections. Plus, it doesn’t charge any foreign transaction fees, all for a relatively low annual fee — making it a great all-in-one travel rewards card.

Even casual travelers who only take a few trips a year can greatly benefit from adding this to their wallet.