Here is our review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, the card we recommend over and over to beginners in the credit card points and miles game. It is also the card that we believe always belongs in every household. We recommend that this be one of the first cards people get because of the Chase 5/24 rule. It is an unwritten rule that Chase will not approve you for any of their cards if you have opened 5 or more cards from any bank within a 24-month.

 

Let’s go over some reasons why we think it should be in your wallet.  You can combine Ultimate Rewards with your spouse, so we recommend people refer their Player Two to the card and get referral points.

 

Transfer Partners

We think this card has the very best transfer partners. A huge reason is that it is the only card that transfers to Hyatt. Hyatt is our hotel of choice because of the oversized value you get from using points there. We use most of our Ultimate Rewards to transfer to Hyatt, but United Airlines and Southwest Airlines are also programs many people transfer to. Here are the transfer partners you can use:

• Aer Lingus
• British Airways
• Emirates
• Flying Blue (KLM/Air France)
• Hyatt
• Iberia
• IHG
• JetBlue
• Marriott
• Ritz-Carlton
• Singapore Airlines
• Southwest
• United
• Virgin Atlantic

Your points transfer to any of these partners at a 1:1 ratio, and most transfers occur instantly. However, transfers are one-way only, so make sure you find availability before you transfer your points.

 

 

Card Benefits

The annual fee is only $95, which is low compared to many. It can be offset using the $50 annual hotel credit, making it a mere $45/year. You also get a 10% bonus on Ultimate Rewards points earned on your total spending amount when you renew your card and pay the annual fee each year, which basically pays for your annual fee (and more).

It has amazing travel benefits:

• Primary Auto Rental Collision Damage – this is huge as most offer only secondary insurance coverage.
• No foreign transaction fees
• Baggage delay insurance, trip delay, and interruption insurance
• 24/7 access to customer service
• Zero liability protection

This is the card we use most for renting cars or paying taxes and fees on our travel using points because of the great insurance benefits!

 

Category Spending

• Earn 5x points for travel booked in the Chase travel portal
• Earn 3x points on dining and takeout
• Earn 3x points on select streaming services
• Earn 3x points on online grocery purchases (not including Target, Walmart, and grocery clubs)
• Earn 2x points on travel booked outside of the Chase travel portal.

 

Honestly, once we hit the minimum spend, we don’t use it much to worry about category spending. We usually have moved on to a new card to get another signup bonus. However, we do use it for paying those taxes and fees on points redemptions for travel and, always, when we rent a car.

 

Ways to Use the Points 

How have we used our points? Ultimate Rewards have been the primary way we’ve booked travel to Hawaii and stayed at the Hyatt Regency Maui or Grand Hyatt Kauai. It’s also been how we have funded many trips to Mexico or Southern California. We literally love Ultimate Rewards and are continually looking to earn more. This card will get you started on your travel adventures!

 

 

Bottom Line

We all love the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and believe it should be the primary card in every household.  It is a great option because of the great transfer partners available and the nice card benefits. We recommend that this be one of your first cards, not just because it’s a great card but also because of the Chase 5/24 rule.

 

Related Posts

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