2013-11-22

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review

This perennial travel-rewards card darling offers a lucrative signup bonus with updated rewards-earning categories and access to transfer rewards to popular hotel and flight loyalty programs travelers are sure to enjoy.

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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

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Editor Analysis:

Pros
  • Earn signup_reward bonus points after you spend signup_bonus_spend_amount on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
  • This is a great option for travelers who also enjoy dining out thanks to bonus rewards earned at restaurants.
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholders who also hold any other chase card that utilizes the Ultimate Rewards system can combine points in one bucket, meaning your points add up more quickly.
Cons
  • This card was built was travelers in mind. If travel isn't one of your major spend categories, this card might not be an ideal fit for you.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card signup bonus

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a must-have credit card for any traveler who loves to dine out and reap high-rewards throughout the process.

Currently, new cardholders have an opportunity to claim a nice signup bonus: signup_reward bonus points after you spend signup_bonus_spend_amount on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

If you redeem through Chase Travel℠, Points Boost promotions can make this bonus worth up to 1.5x on select top-booked hotels and flights, and up to 1.75x on premium cabin tickets (otherwise, points redeem at a standard 1:1 rate). Alternatively, you can transfer these points to travel partners to maximize value. While most partners transfer at a 1:1 ratio, note that transfers to World of Hyatt now occur at a 4:3 ratio.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card rewards

In addition to a solid signup bonus, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers high ongoing rewards rates as well:

  • Earn 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel
  • Earn 3x points when you dine out
  • Earn 3x on vacation homes
  • 3x on gas & EV charging
  • 3x on top streaming services
  • 3x online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs)
  • Earn 2x on all other travel purchases
  • Earn 1x on all other purchases worldwide
  • Points can be worth up to 1.5x when redeemed on top hotels and select flights, and up to 1.75x when redeemed on premium cabin tickets with select airlines through Chase Travel
  • Earn up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
  • Receive an annual points bonus equal to 10% of your total purchases from the previous year

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CardRatings Tip

If you hold other Chase-Ultimate-Rewards-earning cards, you can pool the points earned with those cards with the points you earn with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. And because Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card points can be worth up to 1.75x more when redeemed for travel, that means all points pooled into your Sapphire account could also be worth more in value! There a number no-annual-fee Chase credit cards that make a lot of sense to hold alongside the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Learn more about how to best take advantage of this strategy in our Guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card benefits

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has quickly become one of the most popular cards for CardRatings readers. The popularity stems from the ongoing value of this card: high rewards rates, no blackout dates, restrictions or expiration dates on rewards. Cardholders can even use their points to book a flight for someone else.

Cardholders can also take advantage of additional value for travel when redeeming points through Chase Travel, allowing you to stretch your rewards even further.

Awards tracking and redemption is easy through Chase Ultimate Rewards where you can track your rewards as they accumulate and use your rewards to directly book flights, hotels, cars or cruises.

It is also important to look at the points transfer partners, which include, among others:

  • British Airways Executive Club
  • World of Hyatt
  • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
  • Marriott Bonvoy™
  • United MileagePlus®
  • IHG® Rewards Club
  • Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
  • Marriott Bonvoy
  • JetBlue® TrueBlue
  • Flying Blue (numerous airline partners, including Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines)
  • For the full list, please see our Chase Ultimate Rewards guide

If you prefer to travel with loyalty programs outside of Chase partners, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card may feel limiting to you even though you can use your points to book with any airline – you just can’t transfer points to any airline and take advantage of possibly lower redemption rates.

In addition to easy rewards earning and spending, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers a number of other useful and money-saving benefits that you should be aware of, including:

  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Auto rental collision damage waiver
  • Trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance
  • Zero liability protections
  • 24/7 direct access to customer service specialists
  • Baggage delay insurance
  • And more

How do cardholders rate the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card?

CardRatings commissioned Dynata in November 2025 to survey 2,797 cardholders nationwide. Responses were given on a scale of 1-10 and respondents’ ratings were then averaged under broad topics. Here are the results for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card:

Value For Price7.01
Features Satisfaction And Engagement7.41
Competitive Edge7.25
Customer Service7.58
Overall Rating8.25

Survey results by question

Respondents rated their personal experience with the card_name, answering questions on a scale from 1-10. The results for a sampling of questions can be found below:

How the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card compares to other travel cards

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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve®

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At AnnualFees the annual fee is a bit steep with the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, however, that annual fee gets you a lot.

To start, the signup bonus is strong at signup_reward bonus points after you spend signup_bonus_spend_amount on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Additionally, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers a $300 Annual Travel Credit for reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card, as well as up to a $120 reimbursement to cover the application fee to Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS.

As far as rewards go, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® earns a bit more: 8X points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠; 4X points on flights and hotels booked direct; 3X points on dining worldwide; and 1X points on all other purchases. Cardholders can get more than $3,000 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve, and access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass Select.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card vs. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card both have solid bonus opportunities for new cardholders. New Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card members can earn signup_reward bonus points after you spend signup_bonus_spend_amount on purchases in the first three months from account opening. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers a welcome bonus where cardholders can earn a one-time bonus of signup_reward miles once you spend signup_bonus_spend_amount on purchases within three months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel! The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card also carries a AnnualFees annual fee.

The big difference between these two cards is that you earn two times the miles on all your purchases every day, plus earn five times the miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card as compared to the tiered points earning with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Chase Travel points are transferable to a number of airline and hotel loyalty programs and so are Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card miles, though to different partners than with the Chase card. With the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card you can fly any airline, stay at any hotel, anytime and not have to worry about blackout dates. Plus, you can transfer your miles to numerous leading travel loyalty programs. Those points might be valuable to you if you have some travel loyalties. Let’s not forget though that Chase bonus points could be worth more when you redeem them for travel through Chase Travel.

To learn more about how these two cards line up side-by-side, check out our in depth Chase Sapphire Preferred® vs. Capital One Venture comparison.

Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card worth it?

Though moderate, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card does have an annual fee to consider. If you’re only a once-a-year traveler or you rarely dine out, the cost to carry this card might not be worth it to you. However, if you’re a frequent traveler, or at least an occasional traveler who often grabs takeout or enjoys a nice restaurant experience, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can be a fantastic value.

Frequently asked questions

No, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card does not include a Global Entry application fee reimbursement.
Yes, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers auto rental collision damage coverage which provides reimbursement up to the actual cash value of the vehicle for theft and collision damage for most rental cars in the U.S. and abroad.
To downgrade a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card account, contact a Chase representative and request a "product change."
Point values vary based on how you choose to redeem them. If you redeem points for cash back, gift cards, or a statement credit, they are worth a flat 1 cent apiece. Through Chase Travel, points generally start at a 1:1 rate (1 cent each), though rotating "Points Boost" offers can increase their value up to 1.5x on select top-booked hotels and flights, and up to 1.75x on premium cabin tickets. You can also transfer points to various airline and hotel partners to unlock higher value. While most partners transfer at a 1:1 ratio, note that transfers to World of Hyatt from the Chase Sapphire Preferred occur at a 4:3 ratio (meaning 4,000 Chase points equal 3,000 Hyatt points). Despite this adjustment, strategic partner transfers remain highly lucrative, often yielding values of 2 cents per point or more when redeemed for high-demand periods or premium cabin airline awards.
No, complimentary lounge access is not a perk of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
No, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card does not charge foreign transaction fees.
Yes, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardholders receive up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠.

Our Methodology

Survey methodology: CardRatings commissioned Dynata in November 2025 to survey 2,797 cardholders nationwide. CardRatings' website analytics from Jan. 1, 2025, to Oct. 2, 2025 were used to determine a selection of the most popular cards. Respondents were asked a series of questions about specific characteristics of credit cards they used regularly, as well as for their overall rating of each card. Responses were sorted into categories: "Value for Price," "Features Satisfaction and Engagement," "Competitive Edge," and "Customer Service." Responses within each category were averaged to determine the score for that category. In addition, the overall ratings for each card were averaged. "Cardholder favorite" cards are those that scored in the top 10 overall. Card issuers cannot pay to be included on these lists or influence the order in which cards appear.

Disclaimer:The information in this article is believed to be accurate as of the date it was written. Please keep in mind that credit card offers change frequently. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this article. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards. Please verify all terms and conditions of any credit card prior to applying.


This content is not provided by any company mentioned in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed here are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any such company. CardRatings.com does not review every company or every offer available on the market.


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