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The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Credit Card has been one of the most popular travel rewards cards for over a decade and counting. It’s easy to see why: Between a generous welcome bonus, lucrative category bonuses, and top-notch rewards program, this is a go-to card for many travel enthusiasts (as well as beginners). While the card is worthy of praise, it’s not the only valuable card in its category.
Several rewards cards offer perks similar to the Sapphire Preferred. A few even provide better benefits and a lower annual fee. If you’re in the market for a credit card similar to the Sapphire Preferred (after maxing out the 5/24 rule or because you already have one), there are plenty of excellent options. Here’s a look at competing cards that might be better alternatives to the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Citi Premier® Card
In terms of benefits, the Citi Premier® Card, from our partner Citi, is probably most similar to the Sapphire Preferred. The Premier sports a $95 annual fee, along with no foreign transaction fees, generous category bonuses, and annual hotel credit.
The Premier’s perks are arguably better than the Sapphire Preferred’s because they’re broader and apply to more overall shopping locations. Plus, the $100 hotel credit (valid on bookings of $500 or more) is higher than the Sapphire Preferred’s $50 credit.
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
- Our Rating 4.5/5 How our ratings work
- APR20.49% - 28.49% (Variable)
- Annual Fee$95
-
Sign Up Bonus
75,000Citi ThankYou® Points
Earn 75,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $750 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com. Dollar Equivalent: $1,350 (75,000 Citi ThankYou® Points * 0.018 base)
The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card, from our partner Citi, is worth considering if you’re looking for accelerated travel rewards but don’t want to pay a huge annual fee. It’s easy to quickly rack up lots of points on this card. While you can redeem ThankYou points for gift cards, you’ll get more value when you redeem points for flights and hotels, and potentially even better value when you transfer points to travel partners.
Overview
This credit card offers its members a range of incentives, such as bonus points, gift cards and 1:1 point transfers with airline partners. One of the more unique features of the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card from our partner Citi is that it offers 3x ThankPoints for every dollar spent at supermarkets, gas stations, EV charging stations, restaurants and travel purchases. You also get an annual hotel credit of $100 off your reservation of $500 or more when booked through CitiTravel.com.
Perks
- Earn 3x ThankYou Points per dollar spent on travel, grocery stores, restaurants, EV charging stations and gas stations
- Annual $100 hotel savings benefit. Just book a hotel stay of $500 or more through CitiTravel.com to earn the discount.
- No foreign transaction fees
- Easily transfer your points to Citi's airline partners
Pros
- High reward rate on common categories of consumer spending
- Points are easily transferable to airlines and hotel partners
- No foreign transaction fees
- Points never expire
Cons
- $95 annual fee
- No standout rewards category
Currently, the Citi Premier card also has a strong welcome bonus: 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in purchases with your card within the first three months of account opening.
Of Citi’s airline and hotel partners, five overlap with Chase Ultimate Rewards: Emirates Skywards, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, JetBlue TrueBlue, Singapore Krisflyer, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Citi’s most notable partners are Etihad Guest (great for American Airlines awards) and Turkish Miles&Smiles (for cheap flights to Hawaii).
It’s worth noting that the Citi Premier lacks the travel protections of the Sapphire Preferred. So if you want your paid trips covered against cancellation and delays, the Citi Premier isn’t the best choice.
Recommended Credit Cards
| Credit Card | Name | Rewards Rate | Annual Fee | Sign-Up Bonus | Apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Chase Sapphire Preferred® |
1x- 5x points Earn 5x points per dollar on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3x on dining, and 3x on select streaming services and online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs). Earn 2x on other travel spending and 1x everywhere else. |
$95 |
60,000 bonus points Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. |
Apply |
|
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
|
2% cash back Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases. |
$0 |
$200 Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months. |
Apply |
|
Citi Custom Cash® Card
|
1%-5% cash back Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Also, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. |
$0 |
$200 Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. |
Apply |
|
Citi® Double Cash Card
|
2% cash back Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. |
$0 |
N/A |
Apply |
|
|
card_name |
2X-5X Points |
$0 |
bonus_miles |
Learn More |
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is an excellent alternative to the Sapphire Preferred for those who want an elevated earn rate on all spending. The card earns 2 miles per dollar spent on every purchase every day, and 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. It’s a great choice if you want a card for everyday spending without tracking category bonuses.
The Venture card currently offers 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. That’s significantly higher than the Sapphire Preferred’s bonus. But how do the redemptions compare? Capital One has an impressive lineup of airline and hotel partners, six of which overlap with Chase Ultimate Rewards:
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- British Airways Executive Club
- Flying Blue
- Emirates Skywards
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Virgin Red
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Our Rating 4.5/5 How our ratings work
- APR19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)
- Annual Fee$95
-
Sign Up Bonus
75,000Capital One Rewards Miles
Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel Dollar Equivalent: $1,350 (75,000 Capital One Rewards Miles * 0.018 base)
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers a lot of value to both beginner and expert travelers. The upfront bonus and high ongoing rewards rate aren’t easy to beat, making the card a solid option for a large audience. Where it really shines is with the flexibility of the redemption process, though. You can redeem miles to cover past travel expenses, book travel through Capital One or transfer miles to any of Capital One’s airline and hotel loyalty programs.
Overview
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers a lot of value to beginner and expert travelers alike. The card’s big upfront bonus and high ongoing rewards rate aren’t easy to beat, making it a solid option for a large audience. Where it really shines, though, is with the redemption process. When it comes to travel credit cards, it can be really challenging to find a way to use your rewards in the way you want.
With hotel and airline credit cards, for instance, you’re basically stuck redeeming your points or miles with the co-branded hotel or airline partner. And with some general rewards programs, you might get less value if you use your points or miles to book a flight versus a rental car or hotel.
With the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, though, you’ll get a lot of flexibility. Here are some of the top redemption options that are available: redeem miles to cover past travel expenses, book travel through Capital One or transfer miles to any of Capital One’s multiple airline and hotel loyalty programs.
Perks
- Receive an application fee credit for TSA Pre✓® or Global Entry every four years
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to premier culinary events, must-see music events and major sporting events
Pros
- Simple rewards and earning structure
- Ability to earn transferable points to use with travel partners
- Relatively modest $95 annual fee
- Application fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
Cons
- Other travel cards offer higher rewards rates on certain spending categories
The Venture carries a $95 annual fee, and offers a few more travel perks than the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Cardholders receive two complimentary lounge visits per year, Hertz Five Star status, and a $100 Global Entry or TSA Precheck credit every four years.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® card is perhaps not the obvious alternative to the Sapphire Preferred, but if you’re looking for a no-annual-fee card with a generous reward structure it's worth considering. The card offers a bonus of an extra 1.5% cash back on all purchases up to $20,000 spent in the first year (valued at up to $300).
The Freedom Unlimited also offers the same 3X rewards on dining and 5X on Ultimate Rewards Travel bookings. The 3X rewards on drugstore purchases are a nice added bonus, while the 1.5X rate on all other purchases lets you maximize everyday spending. It’s a great card for everyday purchases, enhanced by its zero annual fee.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
- Our Rating 4.5/5 How our ratings work
- APR19.99% - 28.74% (Variable)
- Annual Fee$0
-
Bonus Offer
1.5%Extra Cash Back
Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.
We like that the card offers a high flat rewards rate but also provides accelerated rewards on some common everyday spending categories. You’ll also get access to the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel portal, which allows you to use your cash-back earnings for travel rewards, gift cards and more. If you make this your primary card for most purchases you can quickly rack up a lot of rewards.
Overview
The Chase Freedom Unlimited card is unique for a couple of reasons. First, it comes with purchase protection and extended warranty protection you don’t see with some other cash-back cards. Second, you earn cash back in the form of points (Chase Ultimate Rewards) and when paired with another annual-fee earning Chase product, you can get even more value if you love to travel by transferring to partners.
That’s because while the Freedom cards are marketed as cash-back credit cards, they actually offer points. You can use those points to book travel through Chase at a rate of 1 cent per point. But if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you’ll get 25% and 50% more value on those travel redemptions, respectively. (Plus, the ability to transfer your points, too.)
Pros
- No category bonuses to remember; earn at least 1.5% back on everything
- No annual fee
- Generous travel and purchase protection benefits
Cons
- Can't transfer Chase points unless paired with another annual-fee Chase product
Bilt World Elite Mastercard®
Bilt seems to be on a mission to dethrone the Ultimate Rewards program with similar transfer partners and a competing credit card. The Bilt World Elite Mastercard is a solid no-annual-fee alternative to the Sapphire Preferred. While the card doesn’t exactly match the Sapphire Preferred’s category bonuses, it does earn 3X points on dining, 2X on travel, and 1X on fee-free rent payments (up to 100,000 per calendar year) and 1x on all other purchases). It’s worth noting that you must make at least five transactions each statement period to earn points with your Bilt card.
Bilt Mastercard®
- Our Rating 4.5/5 How our ratings work
- APRSee site for details.
- Annual Fee$0
The Bilt Mastercard is absolutely worth it if you’re a renter interested in maximizing your rewards potential. Being able to earn points on rent without paying transaction fees is huge. But what makes “points” valuable is how you use them. Bilt’s loyalty program is comparable to Chase Ultimate Rewards because it has 10 travel partners in common with Chase. Just be sure you can use the card 5 times each statement period to qualify for earning points.
Overview
The Bilt Mastercard has quickly gained popularity since it launched and it’s easy to see why. The card has been dubbed a game-changer because it offers rewards on rent payments, without transaction fees. Between generous category bonuses and premium travel perks, Bilt has created a card that appeals to frequent travelers and those who want a simple rewards card.
Pros
- Earn points on rent without the transaction fee
- Generous earnings on dining and travel
- Strong rental car and purchase protections
Cons
- Doesn't earn points on mortgages
Bilt is unique in offering points on rent payments and its lineup of transfer partners. Bilt is the only loyalty program, other than Ultimate Rewards, that offers World of Hyatt as a transfer partner. Bilt is also the only loyalty program offering 1:1 transfers to American AAdvantageⓇ, which can be valuable for domestic and international transfers.
Another reason the Bilt MasterCard is a good alternative: Out of Bilt’s transfer partners, 10 overlap with Chase:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France / KLM Flying Blue
- British Airways Executive Club
- Emirates Skywards
- Iberia Plus
- IHG Rewards Club
- United MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- World of Hyatt
Bottom Line
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is an excellent travel rewards card, but it’s got plenty of competition if you’re looking for something cheaper or better. Hopefully, this list gives you an idea of leveraging competing credit cards to better suit your travel needs. And if you’re already a loyal Sapphire Preferred cardholder, you can expand your wallet with a card that’s equally (or more) rewarding.
Ariana Arghandewal
Ariana Arghandewal is a rewards travel expert and founder of Pointchaser, an online publication dedicated to rewards travel topics. She brings over a decade of experience writing about travel, points, miles and credit cards. Her expertise includes her roles as an editor for distinguished travel and finance publications such as NerdWallet, The Points Guy and FlyerTalk. She has also authored many articles featured in major financial news & travel channels like Forbes, U.S. News Weekly, Business Insider & Fodor’s Travel.
