How to Earn up to $750 in Travel With the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Most products on this page are from partners who may compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how they appear on the page. However, opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain. This page may include information about American Express products currently unavailable on Slickdeals. American Express is not a partner of Slickdeals.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is currently offering an impressive 60,000 bonus points for new cardholders who spend $4,000 with their new credit cards during the first three months of account opening. This sign-up bonus is worth up to $750 in travel expenses when booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Eligible travel expenses include flights, hotels, rental cards, public transit and even parking and tolls.

If you're new to credit card rewards travel, the Chase Sapphire Preferred might be a great place to start. The card has a low $95 annual fee and offers some great rewards that can easily help offset this cost.

Chase Sapphire Preferred®

Apply Now

Secure application on issuer’s website

• Our Rating 5/5 How our ratings work
• APR20.99% - 27.99% (Variable)
• Annual Fee$95
• Sign Up Bonus 60,000Chase Ultimate Rewards Points More Info

  Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $1,320 (60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points * 0.022 base)

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is one of the gold standards for earning travel rewards. It has a generous sign-up bonus and you can earn points on travel and dining expenses. The card does have an annual fee, but you can continue earning points through bonus categories and an anniversary points boost.

• Overview
• Pros & Cons

Overview

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is pretty flexible as it lets you transfer rewards points into miles or points several airlines and hotel programs. You can take advantage of strong transfer partners such as United, Southwest, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Hyatt. Similarly, you can book any reservation you want through the Chase Travel℠ portal. Although the card might not be ideal for the most frequent travelers, it has a built-in upgrade path, so when it’s time to level up your travel rewards game, you won’t have to start from scratch.

Pros

• Points are easily transferable to airlines and hotel partners
• Accelerated earnings on dining, travel & household purchases
• Excellent travel and purchase protections
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons

• Not ideal for the highest spenders
• $95 annual fee

How to Earn the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Bonus 

When you open a new Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, you'll earn 60,000 bonus points once you spend $4,000 in the first three months. Those points translate to up to a $750 travel reward when you redeem them through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program and potentially even more when you transfer your points to any of Chase's airline and hotel partners.

One caveat: You'll only receive the new cardmember bonus if you don't already have a Chase Sapphire card and haven't received a new cardmember bonus for any Sapphire card in the past 48 months.

Rewards Rate and Benefits

In addition to the limited-time bonus offer, the Chase Sapphire Preferred also offers accelerated earnings for travel and dining.

You'll earn 5x points per dollar on travel booked through Ultimate Rewards, 3x points on dining, 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2x on other travel expenses and 1x points per dollar on all other purchases.

Travel Benefits

Cardholders also enjoy a $50 annual hotel credit that is automatically applied to the first $50 in annual hotel expenses booked through Ultimate Rewards. This statement credit essentially reduces the card's $95 annual fee to only $45.

Plus, cardmembers will receive a 10% anniversary point boost based on however many points a member earned the prior year. For example, if you earned 20,000 points using your Chase Sapphire Preferred, then you would receive 2,000 points on your card anniversary.

Additionally, Chase Sapphire Preferred features some of the best travel and purchase protections available.

Point Redemption and Point Transfer

Kiplinger calls the Chase Sapphire Preferred card the best credit card for flexible travel redemptions, and it's easy to see why. Cardholders can use their points for travel, redeem them for cash or gift cards or transfer them at a 1:1 ratio to various hotel and airline loyalty programs.

Here are a few examples of ways you could redeem your points:

• Transfer to an airline partner. When you transfer your Chase Ultimate Reward points to an airline partner, you might be able to squeeze some extra value out of your sign-up bonus.
• Transfer to a hotel partner. In addition to airline partners, Chase currently has hotel partners that allow you to transfer Ultimate Reward points at a 1:1 ratio.
• Use the Chase Portal. As a Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholder, you can redeem your Ultimate Reward Points through the Chase Portal and receive 25% more value. Essentially, each point is worth 1.25 points when you redeem them through the issuer's portal.

Travel Protections

This travel rewards card offers valuable benefits, including trip cancellation, trip interruption and baggage and trip delay protections.

• Trip Cancellation: This policy covers you for up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for cancellation of a trip for a covered reason such as injuries or sickness of the traveler or an immediate family member, as well as severe weather, military orders or jury duty.
• Trip Interruption: This policy also covers you for up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip when your trip is interrupted for a covered reason.
• Baggage Delay: This benefit can reimburse you for up to $100 per day for up to five days when your luggage is delayed for at least six hours.
• Rental Car Insurance: This benefit covers your rental car for collision damage or theft, so long as you decline the optional insurance and pay for the rental with your card.

Purchase Protections

When shopping online or in-person, the Chase Sapphire Preferred includes purchase protection for damage or theft up to 120 days and an automatic extended manufacturer’s warranty where applicable.

• Purchase Protection: Your purchases made with your card are covered for theft and accidental damage for 120 days from the date of purchase. The limit is $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.
• Extended Manufacturer's Warranty: This coverage offers you an additional year on your manufacturer's warranty, up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.

Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Right For You?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is definitely a smart card to consider if you love traveling, as reward points are worth 25% more when you redeem them for travel-related expenses like airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises. This card is also a good choice if you're searching for a large sign-up bonus and plan to make big purchases over the next few months.

That being said, its high APR makes it less than ideal if you know you'll carry a balance. It also may not be the best option for people who rarely travel, or for people who don't want to pay an annual fee. Compare the Sapphire Preferred with a few other popular travel credit cards to determine which is the right fit for you.