The Chase Sapphire Preferred card, while one of our top picks, does take on several card challengers. Today’s card comparison choice was a likely candidate for one of those challenges.

Like the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card earns flexible rewards points and includes several travel insurance benefits.

Will the Chase Sapphire Preferred card reign as our top-choice travel rewards card? In today’s article, we’ll investigate how card attributes compare and, ultimately, determine which card may be better for your situation.

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — Overview

We’ll expand on the details of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and Chase Sapphire Preferred card next.

First, looking at a side-by-side overview of all the features and benefits of each card can be helpful.

The Value of a Welcome Offer

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and Chase Sapphire Preferred card present the opportunity to earn a welcome bonus offer after card approval.

A welcome bonus offer can be earned by meeting minimum spending requirements within the specified period. It’s a chance to earn a large amount of rewards in a short time.

Welcome offers can vary, so you’ll want to review the most current offer before applying.

Earning Potential

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card earns Wells Fargo Rewards points, while the Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

The amount of rewards you earn by spending on either card is one of the key reasons for selecting one card over the other.

For this reason, you should compare the bonus-earning categories for each card with your actual spending mix to determine which card is a better fit.

Here are all the ways you’ll earn rewards with our featured cards:

One clear observation is that spending on travel and dining purchases with either card will earn the most rewards.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card requires that you purchase travel via Chase Travel to earn 5x points while the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card earns 5x points on hotels, 4x on airfare, and 3x on all travel. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns 2x points on general travel.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card has the edge in earning on select streaming services and online groceries — a plus if you spend a lot in these categories.

Ultimately, earnings for both cards are quite similar. However, earnings alone don’t determine the end value you’ll receive at redemption time.

Next, we look at the redemption options for our featured cards.

Redemption Options

Once you’ve accumulated rewards on the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card or the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you’ll have the pleasure of redeeming them for something special.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offer flexible redemption options that help your rewards go further.

Here are the choices when it’s time to redeem your rewards.

Wells Fargo Rewards Points

Rewards earned on the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card are most valuable when transferred to airline and hotel partners. We value Wells Fargo Rewards points at ~1.5 cents each.

There are currently 5 airline transfer partners and the Choice Privileges hotel program. Wells Fargo Rewards points can be transferred to Aer Lingus AerClub, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, and Iberia Plus.

There are plans to add more Wells Fargo transfer partners, though you can access all the major airline alliances with the current airline partners.

Currently, there is just 1 hotel transfer partner, but you can find plenty of value in transferring Wells Fargo Rewards at a 1:2 ratio to Choice Privileges. For example, you can transfer just 8,000 Wells Fargo points to stay at the Clarion Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden (where breakfast is included, by the way) near Old Town for 16,000 Choice Privileges points.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

We value Chase Ultimate Rewards points at ~2 cents each due to the flexible options at redemption time. One reason is that Chase has more transfer partners than Wells Fargo. Ultimate Rewards transfer to these partners at a ratio of 1:1.

You may want to check out how Air France-KLM Flying Blue Promo Rewards can yield great options for economy or business flights from the U.S. to Europe. Transferring Ultimate Rewards points during promo periods can make your points go further.

We also like that Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to the World of Hyatt hotel loyalty program. Hyatt is a known sweet spot that can deliver good value for your points. For example, staying at the Hyatt Regency Chicago can be accomplished for just 12,000 World of Hyatt points per night (off-peak).

Travel Protections and Benefits

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and Chase Sapphire Preferred card are both Visa Signature cards and include several associated travel insurance protections and benefits. Protections can provide economic relief should something go wrong during your trip. Benefits can save you money or add comfort to your journey.

Travel Protections

• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver — Reserve and pay for your entire car rental with your card, and decline the rental agency’s CDW/LDW insurance to receive coverage for damage and theft. Terms apply and coverage may be excluded for some countries.
  • Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card — Secondary coverage within the U.S., primary coverage outside the U.S.
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — Primary coverage worldwide, meaning you do not have to file a claim with other applicable insurance before card coverage applies.
• Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance — Should you need to cancel your trip or it is disrupted for a covered reason, you could receive reimbursement for covered expenses.
  • Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card — Pay for your entire trip with your card and receive up to $15,000 per covered person, per trip, up to a maximum of $20,000 per account every 12 months.
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — Pay for a portion of your trip with your card and receive up to $20,000 per trip, up to $40,000 per 12-month period.
• Lost Baggage Reimbursement — Pay for your trip with your card and if your luggage is lost by the common carrier, or is stolen, you could receive reimbursement of up to $3,000 per trip with the Wells Fargo Autograph card, and up to $3,000 per covered person/per trip with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. Coverage is secondary to any other coverage that may apply.
• Roadside Dispatch — For 1 prearranged fee, you’ll receive a roadside service call plus limited towing, tire changing of your inflated spare, lockout service, emergency fuel delivery, jumpstart service, and standard winching.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

• Trip Delay Reimbursement — Should your trip be delayed more than 12 hours for a covered hazard, or overnight, you could receive up to $500 per ticket when a portion of your trip is paid for with your card.
• Baggage Delay Insurance — If your trip is delayed more than 6 hours, you could receive up to $100 per day, up to 5 days, for covered essential items.

Travel Protection Advantages with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

While the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card and Chase Sapphire Preferred card have similar travel insurance, when viewing the details, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has several clear advantages.

• The Chase Sapphire Preferred card has primary car rental coverage worldwide for up to 31 consecutive days. The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card has secondary coverage in the U.S. and coverage for only up to 15 days (up to 31 days outside the U.S.).
• The Chase Sapphire Preferred card requires that you pay for just a portion of your trip with the card to qualify for trip cancellation/trip interruption coverage. The Wells Fargo Autograph card requires that you pay for the entire trip with the card.
• Coverage for lost/stolen baggage, although secondary on both cards, is limited to $3,000 per trip with the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, the limit is $3,000 per person, per trip — a significant difference.
• The Chase Sapphire Preferred card includes the additional benefits of trip delay reimbursement and baggage delay insurance.

Travel Benefits

• $50 Annual Statement Credit — Receive an annual $50 statement credit for a $50 or more purchase with your card.
  • Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card — Make a purchase of $50 or more directly with the airline and receive the $50 airline statement credit.
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred Card — Book a hotel stay of over $50 via Chase Travel and receive a $50 hotel statement credit each year.
• Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection Benefits — Book your stay with your card and receive elite-style benefits including a best-rate guarantee, room upgrade on arrival (when available), and complimentary breakfast for 2. Free Wi-Fi, a $25 food/beverage credit, VIP guest status, and late checkout on request, when available, are also included.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees — Any travel rewards card worth using would not charge foreign transaction fees. You’ll not be charged these fees with either card.
• Travel and Emergency Assistance — Receive help 24/7 when traveling with a dedicated phone number for referral services. Services include medical/legal referrals, translation services, help arranging emergency transportation, and more.

Shopping Protections and Benefits

Shopping protections can provide valuable economic benefits should something go wrong with an eligible item you purchased with your card.

You can earn additional rewards and access to special offers using your card’s shopping benefits.

Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card

• Cell Phone Protection — Pay your monthly bill with your card and if your phone is lost or stolen, you could receive up to $1,000 per claim. There is a limit of 2 claims per 12 months and a limit of $2,000.
• My Wells Fargo Deals — You’ll find offers from select retailers and service providers in your online card account. Choose and activate the offers you like, make the required purchase, and receive cash back.
• Autograph Card Exclusives — Receive exclusive offers to live events for which you can purchase up to 6 tickets!

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

• Purchase Protection —You could receive up to $500 per item for damage or theft for up to 120 days from the date of purchase. Qualifying items must be purchased with your card, and there is a limit of $50,000 per account.
• Extended Warranty — Eligible items purchased with your card with manufacturer’s warranties of 3 years or less will receive coverage for an additional year.
• DoorDash DashPass — Activate this benefit by December 31, 2027, and receive complimentary membership for up to 12 months. Membership includes free delivery and reduced fees.
• Chase Offers — Log in to your online card account and select from a collection of cash-back offers. Make the required purchase and receive a statement credit.

Annual Fees and Authorized Users

When determining the value a card can provide, the cost of card membership should be considered.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card has an annual fee of . The Chase Sapphire Preferred card charges an annual fee of .

There is no charge to add authorized users to either of our featured cards.

Final Thoughts

On the surface, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card appears to hold its ground with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. It has strong earnings, flexible redemption options, and a long list of travel insurance benefits.

When we dig deeper, we find that Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be worth more than Wells Fargo Rewards due to the options at redemption time. This could change as more Wells Fargo transfer partners are added over time.

And, while the travel insurance benefits are similar, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has more coverage and fewer hoops to jump through, including not having to pay for your entire trip with your card to qualify for coverage.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card can still be a good choice for earning on travel, dining, utilizing its current transfer partners, and for its travel/shopping benefits. The $50 airline credit alone offsets most of the annual fee.

If you’re like most people, you hear the word “insurance,” and your eyelids start feeling heavy. Let’s be honest: Insurance isn’t thrilling. The terminology can feel confusing, leaving you with many questions about what exactly the travel insurance on your Chase Sapphire Preferred card does and doesn’t cover.

You have questions, and we have answers. Here’s a simple look at your most common questions about travel insurance on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Overview

Recap of Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Travel Insurance

Before moving any further, let’s ensure you’re familiar with the long list of travel protections built into the Chase Sapphire Preferred card:

• Auto rental collision damage waiver
• Baggage delay insurance
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Travel accident insurance
• Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance
• Trip delay reimbursement

You’ll also enjoy several other cardholder benefits and protections beyond travel insurance:

• Extended warranty protection
• No foreign transaction fees
• Purchase protection
• Roadside dispatch
• Travel and emergency assistance

Some of the benefits seem more obvious than others. And, as with all insurance, there are always specific terms to understand, exclusions to mind, and coverage limits. Let’s clear some of those up.

1. What Flight Insurance Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Have?

When flying, you’ll have 2 types of insurance: travel accident insurance and trip cancellation and interruption insurance. Both types are in effect for trips for which you paid at least a portion of the cost with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card. Let’s look at each benefit.

Travel Accident Insurance

Travel accident insurance applies to you and your immediate family members if one of you becomes permanently injured or dies while traveling. The cardholder benefit guide lists specific dollar amounts that you can be paid for specific injury types. The coverage is further divided into 2 categories: traveling on a common carrier and 24-hour coverage.

Coverage related to a common carrier covers both injuries and death resulting from your travel on a licensed air, land, or sea transport that regularly carries paying passengers. Think planes and ferries, for example. You’ll also be covered while at an airport, terminal, or station immediately before or after a trip, including courtesy transport to or from these places if provided as part of your trip. If your flight booking includes the airline picking you up from the hotel, this could be covered if all other conditions are met.

The 24-hour coverage applies around the clock and is valid on trips of up to 30 days. If you take a trip longer than this, coverage will end 1 minute after midnight on the 31st day, though it would come back into effect when you are in transportation to the airport for your flight home. If you drive yourself to the airport, coverage should resume once you are inside the airport.

Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance

This benefit reimburses you for the money you lose when a trip paid for (in whole or part) with your card is interrupted or canceled. Trip interruption is when you’ve started the trip and must end it early for a covered reason; trip cancellation applies to canceling a trip before it begins. The maximum benefit payout here is $10,000 per person and up to $20,000 per trip. Both the cardholder and immediate family members are covered.

Trip cancellation coverage begins when you make your first deposit toward the trip and ends when you depart on your scheduled departure date. Trip interruption starts on your scheduled departure date and ends on your scheduled return date. However, if these dates or times are adjusted for reasons beyond your or the carrier’s control, the benefit will adjust automatically.

What expenses are reimbursable? They include nonrefundable, prepaid travel expenses by a licensed supplier, such as a travel agency, hotel, shore excursion agency, etc. When canceling for a covered reason, you’re also covered for redeposit fees to get your airline miles back. Unfortunately, this benefit doesn’t cover lost money you paid for tickets to shows or theme parks, tee times at golf courses, museums, or other entrance fees unless they’re part of a tour package.

You’ll be covered for a few more situations with trip interruption coverage only. These include fees for returning a rental car early or to the nearest facility and up to $250 of expenses to transport you for necessary medical treatment. However, that doesn’t include medical transport (such as ambulances or medevac).

What if you paid with Chase Ultimate Rewards points and are due a refund under these benefits? You’ll be reimbursed according to the value on your travel supplier’s confirmation receipt, assuming that’s listed. If there’s no trip value listed on the receipt after you paid with points, you’ll be reimbursed at a value of 1 cent per point.

Covered Reasons

Not every reason for canceling a trip or ending it early is covered under these benefits. Covered reasons include accidental death or injury, a sickness requiring hospitalization, severe weather, a named storm warning, a change in military orders, a subpoena or call to jury duty, your home being burglarized or becoming uninhabitable, your hotel becoming uninhabitable, a public transportation strike that makes you miss 20% of a trip or a scheduled tour departure, and more. Consult the Chase Sapphire Preferred card benefits guide to see if your specific cancellation or interruption reason is covered.

2. Does Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Travel Insurance Cover Cruises?

This part is a bit confusing, but yes. Chase’s benefits guide for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card states explicitly that cruise lines aren’t included in the definition of a “common carrier.” However, cruise lines are included in the definition of a “travel supplier.”

Why does this matter? Many of the trip cancellation and trip interruption benefits only apply to travel with a common carrier, which doesn’t include cruise lines. However, some benefits do apply to cruises. These include stolen luggage benefits or even canceling a trip if delays mean you’ll miss at least 20% of the trip or that you’ll miss the departure of your cruise ship.

The travel accident and injury benefits also apply while you’re cruising, but it’s worth noting that returning late to your cruise ship, only to find it’s left for the next island without you, isn’t a covered expense. You’ll be on your own for the costs of catching up to your ship.

3. What Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Baggage Insurance Cover?

There are 2 types of baggage protection here: coverage for delayed bags and coverage for lost, stolen, or damaged luggage. Baggage delay insurance covers up to $100 per day for up to 5 days when your bags are delayed by at least 6 hours, covering each additional 24 hours past that until the maximum of 5 days is reached. This benefit applies to you and your immediate family members when you pay for at least part of your trip with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card. You don’t need to be traveling with your immediate family members for them to be covered, as long as at least part of their trip was paid for with your card, which can be a nice perk if you book travel for relatives.

Coverage begins on the scheduled departure date and ends on the scheduled return date, though coverage adjusts automatically if there are changes outside your or the travel provider’s control. There’s also a list of non-covered items, such as medical devices, losses due to war/conflict, electronics, and cash equivalents. In case of baggage delay, you must report it to the travel provider as soon as possible and keep receipts for necessary expenses you incur; you’ll submit these for reimbursement afterward.

Lost luggage reimbursement is different; it covers lost, stolen, or damaged luggage during your trip. Both checked and carry-on bags are covered up to a maximum of $3,000 per person per trip. However, there’s a limit of $500 for jewelry, watches, and electronics.

There are some specifics to understand about this coverage, however. First, it doesn’t cover items you leave behind by accident. Second, coverage applies to you and immediate family members (even if you aren’t traveling with them) so long as you paid for at least part of the trip with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card. Coverage is available from the scheduled start to the scheduled end of your trip, but it is automatically adjusted if there are uncontrollable delays to either date.

Coverage applies to common carriers and cruise lines, and you must report the loss, theft, or damage within the timeframe specified by your travel provider. Then, the coverage on your Chase Sapphire Preferred card will cover any difference in the value of your monetary loss (after depreciation of the items) and the payment you receive from the travel provider. Thus, this is secondary coverage. It’s worth noting that documents, furs, tickets, and cash-like items aren’t covered.

4. What Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Medical Insurance Cover?

Accidents can happen on any trip, from accidentally slipping on the wet deck of a cruise ship to spending nights in a hospital at a far-flung destination. Does your health insurance at home cover you when you head to Florida? What about South America? These are questions worth asking. If your medical coverage won’t be in effect, it’s worth considering medical travel insurance.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card includes travel accident insurance for you and your immediate family members. It’s in effect if you pay at least part of the airfare for your trip with this card. You’ll receive varying maximum payouts depending on the type of injury (or death) encountered during your trip, and the maximum limit also depends on whether the accident occurs while traveling on a common carrier or at some other point during your trip. The 24-hour benefit provides maximum coverage of $100,000, increasing to $500,000 when traveling on a common carrier.

But how does this work in practice?

If more than 1 person is injured, the benefits administrator will pay no more than 2 times the maximum limit for each type of injury. That sum will be divided among all covered persons eligible for benefits payments.

In case of death, the benefits administrator will give the money to your named beneficiary. If you haven’t named a beneficiary, the order of preference goes from a spouse or domestic partner to children, then parents, siblings, and finally, your estate. If you go missing and haven’t been found after a year, then this will trigger the “loss of life” benefit.

Coverage begins either when you reach the airport, station, or terminal for travel on a common carrier or when you enter courtesy transportation provided to take you to the point at which your trip begins, such as a train station or airport. If you didn’t buy your tickets in advance but are purchasing them when you arrive at the station, coverage begins once you make the payment for travel. Coverage ends after you leave the transportation vessel or exit the courtesy transportation provided afterward.

The 24-hour coverage functions a bit differently. It’s in effect around the clock for up to 30 days, starting from your scheduled departure for air travel. If your trip is longer than 30 days, coverage will pause 1 minute after midnight on the 31st day and resume when you reach the airport for a flight home or are in courtesy transportation to the airport for the flight home.

Obviously, there are exclusions. You aren’t covered if you’re a pilot or crew member on a flight, you get injured while committing a crime, you get injured while skydiving, your injury is self-inflicted, or you’re injured in a war.

Lastly, you may wonder how COVID-19 factors in. The benefits guide says this under covered losses: “Quarantine of you or your traveling companion imposed by a physician or a competent governmental authority having jurisdiction, due to health reasons.”

Thus, your illness could be covered if a doctor or government requires quarantine related to COVID-19. COVID-19 is generally covered under most travel insurance policies in the same way sicknesses are covered. However, not traveling to avoid COVID-19 risks isn’t covered. As the benefits guide says, “Your disinclination to travel, a country closing its borders, or a travel supplier canceling or changing travel arrangements due to an epidemic or pandemic.”

5. Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Cover Hotel Cancellations?

Hotels aren’t treated separately under the Chase Sapphire Preferred card travel insurance terms. If you must cancel or interrupt a trip for a covered reason, then your hotel cancellation fees can be covered. This would include situations like forfeiting a first night’s room cost for canceling your hotel booking at the last minute, assuming you couldn’t arrive for a covered reason, such as a travel delay or a last-minute injury that made you unable to travel.

6. Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Cover Airbnb Cancellations?

While you won’t find the word “Airbnb” or even “vacation home” in the benefits guide, you will find a description that covers these types of rentals:

“Provider of Lodging – a hotel, inn, motel, bed and breakfast, or hostel; a Provider of Lodging includes non–commercial time shares, condominiums, or rentals of a private residence; such rental shall require a written contract between You and the property owner or management company, executed in advance of the commencement of the rental period …”

Chase Sapphire Preferred card benefits guide.

So long as you’ve reserved your rental in advance and have a written contract — which Airbnb provides at the time of booking, courtesy of your confirmation details — your vacation home rental should count as a type of lodging. The contract must state the cancellation provisions, must not include a rental of more than 60 days, and your booking must be made directly with a licensed website or agent — not with the homeowner directly (unless that person is a licensed agent).

Airbnb is a covered lodging type, meaning your booking should qualify for trip interruption, trip cancellation, and trip delay coverage.

7. Does Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Travel Insurance Cover Rental Cars in Other Countries?

In short, yes. However, there are some exclusions. Since your personal auto insurance policy may not cover you abroad, it’s great to know that paying with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card and declining the rental company’s collision damage waiver can provide protection on your next rental.

You can be covered up to the actual cash value of most rental cars against theft or collision damage. Coverage can include administrative fees, loss-of-use charges, and even towing charges. Coverage applies to rentals up to 31 days and covers you plus any additional drivers listed on the rental contract.

You’ll need to use your card (or your points) to pay for the entire cost of the rental, and most vehicle types are covered by this primary insurance. However, coverage doesn’t apply to exotic or antique cars, high-value vehicles, cargo vehicles, motorcycles, RVs, or vans with seating for more than 9 people (including the driver). Note that Teslas qualify as high-value vehicles, so these aren’t covered.

The benefits guide doesn’t spell out any specific excluded countries. However, Visa typically excludes coverage in Israel, Jamaica, and Northern Ireland, plus you may not be able to use your card to pay for a rental (and thus coverage won’t be in effect) with U.S. Treasury Department monetary embargoes. These destinations include places where your credit cards won’t work, such as Cuba, Sudan, Syria, and North Korea.

8. Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Cover Turo or Zipcar Rentals?

Unfortunately, no. Because Turo and Zipcar rentals aren’t considered rentals from a rental car agency, most credit card rental car insurance doesn’t cover them.

9. How Do I File a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Travel Insurance Claim?

To file a claim, you should first gather all of the documents related to your claim. These can include receipts, accident reports, police reports, photos, hospital records, or anything else pertinent to the type of claim you’re making.

Next, you can call the benefits administrator at 866-390-9735 or visit eclaimsline.com to submit online. Different claims have different required timelines. For example, auto claims must be filed within 100 days of the incident. However, you need to file within 90 days for baggage delays or losses, but you’re supposed to contact the benefits administrator within 20 days of these incidents to at least provide notice, even though you have 90 days to finish submitting the claim.

10. Do I Need Travel Insurance if I Have the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card?

This question will be subjective, and different people will arrive at different conclusions. Travel insurance can be useful for the unexpected, but no 2 trips are equal. The best way to decide whether you need additional insurance beyond what the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers is to look at what it doesn’t cover.

Will you be skydiving? Do you have significant trip expenses related to Turo rentals or short connections that could cause domino effects if you miss a departure time? Are you renting an RV or going camping — types of travel not covered by the Chase Sapphire Preferred card?

If you have prepaid, nonrefundable expenses that wouldn’t be reimbursed by your credit card’s travel insurance in the event of delays or cancellations, getting a travel insurance policy that covers these could be a good idea and could provide peace of mind. That said, not every travel activity is covered by every travel insurance policy, so you want to make sure you choose a policy that covers your expenses for your particular trip.

If you look at your trip and decide that your flights, hotel plans, and simple plan of just relaxing at the beach will be covered by the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, then purchasing an extra policy probably isn’t necessary.

Final Thoughts

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers numerous protections for purchases and trips. Insurance terms can feel confusing, but hopefully, the explanations of these policies should clarify what is and isn’t covered, as well as policy limits, in a way that helps you know whether the coverages are sufficient for your upcoming travels.

Want to learn more about what else this card offers beyond travel insurance? Consult our full Chase Sapphire Preferred card review.

In fact, opening the Chase Sapphire Preferred card many years ago is what got me started on this never-ending cycle of earning travel rewards. Combined with the card’s welcome bonus offer and the excellent everyday bonus categories, I’ve stockpiled hundreds of thousands of points over the years.

But how useful are these points, anyway? While award travel is certainly not “free” by any means, redeeming points for flights and hotels has significantly helped to reduce my out-of-pocket costs on trips. In the past, my points have helped me score unbelievable experiences like ziplining through the jungles of Costa Rica and hiking towering waterfalls in Iceland.

Today, I’ll go through the top 5 travel redemptions I’ve made with my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card this year.

How To Earn and Redeem Points From the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Before we dive into the nitty gritty, let’s first go over how you earn and redeem points on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. For starters, let’s take a look at what the current welcome offer is:

Earning Points

Beyond earning the welcome offer, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a rewards powerhouse for many heavy-hitting bonus categories:

• Earns 5x points per $1 on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
• Earns 5x points on select Peloton purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025)
• Earns 5x points on Lyft purchases (through March 31, 2025)
• Earns 3x points per $1 on dining purchases, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services
• Earns 2x points per $1 on all other travel worldwide
• Earns 1x points per $1 on all other eligible purchases

Whether it’s going out to eat, taking Lyft rides around the city, or even paying for my $2.75 subway rides, I’ve been able to earn bonus points on all of my routine purchases.

Redeeming Points

Now when it comes time to redeem points, there are many options to consider on the Chase Travel portal. At first glance, it may seem convenient to cash out your Ultimate Rewards points for gift cards or shopping on Amazon. However, your points aren’t worth very much for either option — just 1 cent or 0.8 cents each, respectively.

The best way to redeem your Ultimate Rewards points is for travel, and there are 2 main ways to do so. The first option is to make new travel bookings (flights, hotels, rental cars, or even cruises) through Chase Travel. If you redeem your points in this fashion, they’re worth 1.25 cents apiece — which is certainly a better value than gift cards or Amazon purchases — but even that method isn’t necessarily the best option.

Instead, we highly recommend that you look toward Chase’s 11 airline and 3 hotel transfer partners. Your points transfer at a 1:1 ratio to these participating loyalty programs, including more familiar faces like Marriott Bonvoy, Southwest Rapid Rewards, or United MileagePlus.

But some of these international airlines that you may have never flown such as Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, and Iberia, offer outstanding value that can’t be ignored. In fact, that’s how we arrived at the value of 2 cents per Ultimate Rewards point when leveraging Chase’s transfer partners. It takes a bit more research and elbow grease, yes, but we’re here to provide these resources at Upgraded Points.

My Top 5 Chase Sapphire Preferred Travel Redemptions This Year

ANA Business Class from New York (JFK) to Tokyo (HND)

Next week, I’ll embark on an exciting 3-week trip to Japan and South Korea. It’s been 5 years since I’ve visited my relatives in South Korea, but this time, I’ll be flying to Asia in style.

Virgin Atlantic has an incredible partnership with Japanese 5-star carrier ANA. If you can find the award space, you can book a one-way, business class flight on the carrier from New York to Tokyo for just 47,500 Virgin Atlantic Flying points. Taxes and fees will run you about $350, but you can’t argue with the value here.

A paid one-way fare would normally cost at least $5,000, so I got almost 10 cents per point by transferring Ultimate Rewards points from my Chase Sapphire Preferred card to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. (That’s 10x more value than if I had redeemed my Chase points for gift cards!).

Now the challenging part here is finding award availability (which we’ve detailed fully in this guide). However, there are usually 2 ways to go about it. The first method is to look way out, 330 days to be exact, when ANA first releases seat availability. The other method is the complete opposite — to look very close to the date you’re looking to fly.

I did a combination of the 2, as I originally found and booked the award space about a year ago. But just 3 weeks before flying, I decided that I wanted to change my travel date and also found plenty of award space booked in closely.

All said and done, I’ve seriously upgraded my 14-hour journey to Asia by using just 47,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

ANA First Class from Tokyo (HND) to San Francisco (SFO)

Flying business class to Asia is a bucket-list redemption for many. But did you know you can also use those points to fly first class?

Largely using the same redemption method as above, I’ll be coming home via an ANA flight from Tokyo (HND) to San Francisco (SFO) — in first class. For this ticket, I did book ~330 days out.

Now this ultra-posh ticket would cost closer to $10,000, but I only ended up using 55,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points and paid around $450 in taxes and fees. That’s like getting 17 cents per point in value, which is pretty amazing for Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Now, redemptions like this seem almost too good to be true, and airlines are always on the hunt to devalue this kind of reward. This did actually happen last month, as Virgin Atlantic raised the award rates for future ANA first class bookings. As such, the same first ticket I booked now requires 72,500 points one-way.

Despite this devaluation, the ability to book first class for less than a six-figure balance of points is still incredible.

2 Nights at Hyatt’s Hana-Maui Resort

Last month, I flew to Oahu to see my college best friend living on the island. Sure, we could have just stayed at her house for the ~10 days I was visiting, but you can’t visit Hawaii without seeing (at least) another island.

Fortunately, my Chase points made this happen. I was able to make a 2-night trip to Maui come to life by booking the Hana-Maui Resort on points. This luxury hotel would have cost $800+ per night, but since it’s part of the World of Hyatt program, I could book it using 30,000 points per night instead.

Plus, Chase’s partnership with World of Hyatt is quite valuable as it’s the absolute best loyalty program for booking hotel nights. In sum, I redeemed 60,000 Chase points to achieve 2.67 cents per point in value. While this may seem like more modest of a value compared to my luxurious lie-flat seats to and from Asia, I still love to redeem my points for hotels — especially with these inflated rates recently.

Coupled with $49 island-hopping flights, I couldn’t have been happier with this redemption — stay tuned for a review coming very soon.

Virgin Atlantic Economy Class from New York (JFK) to London (LHR)

As glamorous as my redemptions have seemed so far, I don’t have an unlimited points stash to use just for business- or first-class flights. I love a good flight deal and am more than happy to fly economy, especially if the flight is under 8 hours or if it’s not a red-eye.

This summer, I’m going on a cruise with a friend out of Barcelona. Because it seems like everyone and their mother is trying to go to Europe this summer, award tickets are scarce.

However, Virgin Atlantic saves the day yet again. The U.K.-based carrier hosts sales several times per year, and back in February, the carrier offered a 30% discount on select award flights. Therefore, I managed to book a flight from New York (JFK) to London (LHR) for just 7,500 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points and about $150 in taxes and fees.

My same one-way ticket would have cost me at least $700, so I got a terrific 7 cents per point value. Even without the 30% award sale, the same flight would only cost 10,000 Virgin Flying Club points — and there’s lots of award availability at the time of writing.

Iberia Business Class from Madrid (MAD) to New York (JFK)

On the way back, I decided to splurge for an Iberia business class flight from Madrid (MAD). The Spanish flag carrier offers one of the most reasonable award rates for a lie-flat seat to and from Europe: 34,000 Avios (off-peak) or 50,000 Avios (peak).

As I’m flying during the peak summer season, I transferred 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points to Iberia Avios and paid $150 in taxes and fees. The same ticket would have cost me at least $5,000 one-way, which is way too steep for an 8-hour flight. Still, that’s a sizeable value of almost 10 cents per point.

Final Thoughts

The total tally clocks in at 220,000 redeemed Ultimate Rewards points this year. That may seem like an eye-popping amount of rewards — but once you factor a stash of 80,000 points and everyday earning opportunities — I guarantee it won’t take you long to creep up with a similar balance of points.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is the absolute best place to start if you’ve been longing to book travel using points.

As with most credit cards, the welcome offer for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card can vary. So, if you’re hoping to get the biggest offer possible, here are a few ways to help increase your chances.

Benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Before we dive into how you can get the highest welcome bonus offer possible on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, let’s take a look at some of the card’s best benefits to see if it’s a good fit for you.

Bonus Categories

• 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel
• 5x points on select Peloton purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025)
• 5x points Lyft (through March 31, 2025)
• 3x points on online grocery purchases, excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs
• 3x points on dining at restaurants, including eligible delivery services and takeout
• 3x points on select streaming services
• 2x points on all other travel purchases
• 1x points on all other purchases

Other Key Benefits

• Primary Rental Car Coverage — Your rental car is covered for theft and damage in the U.S. and most countries around the world.
• Annual Hotel Credit — Receive an annual statement credit of up to $50 toward a hotel stay purchased through the Chase Travel portal.
• Annual Bonus Points — Receive a 10% bonus on your annual spend on your card as bonus points on your account anniversary (i.e. spend $30,000 and receive 3,000 bonus points).
• Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance — If you need to cancel or cut a trip short for covered issues (like severe weather or an illness), you’re eligible for up to $10,000 of coverage for prepaid, nonrefundable travel expenses.
• Baggage Delay Insurance — If your checked baggage is delayed more than 6 hours, you can receive $100 in reimbursements for essential items per day for up to 5 days.
• Trip Delay Reimbursement — If you pay for your trip with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and it is delayed for 12 or more hours, or long enough to require an overnight stay, you’re eligible for reimbursement of up to $500 per ticket in reasonable expenses.
• Purchase Protection — Your new purchases are covered for up to 120 days against damage or theft, up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
• Extended Warranty Protection — A U.S. manufacturer’s warranty is extended by a year.
• 25% Point Bonus Through Chase Travel Portal — Your points are worth 1.25 cents apiece, instead of 1 cent, when redeemed through the Chase Travel portal.

How To Find a Larger Chase Sapphire Preferred Welcome Bonus Offer

While the standard offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is usually pretty solid, you always want to make sure you’re getting the best offer possible. Here are a few ways to try and track down a higher offer.

Increased Public Welcome Offer — Easiest Way

Naturally, one of the best ways to track down a higher welcome offer is by not having to track it down at all! Occasionally, Chase will offer an increased welcome offer available to everyone for a limited time.

The current public welcome offer is:

Ultimate Rewards points are worth more when redeemed through Chase Travel — and even more when transferred to one of the Chase transfer partners.

Utilize CardMatch

CardMatch is a tool that allows users to check for targeted offers from banking partners. Many of the larger U.S. banks, like Chase and American Express, publish these targeted offers on CardMatch, revealing those offers to users who use the CardMatch tool.

If you want to make sure you’re prequalified for a card before you apply, CardMatch offers that, as well. While this does not guarantee approval, the likelihood of getting approved improves significantly compared to someone who applies for a card through its website.

Just be aware that there’s no guarantee that you’ll see better offers than what’s publicly available. But it’s worth checking out, especially as it’s free and your credit doesn’t get pulled.

Here’s the information that you need to provide CardMatch with to use the tool to see your offers:

• Full name
• Address
• Last 4 digits of your Social Security number

While you may have reservations about providing the last 4 digits of your Social Security number, the entire website is secured using 256-bit encryption, and it’s a PCI Level 1-compliant organization, which means it offers the same level of security as a bank would.

Furthermore, when you insert these details into CardMatch, you will not receive a hard pull on your credit report. This information is only used to match you with any targeted offers you’re eligible for.

Targeted Mailings From Chase

Another great option to increase your odds of receiving a higher offer is by opting into targeted mailings from Chase. Luckily, it’s pretty simple to do so.

First, log in to your account and click over to your Profile, then Settings. Once there, select Marketing Preferences, and then make sure you’ve selected Yes to receive special offers from Chase, which includes credit card offers!

Why Is the 80K or 100K Chase Sapphire Preferred Welcome Offer Worthwhile?

Without a doubt, the main reason why the Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s 80,000- or 100,000-point welcome offers are worthwhile is the amount of value they can offer you.

Consider that merely redeeming these welcome offers for cash-back would offer $800 to $1,000 in value to you. But if you were to redeem your points through the Chase travel portal, with a 25% bonus as a benefit of your Chase Sapphire Preferred card, your value would increase to $1,000 in travel for the 80K offer and $1,250 in travel for the 100K offer.

That said, you could potentially receive even more value than that by making strategic use of the Chase transfer partners. By redeeming your points this way, you can book business and first class flights, along with 5-star hotel stays, for a fraction of what these experiences would usually cost — giving you far more value than 1 to 1.25 cents per point.

What Credit Score Do You Need for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card?

There is no set credit score that will guarantee that you will be approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. That said, if you have Good to Excellent (670 to 850) credit score, plus a couple of years of clean credit history, you should have reasonably good approval odds.

History of Chase Sapphire Preferred Welcome Offers

In the past, welcome offers for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card have generally ranged from 60,000 points to 80,000 points, but the highest-ever welcome offers have been 100,000 points.

Will the 80K to 100K Chase Sapphire Preferred Welcome Offer Happen More Than Once?

Both the 80,000-point and 100,000-point offers have happened more than once. We cannot say definitively whether they will be offered again, but, based on the history of offers, it is likely that you’ll see them again.

So, if you missed out on the 80,000- to 100,000-point welcome offer before, there is a decent chance that you’ll have the opportunity again.

Can You Get More Than 1 Welcome Offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card?

Both Sapphire-branded cards from Chase, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, have a 48-month rule. This means you’re not eligible to receive the welcome bonus offers on either card if you’ve already received one within the last 48 months.

If it has been more than 48 months since you last received the bonus, you would need to downgrade your card and then reapply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card to receive the bonus a second time.

Best Ways To Redeem the 80K to 100K Chase Sapphire Preferred Welcome Offer

There’s no shortage of excellent ways to put a welcome offer of 80,000 to 100,000 Chase points to good use.

You could book business class flights between the U.S. and Europe via the Air France-KLM Flying Blue program for as low as 50,000 points in each direction. Or you could book short-haul tickets aboard American Airlines via British Airways Executive Club for as low as 7,500 or 9,000 points, depending on the distance. Or you could even book top-notch hotel stays at Hyatt properties around the world.

Reasons You May Not Be Able To Get a Higher Welcome Offer

Chase’s 5/24 Rule

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is subject to the Chase 5/24 rule. If you’re not familiar with it, the 5/24 rules limit new applicants from opening certain cards with Chase if they have previously opened 5 or more new credit cards in the last 24 months.

Keep in mind that this mostly applies to new personal credit cards — many business credit cards, personal loans, auto loans, etc., are not counted toward your 5/24 total.

So, if you’ve opened 5 or more new accounts over the past 2 years, you will not be approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, even if you track down a higher welcome offer.

Low Credit

If you currently have a low credit score, your odds of getting approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card are much lower, regardless of how large a welcome offer you’re applying for.

If you were recently denied for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, or think you would be denied if you applied, then your main priority should be to improve your credit score.

You’ve Said No to Marketing Offers

This one is easy to overlook, as Chase cannot send you marketing offers if you do not opt-in to receive them. If you want to limit the amount of snail mail you receive, you’re better off avoiding this, but if you want targeted offers mailed straight to you, you have to opt in!

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is an excellent travel credit card, especially for beginners and those new to points and miles.

If you’re considering adding the Chase Sapphire Preferred card to your wallet, be sure to do some research so that you can make sure you’re getting the best offer possible. Once you’ve earned the bonus, then comes the fun part of deciding how to redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards points!

But what if you’ve already opened the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and think that the Chase Sapphire Reserve card might be the best option for your situation?

In this guide, we’ll go through the A to Z of comparing both cards and outlining the customers who are best suited to upgrade to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

We’ll also show you how you can upgrade your card with ease!

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card have similar names. Indeed, most travelers actually refer to these cards interchangeably as the “Chase Sapphire” when that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Here are some of the key benefits associated with each card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Benefits

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers its cardholders a variety of ways to earn bonus rewards and redeem them for maximum value. Best of all, this card is jam-packed with value without needing to shell out a huge annual fee.

Here are the spending categories where you can earn bonus Ultimate Rewards points:

• 5x points on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025
• 5x points on select Peloton purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025)
• 5x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025)
• 5x points spent on travel booked through Chase Travel
• 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services and takeout
• 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
• 3x points on select streaming services
• 2x points on other travel purchases

Other purchases will earn 1 point per dollar spent.

Also, you’ll enjoy these additional benefits:

• 10% anniversary rewards bonus every account anniversary year
• 25% redemption bonus on travel booked through Chase Travel and on Pay Yourself Back
• $50 annual Ultimate Rewards hotel credit
• Fantastic travel insurance, including primary rental car coverage, trip cancellation insurance, trip interruption insurance, baggage insurance, and more
• Complimentary DoorDash DashPass subscription (activate by December 31, 2027)
• Shopping perks like purchase protection, extended warranty, and no foreign transaction fees

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Benefits

The ultra-premium Chase Sapphire Reserve card is packed with a ton of value for its considerable price tag. It offers much more in the way of luxury travel benefits than the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

To start off, here are the card’s bonus categories:

• 10x points on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025
• 10x points on select Peloton purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025)
• 10x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025)
• 10x points on hotels, car rentals, and Chase Dining purchased through Chase Travel
• 5x points on flights booked through Chase Travel
• 3x points on other dining and travel purchases

All other purchases will earn 1 Ultimate Rewards point per dollar spent.

With this card, you can get:

• A complimentary Priority Pass Select membership for airport lounge access
• 50% redemption value on travel booked through Chase Travel and on select Pay Yourself Back categories
• Up to $300 annual travel credit
• Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee credit
• Access to the Chase Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection
• Some of the best travel insurance from a credit card
• Complimentary DoorDash DashPass subscription (activate by December 31, 2027) and $5 in DoorDash credit every month
• Purchase protection, extended warranty, return protection, and no foreign transaction fees

Benefits Comparison

Now that we’ve outlined the highlights of both the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, let’s compare these cards head-to-head!

One of the biggest selling points of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is the seemingly unbelievable rewards structure from a card with a sub-$100 annual fee. In fact, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card outperforms its ultra-premium counterpart in a few categories!

Meanwhile, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers a series of other game-changing benefits, such as the ability to earn 3x points on other travel purchases including hotel stays booked directly through the hotel, tour packages, and so much more.

Also, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card boasts airport lounge access, thanks to the complimentary Priority Pass Select membership offered. Furthermore, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card will help you get outsized value from your redemptions through its 50% bonus on Chase Travel portal bookings and Pay Yourself Back.

Hot Tip: Need a comprehensive look at the cards’ merits? Check out our detailed comparison of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card vs. the Chase Sapphire Reserve card to determine which card is best for you!

How To Upgrade Your Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

The process for upgrading your Chase Sapphire Preferred card is super easy!

Just call the number on the back of your Chase Sapphire Preferred card and explain to a live agent that you’d like to upgrade to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Keep in mind that the Chase Sapphire Reserve card has a minimum credit limit of $10,000 by virtue of being a Visa Infinite card.

So if your current Chase Sapphire Preferred card has a lower credit limit than $10,000, part of the upgrade process will involve a request for a credit limit increase, also known as a CLI.

When a credit limit increase is requested, Chase may be required to perform a hard inquiry to increase your credit limit to the necessary amount for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Who Should Upgrade Their Card?

With all that said, the question is: is the upgrade worth it? 

Should you upgrade your Chase Sapphire Preferred card to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card? Here are a few profiles in which it might make sense to upgrade to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

You Spend a Lot on Travel

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card generally offers better rewards on travel. To reiterate, you’ll earn 3x Ultimate Rewards points on travel not booked through Chase Travel, while the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers 2x Ultimate Rewards points.

If you’re the type of person who tends to book hotels, tour packages, or flights directly with the provider, or if you just tend to stray away from booking directly with Chase Travel, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card could be worth it for you.

You Don’t Spend Much on Dining

Arguably, the biggest value proposition of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is the ability to earn 3x points on dining. It’s exceedingly rare to find a credit card with a sub-$100 annual fee that offers a return on spend of 6.6% for dining!

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers 3x points on dining, but it doesn’t offer the 10% anniversary rewards bonus that the Chase Sapphire Preferred card does.

So if you spend a ton of money on dining every month, it’s probably worth keeping your Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

You Don’t Spend Much on Online Groceries

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns 3x points on online groceries, excluding Target, Walmart, and warehouse clubs.

One of the best use cases of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is on Instacart purchases. Remember that the Chase Sapphire Preferred card only earns bonus points on online groceries; so if you don’t spend much on online groceries every year, the value proposition of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card may weaken a bit.

You Want Better Travel Benefits

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers significantly upgraded travel benefits over the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. Sure, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card also comes with a higher annual fee, but the increased benefits deflect the cost almost entirely.

For example, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you’ll get a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership, which enables you to access more than 1,400 airport lounges around the world for yourself and up to 2 guests! This benefit alone is worth at least $469 every year.

Plus, you’ll also enjoy an annual travel credit of up to $300 from the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, which is one of the easiest benefits to use.

That’s not even considering the ability to get more perks at hotels through the Chase Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection, better travel insurance protections, and the Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee credit every 4 years!

In short, if you want better travel benefits, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card’s value proposition is enormous.

You Want Better Redemption Value on Chase Travel Portal Bookings

One of the most-discussed benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is the 50% redemption bonus on travel booked through Chase Travel. In comparison, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers a smaller 25% redemption bonus.

If you are constantly redeeming points through the Chase Travel portal, you could come out way ahead in the long run by holding the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

For example, if you book 4 round-trip economy tickets to Hawaii, each costing $500, you’d normally have to pay $2,000 or spend 200,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

By redeeming points through the Chase Travel portal using your Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you could redeem 160,000 Ultimate Rewards points for that same trip. With the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you could redeem just 133,333 points. And that’s just for 1 trip!

You’ll get some fantastic value with fewer points using the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, and the savings will add up over the years.

You Applied for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Less Than 4 Years Ago

If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and applied less than 4 years ago, your only option to get your hands on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card would be to upgrade.

If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and applied more than 4 years ago, you can follow these steps to qualify for a new bonus on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card:

1. Downgrade your existing Chase Sapphire Preferred card to a card like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the Chase Freedom Flex℠
2. Wait a week or so for Chase’s internal systems to refresh
3. Apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card

By applying for a new card altogether, you should qualify for a new welcome bonus, as long as it’s been at least 4 years since you received a bonus on a Sapphire card. Keep in mind that this process will almost certainly result in a hard inquiry, as it is a new card application.

Final Thoughts

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card are 2 of the most impressive credit cards available. Thanks to industry-leading rewards categories and thoughtfully-designed card benefits, these 2 cards remain some of the most popular credit cards to this day.

If you’re looking for enhanced travel benefits, better bonus rewards on travel not booked through the Chase Travel portal, and don’t spend that much on dining, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card be a fantastic choice for you.

Either way, you can’t go wrong!

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act of 2003 (SCRA) and the Military Lending Act (MLA) regulate lending practices for military members and apply to financial transactions such as vehicle leases, mortgages, and payday loans. These acts also have an impact on credit card debt secured by military members.

Credit card issuers, such as Chase, closely follow these laws but may exceed requirements to also waive annual fees on credit cards issued to military members and in some cases, to their spouses and dependents.

In our article today, we focus on the benefits of one of the most popular cards offered by Chase, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Known for its flexible rewards and a long list of travel-related benefits and protections, the card is a worthy choice for military members and is one of the better credit cards for military members.

Let’s look at the potential value the card could have for an active-duty military member.

How Do the SCRA and MLA Acts Work?

Just briefly, let’s look at the legislation that has led to the waiver of credit card fees, by some card issuers, for active-duty military members.

In an effort to support the financial challenges members of the military were facing, the SCRA was passed in 2003 to limit the interest rates charged on consumer loans made to military members. The law applies to debts secured prior to active-duty military service and limits interest rates to 6% APR. Additionally, the law provides consumer protections such as limiting the repossession of a vehicle during active duty and placing liens on service members’ property.

The MLA was subsequently passed in 2006, then updated in 2013, and applies to debt incurred during active-duty military service. The MLA provides a 36% cap on interest. This amount includes any finance charges, fees, credit insurance premiums, application fees, and more. The act also provides protections for consumers such as prohibiting prepayment fees and a lender requiring the waiver of certain legal rights.

Bottom Line: The MLA and SCRA are acts passed to protect military members from certain debts incurred prior to active-duty military service and during active-duty military service. 

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Overview

Before we go into the potential benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card for military members, let’s look at a snapshot of what the card has to offer overall.

Why We Like This Card for Active-Duty Military

We like the Chase Sapphire Preferred card as a first-time travel rewards credit card for active-duty military, as the card offers the opportunity to earn flexible Ultimate Rewards points, at least 25% more value when you redeem your rewards for travel, and a long list of useful travel benefits. For these reasons, the card also serves as the perfect card for learning how to manage credit card rewards.

At redemption time, cardholders have lots of choices, including statement credits, redeeming for travel via the Chase travel portal, and transferring points to hotel and airline partners.

Whether you’re traveling domestically or abroad, travel benefits and protections that come with the card can save you money and provide help if you need it before, during, and after your travels.

Now let’s look at the potential value of each of the card’s key benefits.

The Potential Value of Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Benefits [$2,500+ in Value]

Welcome Bonus — Value of $600+

Even if you qualify for an annual fee waiver, you’ll still be eligible for a welcome bonus once you’re approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. Simply meet the minimum spending requirement within the first 3 months after card approval and receive the card’s current welcome bonus.

However, you’ll receive much greater value when you use your points to book eligible travel via the Chase travel portal — 25% more! Additionally, you can transfer Ultimate Rewards points to hotel and airline partners and receive even more potential value.

Annual Fee Waiver — Value of

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card doesn’t come with a high annual fee compared to the benefits the card offers. And with its lower annual fee, it’s a card you could keep for a long period of time, even beyond your military service.

No Additional Fees — Value Varies

Chase waives all transaction fees for active-duty military members except insufficient funds fees and late fees.

Annual 10% Point Bonus — Value of $100

Each card anniversary year, you’ll receive a bonus in the form of Ultimate Rewards points. The amount of the bonus is based on the number of points you have earned during the card year. For example, if you earned 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points, you would receive a 10% bonus of 8,000 points.

If you redeemed those 8,000 points for travel via the Chase travel portal, you would receive $100 in value.

Earning and Redemption Potential — Value of $725+

The value of the benefits you receive for earning Ultimate Rewards points on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card will vary depending on your spending mix and how you redeem your rewards.

Here is how you’ll earn rewards on the card:

• 5x earnings on travel purchased via the Chase travel portal
• 5x earnings on Lyft rides (through March 2025)
• 5x earnings on select Peloton purchases over $250 (through March 2025)
• 3x earnings on dining, select streaming services, and at online grocery stores
• 2x earnings on all other travel
• 1x earnings on all other purchases

To illustrate the value of Ultimate Rewards, let’s say you spend an average of $2,000 per month on the card in various categories and earn a total of 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points. You can redeem those points as a statement credit worth $600, for travel via the Chase travel portal for $725 in value, or as mentioned earlier, transfer to hotel or airline partners for even greater potential value.

Hot Tip: Watch for transfer bonus promotions in your email box or in Upgraded Points’ regularly updated post to learn when Ultimate Rewards can be transferred to hotel or airline loyalty programs with up to a 50% bonus. 

Pay Yourself Back — Value Varies

Ultimate Rewards points can be worth 25% more in value when you redeem them for expenses made in specific Pay Yourself Back (PYB) categories that change on a rotating basis. For example, if you donated $75 to one of the eligible charities in the current PYB category, you could use 6,000 Ultimate Rewards points for a $75 statement credit to offset that expense.

Chase Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection (LHRC) Benefits — Value of $100

Book an eligible hotel stay on the LHRC website and receive an upgraded room (when available), daily breakfast for 2, early check-in/late checkout (when available), and free Wi-Fi. You’ll also receive an onsite amenity worth $100 that could include lunch, dinner, golf fees, a spa credit, or another amenity unique to the property.

You’ll be able to view the benefits and amenities available at each property prior to making your reservation. We’ve put together this step-by-step article with lots of additional information.

Annual Hotel Credit — Value of $50

Enjoy a $50 hotel credit immediately after card approval and at each subsequent card anniversary when you book a hotel stay via the Chase Travel portal.

DoorDash DashPass — Value of $120

Activate your DoorDash DashPass membership by December 31, 2027, and receive 1 year of complimentary DoorDash DashPass with free delivery, as well as benefits at Caviar. A minimum purchase, typically $12, as stated when using each app, applies. The DoorDash DashPass has a value of $9.99 a month or $96 annually.

Rental Car Collision Damage Waiver — Value of $200

Reserve and pay for your rental car with your card, decline the agency’s collision damage waiver/liability damage waiver coverage, and receive primary protection for damage or theft of your rental car. Primary means that you do not have to first file a claim with any other applicable insurance before your card coverage applies.

If you rented a vehicle for 10 days and didn’t need to purchase CDW/LDW coverage costing $20 per day, you could save an estimated $200.

Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, and Trip Delay Coverage — Value Varies

When the unexpected happens, it’s nice to have travel insurance coverage. While not meant to replace a comprehensive travel insurance policy, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card does offer protection should your trip be canceled for a covered reason.

You could be reimbursed up to $10,000 per trip, $20,000 total per occurrence, with a maximum benefit of $40,000 within a 12-month period for either trip cancellation or trip interruption. Trip delay reimbursement provides up to $500 per purchased ticket, per trip, for lodging and covered essentials.

Roadside Assistance — Value of $50

Chances are you won’t need to use this roadside dispatch benefit often, but if you do, you will be happy to know that you’ll pay just 1 flat pre-negotiated fee for a service call. The service call can include limited towing, jumpstart service, tire changing an existing spare, standard winching, limited fuel delivery, and lock-out services. Currently, the fee is $59.95 and subject to change.

According to Homeguide.com, the average cost of a tow nationally is about $95 but can be as high as $300. Obviously, service call prices can vary, so we’ll estimate a savings of $50 should you need to use this service.

Baggage Insurance — Value of $200

If the airline doesn’t pay the appropriate delayed or lost luggage benefit, or doesn’t pay you the full amount, no worries as you’ll have coverage with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

If your luggage is delayed 6 hours or more, you could receive up to $500 ($100 per day) for incidentals and up to $3,000 if your luggage is lost or stolen.

Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty — Value Varies

When you purchase an eligible item with your card, you’ll receive coverage for damage, theft, or involuntary parting with purchase protection. You could receive up to $500 per claim, up to $50,000 per account. If an eligible product has a manufacturer’s warranty of 3 years or less, the extended warranty benefit adds 1 additional year to that protection.

Chase Offers and Shop through Chase — Value of $100

Chase Offers are like free money. Just log in to your online Chase Sapphire Preferred card account and browse the Chase Offers available. Add the offers you’ll use to your card account, make the qualifying purchase and receive a statement credit.

You can also earn extra rewards by using the Shop through Chase shopping portal. Log in to your online Ultimate Rewards account, select Earn Bonus Points, and select a retailer or service provider from the Shop through Chase menu. Once you’ve made a qualifying purchase, you’ll receive the associated bonus earnings in your Ultimate Rewards account.

No Foreign Transaction Fees — Value of $60

It’s difficult to estimate how much you’ll spend on foreign transactions in any given year, but let’s say you spend $2,000. Foreign transaction fees are generally around 3% of the transaction, which would result in a $60 savings.

Qualification and Requesting Benefits

Who Qualifies for Chase SCRA/MLA Benefits?

Chase briefly defines eligibility as any “active-duty servicemember, or member of the National Guard or Reserve and called to active duty.” Once your credit card application has been received, your eligibility will be verified via the Department of Defense Manpower Data Center (DDMA).

Spouses of active-duty military members are also covered under the SCRA and MLA acts and Chase will waive their credit card fees.

The process for eligibility verification of either party is the same. Once eligibility is confirmed, the applicant will receive a confirmation letter that the benefits have been applied to their card.

You will also receive a letter if, for any reason, Chase is not able to confirm your eligibility. The letter will explain the reason, if additional documentation is needed, and the next steps to take.

How To Request Benefits

Log in to your Chase card account, select Secure Messages, New Message, and select Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) as the topic. You will be able to send a message and attach any supporting documents to the message.

You can also mail the required documents to Chase, Attention SCRA Request, P.O. Box 183240, Columbus, Ohio, 43218-3240.

Hot Tip: When completing a new Chase credit card application, you could be asked to provide your source of income. Selecting “military” as the source may trigger a manual review of your application and after verification of your qualifications, you may not be charged the annual fee (thanks to the Military Money Manual for this tip). If more information is needed, you may be charged the annual fee and then be reimbursed once your eligibility is confirmed. 

Everything Else You Need To Know

Chase offers a military hotline for service members to call to discuss benefits. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT. Call 877-469-0110 within the U.S. or 318-340-3308 if calling from outside the U.S.

Chase offers an extensive list of benefits for active-duty military members’ additional financial accounts, including checking, savings, mortgages, auto financing, and more.

Chase waives fees on personal credit cards, but not on business credit cards. However, there are some Chase business credit cards that do not have annual fees.

Although Chase does not limit the number of cards you can have, the issuer does have a 5/24 rule that limits the number of cards you can be approved for based on the number of cards you’ve acquired from all issuers in the past 24 months.

Additional Recommended Chase Cards for Active-duty Military Members

While Chase offers several rewards earning credit cards, the cards with the highest annual fees may offer the most value to military members as these cards have the most overall benefits.

Here are some of the cards offering the best value for active-duty military:

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Why We Like the Card for Active-duty Military

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers premium travel benefits that can save you money and make your travel more comfortable. But that’s not all the card has to offer.

• Up to $300 annual travel statement credit
• Worldwide lounge access via complimentary Priority Pass Select membership
• 10x earnings on car rentals, hotels, and dining purchased via the Chase travel portal
• 5x earnings on flights via the Chase travel portal
• 3x earnings on all other travel and on dining
• 50% more value when redeeming rewards for travel via the Chase travel portal
• Superb travel benefits and protections
• Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement
• No foreign transaction fees

Having the high annual fee waived on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card coupled with the card’s broad collection of benefits makes the card a fine choice for the active-duty military member.

United Club℠ Infinite Card

Why We Like the Card for Active-duty Military

If you fly with United Airlines even a few times each year, having the United Club Infinite card is sure to enhance your experience. Here’s why we like the card for those military members who fly United:

• United flight benefits, including priority boarding, free checked bags, and inflight purchase discounts
• United Club lounge access when flying United
• Bonus miles earned on United purchases and on travel/dining
• Premier upgrades, when available, on United award flights
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee reimbursement
• Discounted CLEAR membership
• Travel and shopping benefits/protections

Check out our related article on the best credit cards for United Airlines flyers.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card

Why We Like the Card for Active-duty Military

If Marriott Bonvoy is your hotel program of choice, you’ll find a lot of reasons to have the Marriott Boundless card. Here are some of the key benefits of the card.

• Up to 17x total points per dollar spent at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
• Annual free night certificate worth 35,000 points
• Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status
• Spend $35,000 on the card in a calendar year for Gold Elite status
• 15 Elite Night Credits toward higher status
• 1 free Elite Night Credit for each $5,000 spent on the card
• Transfer points to airline partners
• No foreign transaction fees

Bottom Line: We’ve highlighted some of the key benefits of each card, but these lists are not all-encompassing. You’ll want to read more about the best Chase cards for active-duty military prior to deciding on which cards are best suited for your situation.

Final Thoughts

If you’re just getting started and looking for a well-rounded travel rewards credit card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is an excellent choice. The card offers the opportunity to learn the benefits of earning and redeeming flexible-style rewards and the experience of finding potentially elevated value when using travel transfer partners.

In addition to being a good foundation for earning and using rewards, the card could save you money and provide peace of mind with its extensive travel benefits and protections.

For more information on some of the best credit cards for active-duty military, we’ve put together a notable list.

Fortunately, flyers who have Global Entry can largely skip most security lines at the airport which can save you tons of time and be an absolute lifesaver if you happen to be running late for your flight.

Here is a look at what Global Entry is, why it’s helpful, and how you can get it for free with a credit card.

What Is Global Entry?

Global Entry is a frequent traveler program offered by the U.S. government that gives pre-approved clearance to low-risk travelers when they are reentering the U.S.

This is a fancy way of saying that instead of waiting in the massive customs line when your flight arrives, you can skip that line and head to a kiosk where you’ll scan your passport, verify your fingertips, and be on your way in about 5 minutes or less.

Better yet, those with Global Entry also receive TSA PreCheck on U.S. domestic flights, allowing them to skip the much longer general security lines at airports, keep their shoes on, keep their laptops in their bag, and more.

Put simply, if you’re a frequent traveler that values their time, you want Global Entry.

Hot Tip: You have questions — we have answers. Check out our guide to the most frequently asked questions about the Global Entry program.

Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Offer Global Entry?

While the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a fantastic credit card, unfortunately, it does not offer complimentary Global Entry.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card can still be a very valuable addition to your wallet, but if you’re looking to get complimentary Global Entry, you’ll want to add another card to pair alongside it that offers that perk.

The 4 Best Credit Cards That Offer Global Entry

Usually, Global Entry costs $100 for a 5-year membership, but here is a look at some of the very best cards that offer Global Entry as a complimentary card perk.

1. Chase Sapphire Reserve®

While the Chase Sapphire Preferred card doesn’t offer complimentary Global Entry, its big brother, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card does.

The card also offers 10x Ultimate Rewards points on hotels and rental cars purchased through Chase Travel, 5x points on flights purchased through Chase Travel, 3x points on travel and dining worldwide, and 1x points on all other purchases.

Further, cardholders receive an annual up to $300 travel statement credit towards virtually any travel purchase, Priority Pass airport lounge access, access to Chase transfer partners, 50% more redemption value when redeeming your points through Chase Travel, a DoorDash DashPass subscription (when activated by December 31, 2027), purchase and travel coverage, and more.

Hot Tip: If you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you can upgrade to a Chase Sapphire Reserve card in order to gain access to complimentary Global Entry.

2. The Platinum Card® from American Express

The Amex Platinum card is the top dog when it comes to premium perks. While its  annual fee can be off-putting at first, it comes absolutely loaded with value for cardholders (rates & fees).

For starters, the card earns 5x Membership Rewards points on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year), 5x points on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com, and 1x points on all other purchases.

It also includes hundreds of dollars worth of annual credits, such as up to $200 annual airline fee credit, up to $200 annual Uber Cash, up to $240 annual digital entertainment credit, up to $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit, and up to $189 annual CLEAR Plus credit (which is also very helpful for flying through airport security).

Beyond the credits, it offers access to over 1,400+ airport lounges across 8 different lounge networks, complimentary Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status upon enrollment, access to the Fine Hotels & Resorts program, access to the Amex transfer partners, travel protections, and much more.

3. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for a one-size-fits-all premium rewards card.

With it, you’ll earn 10x Capital One miles on hotels and car rentals purchased through Capital One Travel, 5x miles on flights purchased through Capital One Travel, and 2x miles on all other purchases.

In terms of benefits, the card offers $300 annual travel credit for purchases through Capital One Travel, 10,000 bonus miles on your account anniversary each year, complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network, complimentary Hertz President’s Circle status, access to the Capital One transfer partners, and cell phone insurance.

4. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

On the business side of things, we have to give the nod to the Amex Business Platinum card.

While many benefits are similar to the personal version of the card, like access to over 1,400 airport lounges, rental car and hotel elite status, and the Fine Hotels and Resorts program, there are many other perks that differentiate it, as well.

For instance, the card has over $1,000 in statement credits, including great items for your business like up to $400 annual Dell credit, up to $360 annual Indeed credit, up to $150 annual Adobe credit, up to $120 in annual wireless phone service credits, and more.

Not to mention that the Amex Business Platinum card also offers a 35% points rebate when redeeming your points for any business or first class flight and select economy tickets, allowing you to redeem your points at 1.54 cents per point on these flights.

Hot Tip: Of course, these cards aren’t your only options when it comes to getting complimentary Global Entry. For the full list, read through our guide to the 30+ credit cards that offer Global Entry.

Final Thoughts

Ask any frequent traveler and they will tell you that having Global Entry and, by extension TSA PreCheck, is absolutely crucial. It saves time and frustration and is worth every bit of the standard $100 cost for a 5-year membership … but the fact that you can get it for free with a credit card makes it all the sweeter!

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Enrollment required through Capital One website or mobile app. Upon enrollment, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through December 31, 2024.  Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier.  Additional terms apply.

Not only is it excellent at earning points, but it also offers flexible redemption options, including access to transfer partners and solid travel and purchase protections, all for a relatively low annual fee.

If the Chase Sapphire Preferred card sounds like it would be a good fit for you, then you might be wondering, “What qualifications do I need to have in order to be approved for the card?” This post will walk you through just that!

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Snapshot

Top Benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Earning 5x points per $1 spent on Chase Travel purchases, 3x points per $1 spent on dining, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services, plus 2x points per $1 spent on all other travel purchases, this card can really help you rack up points quickly.

It offers a $50 annual statement credit for a hotel stay booked through Chase Travel and access to Chase transfer partners. You’ll also get 25% more value when you redeem your points through Chase Travel, and you’ll receive an annual point bonus that amounts to 10% of your total card spend throughout the year (i.e. spend $15,000, get 1,500 bonus points).

Further, the card offers great protections like trip delay insurance, primary rental car coverage, baggage delay insurance, purchase protection, and more.

Hot Tip: If you’re interested in learning more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, read through our guide on all of the card’s top benefits.

700+ Credit Score for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

While there is no set credit score that will guarantee your approval for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, we’d recommend that you have a credit score of at least 700 or higher in order to have reasonably high odds of being approved for the card.

Again, even if you have a perfect credit score of 850, there is no guarantee that you will be approved for the card, as issuers take other considerations into account as well when deciding whether or not to approve you for a new card.

Hot Tip: If you’re not sure what your credit score is, we recommend using a free tool to check it, like Experian or Credit Karma. 

Other Approval Considerations

Beyond your credit score, here are some of the other top factors that can determine whether you’d be approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card:

Income

When filling out your application, one item that the issuer will ask for is your annual income. This figure is not only used to determine your approval for the card but also how much credit will be extended to you.

In order to be approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you must be eligible to receive a credit line of at least $5,000. Chase does not publish any information pertaining to what level of income is needed for approval, but we can assume that the higher your income is, the more likely you are to be approved.

That said, don’t be discouraged if you don’t have a 6-figure income, as we often see individuals get approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card with incomes in the $35,000 to $40,000 range, so long as they also have a strong credit score as well.

Years of Credit History

Another important factor that issuers look at when approving you for a new card is your length of credit history. This is to say that even if you have a solid income and credit score, you may have to be patient if you have a short credit history — it could take some time before you’re approved for something like the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

In our experience, we recommend having at least 2 years of blemish-free credit history before looking to add a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

Number of New Accounts

If you’ve opened many new credit card accounts recently, this can make credit issuers hesitant to approve you for another new account. In fact, Chase even has a widely documented 5/24 rule, that prohibits you from being approved for many of the issuer’s best cards — including the Chase Sapphire Preferred card — if you’ve opened 5 or more new credit cards accounts in the last 24 months.

Keep in mind that this only applies to new credit card accounts, and not items like home loans, auto loans, or personal loans.

Tips To Boost Your Credit Score

If you’ve been denied for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, or you think your score isn’t high enough to be approved, take note of these steps you can take to help improve your score so that you can add the card to your wallet in the future.

Get a Starter Credit Card

If you’re just beginning your credit journey, then you’ll want to consider applying for a starter credit card first, as these cards are designed for individuals starting to build their credit history.

As you use this card responsibly, you will both improve your credit score and add to your credit history, which will make it much easier for you to get approved for travel rewards cards later on.

Keep Your Credit Utilization Low and Pay Your Bill On-time

Your credit utilization and your payment history make up 30% and 35% of your credit score, respectively, so it is vitally important that you stay on top of both of these if you are looking to improve your score.

In terms of your payment history, even a single payment more than 30 days past due can massively hamper your credit score, so make certain to always submit a payment. As a best practice, you should always be paying the full statement balance on your card to avoid paying any interest fees, but if for some reason you cannot in a given month, you’ll still want to pay as much as you can to keep your record of on-time payments high.

Your credit utilization is the amount of credit you’ve currently used in a given billing cycle divided by your overall credit limit. For instance, if the credit limit on your card is $2,000 and you spend $500 in your last statement cycle, your credit utilization will be 25%. Ideally, you’ll want to keep your overall credit utilization as low as possible, and definitely below 30% for the best impact on your credit score.

Hot Tip: A helpful trick to keep your credit utilization low is to make a payment on your credit card a few days before your credit card statement posts for the month. 

Get Added as an Authorized User

A great way to boost your score is to be added as an authorized user on the credit card of a trusted friend or family member. This is helpful to credit issuers because it shows them that someone else is willing to trust you with their credit as well.

Keep in mind, though, that the primary account holders managing their credit will impact your score now, and vice versa. This means you’ll only want to be added by someone who is responsible with their credit usage.

Final Thoughts

It’s unsurprising to see why so many travelers are interested in the Chase Sapphire Preferred card as it is a great tool to earn a valuable rewards currency that offers multiple redemption options, and it offers great perks and protections, all for a reasonable annual fee.

Fortunately, the card is not especially difficult to get approved for so long as you have a good credit score and some credit history under your belt. If the card seems like it would be a good fit for you, you could be well on your way to booking your next trip with points in no time!

One such benefit is a $50 hotel credit, which is pretty incredible considering the fact that the card’s annual fee is under $100.

In this guide, we’ll be examining this benefit in detail and how to maximize it as effectively as possible.

Overview of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Key Benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Before we get into the specifics of the $50 hotel credit, let’s discuss why we love the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, our favorite beginner rewards credit card, so much.

For new cardmembers, there’s a fantastic welcome bonus, as well as the ability to earn up to 5x Ultimate Rewards points (some of the most valuable points in the world):

• 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel
• 5x points on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025
• 5x points on select Peloton purchases over $250 (through March 31, 2025)
• 3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
• 2x points on all other travel purchases
• 1x points everywhere else

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card also has a unique 10% cardmember anniversary bonus, which earns you a 10% bonus on your total spend in the past cardmember year.

With Ultimate Rewards points being worth around 2 cents per point, you’ll earn a maximum return on spending of 10%, based on a maximum earning structure of 5x points.

Even better, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card comes with some of the best travel insurance, a complimentary DoorDash DashPass subscription (activate by December 31, 2027), purchase protection, extended warranty, no foreign transaction fees, and no-additional fee authorized user cards.

What Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card $50 Hotel Credit?

Of course, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card comes with that lovely $50 hotel credit, which is valid for any hotel stays booked through Chase Travel, also known as the Chase travel portal.

No enrollment or registration is necessary — as long as your hotel accommodation purchase is made through Ultimate Rewards, you’ll get a $50 statement credit every cardmember year (not calendar year). If you opened your Chase Sapphire Preferred card before the benefit was added in August 2021, you won’t be eligible for the credit until your account anniversary, after you’ve paid your annual fee.

The statement credit will automatically post to your account within 2 days after your purchase posts, and the credit will show up on your billing statement in 1 to 2 billing cycles.

Hot Tip: If you’re a new cardmember, you’ll be entitled to your $50 hotel credit as soon as you are approved for the card. This is in contrast with many other statement credit benefits where you have to wait an entire year before you can enjoy a statement credit. 

By definition, you are entitled to a $50 hotel credit starting from your account opening date through the first statement date after your cardmember anniversary, and then 12 monthly billing cycles after that every year.

How Do You Use the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card $50 Hotel Credit?

Using the Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s $50 hotel credit is easy. Even though stays have to be booked through Chase Travel, the portal itself is super easy to use.

First, visit Chase Travel and log into your Chase account.

Then, select your Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

After that, you’ll see a search box in the middle of the screen. Be sure Hotels is selected. Enter your destination, check-in and checkout date, and the number of guests. Click Search.

Select the hotel you’d like to book by clicking on the name of the hotel.

Then, select the room you’d like to book and click Add to itinerary.

You’ll be redirected to the Trip Details page. Confirm all of the dates and prices, and click Begin Checkout.

You’ll be prompted to fill in the guest form. Enter all the information required and click Save Changes and Continue.

Next, fill out the payment information and click Complete Checkout.

After you make your reservation, you’ll see the charge post as pending on your credit card account. After that, wait up to 2 days, and you should see your credit post. Easy enough, right?

Purchases That Do Not Trigger the Hotel Credit

So, the next logical question is what doesn’t count towards the $50 hotel credit?

The good news is that the answer is very straightforward: any hotel stays that are booked outside of the Chase Travel portal will not count. For example, booking a hotel stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Orlando Grande Lakes directly through Marriott or the hotel website will not qualify for the $50 hotel credit.

So if you want to use the $50 hotel credit, you’ll want to make 100% sure that you’re booking your hotel stay through Chase Travel.

Bottom Line: Stays booked directly through the hotel do not qualify for the $50 hotel credit. To get the $50 hotel credit, book your stay through the Chase Travel portal and pay with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

Is The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card $50 Hotel Credit Worth It?

Truthfully, this is one of those benefits that come with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card anyway, so it seems foolish not to use it.

Similar benefits from other competitor credit cards usually come with restrictions; but with this card, as long as you book through Chase Travel, your hotel booking should qualify.

That’s great news because even a $50 hotel stay could qualify for the full hotel credit! So, yes, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card $50 hotel credit is well worth it.

Final Thoughts

The value proposition for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has never been stronger. Chase has continued to offer additional rewards categories, new perks, and state-of-the-art rewards without increasing annual fees or introducing new restrictions.

One such perk is the $50 hotel credit. And with the ability to earn up to 5x points with purchases on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, the stellar travel insurance you get through this card, and the 10% anniversary bonus, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card feels like the gift that keeps on giving.

And to sweeten the deal even further, there’s a fabulous welcome bonus you can take advantage of. It’s hard to believe that this incredible product has such a mild annual fee!

Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to both airline and hotel partners for award flights and hotel stays.

Additionally, you can use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points through the Chase Travel portal at a rate of 1.25 cents per point, which can be particularly useful when there are cheap cash flights available.

Let’s take a look at how many Ultimate Rewards points you can expect to earn quickly once you have been approved for the card — and how you can get some great value out of those points.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Welcome Bonus

8 Best Ways To Use 100,000 Ultimate Rewards Points

You might be wondering what Ultimate Rewards points can really get you. Since there are several Chase airline and hotel partners, you have lots of options to redeem Ultimate Rewards points.

Here are some great ways you can use your Ultimate Rewards points so you can start traveling right away!

1. Round-Trip to Hawaii for 2 People (Singapore KrisFlyer Miles) — $1,000+ Value

For many, a dream trip to Hawaii often feels out of reach because of expensive cash tickets for flights. However, you can transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer program to book 2 economy class award tickets to Hawaii on Alaska Airlines (with points left over).

Here are few departure city options and the KrisFlyer miles required for a round-trip award ticket to Hawaii:

Hot Tip: Make sure you check out our best ways to redeem Singapore KrisFlyer miles to see how you can fly in style!

2. Business Class to Europe With Promo Rewards (Air France/KLM Flying Blue) — $3,000+ Value

If you want to try business class to or from Europe on Air France or KLM, you can do so at the standard rate of 62,500 Flying Blue miles. Fortunately, Air France/KLM Flying Blue runs Promo Rewards every month to help you get even more value.

Promo rewards are listed at 25% to 50% off the standard award price. While it has been a long time since we’ve seen a 50% business class promo for a flight between Europe and the U.S., 25% off is still a great deal. Rather than needing 62,500 Flying Blue miles, you’d only need 46,875 miles.

Chase Ultimate Rewards requires transfers to be in chunks of 1,000 points, so you’ll need to transfer 47,000 points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue. This would allow you to fly round-trip in business class from 1 welcome bonus alone!

Very often, there will be at least 1 city in the U.S. on the list of options, which could make this the perfect chance for you to try business class to Europe.

Hot Tip: There are tons of great ways to redeem Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles for award travel.

3. 2 Round-Trip Tickets to London for $0, Including Taxes and Fees! (Chase Travel Portal) — $1,200+ Value

Each of your Ultimate Rewards points is worth 1.25 cents when used for travel in the Chase Travel portal.

The portal works just like any other does, such as Expedia or Booking.com, except you can use your points instead of paying cash!

All you have to do is log in to Chase’s travel portal, find the flight that you want to purchase, and use your points!

100,000 points gets you a flight that would cost up to $1,250. Fortunately, the average price of a round-trip flight to London usually hovers around $600. So with the sign-up bonus from the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you could book 2 round-trip tickets for you and a loved one!

For example:

Fly round-trip from NYC to London in peak summer for just 49,600 points, or 99,200 points if you book a ticket for someone else, as well — a savings of up to $1,240!

Bottom Line: Generally, the only time it makes sense to book flights through the travel portal is when there are cheap cash tickets available, which allows you to book with fewer points than by transferring to an airline partner. When booking economy class flights, you should always compare the cost of an award ticket if you transfer Ultimate Rewards points to the cost of using points to book through the Chase Travel portal.

4. Short Flights While Traveling Abroad (British Airways Avios) — $1,000+ Value

If you fly all the way to Europe, Asia, or even Australia, you might want to see more than 1 amazing city after traveling such a long way. Fortunately, you can use British Airways Avios to hop around from city to city on several continents rather than using cash for each additional flight.

For flights under 650 miles, you will only need 4,500 Avios for an economy award ticket. Make sure you’re looking for nonstop flights whenever possible since British Airways uses a distance-based award chart. This means they will add up the flight distance of each segment, which could push you into the next redemption tier of their chart and require more Avios.

Let’s take a look at a few examples of how you can use Avios to see even more fun places on your next trip. If you visit London (LHR), you could then book a flight to Paris (CDG) for 4,500 Avios. Next, you could hop over to Madrid (MAD) for another 4,500 Avios.

Because British Airways uses a distance-based chart, you could even book a very short round-trip ticket for 9,000 Avios. This is a great way to include London on a European adventure without getting hit with high taxes and fees flying out of the U.K.

Here’s how you can make it work:

If you fly from the U.S. to Amsterdam (AMS), Brussels (BRU), Munich (MUC), or Paris (CDG) (there are more options, too), you can book a round-trip ticket from one of these cities to London (LHR) for only 9,000 Avios total.

This is particularly useful when flying with multiple people since cash ticket prices can add up quickly in some of these European cities.

If your flights are more than 650 miles, you can still find some great value with British Airways Avios when flying within Asia and Europe, as they often have some of the better redemption rates for both economy class and business class.

Hot Tip: Check out some of the best ways to redeem British Airways Avios for more inspiration.

5. Round-Trip to Europe on a Star Alliance Airline (United MileagePlus) – $1,000+ Value

One of the easiest ways to book a trip to Europe is with United MileagePlus miles. With 60,000 Ultimate Rewards transferred to your United account, you can book a round-trip economy class award ticket to Europe.

Many of United’s Star Alliance partners will require you to pay carrier-imposed surcharges when you book awards through their respective programs. Fortunately, United MileagePlus does not hit you with these surcharges, so you’ll only need to take care of the taxes and fees.

That’s not all that makes this a great redemption, though. If you book a round-trip award with United MileagePlus miles, you can take advantage of the Excursionist Perk — United’s version of a stopover.

With the Excursionist Perk, you are allowed a free one-way ticket in the same region as your destination. This means you could book a flight from Chicago (ORD) to Zurich (ZRH) on SWISS, then book your free one-way flight to Copenhagen (CPH) on either Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) or SWISS. Copenhagen would be your destination, while Zurich would be your stopover. You could then return to Chicago from Copenhagen on SAS.

If that sounds complicated, don’t worry. You can handle the entire booking process online by choosing “multi-city” on the booking page and entering each leg of the journey and your desired travel dates.

Hot Tip: Want some more fun travel inspiration? Take a look at some great ways to redeem United MileagePlus miles.

6. Crazy Cheap Award Flights to Israel, Morocco, and More (Air France/KLM Flying Blue) — $1,000+ Value

Another great sweet spot for an economy class award is with Air France/KLM Flying Blue. You can fly from the U.S. to places like Israel and Morocco for as low as 50,000 Flying Blue miles. That’s not the total for a one-way award ticket, though: it’s the total miles required for a round-trip economy class award.

You might be wondering how this is possible! Well, Air France/KLM Flying Blue classifies both of these countries — as well as a few other countries in northern Africa — as part of the European region. This classification makes Flying Blue a go-to program for booking economy class award flights to Israel, Morocco, and more.

Prefer to fly business class? You could even book a one-way business class award ticket starting at 53,000 Flying Blue miles. So the 100k Chase Sapphire Preferred sign-up bonus alone will nearly give you enough points to fly business class round-trip!

7. Turn the Southwest Companion Pass Into Even More Trips (Southwest Rapid Rewards) — $1,000 to $2,000+ Value

For those who have the Southwest Companion Pass, earning the sign-up bonus from the Chase Sapphire Preferred card instantly opens up a ton of options for you.

Sure, you can book 2-for-1 cash tickets to take advantage of the Companion Pass, but you can also book the same flights by transferring Ultimate Rewards to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account and booking award flights. In other words, the 2-for-1 applies to award flights as well!

With flights operating across the U.S. and to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America, you and your designated companion will be able to have some serious fun.

Hot Tip: Take a look at some great ways to use the Southwest Companion Pass, and you’ll be booking 2-for-1 awards before you know it!

8. 3 Nights at the Park Hyatt Sydney (World of Hyatt) — $1,800+ Value

One of the biggest advantages of Chase Ultimate Rewards points is that they can be transferred to your World of Hyatt account to book award stays. Hyatt has some amazing properties around the world that you won’t want to miss.

A favorite of many is the Park Hyatt Sydney, with its amazing view of the Sydney Harbour and the Sydney Opera House. Not only do you get a fantastic view, but the rooms are phenomenal and the service is top-notch.

You also have easy access to ferries that can take you across the harbor to Manly Beach and the Sydney Zoo. If you like heights, you can go just around the corner to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. You can even schedule a tour of the bridge and climb to the top!

A standard room at the Park Hyatt Sydney costs 40,000 World of Hyatt points, or 40,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points when transferred to Hyatt, allowing you to book 2 free nights at this incredible hotel with just your welcome bonus alone — with points to spare!

Hot Tip: Check out the best ways to redeem your World of Hyatt points for some awesome award stays.

Final Thoughts

There are so many ways to utilize the sign-up bonus from the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. Any of the options above will be a blast, and there are plenty more fun ways to redeem Ultimate Rewards points.

Make sure you have a plan to hit the minimum spending requirement to earn the sign-up bonus, so you don’t miss out on a large chunk of points. It will all be worth it once you book your next amazing vacation or getaway!

Today we’re going to expand on our normal narrative and talk about a seldom-explained option for maximizing and sharing the benefits that come with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

The option we’re referring to is adding an authorized user. We’ll discuss all the benefits of doing so, a few of the downsides (there aren’t many), and also which benefits you won’t find extended to additional users.

If you’re looking for a way to add other users to your card and want to know more about how it works, you’ll find those answers here.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Snapshot

Before we dive into the how and why you’d want to add an authorized user to the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, let’s look at an overall snapshot of the card including a link for you to use to access key information including fees, interest rates, and any terms/conditions that might apply.

What Is an Authorized User?

An authorized user is a person the primary cardholder has added to the credit card account and therefore becomes authorized to make spending transactions on that account. Adding an additional user can be cost-effective versus paying an extra annual fee for that person to be approved for their own separate card. It is also a way to help the user establish credit.

You could add a family member, close associate, or any other trusted individual to your card and authorize them to make charge transactions on your account. You will, however, be solely responsible for any charges made by authorized users.

Let’s now explore the benefits, the restrictions, and the process of adding an additional user to your card.

Benefits of Adding an Authorized User to the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Before we get into the earning, redemption, travel, and shopping benefits of adding an authorized user, let’s look at some of the reasons you would consider doing so.

1. No Additional Fee for Adding an Authorized User

Add as many authorized users as you wish to the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and neither you nor the additional cardholder will pay an extra fee for doing so.

2. More Cost-effective Than Applying for a Separate Additional Card

Although the additional cardholder does not enjoy all of the same benefits as the primary cardholder, adding an authorized user is more cost-effective than applying for a separate credit card and paying an additional annual fee.

3. Can Help To Establish Good Credit

Adding an authorized user, regardless of age, will help establish credit for that person, even if the person does not use their card. As long as the primary cardholder keeps their own credit in good standing and that activity is reported to the credit bureaus, the authorized user will benefit.

4. Establishes Credit History

One factor that affects your overall credit score is the length of your credit history. Adding an authorized user, especially one who is young, can help establish initial credit and start the clock ticking to build that history.

Bottom Line: Adding an authorized user can help that person establish credit and start building a credit history. There is no charge for adding an authorized user to your Chase Sapphire Preferred card and it could be a cost-effective alternative to having that person apply for their own card. 

Earning Rewards

5. Spending Counts Towards the Welcome Bonus Requirement

All purchases made by the primary cardholder and any authorized users count toward the minimum spending requirement (in the first 90 days after the primary cardholder’s initial card approval) for achieving the offered welcome bonus.

6. Earning With Bonus Category Purchases

Travel and dining purchases made by the authorized user earn 5x points on travel purchased through the Chase Travel portal, 3x on dining, and 2x on all other travel purchases, which will be deposited into the primary cardholder’s account.

7. Earn Rewards on Every Purchase

Every other purchase made by the authorized user, even outside of the bonus categories, earns 1x earnings for each dollar spent on the card.

Redeeming Rewards

8. Rewards Can Be Redeemed for the Authorized User

While authorized users do not have redemption privileges, the primary cardholder controls the rewards account and can utilize the earned Ultimate Reward points to book travel via the Chase Travel portal or make other redemption transactions for the authorized user.

9. Transfer Ultimate Rewards Points to Loyalty Program Accounts

One benefit of adding an authorized user is that you can transfer Chase points to their airline frequent flyer account or hotel loyalty program account to use for award flights or free hotel nights. In some cases (i.e. World of Hyatt), the authorized user must be a member of your household.

Bottom Line: Adding an additional user to your card can help you qualify for the initial welcome bonus and allow you to build rewards faster to reach individual or family travel redemption goals.

Travel Benefits and Protections

10. Car Rental and Ride-Sharing Program Benefits

• Lyft Benefits — Primary cardholders will receive 5x Ultimate Rewards points (through March 2025) for their own purchases and those made by authorized users
• Visa Discounts on Car Rentals —  Receive up to a 25% discount plus other perks at Hertz, Avis, and National

11. Primary Rental Car Coverage

Use the Chase Sapphire Preferred card (or a combination of Chase Ultimate Rewards points and your Chase Sapphire Preferred card) to reserve and pay for the rental car, then decline the rental car agency’s CDW or LDW coverage for damage, theft, loss of use, and applicable towing.

12. Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Coverage

This benefit provides protection should your trip be canceled or disrupted for covered reasons. Eligible travel expenses are reimbursed up to $10,000 per covered person, up to $20,000 total per covered trip, and up to a maximum of $40,000 within a 12-month period per account.

13. Trip Delay Reimbursement

Receive up to $500 per trip for covered expenses due to a trip delay of greater than 12 hours or overnight.

14. Baggage Insurance

Receive up to $100 per day reimbursement for covered expenses for up to 5 days if your baggage is delayed more than 6 hours. Additionally, lost or damaged baggage reimbursement is covered for up to $3,000 per person, per covered trip. Limits and conditions apply.

15. Roadside Dispatch

Receive help when you have a roadside breakdown and pay 1 set fee that includes standard towing, tire changing, jump-starting, lockout service, fuel delivery, and standard wenching. Limits apply.

16. Travel Accident Insurance

In the case of specific severe injury or death when traveling via common carrier, a benefit of up to $1,000,000 may apply.

17. Travel and Emergency Assistance Service

Help is available 24/7 while you’re traveling by calling the hotline. Receive medical and legal referrals, assistance with emergency transportation, and more.

Bottom Line: Authorized users can share several travel benefits and protections. Many can be utilized by calling the number on the back of the card or presenting the card at the time of purchase. 

Shopping Benefits and Protections

18. DoorDash Benefits

Cardholders (and authorized users) receive free DoorDash DashPass membership so long as it’s activated by December 31, 2027. The benefit is activated during the first use, includes free delivery, and offers reduced fees on orders $12 and over.

19. Extended Warranty Protection

The original manufacturer’s warranty of 3 years or less will be extended for 1 additional year. Purchase an eligible item with your card and receive up to a maximum of $10,000 per claim, and $50,000 per account.

20. Purchase Protection

Covered items purchased with your card receive protection for theft, damage, or accidental loss, for up to 120 days from the date of purchase. A limit of $500 per item and $50,000 per account apply.

21. No Foreign Transaction Fees 

Purchases made by either the primary cardholder or any authorized users are not subject to foreign transaction fees. This benefit can end up saving you a significant amount of money each year, depending on how often you travel.

How To Add an Authorized User to the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

To add an authorized user, simply log into your Chase Sapphire Preferred card online account via chase.com and click on the dropdown as shown above.

You’ll need to provide the first name, last name, date of birth, and address of the additional user to complete the short form. If the person has a foreign address, you will need to call Chase to add them.

You can also add an authorized user by calling the number on the back of your card.

The new authorized user card will be sent within 7 to 10 working days.

Everything Else You Need To Know

While there are very few downsides to adding an authorized user, you’ll want to understand the following:

• The primary cardholder is solely responsible to repay any charges the authorized user makes
• Chase will report the authorized user account to the credit bureaus
• All correspondence will be sent to the primary cardholder

Additional Primary Cardholder Benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

While an authorized user enjoys many of the benefits that come with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, some benefits are granted strictly to the primary cardholder.

• Transfer Ultimate Rewards points to airline and hotel partners
• Redeem Ultimate Rewards points for travel via the Chase Travel portal for 25% additional value
• Redeem Ultimate Rewards points for statement credits, cash-back, merchandise, gift cards
• Access to view and add Chase Offers (both authorized users and the primary cardholder can use these offers, however)

Bottom Line: Although the authorized user shares many of the card’s attributes, major benefits and all redemption options are reserved for the primary cardholder. Plus, the primary cardholder assumes all responsibility for paying any incurred charges. Chase will send all correspondence to the primary cardholder and report activity to the credit bureaus for all users. 

Final Thoughts

Adding an authorized user to your Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a decision you should not take lightly, even with the fact that it costs nothing to accomplish. You are, in fact, taking on the responsibility for the spending transactions of another person.

This may never be a problem if the person is a family member or other trusted individual. However, it could be important to set expectations as to spending limits, repayment, and any potential consequences before adding the user.

Sharing card benefits and helping the user establish credit can be positive outcomes of adding authorized users. For these reasons, it can be worth any pre-determined minimal risk of doing so for the right person.

Redeeming travel-focused credit card points, like Chase Ultimate Rewards points, can feel overwhelming. Even more so if you’ve just earned a haul of points like the 80,000 Ultimate Rewards welcome bonus from the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Fortunately, there are still plenty of ways you can redeem, and get great value from, your Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Let’s take a look at some of those options, including a unique and limited-time offer from Chase that allows you to “Pay Yourself Back” with your points.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Benefits

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is one of the most popular starter travel cards on the market — and for good reason!

In addition to a massive welcome bonus, the card is packed with great benefits for travelers.

• $50 Hotel Credit via Ultimate Rewards — Book your hotel via the Chase Travel portal and receive a statement credit of up to $50 each card anniversary year.
• 25% Point Bonus: When you redeem your points through the Chase Travel, your points are worth 1.25 cents apiece.
• DoorDash DashPass Subscription: DashPass members receive free food delivery and discounted service fees on select food delivery orders on the DoorDash app.
• Groupon Cash-Back — Enroll to receive 10% back on Groupon deals every month for 12 months (up to $50), rewarded as Groupon Bucks.
• Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: If you need to cancel your trip, or end it early, due to covered issues (like severe weather or an illness), you’re eligible for up to $10,000 of coverage for prepaid, nonrefundable travel expenses.
• Trip Delay Reimbursement: If you purchase your flight with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and are delayed for 12 or more hours, or require an overnight stay, you’re eligible for a reimbursement of up to $500 per ticket in reasonable expenses (like hotel lodging or food).
• Baggage Delay Insurance: If your checked baggage is delayed more than 6 hours, you’ll receive $100 in reimbursements for essential items, up to a maximum of $500 for bags delayed 5 days or more.
• Primary Rental Car Coverage: Covers for theft and damage done to your rental car.

Redeem For Everyday Purchases

1. Statement Credit

With travel limited, one good option for redeeming your Chase Ultimate Rewards points is via statement credit to offset purchases you make with your card. Chase allows you to redeem your Ultimate Rewards points at a rate of 1 cent per point towards any and all purchases you make.

When redeeming for statement credits, the welcome bonus you receive from the Chase Sapphire Preferred card will allow you to offset purchases at 1 cent per point; this means an 80,000 welcome bonus would be $800 in statement credits. While redeeming points with Chase’s airline and hotel transfer partners is preferred, this can be a good choice in the meantime until travel resumes again.

2. Chase “Pay Yourself Back”

Chase is offering cardholders the opportunity to “Pay Yourself Back” with your Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Similar to using your points as a statement credit, Pay Yourself Back allows you to use your points to offset purchases made within select categories.

The select categories include groceries, gas, and charitable donations. Better yet, customers can redeem their Ultimate Rewards at 1 to 1.25 cents each towards these purchases — just as you would through Chase Travel.

So, a $125 charity donation would cost just 10,000 points to offset the purchase. Meaning that 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed for up to $1,000 in donations or $800 in purchases made within the select Pay Yourself Back categories!

How To Use Chase Pay Yourself Back

Step 1: Log into your Ultimate Rewards account, then select Pay Yourself Back from the navigation bar.

Step 2: Next, you’ll see a list of all the eligible purchases where you can use points to pay yourself back. Simply select the purchase or purchases you want to offset and then click continue. Remember that Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders will receive up to a 25% bonus, while Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders receive up to a 50% bonus.

Step 3: Once you’ve confirmed the purchases and the number of points you’ll be redeeming, you’re all set! You’ll receive a credit back for those purchases within 2-3 days.

3. Gift Cards

Chase has always offered the option to redeem your Ultimate Rewards points for gift cards for your favorite merchants at a rate of 1 cent per point. Generally speaking, it seldom makes sense to redeem your points this way, and tie the value of your points up with a single merchant, when you can just as easily redeem your points as a statement credit towards any purchase.

On occasion, Chase will run promotions where merchant gift cards can be purchased using your points with a 10% discount — giving your Ultimate Rewards points a value of 1.1 cents per point. Redeeming your points this way could make sense if you were planning on shopping with that merchant anyway and were planning to use your points as a statement credit to offset the purchase.

Redeem For Future Travel Bookings

While no one is certain when travel will resume to “normal” levels again, many travelers are still planning trips for dates in 2021.

If you’re considering booking future travel, here are a few of our favorite uses of Chase Ultimate Rewards points that are both excellent value and flexible!

4. World of Hyatt Stays

World of Hyatt is easily one of the best Chase transfer partners due to the high quality of its hotels and very cheap award redemption rates compared to competitors like Marriott and Hilton.

Award nights range between 3,500 to 45,000 Hyatt points per night, with only a handful of properties falling into the most expensive Category 8 rate.

One of the Hyatt award chart sweet spots are Category 7 properties, where you can book a night at some of the nicest Hyatt hotels in the world like Park Hyatt Maldives for just 30,000 points per night. Meaning 80,000 points will earn you 2 free nights at any Category 7 hotel in the Hyatt portfolio, with another 20,000 points left over!

If you’re a more budget-conscious traveler and prefer to make your points stretch, you can still stay in excellent Category 1 properties, like the Hyatt Place Los Cabos or the Hyatt House Colorado Springs, and turn 80,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points into 16 free hotel nights!

Of course, with the uncertainty surrounding the travel world right now, you might be wondering what the Hyatt cancellation policy is on award stays. Luckily, should you end up needing to cancel your trip, World of Hyatt offers a points refund on all award stays as long as you cancel more than 48 hours before your scheduled check-in time.

So you can book confidently knowing that, if you need to cancel, your points will be redeposited back into your Hyatt account for use on a future booking.

5. Round Trip Tickets to Spain (Iberia)

Those looking to use their Ultimate Rewards points to visit Spain, or to use that as a launchpad to other European destinations, can do so by transferring their points to Iberia Plus and redeeming them for some pretty spectacular rates.

Round trip Blue Class (economy) tickets from New York, Boston, or Chicago to Madrid cost just 34,000 miles, and 68,000 miles for business class — offering exceptional value for your points. Similarly, you can fly from Miami, Los Angeles, or San Francisco to Madrid for just 42,500 miles in Blue Class, and 84,000 in Business.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer 1:1 to Iberia, so 80,000 points can get you 2 round trip tickets to Spain in Economy, or 1 round trip ticket in business class! Better yet, should you need to cancel your tickets in the future, Iberia charges just $40 to have the miles redeposited back into your account.

6. Chase Travel Bookings

For those looking to purchase future travel with their points but also want the simplicity of not needing to use airline or hotel transfer partners, the Chase Travel has been and continues to be, an excellent option.

In addition to worrying about transfers, finding award space, or blackout dates, your points aren’t just limited to flights and hotels, but can also be used for rental cars, cruises, and unique travel experiences.

And thanks to your Chase Sapphire Preferred card, when you book through the Chase Travel, your points are worth 25% more, or 1.25 cents each. Meaning 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points are worth $1,000 in travel purchases.

The Chase Travel effectively functions like any other OTA and is powered by Expedia. So, should you end up needing to cancel any bookings made through the Chase portal, the policies that apply to your refund will come down to which airline, hotel, etc., that you were scheduled to travel with. So make certain to review the associated cancellation or change policies before completing your booking!

Final Thoughts

There is no doubt that there is so much that is uncertain right now, but one certain thing is that Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders have multiple phenomenal options for how to redeem the Ultimate Rewards points.

While some will prefer to wait until travel is back in full swing to redeem their points for maximum value via airline and hotel transfer partners, others will prefer to lock in value towards things they’re purchasing right now via Chase Pay Yourself Back or statement credits.

Either way, the absolute best way for you to redeem 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points from your Chase Sapphire Preferred card is by choosing whatever option is the best for you!

But there are a number of these perks that aren’t often talked about — mostly because they’re hidden deep within the card’s list of benefits.

In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the benefits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and assign a value to each of them, giving you a full look at how much the card’s benefits are potentially worth in comparison to its modest annual fee.

Note that the valuations we’ve given to each of these benefits are based on moderate usage — your own spending and redemption patterns will determine the actual value to you personally.

Benefit Summary

Terms apply to select benefits. Be sure to explore your benefits through your Chase portal to maximize your value.
*The bonus value of the welcome offer as well as the value of benefits are an estimated valuation calculated by UP after analyzing redemption options, transfer partners, award availability and how much UP would pay to buy these points.

Earning Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

1. Welcome Bonus [$1,200-$1,600]

New Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders are eligible for a welcome bonus that is earned within the first few months of opening the card. In short, this welcome bonus is a lump sum of points that you’ll earn after meeting a certain spend threshold. Here’s a look at the card’s current welcome bonus:

2. Earn 3x Points for Online Grocery Purchases [$300]

Earning 3x points for items you’ll purchase anyway is an excellent way to leverage online grocery spending into big rewards. Just averaging $800 each month, you could end up with 28,800 Ultimate Rewards points each year.

It’s important to note that Chase considers the following purchase types as qualifying for this category:

“The online grocery (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs) category includes purchases for grocery pickup and delivery that are placed online with grocery stores, specialty food stores or delivery service merchants that classify as grocery store merchants (excluding membership and subscription fees). Meal kit delivery services are included.”

3. Earn 3x Points on Streaming Services [$25]

Have a lot of streaming subscriptions? The dollars can certainly add up every month, so why not be earning rewards on those expenses?

If you are a subscriber to Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Netflix, Sling, Vudu, Fubo TV, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify, or YouTube TV, this benefit could help you really earn lots of points for things you’re already purchasing.

Even at $100 per month, you’ll earn 3,600 Ultimate Rewards points each year. We’ll be conservative, however, and estimate a value of $25.

4. Earn 3x Points on Dining [$150]

If you spend a lot on eating out, carryout, or food delivery, you’ll love earning 3x points for every dollar spent.

If you spent $4,000 on dining each year, you would earn 12,000 Ultimate Rewards, worth $150.

5. Earn 5x Points on Travel via Chase Travel [$125]

In addition to booking travel with Ultimate Rewards points, you can utilize the Chase Travel portal to book travel, charge it to your Chase Sapphire Preferred card, and earn 5x points for every dollar spent.

If you purchase just a few flights, hotels, and experiences each year — let’s estimate just $2,000 worth — you’d earn 10,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

Hot Tip: You can even earn 5x on select theme park tickets available to purchase through the portal — search by destination under Things to Do to purchase tickets to Universal Studios, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND, and more!

6. Earn 2x Points on All Other Travel [$125]

We like that one of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s earning benefits is that it earns 2 points per dollar spent on all other travel. The travel category is broad, too, so you’ll earn 2x points on purchases with Uber, Airbnb, on train tickets, and virtually anything else that fits into the travel categories.

Depending on how much you spend in the general travel category, you could earn thousands of Ultimate Rewards points. For example, if you spend $5,000 on travel annually, you’ll earn 10,000 Ultimate Rewards points for your purchases, worth $125 towards travel.

7. 10% Anniversary Earning Bonus [$30]

When it’s time to renew your card at its annual anniversary, you’re going to receive a rewards surprise. Cardmembers will earn a 10% anniversary point bonus based on total purchases made the previous year.

For example, if you spend $25,000 in your cardmember year, you’ll earn 2,500 bonus points.

8. Earn 5x Points on Lyft [Value Varies]

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns 5x points per dollar spent on Lyft purchases (until March 2025). Be sure to set the card as your default payment method in the Lyft app to earn rewards.

The value you receive from earning 5x points on Lyft will obviously vary depending on if you use Lyft frequently or at all.

9. Earn 5x Points on Peloton [Value Varies]

Earn 5x points per dollar spent on Peloton Bike, Tread, Row, and Guide purchases over $250 (maximum 25,000 points) through March 31, 2025.

Bottom Line: The Ultimate Rewards points will add up quickly when you use your card for online grocery shopping, dining, streaming services, and travel. Then, after you renew your card, you’ll receive a 10% point bonus based on your previous year’s spending.

Flexible Redemption Options

10. Transfer Points to Travel Partners [$300]

You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points earned with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card to any of the Chase transfer partners. This includes partners that span all of the 3 major airline alliances, most major hotel chains, and even some interesting non-alliance airlines like Southwest, Emirates, and Virgin Atlantic.

Chase Airline Transfer Partners

Chase Hotel Transfer Partners

Having the ability to transfer your points to airlines makes your Ultimate Rewards points extremely valuable. This is because you can take advantage of all of these respective partners’ award chart sweet spots.

For example, you can transfer 86,000 Ultimate Rewards points to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and fly the famous Singapore Suites first class one-way from New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA). These tickets typically cost thousands of dollars, so you’re getting an excellent value by transferring your miles.

Alternatively, you can transfer 95,000 Ultimate Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and book a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo on partner ANA from the Midwest and East Coast U.S. With this award, you’ll find excellent service in the sky and pay few taxes and fees. To us, this is by far the best way to get to Japan on Ultimate Rewards points, so don’t miss out!

We value the ability to transfer points to partners at $300, but you’ll get more value if you transfer your points frequently to book high-end award tickets. Check out the best Ultimate Rewards redemptions for inspiration on using your Chase points.

11. Redeem Points Through the Chase Travel Portal at 1.25 Cents per Point [$100]

Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders can redeem their points through the Chase travel portal at a rate of 1.25 cents per point. This is 0.25 cents per point higher than the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Chase Freedom Unlimited®, so you’ll be able to redeem fewer points for more travel with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

For example, if you book a $100 one-way flight from Chicago to New York, you’d pay just 8,000 Ultimate Rewards points. This is 1,000 miles cheaper than redeeming British Airways Avios on the same route on American Airlines, so make sure to always compare the Chase travel portal with transfer partners before booking a ticket.

We value this benefit conservatively at $100, as we generally recommend redeeming through transfer partners. However, it can sometimes make sense to use the Chase travel portal with this elevated redemption rate, so the value will be higher the more often you use it.

Hot Tip: All tickets booked through the Chase travel portal are eligible to earn airline miles as they’re considered paid tickets by the airline. So with that in mind, make sure to add your frequent flyer number to all tickets you book on the Chase travel portal.

12. 25% More Value in Statement Credit Redemptions [$100]

Cardholders can use Pay Yourself Back to redeem their Chase Ultimate Reward points at 1 cents per piece as a statement credit to offset purchases at gas stations and grocery stores. As well as 1.25 cents per point towards charitable donations through September 30, 2024.

13. Combine Points With Freedom Cards [$100]

If you have a Freedom Flex card or Freedom Unlimited card, you can transfer Ultimate Rewards points earned on those cards to the Chase Sapphire Preferred card for potentially greater value.

This benefit is great because once transferred you can then transfer to travel partners or take advantage of a higher redemption rate (1.25 cents per point) through the Chase travel portal. For this reason, a Freedom card paired with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card makes a great combo.

We value this benefit at $100, but it’s only applicable if you hold a Freedom Flex card or Freedom Unlimited card. You can disregard this valuation if you do not hold one of these cards.

Bottom Line: Redeeming Ultimate Rewards points by transferring to travel partners could bring the most value for your points. You’ll also receive 1.25 cents per point when using your Chase Sapphire Preferred card to redeem for travel via the Chase travel portal. Transferring Ultimate Rewards points earned on Chase Freedom cards to your Chase Sapphire Preferred card can result in much greater value for your points at redemption time. Learn more about how the Chase Sapphire Preferred card compares to the Freedom Flex card and the Freedom Unlimited card.

Travel Benefits and Protections

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is loaded with travel benefits and protections that can save you money or provide emergency services during your trip.

14. $50 Hotel Credit [$50]

Purchase a hotel stay via Chase Travel and receive an annual $50 statement credit.

Note that we’re seeing that current cardholders aren’t able to access this benefit until after their next account anniversary:

15. Primary Rental Car Insurance [$200]

Another super valuable Chase Sapphire Preferred card benefit is its included primary rental car insurance. Charge the entire rental to your Chase Sapphire Preferred card and receive primary collision insurance, meaning that you don’t need to file a claim with your personal auto insurance if you incur damages to the car.

However, note that this insurance only covers damages to your rental car and does not include liability insurance.

We value this benefit at $200 per year, but it can easily be worth more if you frequently rent cars. Purchasing the damage waiver can add up on long-term rentals, so having it included with your all rentals through the Chase Sapphire Preferred card can save lots of money.

16. Complimentary Travel Delay Insurance [$200]

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card includes complimentary travel delay insurance. So long as you book your airfare with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you’re eligible for expense reimbursement of up to $500 per ticket if your flight is delayed 12 hours or requires an overnight stay. You can be reimbursed for expenses like meals and lodging during your delay.

We value this benefit at $200, too, but if you have the chance to use it, it can easily be worth thousands of dollars depending on how often you fly (and are delayed). Now when you travel, you don’t have to worry about spending hundreds of dollars on a last-minute hotel when your flight is delayed.

Hot Tip: Traveling on an award ticket? Charge the taxes and fees to your Chase Sapphire Preferred card and you’ll be covered when your flight is delayed 12+ hours.

17. Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance [$100]

Further, the card also covers you if you need to cancel a trip due to illness, severe weather, or a number of other eligible circumstances. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s trip cancellation and interruption insurance, you’re eligible for reimbursement of up to $10,000 in non-refundable travel expenses if you need to cancel before the end of your itinerary due to these circumstances.

For example, if you spend $1,500 on a prepaid airline ticket and the airline goes out of business before you travel, Chase will reimburse you for the cost of the ticket. Likewise, if you or an immediate family member gets sick the day before departure, you’re eligible for reimbursement for all non-refundable expenses.

This benefit can offer great peace of mind when booking traveling, especially when you consider how many airlines have gone defunct in recent years. We value this benefit at $100 as you’re unlikely to have to use it, but it can be worth a lot more if you do.

18. Baggage Delay Insurance [$100]

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card also covers your checked baggage if it’s delayed more than 6 hours. You’ll receive $100 in reimbursements for essential items per day for up to 5 days. Like trip delay insurance, though, your plane ticket must be paid for with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card to take advantage of the benefit.

Additionally, make sure to get proof of baggage delay from your airline and keep all receipts for the things you’ve purchased during your baggage delay. Then, file a claim by calling the number on the back of your card within 20 days of the incident.

Chase says that things like clothing, toiletries, and a cell phone charging cable are eligible for reimbursement, but that’s not an exhaustive list. Call the number on the back of your card if you’re curious about a charge being eligible for reimbursement. Do note that contact lenses, eyeglasses, hearing aids, and money are explicitly not eligible for reimbursement, so make sure to keep these in your hand baggage.

We value this benefit modestly at $100. But again, if you can use it more than once, it will quickly become much more valuable. Note that even using this benefit once will more than cover the card’s $95 annual fee.

19. Roadside Dispatch and Travel and Emergency Assistance [$25]

Chase will help you find a doctor, lawyer, emergency transportation, or even someone to help you change a flat tire when traveling around the world, driving to work, or wherever else you may need help.

Just note that while Chase will help you find help in these situations, you’re liable for all charges incurred. So with that in mind, we value this simple benefit at $25. Check out our full guide to the Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s travel benefits for a more exhaustive list of ways Chase can help.

20. Travel Accident Insurance [$50]

The final travel insurance benefit included with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card is travel accident insurance. This protects you and your immediate family members in the case of accidental death or loss of speech, sight, or hearing during your travels. The benefit amount is $500,000 when the incident happens on a common carrier (think airline, cruise ship, etc.) and $100,000 at all other times during your trip. However, the latter is only paid out if you’re traveling on a round-trip ticket charged to your Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

There are some specifics on how this insurance can be used, so make sure to check out our guide to Chase’s travel benefits for more info. We value this benefit at $50 as you’re unlikely to ever have to use it, but it can provide peace of mind when on long trips and adventure travel where you’re more likely to be injured.

Shopping Benefits and Protections

21. Subscription to DoorDash DashPass [$120]

All Chase Sapphire Preferred cards include a complimentary subscription to DoorDash DashPass.

DashPass members receive free food delivery and discounted service fees on select food delivery orders on the DoorDash app (so long as the order is $12 or more). Since DoorDash is available in all large American cities, you can use this service to order food delivery at home or to your hotel. Activate by December 31, 2027.

DashPass costs $10 per month, so this benefit is worth a nice $120 in benefit per year.

Make sure to enroll in this benefit on DoorDash’s website and start enjoying free food delivery!

22. No Foreign Transaction Fees [$100]

Purchases made with a Chase Sapphire Preferred card are not subject to foreign transaction fees. Many credit cards charge a 1% to 3% fee on purchases made in a foreign currency, meaning that a $100 purchase could end up costing you $103 if you’re charged in euros, British pounds, or another currency. Thankfully, that’s not the case with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

We value this benefit at $100 as many travelers already have a no-foreign transaction fee credit card. However, if you don’t, this benefit alone can save you hundreds of dollars a year depending on how often you travel.

23. Purchase Protection on Eligible Purchases [$100]

Eligible purchases you make with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card are protected from damage and loss for 120 days from purchase. If an item you charge to the card is stolen or damaged within this window, you can file a claim for reimbursement with your credit card. You can claim up to $500 in reimbursement per claim, and claim up to $50,000 per year. This can be useful when purchasing a new smartphone, headphones, or another small device that’s easily damaged. You can submit a claim up to 90 days from when you lose or damage a purchase.

A variety of purchases are covered by Chase’s purchase protection, but there are some exclusions. Some of these included preowned items, antiques, collectibles, software, motorized vehicles, and things purchased for commercial use or resale. Further, things that “mysteriously disappear with no evidence of a wrongful act” aren’t covered either.

We value this benefit at $100, but again, it can easily be worth more depending on how often you use it. This is especially true if you travel with expensive technology that has a high risk of being broken or stolen.

24. Extended Warranty on All Purchases [$100]

Even cooler, every eligible item you purchase with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card will automatically have its warranty extended by 1 year from when the included warranty expires. You can claim up to $10,000 per warranty claim, and have up to $50,000 in claims per account. Eligible purchases exclude motorized vehicles, software, preowned items, and items purchased for resale — are eligible for extended warranty so long as it has a standard warranty of 3 years or less.

We value this perk at $100 as you’re not likely to use this benefit often. However, those that can take advantage of the benefit can receive massive value. Just remember that your card must be open and in good standing in order to file an extended warranty claim.

Final Thoughts

Obviously, it’s not likely you will realize the entire value of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card — this article is simply an illustration of the possibilities.

But, bottom line, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a solid card, especially for points and miles beginners and those new to travel.

When you look at the earning potential, flexible redemption options, and travel and shopping benefits, you could gain a lot of value from the card and all for a low annual fee.

The total value you receive from being a cardholder, however, will depend on your mix of spending, how much you spend, and how many of the benefits you’ll actually use.

There are many factors an issuer like Chase takes into consideration when determining eligibility for applicants. Here’s a breakdown of each factor to help determine whether you will or won’t be approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

How To Check Your Credit Score

Before you dive into what credit score you need for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you need to know what your credit score is in the first place. But how do you go about finding out what it is?

You’re probably in luck if you already have a credit card. Most credit card issuers you have an account with will offer a free credit score calculator. Most will show you a score between from 300 to 850, with 300 meaning you have a poor credit score and 850 meaning you have an excellent credit score.

If a service isn’t available to you through a credit card issuer, you can also easily open an account on a site like Credit Karma. Credit Karma is free to use and can help you keep track of your score, tell you what contributing factors led to that score, and alert you to fraudulent activity. You can also check your credit score for free with each of the 3 credit major bureaus.

Contributors to Your Credit Score

Now that you know what your credit score is, it’s essential to have some knowledge of the 5 factors that constitute your score:

• Payment history
• Credit utilization
• Length of credit history
• New credit
• Credit mix

Credit scores can be misleading if you lack all the necessary information. A “great” score in the 700s won’t matter much for approvals if you have little or no credit history.

Payment History

Your payment history is responsible for 35% of your overall score, making it the most important of all 5 factors. To receive a high credit score, you need to show a history of on-time payments month after month. If you have a history of late payments (especially recently), you’re unlikely to get approved for a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

Hot Tip: Want to avoid missing a credit card payment? Most issuers allow you to set up auto pay! This ensures you’ll never miss a payment, and your account will remain in good standing. 

Credit Utilization

Making up 30% of your overall credit score, credit utilization is the percentage of your available credit you have borrowed. For example, if you have a credit card with a $2,000 limit and make $600 in charges, your credit utilization will be 30% when the statement posts.

The lower you keep your credit utilization, the better. It will hurt your credit if you constantly max out your credit cards each month (even if you’re paying off the balance in full).

Hot Tip: One way to help keep your utilization low is to pay off all (or most) of your balance before your credit card’s billing statement posts. This is especially helpful if you’re starting to build your credit and your card has a low credit limit.

Length of Credit History

Your length of credit history, or the average age of your accounts, means how long each account has been open and how long it’s been since the account’s most recent action. This factor makes up 15% of your total credit score. The longer your credit history, the better it generally is for your credit score.

Credit Mix

Your credit mix makes up 10% of your credit score. While this category is generally the most confusing, data indicate that borrowers with a good mix of revolving credit and installment loans generally represent less risk for lenders.

In other words, you appear less risky to credit lenders if you have multiple forms of credit extended to you — credit cards, car notes, student loans, or housing loans.

New Credit

If your credit history is relatively new, it is essential not to open up too many new accounts in a short timeframe. New accounts lower your average account age, which has a larger effect on your score if there isn’t as much data for your other credit score factors.

On the other hand, if you open a new account and use it responsibly, it could actually improve your payment history, credit utilization, and credit mix scores.

The impact of opening a new credit card account is less significant than other categories, though — this factor makes up just 10% of your overall score.

Bottom Line: As you can see, just 3 factors make up 80% of your overall credit score. While it is true that opening a new credit card can bring down the overall age of your accounts, a new account can actually improve the other factors — if you use it responsibly. Staying on top of the factors and knowing the various weights of each can help you identify areas where your score can improve.

What Credit Score Do I Need for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card?

If you’re considering applying for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, wait until your score is at least 670.

Remember, though, that there is no actual minimum requirement — and there’s certainly no score that will guarantee approval, either. Applicants have been approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card with scores in the 600s and denied with scores in the 800s.

That 3-digit number is just 1 factor Chase considers before approving you for a new card. So, what else matters when banks determine whether to approve you?

Other Approval Considerations

Aside from your credit score, several other factors can weigh heavily on whether a bank will approve you for a new credit card.

Income

The stated income you list on your application plays a large role in your odds for Chase Sapphire Preferred card approval, because the minimum credit limit for new cardholders is $5,000.

Chase is not likely to extend that amount of credit to an applicant with a relatively low income. We recommend that your annual income be at least $30,000 before you apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

Length of Credit

One situation that can be pretty confusing if you’re new to credit is getting denied for a new credit card despite having a relatively high score. If this has happened to you, the cause might be your length of credit history.

To put it simply, credit issuers deem people who are new to credit to be riskier than those who have been responsibly using credit for many years. We recommend that you have at least 2 years of good credit history before applying for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

Recent Accounts

If you’re familiar with the world of credit card points and miles (if you’re not, explore our beginner’s guide to points and miles), you may have heard about the Chase 5/24 rule at some point:

• Chase will not approve applications for certain credit cards if the applicant has opened 5 (or more) credit card accounts in the last 24 months.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is one of those cards affected by this rule. So, if you’ve opened at least 5 new credit card accounts in the last 24 months, it’s doubtful you’d be approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

Bottom Line: Your overall credit score is just 1 part of the equation. To get approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you also need a solid income, a good credit history, and fewer than 5 new accounts in the last 24 months.

Tips To Boost Your Credit Score

If your credit score isn’t high enough to get approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, what can you do to improve it?

Well, for starters, don’t lose hope! Like most things, your credit can be improved with the right strategy and time.

Get a Starter Credit Card

If you have a low credit score or have never had a credit card, you’ll likely struggle to get approved for most credit cards.

In this case, opening a secured credit card or a card with a low limit is usually the best option. If you successfully manage the card by making on-time payments, your score will improve relatively quickly.

Hot Tip: Looking to repair or build your credit? The Capital One Platinum Credit Card is a great option that offers fraud coverage, doesn’t charge an annual fee (rates & fees), and gives you access to a higher credit limit after you make your first 5 monthly payments on time. Interested in other options? Explore the best secured credit cards for those with low or no credit.

Get Added as an Authorized User

Being added as an authorized user on someone else’s credit card can greatly affect your score. It can help lower your credit utilization, improve your payment history, and increase the average age of your accounts.

Be mindful, though — you only want to ask someone to add you as an authorized user if they themselves are responsible with their credit. If you’re an authorized user on the account of someone who regularly carries a high balance and misses payments, this can lower your own score (even though you aren’t the primary account holder).

Get Errors Removed

If there are any inaccuracies or potential cases of fraud on your credit report, they can significantly impact your score. This is why you should regularly monitor your credit report (using a free resource) to ensure everything is as it should be.

If you see anything suspicious or inaccurate, you should attempt to dispute the credit error. Depending on the severity of the error, you could see a major change in your credit score.

Final Thoughts

If you’re in the market for a great points and miles credit card, especially one that earns Ultimate Rewards points, you should consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred card to see if it’s worth it for you.

You stand a solid chance of approval if your credit score, income, and credit history are all in check and you’ve opened fewer than 5 Chase new accounts in the last 24 months. If not, stay on track with on-time payments and keep your balances low until you’re ready to apply!

In addition to the key benefits of strong earning power and travel redemption flexibility, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has your back with travel insurance coverage that offers peace of mind and potential savings during your journey.

If you travel frequently, chances are you’ve used a travel insurance coverage or benefit and realize the value of having this protection. It’s reasonable to expect that a travel rewards card you use to pay for your travel will have associated trip benefits. Unfortunately, credit card issuers have recently cut back on both travel and shopping benefits.

While some other cards are cutting back, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers prominent travel insurance coverage and benefits. Whether you currently have the card or are considering it, you’re sure to find this information useful when comparing travel rewards cards.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Overview

To put the Chase Sapphire Preferred card‘s coverage into context, it’s important to have a little background. Below, you’ll find important card information like any welcome bonus and annual fee.

Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card shines at providing car rental insurance coverage when compared to other travel rewards cards.

Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver

Unlike most travel rewards cards, the coverage you receive with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is primary car insurance coverage compared to secondary, which means you do not have to file an insurance claim with your own auto insurance company first for coverage to be valid.

To activate the coverage on your card, simply reserve and pay for your rental car with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, then decline the rental car agency’s collision damage waiver coverage.

The cardholder and any additional drivers you list on the rental agreement are covered.

Coverage You Can Expect:

• Damage to or theft of the rental car
• Loss of use charges imposed by the rental car company while the vehicle is being repaired
• Reasonable and customary towing charges

Conditions:

• Coverage is valid in most countries
• The rental period must not exceed or intend to exceed 31 consecutive days
• Coverage is primary

Exclusions:

• Exceptionally expensive, exotic, and antique vehicles are not covered
• Also excluded are open cargo bed vehicles, trucks, and recreational vehicles
• Motorcycles, mopeds, and motorbikes
• All limousines and vans that transport more than 9 people
• Losses due to off-road use of the rental vehicle
• Liability insurance coverage is not included

Bottom Line: According to the Insurance Information Institute, a car rental agency’s collision damage waiver coverage can cost $9 to $19 per day, even more depending on where you’re renting the vehicle. Having primary rental car insurance with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card could save you hundreds of dollars on a multi-week car rental. 

Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Insurance

In addition to car rental insurance, one of the most valuable benefits to have on your travel rewards credit card is coverage when there’s a disruption during your travels.

Pay for your trip in full or in part with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card or Chase Ultimate Rewards points and receive up to $10,000 if a covered loss prevents you (or other covered persons) from traveling. The maximum benefit for each occurrence is $20,000 and $40,000 maximum per 12-month period.

Expenses covered include any non-refundable, prepaid transportation arrangements that were missed plus change fees.

The definition of who is covered for trip cancellation and trip interruption coverage is broad. The cardholder, spouse or domestic partner, and immediate family are eligible for coverage. Immediate family includes adopted or step-children, legal guardians/wards, siblings or siblings-in-law, parents or parents-in-law, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, and nieces or nephews.

The trip cannot exceed 60 days in duration and the destination must be more than 1 mile from home for coverage to be valid.

Covered events include:

• Accidental injury, loss of life, or illness experienced by the cardholder, immediate family, or traveling companion
• Severe weather
• Change of military orders
• Terrorist events or hijackings
• Jury duty or subpoena that cannot be postponed or waived
• Finding that your residence has become uninhabitable
• You have been quarantined

Hot Tip: If you pay for your immediate family’s trip with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card or Ultimate Rewards points, they are eligible for trip interruption and trip cancellation insurance coverage, even if you are not traveling with them. For more card options that come with trip cancellation insurance, check out our full guide to the best credit cards for trip cancellation and interruption insurance.

Trip Delay Reimbursement

If your trip is significantly delayed, you may be stranded overnight and need to purchase necessities or incur other unexpected expenses such as lodging and additional meals.

Trip delay reimbursement pays up to $500 per ticket for covered expenses that are not paid for by the common carrier. The delay must be overnight or greater than 12 hours in duration.

Baggage Insurance

When traveling on a common carrier, if your baggage is delayed more than 6 hours, you could receive up to $100 reimbursement per day, for up to 5 days, for incidentals purchased.

You can expect to be reimbursed for essential items such as:

• Cell phone charging cable (1)
• Clothing
• Toiletries

Lost Luggage

If your luggage is lost or damaged, lost luggage coverage will pay to repair or replace the luggage plus the cost of personal items lost, up to $3,000 per person, per trip.

You must report the loss to the common carrier first as the Lost Luggage benefit is in excess of any payments you receive from that carrier.

Roadside Dispatch

If you’re stranded on the side of the road, lock your keys out of your car, or your car fails to start, you’ll find Roadside Dispatch a welcomed benefit. The coverage provides 24/7 roadside assistance that is just one call away.

Services You Can Expect:

• Changing your flat tire when you have an inflated spare
• Delivery of up to 5 gallons of fuel
• Jump starting
• Lockout service
• Standard towing up to 5 miles
• Standard winching

Service extras such as towing beyond 5 miles, the cost of a replacement key, or the cost of the actual fuel being delivered, are additional charges and the responsibility of the cardholder. However, you won’t pay more than the pre-determined flat rate fee of $69.95 for the initial service call, as it is set in advance.

Travel Accident Insurance

It’s painful to think about something serious happening during your travels, but there are benefits available in case you’re faced with such a tragic event.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is one of a few cards to offer travel accident insurance. The cardholder and immediate family members are covered even if the cardholder is not traveling with the immediate family. The ticket must be paid for in full or partially with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card or Ultimate Rewards points.

Chase’s travel accident insurance is divided into 2 coverages:

• Common Carrier Travel Accident Benefit — Covers you while you are a passenger on any common carrier or at the airport, terminal, or station immediately before or after your trip.
• 24-Hour Travel Accident Benefit — Provides coverage as soon as you embark on your trip, during your qualifying trip, and until you return for accidental death, dismemberment, and loss of speech, sight, and hearing.

Coverage on the Common Carrier benefit is limited to up to $500,000 and $100,000 maximum on the 24-hour travel accident benefit. Only 1 benefit can apply per trip.

Travel and Emergency Assistance

You’re just one call away from assistance or referral help anytime you need it 24/7. Calling the toll-free number when in the U.S. or the collect-call phone number on the back of your card when traveling out of the country is the fastest way to receive assistance.

In addition to you (the cardholder), your spouse or domestic partner and dependent children under 22 can also use the service.

Referral assistance is complimentary, but the cardholder is responsible for the actual goods or services provided.

Services You Can Expect:

• Emergency Message Service — Record and relay emergency messages to travelers
• Medical Referrals — Referral to an English-speaking medical practitioner to monitor your progress and serve as a patient liaison
• Legal Referrals — Referral to an English-speaking attorney, U.S. Consulate or embassy, and assistance with bail bond arrangements
• Emergency Transportation — Help with making arrangements for emergency transport to the nearest medical facility
• Emergency Ticket Replacement — Assistance replacing a lost ticket with your carrier
• Lost Luggage — Provides assistance filing a lost luggage claim or help with replacement items
• Translation Services — Assistance with local language translation services
• Prescription and Valuable Documents Replacement — Assistance getting prescriptions filled at a local pharmacy or locating and transporting valuable documents
• Pre-trip Assistance — Includes help finding an ATM, assistance with visas, health precautions, and other pre-trip information

No Foreign Transaction Fees

You don’t want to be hit with 3% fees when using your card during international travels. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, which is thankfully true of many cards nowadays.

If you spent $4,000 abroad on a family vacation, the savings would equal $120.

Filing a Claim

It’s prudent to think about the claim process even before you embark on your journey. Should you need to make a trip interruption, trip delay, or trip cancellation claim, the process will be much easier if you have gathered the information and documentation you need during the event versus after the fact.

Contact the plan administrator as soon as possible during or after the disruption for guidance and to file a claim. You may be expected to provide any of the following when submitting a claim for a trip interruption, trip cancellation, or trip delay:

• A completed and signed claim form
• Credit card statement with the last 4 digits of the card or receipts showing you paid for the trip with an eligible card or points
• A copy of your transportation ticket and itinerary
• Medical documents or a death certificate for health-related claims
• A statement from the carrier stating why the trip was interrupted, canceled, or delayed
• Receipts for purchases and food expense receipts over $50
• Copy of the carrier, tour company, or travel supplier’s cancellation or refund policy
• Any additional documentation requested by the benefit administrator

The documentation needed is not requested by Chase, but by the third-party claim administrator, therefore Chase statements validating your trip purchase are necessary. Knowing this upfront allows you to store your trip receipts in advance for easy access should you need them.

Hot Tip: Prior to your trip, contact the benefits administrator for clarification of trip coverage and to inquire about any special destination information you should know. You can also be proactive by reviewing the claim process before your trip to learn about any required documentation that would be needed in case of an event.

How Coverage Compares

Other Credit Cards

Travel protection and insurance vary greatly by the credit card issuer and can change periodically. In general, here’s what you can expect in the way of travel protections by major issuers:

Chase

Chase issues credit cards including the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offer the comprehensive collection of trip protections reviewed in this article. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card additionally offers emergency medical evacuation, $2,500 in emergency medical and dental coverage, and a shorter delay for trip delay coverage.

American Express

American Express offers secondary car rental insurance versus primary coverage, accident insurance, premium roadside assistance, a Global Assist Hotline, and baggage insurance. There is also emergency medical evacuation coverage that comes with The Platinum Card® from American Express. The issuer does not offer trip interruption, cancellation, or delay coverage.

Capital One

You’ll find secondary car rental insurance, roadside dispatch, accident insurance, lost and delayed baggage, and emergency travel assistance on some Capital One cards.

Bank of America

Bank of America travel rewards cards generally do not offer trip protection or major travel benefits.

Hot Tip: For more details, check out our guide to the best credit cards for travel insurance.

Travel Insurance Policies

Travel protections, benefits, and insurance that come complimentary on credit cards are not designed to take the place of a comprehensive travel insurance policy.

A comprehensive travel insurance policy allows you to select the type of coverage you need and the coverage limits that match your level of risk, whether you’re protecting a significant financial outlay or the potential physical risks associated with the trip. You can also purchase a travel insurance policy that can cover one specific trip or many trips over a specific time period.

With that said, by taking a few minutes to read through the trip protections offered on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you may find enough coverage to satisfy your trip protection requirements for your next trip. As always, you should review the card benefit coverages carefully before you travel and purchase any needed travel insurance to fill in any gaps.

Bottom Line: The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers a high level of travel protection and insurance compared to other travel rewards credit cards. This level of coverage may be more than sufficient for your trip. 

Final Thoughts

Having travel insurance brings with it the peace of mind to enjoy your journey without worry of any significant financial expense should something go wrong.

To avoid a false sense of security, however, you’ll want to call the benefits administrator (using the number on the back of your card) to ensure you have the coverage you need.

For example, you may assume you have coverage for emergency evacuation on that mountain trek, but the Chase Sapphire Preferred card does not carry this coverage. If the protection is important to you, you’ll want to be aware (and purchase separate coverage) before you embark on your journey.

Additionally, you may want to confirm that the country in which you’re renting is one that is covered under Chase’s car rental collision damage waiver, although most are.

While the Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers some of the best travel protection and insurance benefits of any travel rewards card, these benefits are not a substitute for comprehensive travel insurance.

If you’re spending thousands on a vacation for an entire family, booking an expensive cruise, or planning a trip with several forms of transportation involved, you may want to make sure that card-provided benefits provide protection at a level with which you’re comfortable.

If not, you should purchase a comprehensive travel insurance policy.

However, if you ever rent a vehicle, you’re sure to find value and save money by investing a few minutes to learn about the complimentary car rental coverage that comes with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. This is because the card offers some of the best rental car coverage available compared to other travel rewards credit cards.

In this article, we’ll review what is covered with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s collision damage waiver coverage, what you need to do to make sure you’re covered, what’s not covered, and how you file a claim.

What Is Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver?

Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) is a protection that covers damage from collision or theft to most rental vehicles.

This coverage reimburses you for damages or a replacement if your rental car is involved in an incident. It’s required when you rent a vehicle and will be offered to you by the rental car company when completing the initial paperwork.

If you have coverage elsewhere, such as with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you can decline the coverage offered by the car rental company.

Bottom Line: The coverage offered on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is primary rental coverage, which means you do not have to access other insurance first.

Quick Card Snapshot

What Makes the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Coverage Better?

Most rental car companies pressure you to accept their own CDW, which can be quite expensive.

The CDW coverage that comes with the Chase Sapphire Preferred allows you to decline the rental car company’s coverage with confidence and still be covered.

In addition to receiving excellent rental car coverage, you’ll earn 2 Ultimate Rewards Points per dollar spent on your car rental when using the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

You will also incur no foreign transaction fees on international car rentals.

Primary Coverage vs. Secondary Coverage

Rental car coverage that comes with credit cards can be secondary — this means that you must first file a claim with your primary insurance company before the secondary coverage will kick in.

But the coverage on the Chase Sapphire Preferred is primary coverage — you do not have to file a claim with another insurance company first.

Another positive is that Chase’s primary CDW coverage is not limited to rentals outside the country (this is common with other credit cards’ CDW coverage).

The coverage is provided on a primary basis in the U.S. and worldwide in most countries. 

Coverage Extends to Other Drivers

Another reason to use the Chase Sapphire Preferred card to pay for your rental car is the extension of coverage to other drivers. The following drivers are covered for CDW when using the card:

• Primary cardholder when driving the car
• Any additional driver listed on the rental agreement
• Authorized users on your Chase Sapphire Preferred card who rent with their card
• Any additional driver listed on the authorized user rental agreement

Unlike other premium credit cards, Chase does not charge a fee for adding an authorized user to your Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

Bottom Line: Authorized users receive the same CDW coverage as primary cardholders when using their Chase Sapphire Preferred card to rent a car. 

Requirements During the Rental Sign Up

To ensure you receive coverage under the Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s CDW, you will need to do the following:

• Provide your Chase Sapphire Preferred card when reserving, picking up, and completing the car rental transaction.
• Decline the rental car company’s CDW coverage. This coverage is sometimes called “loss damage waiver” or LDW.

If you provide an alternative card to the Chase Sapphire Preferred card when completing the rental, you will forfeit the coverage provided through your Chase Sapphire Preferred card. You will also forfeit coverage if you accept the rental car company’s CDW/LDW coverage.

It is acceptable to use a combination of Chase Ultimate Rewards points and your Chase Sapphire Preferred card to rent a vehicle — you will still qualify for CDW coverage.

Bottom Line: To ensure you have CDW coverage, use only your Chase Sapphire Preferred card for all elements of your rental car transaction and decline the rental car company’s CDW/LDW coverage. 

What’s Covered

The card’s CDW coverage will reimburse you for covered expenses incurred on the rental vehicle, including:

• Damage or theft to the covered rental vehicle (up to the actual cash value of the vehicle)
• Loss of use charges assessed by the rental car company
• Reasonable towing charges to the nearest repair facility

Primary coverage for car rentals is valid in most countries.

You should contact the benefits administrator prior to your trip to obtain a coverage letter and confirm that you will have coverage in the country where you’re renting the vehicle.

What’s Not Covered

There are important exclusions to the CDW coverage, including the following:

• Coverage is not valid for rentals that exceed 31 days
• Expensive, exotic, and antique cars; certain vans and trucks; motorcycles, mopeds, and motorbikes; limousines; recreational vehicles
• Open cargo bed vehicles and vans that carry more than 8 people
• Losses due to using the vehicle off-road

It’s important to note that the CDW applies to damage and theft of the rental vehicle only. You still need to have personal liability coverage when renting a vehicle.

Liability coverage, which covers injuries/damage to others, is usually included in the cost of renting a car. Your own personal car insurance can also be a source of this coverage.

Hot Tip: You can find a complete list of what is not covered, including which specific brands of cars are excluded, in the Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s Guide to Benefits.

How To File an Insurance Claim

You have up to 60 days after the incident to report a claim, but you’ll want to do it as soon as possible. You may be charged immediately by your rental car company, so you’ll want to start the process quickly.

Be aware that the claim will be settled on a reimbursement basis, so you’ll be out some money during the claim processing period.

The first step is to call the benefits administrator when your rental car is in an accident or stolen.

You will be asked some questions about the incident and sent a claim form to complete.

Then, you will be required to submit documentation, which could include:

• A copy of your credit card statement showing the entire rental was paid for with your card
• A copy of the entire rental agreement
• A copy of the accident report showing the amount you’re responsible for
• A police report
• Photos of the damage
• Repair estimates
• Any additional documentation the benefits administrator deems necessary

You have 100 days from the date of the incident to send in the claim form, but if you are unable to retrieve some of the documents, the claim can be left open for up to 365 days total.

To summarize the important deadlines from the date of the incident:

• Contact the administrator right away. The claim will be denied if it has been more than 60 days.
• Send in the completed claim form with or without all the required documents within 100 days.
• Ask for assistance from your benefits administrator if you are unable to obtain the required documentation.

Hot Tip: It’s good to be aware in advance of the information and documentation you would need if you have an accident or your rental car is stolen. Some items can be difficult and time-consuming to retrieve after the fact. 

Everything Else You Need To Know

It’s always prudent to look over a rental car before driving away from the agency to ensure there is no existing damage.

Take pictures with your cell phone and let the rental agent know before leaving if you find any damage. Get written documentation of any damage found prior to leaving the facility so you are not held liable.

Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offer the same primary CDW coverage. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card, however, has a $75,000 maximum limit on the coverage.

Hot Tip: Foreign rental car agencies may not understand the coverage offered on U.S. credit cards. Request a letter of coverage from Chase before you leave on your trip by calling the benefits administrator at 888-320-9961, or collect outside the U.S. at 804-673-1691.

Chase Business Credit Cards With Primary Car Rental Insurance

While the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is one of our favorite travel rewards credit cards, you may need a business credit card that provides the same valuable car rental CDW benefits.

The Chase CDW coverage on these cards is primary and applies when renting for business or personal purposes outside your residence country.

In your country of residence, the coverage is primary when renting “primarily” for business purposes and secondary when renting for personal use.

The following Chase business credit cards offer this CDW coverage:

• Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
• Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Bottom Line: Chase business credit cards provide primary CDW coverage when renting a vehicle for personal purposes outside of your residence country. 

Final Thoughts

The CDW coverage offered with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card can save you a lot of money if you frequently rent a vehicle. Having the coverage can also make the rental process easier as there are fewer decisions to make.

If you do not have auto insurance, there’s also a certain peace of mind gained by knowing you’ll be covered without accepting the expensive CDW/LDW offered by the rental car company.

If you do have auto insurance, you would benefit from having the coverage, too — you will not have to file a claim with your own insurance company first (as you would with credit card rental coverage that is secondary).

This is a favorable alternative because filing a claim with your auto insurance company could result in higher rates and even cancellation.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is not only one of our favorite choices as an excellent travel rewards credit card — it provides many benefits that can actually save you money.

For additional information on this topic, check out our piece on the best credit cards for car rental insurance coverage.