How to Get the Most from the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

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The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has been one of NerdWallet’s top-rated travel credit cards for many years. It has a great welcome offer and travel benefits, and the points are easy to use.

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In June 2026, Chase updated the card with several new and improved benefits, making it easier than ever for cardholders to get great value.

Earn a new cardholder bonus

The easiest way to earn a large sum of credit card rewards is through a new card’s sign-up bonus. Currently, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has this welcome bonus: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

The card comes with an annual fee of $95.

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Enjoy the card’s other valuable perks

With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you’ll also get:

No foreign transaction fees.
A minimum of one year of DashPass, which gives a $0 delivery fee and lower service fees on DoorDash orders over $12. Activate your subscription any time before Dec. 31, 2027.
A one-year subscription to Apple TV. Activate your subscription by December 31, 2026.
Purchase protection of up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account if your new purchases are stolen or damaged.
Trip cancellation/interruption insurance of up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip.
Baggage delay insurance covering the purchase of toiletries and clothing, up to $100 a day, if your bags are lost or delayed more than six hours.
Trip delay insurance, which covers you for things like meals and hotel stays, up to $500 per ticket, if your trip is delayed more than 12 hours (or overnight).
Emergency evacuation and transportation coverage of up to $100,000.
Rental car insurance (more below).

Use the rental car insurance

This coverage is for most rental cars in the U.S. and most countries abroad. The coverage is primary, and you’ll need to decline the rental company’s collision insurance. This can mean big savings if things go wrong with your rental car.

Compare: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve®

In addition to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase also offers the Chase Sapphire Reserve® — its ultra-premium card. There are some important differences:

Annual fee: $95 for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and $795 for the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
Earnings rate: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card gets 3 points per dollar on dining, gas and EV charging, and vacation homes at brands like Airbnb and Vrbo. It also earns 2 points on most travel-related purchases. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® earns 3 points on dining and 4 points on travel booked directly with an airline or hotel. But all other travel earns 1 point.
Transfer partners: Chase has several transfer partners, and for Chase Sapphire Reserve® holders, all transfer at 1:1 ratios. If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, your Hyatt transfer ratio will be 4:3, meaning you have to transfer 4 Chase points to get 3 Hyatt points. The other transfer ratios are still 1:1, though.
Other high-value perks: The Chase Sapphire Reserve® comes with a $300 annual travel credit, along with Priority Pass airport lounge access and a credit for the application fee for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS. You’ll also get a slew of credits for select travel, dining and lifestyle purchases, but it can feel like a second job to use them all.

Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card‘s annual fee worth it?

The $95 annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is not waived the first year. However, you can easily recoup the annual fee by using the card’s $100 prepaid hotel credit each year when booking through Chase’s travel portal.

Don’t forget: You’ll also earn a large stash of Chase Ultimate Rewards® points if you meet the spending requirements for the welcome bonus, which can offer significant value.

If you have other Chase cards like the Chase Freedom® or the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, it’s valuable to also have a premium card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card so you can combine points between the cards and access travel partners and enhanced value through Chase’s travel portal.

How to maximize your rewards

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