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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Review – Its $100 Hotel Credit Covers the $95 Fee

chase sapphire preferred card
Our Rating

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

  • Best for: Travelers who book at least one hotel stay a year through Chase Travel
  • What Sets It Apart: A $100 annual Chase Travel hotel credit that covers the $95 fee, plus transfers to airline and hotel programs
  • Welcome Offer: 75,000 points after $5,000 in purchases in 3 months
  • Rewards: 5x on Chase Travel; 3x on dining, gas, EV charging, streaming, and online grocery
  • Features: Up to $120 every four years for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS
  • Annual Fee: $95
  • APR: 19.49% to 27.74% variable
  • Cost: No foreign transaction fee
  • Pros: $100 hotel credit exceeds the $95 fee; primary rental car coverage; trip cancellation and trip delay coverage
  • Cons: Credit only on Chase Travel hotel bookings, which usually earn no hotel loyalty points; 1x on non-bonus purchases; Points Boost limited to select bookings; no intro APR
Just the Tip:

Get the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card if you’ll book a $100-plus hotel stay through Chase Travel each year, since that stay’s credit, up to $100, covers the $95 fee with $5 to spare. The rest of the card, from 3x points on dining and gas to transfers to airline and hotel programs, then costs nothing extra.

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The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a $95-a-year travel card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Each point is worth 1 cent toward cash or travel, up to 1.5 cents on select Chase Travel bookings through Points Boost.

Key Features

  • $95 annual fee and no foreign transaction fee
  • 75,000 points once you spend $5,000 within 3 months of opening the account, worth $750 at a cent apiece
  • 5x points on Chase Travel; 3x on dining, gas stations, EV charging, vacation homes at top brands, top streaming services, and online grocery; 2x on other travel; 1x on everything else
  • Up to $100 a year in statement credits for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel, plus up to $120 every four years toward Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS
  • Transfers to 10 airline and 4 hotel programs, including United, Southwest, and Marriott Bonvoy, most at 1:1 and World of Hyatt at 4:3

Pros

  • One Chase Travel hotel stay of $100 or more returns $100, more than the $95 annual fee
  • Primary rental car coverage, which pays before your own auto insurance, up to $60,000 for theft or collision damage on most rentals
  • Trip cancellation and interruption coverage up to $10,000 per traveler and $20,000 per trip
  • Trip delay coverage up to $500 per traveler after a 12-hour or overnight delay

Cons

  • Hotel credit works only on Chase Travel bookings, which earn no points on the first $100 and, at chain hotels, usually no hotel points or elite perks
  • 1x on purchases outside the bonus categories, less than a no-fee 2% card pays
  • Points Boost pricing covers only select hotels and flights, and the offers rotate
  • No intro APR, with a 19.49% to 27.74% variable rate from the start
  • No anniversary points bonus

Travelers who book one $100-plus Chase Travel hotel stay a year cover the $95 fee with its $100 credit, and their dining, gas, and travel spending earns points that stretch further on flights and hotels than as cash. A no-annual-fee 2% card suits travelers who’d rather book elsewhere or want cash back better than this one.

Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or see how it compares to the best travel rewards credit cards.

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