Chase Sapphire Preferred
“The gold standard entry-level travel card. At $95/year with a 75,000-point bonus, DoorDash DashPass, and Hyatt transfers, it delivers more value per dollar of annual fee than almost any card on the market.”
Best for: Travel beginners and moderate spenders who want flexible points without a premium annual fee
💳 Key Features & Perks
- ✦5X on travel purchased through Chase Travel
- ✦5X on Lyft rides
- ✦5X on Peloton purchases
- ✦3X on dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery)
- ✦3X on select streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, etc.)
- ✦3X on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, wholesale clubs)
- ✦2X on all other travel purchases
- ✦1X on all other purchases
- ✦Points worth 25% more when redeemed through Chase Travel portal
- ✦1:1 transfer to 14 airline and hotel partners (Hyatt, United, Southwest, etc.)
- ✦$50 annual Chase Travel hotel credit
- ✦Complimentary DoorDash DashPass subscription ($120/year value)
- ✦10% anniversary points boost on total points earned that year
- ✦No foreign transaction fees
- ✦Trip cancellation/interruption insurance, primary rental car coverage
🚀 How to Maximize Value
01Step 1
Hit the 75,000 point sign-up bonus by putting regular expenses on the card for 3 months. $5,000 over 3 months is roughly $1,667/month.
02Step 2
Use this as your default dining card. At 3X points on restaurants, a $500/month dining habit earns 18,000 points per year worth $225+ in travel.
03Step 3
Transfer points to Hyatt for the single best redemption in the Chase ecosystem. Hyatt points regularly deliver 2-4 cents per point at Category 1-4 properties.
04Step 4
Activate the free DoorDash DashPass for $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees. Worth $120/year if you order delivery even twice a month.
05Step 5
Book at least one hotel per year through Chase Travel to claim your $50 annual credit — it effectively drops the annual fee to $45.
⚡ Pro Tips
- ✓The $95 annual fee is waived for active-duty military under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA)
- ✓You can product-change from a Chase Freedom or Freedom Unlimited to the Sapphire Preferred — this avoids a hard credit pull
- ✓Chase's 5/24 rule: you'll be auto-denied if you've opened 5+ credit cards from ANY issuer in the past 24 months
- ✓The 10% anniversary bonus means if you earn 50,000 points in year 1, you get 5,000 bonus points on your anniversary
Annual Value Breakdown
Estimated based on typical spending patterns. Your mileage may vary.
John Liang calls the Chase Sapphire Preferred the single best first travel credit card for anyone earning a regular income and spending at least $500/month on dining and travel combined.
The 75,000 point sign-up bonus (after $5,000 in 3 months) is worth $937+ when transferred to Hyatt — that's nearly 10 years of annual fees paid back in the first quarter. Beyond the bonus, the card now includes a complimentary DoorDash DashPass ($120/year value), a 10% anniversary points boost, and 5X on Lyft rides — perks that weren't part of the original card design.
Liang emphasizes that the real power isn't the earn rates (which are solid but not best-in-class) — it's the transfer partner ecosystem, especially Hyatt, where point values regularly exceed 2 cents each. His biggest warning: Chase's 5/24 rule. If you've opened 5 or more credit cards in the past 24 months with any bank, Chase will automatically deny your application regardless of your credit score.
Last updated: 2026-03-30