I have been on the earth of factors and miles for a very long time, and I have been requested extra instances than I can rely which rewards bank card vacationers ought to get first.
My reply is sort of all the time the identical: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees).
The Sapphire Most well-liked has been round for over 16 years, however that does not imply it’s stale. Actually, it just got a refresh that made it an even stronger card to start with whereas retaining a low $95 annual charge.
Plus, for a restricted time, the Sapphire Preferred is offering 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Are you able to consider something that has saved the identical value for over 16 years but added much more worth? As a result of I can not.
Getting began could be the largest, scariest step. So if that is the place you might be in your rewards journey journey, listed below are 5 the explanation why the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked continues to be the cardboard I most ceaselessly suggest to my very own family and friends members.
Earn 100,000 worthwhile bonus factors rapidly
I promise I am not beginning right here simply because there is a limited-time supply. However it will be foolish to start out anyplace else, as a result of rewards are solely enjoyable if you happen to even have factors to make use of.
And the quickest method to construct a significant factors steadiness is with a robust welcome bonus. Proper now, for simply the third time ever, the Chase Sapphire
To earn that bonus, you’d must cost a median of $1,667 to the cardboard every month for 3 months, which can sound like rather a lot at first.
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However do not forget that everyday expenses count. Groceries, fuel, cellphone payments, insurance coverage premiums, medical bills and even some utility funds can all provide help to attain the spending requirement. These routine purchases can add up surprisingly rapidly and unlock a welcome bonus that TPG values at greater than $2,000 primarily based on our June 2026 valuations.
Get award factors which might be straightforward to make use of
Let’s discuss what makes the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked particularly beginner-friendly: the easy-to-use factors.
Use the factors for as much as $1,500 in flights and lodges by way of Chase Journey
There are two fundamental methods to make use of Chase Ultimate Rewards points for journey, and the simplest choice is reserving instantly via Chase Journey℠.
If you know the way to e-book a visit via Expedia or one other on-line journey company, you already know methods to use Chase Travel. You’ll be able to seek for and e-book flights, lodges, rental vehicles and extra utilizing both money, factors or a mixture of each.
At a minimal, your factors are price 1 cent every towards journey booked this manner. Nonetheless, choose lodges and flights and experiences qualify for Chase’s Points Boost function, which might improve the worth of your factors to as a lot as 1.5 cents every.
Meaning the present 100,000-point welcome bonus could possibly be price as much as $1,500 in journey booked via Chase Journey.
Or, stretch your factors even additional with switch companions
In the event you’re prepared to be taught a couple of extra rewards redemption tips, you possibly can doubtlessly get much more worth by transferring your Chase factors to considered one of Chase’s 14 airline or hotel partners.
You’ll be able to switch factors to applications comparable to United MileagePlus, JetBlue TrueBlue and Air France-KLM Flying Blue for flights, or World of Hyatt or Marriott Bonvoy for lodge stays, to call a couple of. Relying on the way you redeem them, 100,000 factors can go a surprisingly great distance — whether or not that is a number of home flights, a couple of nights at a resort or perhaps a business-class flight to a different continent.
Admittedly, utilizing switch companions requires a bit of extra analysis than reserving via Chase Journey. However that is a part of what makes Chase Final Rewards factors so interesting: You’ll be able to preserve issues easy, or you possibly can unlock much more worth as your confidence and curiosity develop.
The present Chase switch companions are:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- British Airways Membership
- Emirates Skywards
- IHG One Rewards
- Iberia Membership
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Singapore KrisFlyer
- Southwest Speedy Rewards
- United MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership
- World of Hyatt
Chase Final Rewards factors on the Sapphire Most well-liked switch to those companions at a 1:1 ratio (except Hyatt, which is 4:3) however typically go larger with occasional transfer bonuses.
Which means that 100,000 Chase Final Rewards factors might grow to be the equal of 100,000 United miles, Aeroplan factors, Marriott factors and the listing goes on. That is worthwhile flexibility reasonably than being locked into incomes and redeeming with one loyalty program.
The annual charge is low, and it has a number of worthwhile perks
Premium journey rewards playing cards can completely be worth their annual fees. However for somebody simply getting began, it is comprehensible to hesitate earlier than signing up for a card that prices $795 and even $895 per 12 months.
That is another excuse the Sapphire Most well-liked is such a compelling place to start out. Its annual charge is simply $95, but it nonetheless presents worthwhile journey perks and rewards that may simply justify that price.
Some perks can rapidly greater than offset the annual charge.
For instance, there’s now a $100 annual Chase Journey lodge credit score that may more than offset the $95 annual fee if you happen to use it. Cardholders may obtain an utility charge credit score price as much as $120 for International Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus as soon as each 4 years.
Further Sapphire Most well-liked advantages embrace:
- Complimentary Apple TV and Apple Music subscriptions for one 12 months (enrollment required via Chase Advantages & Rewards by Dec. 31, 2026)
- Sturdy journey protections, together with journey cancellation and interruption insurance coverage, journey delay reimbursement, and emergency evacuation and transportation protection
- Complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership (activation required via Dec. 31, 2027)
- As much as $10 in month-to-month DoorDash credit for eligible nonrestaurant orders via Dec. 31, 2027
The Sapphire Most well-liked strikes a candy spot by delivering significant journey and different advantages with out a yearly dedication to a pricier premium card.
Associated: The 8 best credit cards with annual fees under $100
Earn factors rapidly
A fantastic welcome bonus just like the one obtainable now can get you began, however one of the best rewards playing cards proceed delivering worth lengthy after you’ve got earned that preliminary pile of factors.
That is one other space the place the Sapphire Most well-liked shines.
The cardboard presents robust incomes charges throughout a wide range of on a regular basis spending classes — a few of which even rival or outperform playing cards with a lot larger annual charges.
- 5 factors per greenback spent on journey booked via Chase Journey
- 5 factors per greenback spent on Lyft rides (via Sept. 30, 2027)
- 5 factors per greenback spent on eligible Peloton gear and accent purchases over $150 (via Dec. 31, 2027)
- 3 factors per greenback spent on eating
- 3 factors per greenback spent on fuel purchases and electrical automobile charging
- 3 factors per greenback spent on choose streaming providers
- 3 factors per greenback spent on on-line grocery retailer purchases (excludes Goal, Walmart and wholesale golf equipment)
- 3 factors per greenback spent on trip houses at manufacturers comparable to: Airbnb, Vrbo, Plum Information, HomeAway, Homestay.com and Vacasa
- 2 factors per greenback spent on all different journey
- 1 level per greenback spent on every part else
What I particularly recognize is that the categories are broad sufficient to seize how many individuals actually spend their cash. For instance, journey consists of every part from airplane tickets and lodges to subway passes and even some parking garages. Dining consists of every part from high-end eating places to quick meals and DoorDash delivery services.
Since these factors are price 2.05 cents every (in accordance with TPG’s June 2026 valuations), you might be getting anyplace from 2.05 to 10.25 cents in worth per greenback charged to the cardboard, relying on the class you are spending in.
Associated: The power of the Chase Trifecta: Sapphire Reserve, Ink Preferred and Freedom Unlimited
It is simpler to get authorised when you find yourself newer to rewards playing cards
Final however not least, there is a sensible purpose to start out with the Sapphire Most well-liked. Briefly, Chase makes it simpler to get Chase-issued bank cards earlier than you get too far into your rewards bank card journey.
Chase has an unwritten however well-documented rule that it typically will not concern a brand new bank card account after getting opened 5 or extra card accounts throughout all banks within the final 24 months. Informally, this is called the Chase 5/24 rule.
That appears straightforward sufficient if you’re used to solely getting a brand new bank card as soon as each few years, at most. Nonetheless, when you get into bank card rewards, it may be straightforward to make use of up these slots as you get an airline card, a lodge card, and so on.
I’ve seen loads of vacationers notice they need a Chase card after they’ve already stuffed up these 5 slots and are pressured to attend earlier than they’ll qualify.
Associated: Here’s who is eligible for a Chase Sapphire Preferred
Due to this restriction, it is sensible to start out by getting a Chase card, just like the Sapphire Most well-liked, as considered one of your first playing cards earlier than you run right into a wall with opening new Chase accounts for a while.
Associated: The best ways to fill your 5/24 slots
Backside line
When family and friends ask me the place to start out with incomes factors and miles of their on a regular basis lives, my reply is sort of all the time the identical.
The Chase Sapphire Most well-liked is straightforward to make use of, versatile and rewarding. It earns worthwhile factors, presents cardholders a number of methods to redeem them, comes with helpful journey perks and — importantly — nonetheless prices simply $95 per 12 months. I can not consider a lot much less that prices the identical because it did 16 years in the past.
And it definitely does not damage that proper now it’s providing its highest-ever bonus of 100,000 factors after assembly the spending requirement.
However even outdoors the massive bonus, my recommendation can be the identical. In my expertise, the largest mistake folks make with journey rewards is pondering they should do tons of analysis simply to get began. The reality is, you need not know every part on Day 1. You simply want to start out incomes factors with a card that is versatile, reasonably priced and rewarding.
The Chase Sapphire Most well-liked is precisely that. And 16 years after its debut, it stays one of many highest entry factors into the world of factors and miles.
To be taught extra, learn our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Restricted-time supply: Earn 100,000 bonus factors after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.
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