Chase Sapphire Preferred Review

By Mentor Staff | Edited By Mentor Staff

Updated On November 1, 2021

Editorial Note: This content is based solely on the author's opinions and is not provided, approved, endorsed or reviewed by any financial institution or partner.

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When it comes to the best travel rewards credit cards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card is at the top of the list. This Chase Sapphire Preferred review will help you determine whether the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card is the right credit card for you.

Let’s see why this credit card is known as one of the most flexible and generous when it comes to rewards points and other travel rewards.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Review: Overview

In this Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card review, we will highlight who should sign up for this credit card, how much you can earn from the sign-up bonus, perks and rewards, how to redeem for amazing travel, and our final recommendation.

Let’s dive in and explore who should sign-up for a Chase Preferred credit card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred 2019 Review: Who Should Sign-Up For Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Whether you are a frequent or infrequent traveler, the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card is an ideal credit card to help you earn points and rewards. The good news is that the card is free the first year, which means the $95 annual fee is waived. Since the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card is not expensive, as you will see in this Chase Sapphire Preferred review, we think it’s a great choice for a new credit card because there’s no fee for the first year. If you are an experienced credit card user who likes travel rewards and loyalty programs, then you will love Ultimate Rewards points that you can earn from Chase.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Review 2019: Sign-Up Bonus

The Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card offers one of the more generous sign-up bonus of all travel rewards cards. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you will receive 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 within the first three months of opening the credit card. When you redeem these points with Chase Ultimate Rewards, that’s worth $750 in free travel. That means that the Chase Sapphire Rewards card lets you redeem points for 1.5 cents for every 1 point. The good news is that in some cases, you may be able to maximize your points and even get $1,000 worth of travel. That would mean each point would be worth 2 cents with Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Review: Earnings Rewards

Any Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Review would not be complete if it didn’t include an overview of earning rewards. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card, there are two bonus categories where you can earn rewards. For example, you will receive 2 points for every dollar spent on dining and travel. The good news is that the “travel” category is broad, so many expenses are categorized as travel-related, even if they may not appear to be. For example, you’ll definitely earn rewards on traditional travel categories such as airlines, hotels, cruises, travel agencies and car rentals. You can also earn rewards on toll bridges, parking lots, commuter trains, parking garages and even Uber and Lyft.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Review: Redeeming Points

So, when it’s time to redeem the points you earned from your Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card, you’re in good hands. First, you will have no blackout dates. This means that so long as there is an available flight or open hotel room, you can use your Chase Sapphire points. Second, you can redeem at a rate of 1.25 cents per point.

The even better news is that you can also transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards to one of Chase’s airline or hotel partners. For example, United, British Airways and Hyatt are just some of Chase’s partners where you can transfer points. It may take time, but you could maximize the conversion rate of your points by analyzing each of the partners to see which one offers the biggest bang for your buck.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Review: So Many Perks

Simply said, the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card has ridiculous benefits. The travel benefits that you receive for free include:

  1. Car Rental Insurance. With Chase Sapphire Preferred, your primary car rental insurance is covered. This includes the loss, damage or theft of your car rental up to the actual cash value of the vehicle. This is a major benefit because credit cards offer secondary rental insurance. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers primary car rental insurance, which is unique. This means you can submit claims directly through your credit card and won’t need to involve any other car insurer.
  2. Baggage Insurance. If your checked baggage is delayed by more than 6 hours, then you can be reimbursed $100 per day for up to 5 days for essential items such as clothing or toiletries.
  3. No Foreign Transaction Fees. Chase Sapphire Preferred waives foreign transaction fees, which means you will save about 3% on all your foreign purchases.
  4. Trip Delay Insurance. If your flight or train is delayed more than 12 hours, or if you have to stay overnight as a result of the delay, Chase Sapphire Preferred will cover your unreimbursed expenses such as meals and lodging up to $500 per ticket.
  5. Trip Cancellation Insurance. The Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card covers you up to $10,000 per trip for any pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses. This includes flights hotels or tours, for example, if your trip is cancelled due to illness, severe weather or other covered situations.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Review: How To Sign Up

This Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card Review wouldn’t be complete without including how to sign up for a Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card.

If you have strong credit and are financially responsible, you may be a good candidate for how to get approved for a Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card.

In many cases, you can be approved online and receive an instant decision when you apply for a Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card Review: Bottom Line

In this Chase Sapphire Preferred review, we have highlighted why we think the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card should be one of the credit cards in your wallet. We think it’s an outstanding credit card with attractive benefits, excellent rewards, great points redemption, a great sign-up bonus and much more. It’s also a flexible credit card whether you want airfare or hotel points, and you can transfer to any of Chase’s partners.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred has our highest recommendation, and we think you’ll like it in your wallet.

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