ADVERTISER DISCLOSURE:
Wayfaren is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites such as MileValue.com and Bankrate.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. We appreciate it when you use our affiliate links as it supports our content at no cost to you!
EDITORIAL NOTE:
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included with the post.
Best Travel Reward Credit Card: WHY the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
One of the MOST asked question in my DMs and emails…so what is the best overall credit card for travel rewards?
And I always have the same exact answer.
If you only want to have ONE card in your wallet that reallllyyyy multiples the amount you can travel…there is one TOP most widely recommended card hands down.
And that card is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
BUT WHY?? That’s what I want to dig into in this post…what actually makes this card so dang valuable when it comes to saving on travel?! Let’s dive in below!
Travel Perks
The Sapphire card has SO many juicy built in travel perks that you will want in your wallet if you do any traveling at all.
Starting with one of the most helpful features- BUILT IN travel and car rental insurance. The Sapphire comes with LOADS of different types of coverage including- trip delay, trip cancellation/interruption, baggage delay, lost luggage, and PRIMARY rental car coverage (i.e. you don’t have to file a claim with your regular car insurance!)
By simply paying even the taxes of your flight (when booking with points!) with your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you have allllll that built in travel insurance automatically activated for your trip.
This is HUGE.
The Chase Sapphire also includes an annual $50 hotel credit which offsets that already low annual fee! This $50 must be used with Chase Travel SM in their portal and you will receive an automatic statement credit for $50 after making that reservation via Chase Travel SM.
Lastly, the NO foreign transaction fees is CLUTCH for us frequent international travelers.
Other Perks of Note
A few other perks I find really valuable on the Sapphire, include the 3x points offered on online groceries and restaurants. As a larger family (that shamelessly functions weekly off the God given gift of InstaCart), this can be a HUGE point earning opportunity for us when we aren’t using those expenses to meet a new minimum spend.
We also save a significant amount with the complimentary DashPass membership that comes with your Sapphire! Eligible cardholders can sign up now through Dec. 31, 2027, along with a promo of up to $10 off each calendar month at checkout on one grocery, convenience or other non-restaurant order on DoorDash!
Again, bringing that annual fee lower and lower and lower!
Annual Fee
Speaking of annual fees…
The annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is only $95! Compared to other cards which offer just as many travel perks, is VERY low.
The Sapphire is a card I recommend having in your wallet long term. Although, you CAN downgrade your card after that one year mark to a no annual fee Chase card option…I really recommend each home holding ONE Sapphire card!
Welllll worth that small $95 annual fee!
What are Chase Sapphire points worth?
My FAVORITE topic! Chase points are some of the most valuable (FLEXIBLE) points in travel!
So what are Ultimate Rewards points worth? At a MINIMUM, when you redeem your points through the Chase Travel SM they’re worth 1.25 cents per point.
So if you say had 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points in your account, you could redeem those in the portal for up to $1,250 worth of travel….no bad!!
(and I do like having this 1.25x more value option to say book a flash flight deal to Europe in the travel portal for $0 tickets overseas!)
BUT we can do better!
Instead, if you transfer those points out to Chase’s airline and hotel partners, you will DOUBLE to TRIPLE your travel potential.
For example, instead of needing 160,000+ points for ONE night at the uber luxe Park Hyatt Paris ($1,600+ cash cost!) in the portal…insteaddddd you can transfer those points to Hyatt and book that EXACT same room, for those EXACT same dates at 40,000 points and $0 a night.
Or how about a few nights in a fancy shmancy resort for a kid free getaway? Don’t blow 60,000+ points a night by booking the The Cape hotel in Cabo San Lucas in the portal. Again, transfer those points to Hyatt and reserve the that ocean FRONT hotel for 30,000 points/night and $0 in resort fees instead! (exact same hotel!!)
You could also use those points to Europe for your family! Instead of needing 100,000+ points per person (even more during peak summer!) in the portal for tickets to Europe and back, you can transfer those points to Air France and instead book those exact same tickets for around 40,000 points and $100-200 in taxes each!!
Literally exploding the travel possible for your family. (More on this in my FREE Masterclass here!)
There are loads of other valuable transfer partners for getting a whole lot more travel for LESS though, likeeeeee:
11 airline programs:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- British Airways Executive Club
- Emirates Skywards
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
- United Airlines MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
3 hotel programs:
- IHG One Rewards
- Marriott Bonvoy
- World of Hyatt
I usually reserve most of my Chase Sapphire points for Hyatt stays…just because you can get SO much darn value out of them.
Chase is the only bank that offers Hyatt as a transfer partner, so these points are GOLD for saving on hotel stays (whether it be a ton of nights at a lower tier property or splurging on just a few nights at a 5 star resort!)
Why the Chase Sapphire should be in your wallet
Between the robust built in travel and rental car insurance, to the unmatched low annual fee for a more premium travel rewards card, to the varied and (MOST!) valuable transfer partners…it truly is the most well rounded card out there!
Especially if you are just starting out with reward travel!
The Sapphire offers VALUE and SIMPLICITY. Whether you are just dipping your toe in the points world or you only have an interest in ONE powerhouse card….you want a card in your wallet that’s universally accepted, has fantastic benefits, and has easy to understand (and USE!) points. The Chase Sapphire Preferred checks all the boxes.
Cards to pair with the best travel rewards card
My two favorite cards to pair with the Sapphire card are the Chase Freedom Flex® and the Chase Ink Business Cards. These cards help you explode your stash of Chase points to then move over to your Sapphire and transfer them out for LOADS of nearly free travel!
Chase Freedom Flex®
The Freedom Flex offers 5x points on rotating categories throughout the year. So one quarter you may active a bonus for 5x on gas, where another quarter you may active and earn 5x points on reasturants.
This makes the Freedom Flex an amazing EARNING card…not REDEEMING card. Because this no annual fee card does not allow you to actually transfer your points to airline and hotel partners, you will want to use the Chase Sapphire as your “homebase” of sorts for allllll your Chase points.
Chase Ink Business Credit Cards
The Chase Ink Business Credit cards (like the no annual fee Ink Business Cash® Credit Card and Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card) offer an AMAZINGLY valuable opportunity for racking up a ton of Chase points…all with a $0 annual fee and not impacting your personal credit long term!
Business cards are the most POWERFUL tool to have in your pocket when it comes to saving on travel. And MOST PEOPLE are eligible for business cards, despite what you may initially think!
Do you need a “business” to open a business credit card? YES.
However, you probably have a “business” that qualifies without even knowing it! ANY means you make money outside of a W-2 qualifies you for business cards!
Sell a few things on FB Marketplace every year? Make some cash from dropping off your kids’ old clothes to a resale shop? Take on 1-2 freelance clients annually? Do some photography on the side?
Literally NO side hustle is too small!
This is hugeeeee…because many times business card welcome bonuses offer a VERY large load of points, for lower annual fees than some personal cards. As well, once you are approved business cards do not impact your personal credit long term!!
Can you see ALL THE TRAVEL POTENTIAL!?
We have been leveraging business cards for SO much nearly free travel the past few years!! And YOU can too! (some people have even been approved with reporting as little as $100 annually! The important part is to always just be HONEST– don’t inflate any numbers in the hopes of an increased odds of approval!)
These Chase Ink Business cards are hands down my FAVORITE way to rack up Chase points to then transfer over to my personal Sapphire “homebase.”
What about the Chase Sapphire Reserve®?
Honestly, I am going to tell you to PASS on this extra premium version of the Sapphire Preferred. Although it looks shiny and alluring, the Sapphire Preferred in the long run I think provides far more value.
When comparing ultra premium cards side by side, I think the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card takes the cake hands down.
Compared to the Chase Sapphire Reserve, the Venture X provides MORE value, for a LOWER annual fee! (think built in robust travel and rental car insurance, 2x points on EVERY purchase, and unlimited lounge access for your WHOLE family!)
My magic duo of cards is without question the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Capital One Venture X. The compliment each other SO well and are my top 2 must have, keep forever cards!
What if I already have the Chase Sapphire Preferred?
The amazing part about this already wildly valuable card, is that you can actually get the welcome offer on this card over and OVER.
As long as it’s been 48 months from the last time you earned the bonus on this card, you are eligible for the bonus again!
If you currently hold this card, simply call into Chase and request to downgrade the card to a no annual fee card (I recommend the Chase Freedom Flex!), wait 2-4 weeks, and then reapply!
Sooooo have I convinced you yet?! The Chase Sapphire Preferred really is (THE) one card to have in your wallet if you do any traveling at all….and like to saving money. CHECK AND CHECK.
Learn more about how to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred HERE!
ADVERTISER DISCLOSURE:
Wayfaren is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites such as MileValue.com and Bankrate.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. We appreciate it when you use our affiliate links as it supports our content at no cost to you!
EDITORIAL NOTE:
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included with the post.
[…] It has huge variety of airline and hotel travel partners and uses for your points, a very low annual fee for the value it provides, and offers 3x points on dining and restaurants. The card provides just so much flexibility and value ongoing. Read the in depth post on WHY this is consistently the TOP travel card HERE! […]
[…] (More on why this is THE card to have in your wallet here!) […]