Newly Improved Best Card - Sapphire Preferred

 That's right! In June 2025, Chase revamped the Chase Sapphire Reserve card (learn more here) and also introduced the Sapphire Reserve for Business (learn more there). But this June, Chase announced a revamp of my favorite card; the Chase Sapphire Preferred!

You will find this card in several of my posts, including Best Beginner Cards and My Everyday Cards; for good reason! It has a low annual fee and is a great point earner for every day purchases. Let's just in to review the card and it's newest benefits!

A few "Chase Rules" to keep in mind:

• Chase now allows you to hold the Sapphire Preferred AND Sapphire Reserve at the same time (in the past, this was not allowed)
• Chase added "lifetime language" that you are only eligible for a sign up bonus once for each card (ie one SUB for Preferred and one SUB for Reserve; this is a change from the past and the former 48-month rule)
• You need a "premium" Chase card, aka a Chase brand card with an annual fee, in order to transfer Chase points to travel partners (like hotels and airlines). Transferring points to these partners often help you spend less points than if you used points to book in the Chase Travel Portal. Sapphire Preferred is the lowest annual fee card with benefit.

Now on the main event!

Chase Sapphire Preferred

Annual Fee: $95

Current Elevated Offer*: Spend $5,000 in 3 months and earn 100,000 points!

(*elevated, meaning it's a limited time higher offer than the standard offer. The standard offer for this card is spend $5,000 in 3 months and earn 75,000 points )

Referral Link: absolutely free to you; but gives me credit with Chase for you applying. This is an easy way to help support my small business and keep free content coming! 

Note: the referral link offers haven't updated to 100k points yet. If you're interested in opening this card, I would love you forever if you'd wait until referrals show 100k and use my link to apply! Thanks ;)

5/24: This is a personal card and therefore WILL take up one spot in your Chase 5/24 count. (What's Chase 5/24? Read Rule 2 in This beginner post)

Cash Value Benefits

• $100 Annual Hotel Credit (added 2026): Valid for any hotel booked in the Chase Portal and charged to this card. You will receive a $100 statement credit to offset the charge
• This benefit was previously $50 and as of 6/15/26, increased to $100. 
• If you use this one benefit every year, you are gaining more value for the card than what you pay for the annual fee!

• Global Entry/TSA Precheck: $120 credit every 4 years; charge this card for your application and receive a statement credit

• AppleTV: get one year of free AppleTV when activated by 12/31/26
• Activate through Chase.com or Chase app
• If you already have an active paid Apple TV subscription purchased directly through Apple, your complimentary Apple TV subscription through Chase will automatically suspend your existing subscription. Once your complimentary Apple TV subscription through Chase ends, your paid Apple TV subscription will automatically resume at the then-current price.
• If you close or change your eligible card to an ineligible card at any time during this offer, you will no longer be eligible for complimentary Apple TV 

• Doordash: Annual free DashPass (which saves you on delivery fees) AND monthly $10 credit for non-restaurant door dash purchases)

Points Earning/Use Benefits

• Earn 5X points on Chase Travel Portal
• Earn 3X points on dining (including food delivery services)
• Earn 3X points for online groceries (excludes Target, Walmart, and Wholesale Clubs)
• Earn 3X points on gas stations and EV charging (new in 2026)
• Earn 3X points vacation homes top brands* (new in 2026)
• * Bookings made with Airbnb, VRBO, Plum Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com and Vacasa qualify
• Earn 2X points on travel
• Earn 1X point on all other purchases
• Ability to transfer to travel partners (remember rule 3 above?)
• Travel insurance protection (for travel charged to this card)

Yall; so many of these earn point earn category are what makes this the card I grab for on a daily basis when we're not working on a minimum spend for a new card. You can learn more about My Every Day Cards here.

Why this Card?

I truly recommend starting with this card and starting with the Chase ecosystem because I find it the most straightforward and easiest to use. I know, some of you are rolling your eyes because I've thrown a lot of information at you that feels overwhelming and it IS a lot of info; but I promise - Chase Points Travel is user friendly!

 
Without a doubt, this is definitely the best place to start. Chase credit cards allow you to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards (CURs), which are their universal flexible points. While you can use CURs to book travel in the Chase Travel Portal, this is much like booking a trip through a third party service like Expedia. You don't earn any loyalty or benefits. The best way to maximize your value of your points (aka spend less points for travel) is to transfer to Chase Travel Partners. You can view all of Chase's Transfer Partners and how/why to transfer in this post.

As mentioned in the intro, there are only a few Chase credit cards that allow you to transfer your Chase points directly to travel partner. Basically any Chase card with an annual fee. The Sapphire cards are the only non-business cards that allow this. Chase points are considered highly flexible because they transfer to 3 hotel chains (Hyatt, Marriott, and IHG), and 11 airlines (but keep in mind, airlines work in alliances or partnerships. So while there are 11 airlines with a direct transfer, alliances give you the opportunity to book flights with over a dozen airlines).

I know a lot of people are hesitant to open credit cards with annual fees. The Sapphire Preferred DOES have an annual fee of $95/year, but there are benefits to offset that cost. (and honestly, the $95/year to have the ability to transfer to travel partners like Hyatt, Southwest, and United to take free trips we've taken is worth it alone to me).

The Bad 2026 Change? 

Chase is changing the transfer ratio for Hyatt with the Sapphire Preferred Card (CSP). If you open a CSP starting 6/15/26; when you transfer Chase points to Hyatt, it will be at a 4:3; meaning you "lose" 25% of your points moving them to Hyatt. 

So if you have 100,000 Chase Points, they become 75,000 Hyatt points. Bummer!

However, if you're willing to get the "big brother" card, the Sapphire Reserve (Personal or Business), is maintaining the 1:1 ratio.

And if you already are a CSP holder, you will maintain the 1:1 Hyatt Ratio until 10/1/26, at which point it will drop to the 4:3 mentioned above.

Summary

I will forever hold a Chase Sapphire card to maintain my ability to transfer my Chase points to travel partners! The CSP, with it's low annual fee, is a great card to have at least one household member hold at all times. Keep in mind that when transferring points from Chase to a Transfer Partner (Hotel or Airline), the name on the CSP card MUST match the name on the loyalty account you're transferring too.

Since I generally like to have our flights and hotels booked under my name/accounts when I can, I will always hold a Sapphire card to have this ability.

If you open this card, I would truly appreciate if you use my referral link! This doesn't cost you a cent, but provides me with some extra points and keeps all of my content free! Thank you in advance!

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Looking for more information on points/miles? You can find all of my points talk posts linked here.

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Curious what cards I (and/or my husband) have, and why? Read here!