Chase Sapphire Preferred

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® card is the card I recommend to almost everyone who’s just getting started with points and miles — and honestly, it’s one I think most travelers should hold onto forever.

Here’s why I love it: the annual fee is just $95, but the travel protections alone are worth more than that. We’re talking trip cancellation insurance, baggage delay coverage, and primary rental car insurance — benefits you typically only see on cards with $400+ annual fees. For a $95 card, that’s remarkable.

The points are also some of the most flexible in the game. You can redeem through Chase Travel for straightforward bookings, or transfer to 14 airline and hotel partners at a 1:1 ratio. That last part is the real magic. We personally keep this card open specifically for the ability to transfer points to Hyatt — which in my opinion is the single best use of Chase points and one of the best sweet spots in all of points and miles.

If you’re new to this hobby, this is the card I’d put in your hand first. It’s simple, valuable, and it opens the door to a world of nearly free travel.

The standard public offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred is currently 75,000 points — an increase from the historical standard of 60,000 that longtime followers may remember. We have occasionally seen elevated offers as high as 100,000 points.

One important thing to know: Chase has updated the terms so that this welcome offer can only be earned once per lifetime on the Sapphire Preferred. That means it’s worth being strategic — if you see an elevated offer at 100,000 points, that may be your best window to apply.

The good news is that Chase recently changed their policy to allow you to hold both the Sapphire Preferred and the Sapphire Reserve at the same time, which opens up some interesting options for maximizing your Chase points.

My advice: the current 75,000 offer is already strong and worth acting on. But if you have the flexibility to wait and watch for a 100,000 point offer through a referral link, that extra 25,000 points could be worth $250-$500+ in travel depending on how you redeem.