Chase Sapphire Preferred Review
Here it is, the detailed Chase Sapphire Preferred review. Although widely touted as “the top travel rewards credit card year after year,” “the best card for beginners,” and “nearly a must-have for travelers,” my view is that it is extremely overrated. That’s because while it is great at just about everything, it’s not the best at anything important. Over the long term, most single-card consumers will be better off with a Bilt card or Venture X, while multi-card points nerds will rarely have occasion to actually use the Preferred. That said, when it offers a big bonus, the CSP is absolutely worth getting, and it may appeal long-term to Chase Ultimate Rewards enthusiasts and those who value its superior protections over the Bilt’s points on rent or the CSP’s lower nominal fee compared over the Venture X’s lower net fee.
Quick ratings
🟢 Good card
💸 Earner
🦥 Lazy
🛡️ Travel protections
🔒 Shopping protections
✈️ Great redemptions
Bonus
Typical: 60k
Max: 100k
I view the CSP as a pure bonus card, so I wouldn’t consider applying when the bonus is under 75k points. But 80k+ offers are generally worth jumping on if you have room in your wallet. The 60,000-point bonus is worth $750 when redeemed for travel through Chase, while 80k would be worth $1000.
Remember that the card is subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule.
Net fee
Annual fee:
$95
Credits and offsets:
$50 annual credit on hotels stays booked through Chase
10% anniversary points bonus on spending ($10,000 spent = 1000 points)
Typical net annual fee:
~$31 (after using the hotel credit and earning the 10% bonus on $15,000 in spending).
The net fee on this card is competitive in the ~$100-fee card category. The $50 hotel credit is similar to the $50 flight credit on the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey, and better than the Venture Rewards, which has no offsetting credit. The Citi Strata Premier has a bigger hotel credit at $100, but you have to make a $500+ booking to receive it.
Looking more broadly, though, the net fee is more expensive than elite cards like the Bilt Mastercard (no-fee), Capital One Venture X (net zero fee), and many Amex cards like the Gold if you can take full advantage of their credits.
Earning
5x Ultimate Rewards points on travel booked via Chase
3x on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (some exclusions)
2x on all other travel (broadly defined)
1x on all other purchases
Each of these earning rates is near the top of the market, although many cards offer similar or better rates on each category as well.
Points rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Simple redemption:
Redeem for a statement credit at 1¢ per point
Redemption bonus:
Points worth 1.25¢ each when redeemed for travel via Chase
Transfer partners (all 1:1):
Hyatt (high value); United, Southwest, JetBlue (easy redemptions, moderate value), Air Canada, British Airways, Emirates, Flying Blue, Iberia, Singapore, Virgin Atlantic (some opportunities for value, especially in premium cabins), IHG, Marriott (generally poor value).
With a Chase Sapphire card, you can reliably get good value simply by redeeming them for travel through Chase’s portal. Even if you don’t travel, you can still get a respectable one cent per point in statement credits. You can also stretch points further with transfer partners like Hyatt, United, and FlyingBlue.
Perks
Get help with restaurant reservations, travel ideas, and more with the CSP’s concierge service.
Event presales and preferred seating
Protections
✅ No foreign transaction fees
✅ Trip Delay Insurance (12+ hour or overnight delay, up to $500)
✅ Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
✅ Baggage Insurance
✅ Baggage Delay Insurance (6+ hour delay, up to $100/day for 5 days)
✅ Rental Car Insurance
✅ Purchase Protection
🚫 Return Protection
✅ Extended Warranty
🚫 Cell Phone Insurance
✅ Travel Accident Insurance
These protections are excellent. While premium cards like the Venture X offer more robust benefits (e.g. trip delay benefits that kick in after 6 hours rather than 12), the CSP probably has the best suite of benefits available on a card with an annual fee under $100.
Hacks
I’m not aware of any clever tricks with the CSP, other than to pair it up with other Chase cards for maximum Ultimate Rewards points (see below). If you know any, let us know.
Laziness rating
🦥🦥🦥🦥🦥 (If it’s your only card, or you’re just getting the bonus)
🦥🦥 (Using multiple Chase card to maximize rewards)
If it’s your only card, the CSP super easy to use. Use it for everything, redeem through the portal for solid value. Done. Book Hyatt for extra value, especially at higher- and lower-end hotels.
If you get it for the bonus and the sock-drawer it, that’s also super easy. As I said above, it’s almost never going to be the best card to use in a given situation, so you can more or less forget about it once you get the bonus—just be sure to cancel after the 12 month mark but before the annual fee locks in at month 13.
If you really want to maximize your Choice points, you can combine it with other UR-earning cards like the Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited. However, knowing which card to use in each situation requires a bit more work.
Card pairings
See above—for maximum UR points, add a Freedom card or two, and a maybe a business card if you qualify.
If you want to add a card with premium options, the Venture X is a low-cost way to add higher end features like airport lounge access and rental car elite status.
Alternatives
The Bilt Mastercard has no annual fee, offers similar earning rates, adds the ability to earn points on rent, has a better rewards program, and offers more opportunities to maximize points earning (although its protections aren’t as robust).
For people who spend a lot on food, the Amex Gold may have a lower net fee, while earning much more while dining out and at the grocery store.
For those who don’t eat out a lot, the Venture X has a lower net fee than the CSP, and its double points on all base purchases will match or beat the CSP’s earning rates much or most of the time (even factoring in that Chase points are more valuable), while offering even stronger protections and enhanced travel benefits.
Conclusion
When Chase is dangling a huge sign up bonus, the Sapphire Preferred is a strong enough card to more than justify an application. Its net fee is low enough and its points easy enough to redeem that it’s a solid choice for those looking for a single-card setup or those just getting started with credit card points. However, because there are better single cards on the market, and the CSP doesn’t have much of a place within a multi-card setup, I don’t recommend it as a go-to card for most people.
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