John Miller, Credit Cards Moderator
@john_miller
The best way to travel with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is to book your trip through the Chase Travel portal, in order to earn more points and get better redemption value. If you qualify for a sign-up bonus, be sure to meet the spending requirement to unlock hundreds of dollars in travel rewards. You should also take full advantage of the card’s built-in travel protections.
How to Maximize Travel With the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
- Book Through Chase Travel: You’ll earn 5 points / $1 spent on travel booked through the Chase Travel portal, which is more than what you can get for other travel purchases.
- Redeem Through Chase Travel: Points are worth more when redeemed for select travel through the Chase portal with Points Boost.
- Take Advantage of the Sign-Up Bonus: New cardholders can earn a large bonus by meeting the spending requirement. This is one of the fastest ways to get significant value from the card.
- Use the Built-In Travel Protections: The card offers benefits like trip cancellation/interruption insurance, rental car insurance and baggage delay insurance, all of which can save you money because you won’t have to purchase them separately.
- Transfer Points to Travel Partners: You can transfer points, usually at a 1:1 ratio, to Chase’s airline and hotel partners, such as United, Southwest or Marriott.
- Understand the Spending Categories and Earn Rates: The card offers 1 - 5 points per $1 spent on purchases. Make sure to spend in the categories that net you the most points, like travel booked through Chase, dining, streaming services and online groceries.
- Pay Your Balance in Full: If you carry a balance on the card, you'll be charged interest, which can ultimately make your trip more expensive. To avoid interest charges, make sure to pay the bill in full before the due date.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is considered one of the best travel credit cards at the moment. If used correctly, the average person could earn $2,000+ in net rewards value (with fees included) in two years, according to WalletHub’s calculations. You can check out our full Chase Sapphire Preferred review, to learn more about how the card can enhance your travel experience.
Popular Credit Cards from Our Partners
People also ask
Is Chase Sapphire Preferred hard to get?
Yes, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is hard to get. Unless you have a good to excellent credit score of 700 or higher and a lot of income, you are unlikely to get approved for Chase Sapphire Preferred.
To get Chase Sapphire Preferred, you will have to meet the credit score requirement, have a steady income, and be at least 18 years old. You’ll also need to have an SSN or ITIN.
Keep in mind that even if you meet...
read full answer by Lisa Cahill, Credit Cards ModeratorWhat are my Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card approval odds?
Your Chase Sapphire Preferred card approval odds are good if you have a credit score of 700+, which is considered good credit. Approval odds for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card will also be influenced by your annual income and existing debts. Applicants will need to be 18+ years old with a U.S. mailing address and an SSN or ITIN, as well.
What You Need for Good Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Approval Odds
- Good credit or better+ credit score...
Did we answer your question?
Important Disclosures
Ad Disclosure: Certain offers that appear on this site originate from paying advertisers. For full transparency, here is a list of our current advertisers.
Advertisers compensate WalletHub when you click on a link, or your application is approved, or your account is opened. Advertising impacts how and where offers appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear and their prevalence). At WalletHub we try to present a wide array of offers, but our offers do not represent all financial services companies or products.
Advertising enables WalletHub to provide you proprietary tools, services, and content at no charge. Advertising does not impact WalletHub's editorial content including our best picks, reviews, ratings and opinions. Those are completely independent and not provided, commissioned, or endorsed by any company, as our editors follow a strict editorial policy.