Credit Cards

The 65k Sapphire Preferred is the perfect starter credit card

a bed and chairs in a plane

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If you’re just getting into the points and miles game, look no further, this is your starter card. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a great card however you look at it, but even better if you just want to put your toe in the water. The annual fee is just $95, it earns great points ( Ultimate Rewards ) that can be transferred to a lot of partners, that in turn, can be used to fly in premium cabins, or stay in 5 star hotels. In addition to that, this offer is the best we’ve seen in a long time. The Chase Sapphire Preferred held a prime place in my wallet before I upgraded to the Reserve ( which carries a $450 annual fee), and I’m actually thinking of switching back.

What you need make sure of before you apply

  • Credit score of, at min,  700+
  • The ability to spend $4k in 3 months
  • You haven’t opened more than 5 cards in the last 24 months
  • You haven’t earned a sign up bonus on this card or another Sapphire card ( like the Reserve) in the last 24 months

What you get: 60k points after $4k, and 5k points after an AU makes a purchase

a screenshot of a website 65k points is enough to fly from the US to Europe like this:

Singapore Airlines A350

a seat in a plane
Singapore Airlines Business Class A350-900

Or like this on SAS business class

a row of seats with a light on the back

And that feature image? You could fly from Australia to Singapore in Singapore’s new Business class with 65k points. The possibilities are endless.

Interested…Go here

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card


4.8
Rated 4.8 out of 5
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is a great starter card that earns Premium Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred into over a dozen partners many of which are US based including Hyatt, Southwest, United, IHG, and Marriott.

Welcome Offer

Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening 

Annual Fee

$95

Points Earned

Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards

  • 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travelâ„ 
  • 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
  • 3x on select streaming services
  • 3x on online grocery purchases
    • (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
  • $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travelâ„ 
    • The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
  • 2x on all other travel
  • 10% Anniversary Points Boost
    • each account anniversary you’ll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year
  • Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
    • Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
  • Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders
  • $95 Annual Fee

We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.

Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.

Main Cast: 

Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.

Supporting Cast:

Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on. 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.

If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex®  and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners

Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.

The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

1 Comment

  • dan March 1, 2018

    if I have the preferred now(have had over 2 years), and cancel it. then reapply in say a month, can I get the bonus again?

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