I’ve been in the world of points and miles for a long time, and I’ve been asked more times than I can count which rewards credit card travelers should get first.
My answer is almost always the same: the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
The Sapphire Preferred has been around for over 16 years, but that doesn’t mean it is stale. In fact, it just got a refresh that made it an even stronger card to start with while retaining a low $95 annual fee.
Plus, for a limited time, the Sapphire Preferred is offering 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Can you think of anything that has kept the same price for over 16 years yet added even more value? Because I can’t.
Getting started can be the biggest, scariest step. So if that’s where you are in your rewards travel journey, here are five reasons why the Chase Sapphire Preferred is still the card I most frequently recommend to my own friends and family members.
Earn 100,000 Valuable Bonus Points Quickly
I promise I’m not starting here just because there’s a limited-time offer. But it would be silly to start anywhere else, because rewards are only fun if you actually have points to use.
The fastest way to build a meaningful points balance is with a strong welcome bonus. Right now, for just the third time ever, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is offering 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first three months from account opening.
To earn that bonus, you’d need to charge an average of $1,667 to the card each month for three months, which may sound like a lot at first.
But remember that everyday expenses count. Groceries, gas, cellphone bills, insurance premiums, medical expenses and even some utility payments can all help you reach the spending requirement. Those routine purchases can add up surprisingly quickly and unlock a welcome bonus that TPG values at more than $2,000 based on our June 2026 valuations.
Get Award Points That Are Easy to Use
Let’s talk about what makes the Chase Sapphire Preferred especially beginner-friendly: the easy-to-use points.
Use the Points for Up to $1,500 in Flights and Hotels via Chase Travel
There are two main ways to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points for travel, and the easiest option is booking directly through Chase Travel℠.
If you know how to book a trip through Expedia or another online travel agency, you already know how to use Chase Travel. You can search for and book flights, hotels, rental cars and more using either cash, points or a mix of both.
At a minimum, your points are worth 1 cent each toward travel booked this way. However, select hotels, flights and experiences qualify for Chase’s Points Boost feature, which can increase the value of your points to as much as 1.5 cents each.
That means the current 100,000-point welcome bonus could be worth up to $1,500 in travel booked through Chase Travel.
Or, Stretch Your Points Even Further with Transfer Partners
If you’re willing to learn a few more rewards redemption tricks, you can potentially get even more value by transferring your Chase points to one of Chase’s 14 airline or hotel partners.
You can transfer points to programs such as United MileagePlus, JetBlue TrueBlue and Air France-KLM Flying Blue for flights, or World of Hyatt or Marriott Bonvoy for hotel stays, to name a few. Depending on how you redeem them, 100,000 points can go a surprisingly long way — whether that’s several domestic flights, a few nights at a resort or even a business-class flight to another continent.
Admittedly, using transfer partners requires a little more research than booking through Chase Travel. But that’s part of what makes Chase Ultimate Rewards points so appealing: you can keep things simple, or you can unlock even more value as your confidence and curiosity grow.
The current Chase transfer partners are:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- British Airways Club
- Emirates Skywards
- IHG One Rewards
- Iberia Club
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Singapore KrisFlyer
- Southwest Rapid Rewards
- United MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- World of Hyatt
Chase Ultimate Rewards points on the Sapphire Preferred transfer to these partners at a 1:1 ratio (except Hyatt, which is 4:3), but sometimes go higher with occasional transfer bonuses.
This means 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points could become the equivalent of 100,000 United miles, Aeroplan points, Marriott points and more — giving you valuable flexibility rather than locking you into earning and redeeming with just one loyalty program.
The Annual Fee Is Low — and the Value More Than Covers It
At just $95 per year, the Chase Sapphire Preferred carries one of the lowest annual fees among travel rewards cards that offer serious benefits. When you factor in the welcome bonus value, transfer partner flexibility and ongoing earning rates across everyday spending categories, the card pays for itself many times over for travelers who use it regularly. For anyone just starting out in the world of points and miles, the Sapphire Preferred remains the clearest path to meaningful travel rewards without overcomplicating the process or straining a budget.
