11 Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Benefits That You Didn’t Know About
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Written by
Andrew Lisa
For frequent travelers who book through Chase Travel℠, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card benefits can more than justify the card’s $95 annual fee.
The card offers a hefty welcome bonus and lets members rack up points worth up to 5x rewards. That, combined with Sapphire Preferred Card perks like travel insurance and 1:1 point transfer, put it in the running for the title of the best travel credit card in its class.
1. A Welcome Bonus Worth Up to $1,312 in Travel
The Sapphire Preferred Card perks include 75,000 bonus points paid to cardholders who spend $5,000 in the first three months of opening the account. With each point worth $0.01 toward cash back, that’s a $750 welcome bonus.
However, when you redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards® points for travel purchases through Chase Travel, points are worth 1.75 cents each with the new Points Boost feature, increasing the bonus’s value to up to $1,312.
The bonus is available only to those who don’t own a Sapphire card and haven’t received a welcome bonus for any Sapphire card in the past 48 months. Your points never expire as long as the account is open.
2. Annual Hotel Credit
Cardholders can receive up to $50 in statement credits every year (measured from the date the card was opened) toward hotel stays purchased through Chase Travel.
3. Earn 5x on Chase Travel Purchases
You’ll earn 5x points — five points per dollar spent, or 5% — on travel purchased through Chase, excluding those that qualify for the $50 hotel credit.
4. Earn 3x on Common and Costly Spending Categories
Cardholders earn 3x points on:
- Dining, including eligible takeout and delivery services
- Grocery store purchases — excluding wholesale clubs, Walmart and Target
- Qualifying streaming services
5. Earn 2x on Non-Chase Travel Purchases
You will also earn 2x points on all other travel purchases. Chase is generous about what qualifies as travel including:
- Airline purchases
- Buses
- Campgrounds
- Cruises
- Ferries
- Hotel stays
- Limos
- Parking
- Rental cars
- Taxis
- Timeshares
- Tolls
- Trains
- Travel agencies and travel sites
Everything that falls outside of the 2x-5x categories will earn 1x point per dollar.
6. 10% Yearly Anniversary Bonus
The Sapphire Preferred Card pays an annual anniversary bonus of 10% of the previous year’s total purchases paid in points. For example, cardholders who spend $30,000 will get 3,000 bonus points.
7. Pay Over Time
The Chase Pay Over Time program lets eligible cardholders break up purchases of $100 or more into monthly payments with no interest, just a fixed monthly fee.
8. 1-to-1 Points Transfer to Loyalty Programs
Cardholders can transfer points without losing any value to the following frequent traveler programs:
Airlines
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- British Airways Executive Club
- Emirates Skywards
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- Club Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
- United MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Hotels
- IHG One Rewards
- Marriott Bonvoy
- World of Hyatt
9. Limited-Time Partnerships
Card members get a complimentary DoorDash DashPass membership good for both DoorDash and Caviar when they activate by Dec. 31, 2027.
10. A Suite of Travel Protection Perks
Cardholders enjoy a broad menu of purchase protection and travel insurance coverage, including:
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance: Chase covers trips cut short or canceled due to covered situations like severe weather and sickness up to $10,000 per covered traveler and $20,000 per trip for non-refundable, prepaid hotels, tours, fares and other travel expenses.
- Auto rental coverage: Primary coverage with reimbursement up to $60,000 for collision, damage and theft for most rental vehicles worth up to $125,000 lets you decline the rental company’s collision coverage.
- Baggage delay insurance: When your baggage is delayed for more than six hours, Chase reimburses $100 a day for up to five days for essential purchases like clothing and toiletries.
- Trip-delay reimbursement: Chase pays up to $500 for unreimbursed expenses, such as meals and lodging, when common carrier travel is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay.
- Travel and emergency assistance: Chase gives cardholders access to emergency assistance services like medical and legal referrals.
11. Worldwide Acceptance for Free
Charge purchases anywhere in the world credit cards are accepted with no foreign transaction fee, which Chase says saves you $150 on every $5,000 in international purchases.
Takeaway
The Sapphire Preferred Card delivers impressive travel benefits that punch above the weight of its $95 annual fee. Its welcome bonus alone is enough to cover the fee for over seven years, and if you book travel through Chase, you can come out well ahead on points while enjoying valuable Sapphire Preferred Card benefits that cover your purchases, add flexibility to your trips and pay you back over time. To learn more, read our Sapphire Preferred Card Review.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is a popular travel card, but is it — and its annual fee — a good fit for you? Answer these frequently asked questions to find out.
What benefits come with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card?
The Sapphire Preferred Card benefits include rewards points, a big welcome bonus, a range of travel insurance and other coverage, recurring annual bonuses and the ability to transfer points to your loyalty program of choice.
Is it worth getting the Sapphire Preferred Card?
It might be worth getting the Sapphire Preferred Card if your spending habits earn enough rewards to negate the $95 annual fee, which frequent travelers who book through Chase can easily do.
Do you get airport lounge access with the Sapphire Preferred Card?
No, the Sapphire Preferred Card does not provide airport lounge access.
Why is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card so popular?
The Sapphire Preferred Card is popular because it provides high-value bonus rewards for dining and travel, has numerous transfer partners and provides benefits typically associated with more expensive premium cards.
