If someone asked me which travel credit card they should get first, my answer would be simple: The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best starter travel card on the market and the card I recommend to almost everyone getting started.
It offers a strong welcome bonus, excellent earning categories, valuable travel protections, and access to airline and hotel transfer partners. The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee. While some people hesitate when they hear “annual fee,” the benefits that accompany this card easily outweigh the cost.
Current Welcome Bonus
At the time of writing, Chase is offering an elevated welcome bonus: Earn 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months. The more typical offer is around 75,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months, making this one of the best offers we’ve seen on the card.
Earning Structure
The Chase Sapphire Preferred makes it easy to earn points on both travel and everyday spending.
Current earning rates include:
- 5x points on purchases made through Chase Travel
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 3x points on gas and EV charging
- 3x points on online grocery purchases
- 3x points on select streaming services
- 2x points on all other travel purchases
- 1x point on everything else
Whether you’re traveling or simply spending on everyday purchases, points can add up surprisingly fast.
Benefits
The $100 Travel Credit. The card now includes a $100 Chase Travel Hotel Statement Credit each account anniversary year for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel portal. For many cardholders, this credit alone effectively offsets the card’s $95 annual fee.
One of the most underrated benefits of this card is its travel insurance. Unlike many credit cards that provide secondary coverage, the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers primary rental car coverage for theft and collision damage when renting for eligible travel purposes. Coverage can be worth up to $60,000. This means you can typically decline the rental company’s collision damage waiver and rely on the card’s coverage instead. The card also includes:
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
- Trip delay reimbursement
- Baggage delay coverage
- Lost luggage reimbursement
- Travel accident insurance
Some other benefits include:
- $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS statement credit every four years.
- Complimentary Apple TV subscription for one year when activated by December 31, 2026.
- Complimentary DashPass
- Purchase protection covers new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft
- Extended warranty protection
Transfer Partners
The biggest reason I recommend this card is access to Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners. Instead of redeeming points for cash back, you can transfer them to airline and hotel loyalty programs and potentially get much more value.
Some of the most popular airline partners include:
- United Airlines
- Southwest Airlines
- JetBlue
- Air Canada
- Virgin Atlantic
- British Airways
Popular hotel partners include:
- World of Hyatt
- Marriott Bonvoy
- IHG One Rewards
In conclusion, if you’re looking for your first travel credit card, I believe the Chase Sapphire Preferred should be at the top of your list. The combination of a low annual fee, strong earning categories, valuable travel protections, transfer partners, and a currently elevated 100,000-point welcome bonus makes it one of the best travel cards available today.
