Today we’re sharing the pros and cons of the beginner travel credit card that we have and use. In this Chase Sapphire Preferred review we explain why we like it and why its great for beginners, or even us that have other more advanced travel credit cards.

Great Transfer Partners:

• Points transfer 1:1 to leading travel programs, including airlines (United, Southwest, JetBlue, etc.) and hotel chains (Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, IHG).
• Access to 15 travel partners, offering flexibility for flights, hotels, and more.
  • Some of the travel partners: AerLingus, AirCanada, AirFrance, British Airways, and Emirates

Valuable Point Redemptions:

• Points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel (flights, hotels, rental cars) through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal (e.g., 60,000 points = $750 for travel), which is great since the annual fee is only $95/year but still not as great of a value as you can get with transferring your points to airline partners 

Everyday Spending Benefits:

• 5x when booking flights or hotels through the chase portal 
• 3x points on dining (including eligible delivery and takeout).
• 2x points on travel purchases.
• 1x point per dollar on all other purchases.

Travel Protections:

• Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance: Up to $10,000 per person per trip.
• Primary Car Rental Insurance: Coverage for theft or damage in the U.S. and abroad.
• Baggage Delay Insurance or Lost Luggage Reimbursement: Up to $100 per day for 5 days if luggage is delayed over 6 hours.
• Travel Delay Reimbursement: Up to $500 per ticket for delays over 12 hours.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.

Other Perks:

• Complimentary DashPass subscription (DoorDash) for $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees.
• Earn 5x points on Lyft rides (check dates for current promotions)
• 10% end of year bonus on the points  you’ve earned 
• $50 hotel credit per year 

Reasonable Annual Fee:

• Only $95/year, with benefits that often outweigh the cost. You are eligible to earn the sign up bonus again after 48 months 

Why It’s Great for Beginners:

• Flexible redemption options make it easy to start using points effectively.
• Access to Chase Ultimate Rewards, a highly rated and versatile points ecosystem.
• Low annual fee compared to premium travel cards.
• Simple rewards categories for common purchases like dining and travel.

If you enjoyed this episode, check out our other Travel Credit Card Reviews.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Review

0:35

And get ready to embark on a new adventure with us around the globe.

Hey, Squaddy’s travel squad podcast is back with just the tip, our Friday mini episode series where we give you quick travel stories, hacks and recommendations to set you off into the week.

0:50

And right today you have just me, Brittany, for a solo episode to share some details with you about the Chase Sapphire preferred credit card.

I actually have this card.

I’ve had it for almost four years now.

And this is a great card for travelers that are new to the points in miles game and that want a card that has a low annual fee, but also offers a ton of value.

1:13

I just want to start off by saying that this is a non sponsored episode.

And any time that we at the Travel Squad talk about credit cards, we’re giving our personal feedback about the cards that we have that we like and we think would be a great benefit for travelers.

And a few disclaimers are we are not financial advisors, we’re not providing any financial advice and we always do promote financial responsibility with the cards.

1:38

So let’s get into it.

The biggest draw to the Chase Sapphire preferred credit card is the sign up bonus and it’s typically around 60,000 points, but I have seen it range anywhere from 60,000 to 80,000 on the high end.

1:54

And you can earn the sign up bonus after meeting a minimum spend.

Usually that’s $4000 in within the first three months, but the annual fee is only $95 a year.

If you’re comparing it to the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, that card has an annual fee of $550 and the sign up bonus is the same.

2:16

It’s usually 60 to 80,000 points or miles, but it does have more perks.

But if you’re looking for a no frills beginner or low cost annual fee card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is the way to go.

So a lot of people think that 60,000 points typically only equates to about $600.00.

2:37

And that was something I even thought when I was new to the points and miles game.

But if you use your points correctly, you can actually book a premium economy or even a business class flight with those points.

And then they’re worth hundreds or even thousands more.

And you might think OK am I really going to find a flight for 60,000 miles and where will it get me to?

2:59

So some good examples I recently saw on Thrifty Traveller were for 60,000 miles they had a business class flight from Seattle to Tahiti and the value is worth $3000.

I also saw one for 33,000 points.

It was a business class flight from Atlanta or JFK to Lima, Peru and that value is typically $2000 and I also saw one that was only 21,000 points and it was for a business class flight from several East Coast airports.

3:31

It was like Atlanta, JFKI, think even Boston and it was to London and that value is $2000.00.

So you may think 60,000 points equates to $600.00 but no it could actually equate to two to $3000 worth of rewards if you are using your points and miles correctly.

3:54

Another great thing about the Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card is it’s within that Chase Sapphire family and the Chase family has great transfer partners.

The points that you earn with the sign up bonus and for your normal spend with a card have a one to one points transfer to several travel programs and airlines included like United, SW, JetBlue and some big hotel chains like Hyatt, Marriott, Bonvoy and IHG.

4:21

Some of the really good transfer partners that this credit card the card is connected to is Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air France, British Airways and Emirates.

Another perk of the card is that it does have valuable points redemption.

So points are worth 25% more when you redeem them for travel like flights, hotels, rental cards if you redeem them through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.

4:47

So in this case, if you were to use all of your points, so 60,000 through the portal, you would end up with about $750 for travel, which is great since the annual fee is $95 a year, but it’s still not as great as a value as we just talked about when we talked about transferring your points to airline partners.

5:08

Also, there’s a lot of really good everyday spending benefits.

If you book any flights or hotels through the Chase portal, you’ll earn five times the points back.

You’ll earn three times the points on dining, including delivery, and take out two times the points on travel purchases.

5:24

So think flights, hotels, rental cars, and then one point per dollar on all other purchases.

The card comes with a ton of other points, like a complimentary DoorDash subscription, which gets you free delivery fees and reduced service fees.

If you take Lyft, you also earn five times the points on Lyft rides through March of 2025.

5:45

You also get a $50 hotel credit per year.

So if you book a hotel through the portal, you’ll get a $50 credit back on your statement.

And then that probably one of the best perks of the card is at the end of the year, you get a 10% bonus on all the points you’ve earned.

6:03

So if you’ve earned 10,000 points, you get 1000 back.

So we talked about the sign up bonus being one of the biggest draws to this card.

But I also think another huge draw is that it has a reasonable annual fee.

That fee, like I talked about before, is only $95 a year.

6:22

And I really think the benefits outweigh the cost.

And another tidbit tip is that you’re eligible to earn the sign up bonus again after 48 months.

So have the card, keep it for a full 48 months, then you can downgrade the card, and then in a month or two later, you can go ahead and reapply for that card and then you’ll be eligible to earn the sign up bonus again.

6:46

I mentioned that I think that this is a great card for beginners and I think it is because it has the flexible redemption options to make it easy to use the points and miles has the low annual feed compared to most premium travel cards, and it has simple rewards categories for common purchases like dining and travel.

7:04

So your everyday purchases will easily earn you points.

If you’re not new to the points and miles game, then you probably already know about this card or have a similar card like it.

But I always like to have multiple travel credit cards to maximize my use for points and miles and be able to transfer them to travel partners.

7:24

So if you do have a travel credit card that does have a high annual fee, like the Venture X or the Amex Platinum or Amex Gold or something equivalent to that, this is a great card that has a lot of value, gives you a lot of points, but has a low annual fee.

So I think that this card can really be utilized by everyone.

7:43

Before we end this episode, I just want to mention that we do have other episodes comparing and contrasting the Venture X and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

We have an episode on the Amex Gold card and we have a ton of different episodes with travel tips and hacks.

7:59

So I just wanted to end on that.

All right, Squatty’s, thank you so much for tuning into just the tip.

Make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on all the socials at Travel Squad Podcast and have fun traveling this weekend.