It’s easy to decide you want to travel less, but it’s hard to know where to start.
There is a guide Start with points and miles And even the whole Points101 Free Email Series It is designed to earn rewards, burn and burn, and encourage you to jump into it when needed.
My number one recommendation for those trying to delve into the vast majority of time, revenue and miles beginning Get Chase SapphirePreferred® Card (look Fees and fees). It was not an accident that won Best Travel Rewards Credit Card For the seventh year in a row…it’s consistently great.
Best Offer: Earn 100,000 bonus points with Chase sapphire is desirable After spending $5,000 on a purchase within the first three months of opening an account.
Sapphire Preferred has been around for over 15 years, but that doesn’t mean it’s outdated. In fact, it means it’s a classic that has remained in its era since its launch in 2009. However, in this case it is difficult to outperform this classic when starting out with a reward credit card landscape.
So, whether you’re looking for a rewards credit card to start or a card to get next, my most frequently recommended cards are five reasons Chase Sapphire likes.
Limited Best Welcome Bonus for a few years
Sign up bonus Sapphire is desirable It changes over time, but at this point it’s the best offer I’ve seen since 2021. After spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of opening an account, you’ve earned 100,000 bonus points.
TPG April 2025 evaluation Pegs with a $2,050 welcome bonus. Based on maximizing points with hotel and airline transfer partners in Chase.
study Maximize Chase’s ultimate reward points We do some research with transfer partners such as Hyatt and United. Still, once you start using a transfer partner with valuable ultimate reward points, you deserve the myriad benefits of amortizing it.
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When using points directly Travel booked with Chase Travel℠the value per point is 1.25 cents. That fixed rating is lower than if you maximize your points with your partner, but it’s a great sign-up bonus that requires little effort to take advantage of it.
A great transfer partner to develop your points
If you get it hang, the lineup Transfer Partner It’s great to be able to use Chase Sapphire.
These forwarding partners are:
- aer lingus aerclub
- Air Canada Aero Plan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- British Airways Executive Club
- Emirates Skyward
- IHG 1 reward
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Marriott Bonboy
- Krisflyer from Singapore Airlines
- Southwest Rapid Rewards
- United MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- The Hyatt World
Unlike other card programs, Chase Ultimate Rewards Points can be transferred to these partners in a 1:1 ratio (or higher). Occasional transfer bonus).
This means that 100,000 tracking ultimate reward points correspond to the world of 100,000 United Mileage Plus Miles, Aeroplan Miles and Hyatt Points. Ultimately, your points are more useful than if you were trapped in earning and redemption in one loyalty program.
Several transfer partners, such as United, Southwest and Hyatt, are relatively unique to Chase, so it is not easy to replicate their lineup with most other credit card programs.
To show why this is important, if you were paying in cash, it could cost over $800 to stay at a resort like Hyatt Regency Maui ($800, and redeem 1.25 cents with each option fixed for 64,000 points).
However, you can transfer tracking points to the Hyatt world and book the same hotel Starting from just 21,000 points per night Via Hyatt Awards Chart. Compared to the $800 price, it costs about 4 cents per point. This is much more than if you used it on a fixed fee via Chase Travel.
Travel newcomers often make it easier to make use of partner bookings, starting with a US-based loyalty program than some international options. Thankfully, Chase has a lot to start with, like the Hyatt world.
Low annual fees with added perks
Premium Travel Reward Cards such as American Express Platinum Card And Sapphire is a gorgeous counterpart, Chase Sapphire Reserve® (look Fees and fees), I replaced the Chase Sapphire Preferred slot in my wallet. However, I have traveled multiple times a month and have been in Points and Miles Games for a very long time.
Even if those cards are worth it – And they can – It is rare for a new point and miles to start with a card with an annual fee of $695 (see Fees and fees) for Amex Platinum or Sapphire Reserve $550.
Testing the waters of reward credit cards with cards like sapphires can be a much easier place. Trying a new card for at least a year is a minimal investment for an annual fee of just $95. In particular, the welcome bonus is very high.
Some perks can partially offset the annual fee, even on a continuous basis. For example, you can enjoy a $50 per year hotel credit For stays booked through Chase Travel, you will receive 10% points each year (based on your card expenditure).
Related: 8 Best Credit Cards with Yearly Fees Under $100
Good return rates that can improve over time
Sapphire Preferred doesn’t have the highest rate of return, but still offers solid profits on many purchases.
- 5 points per dollar on trips booked through Chay Travel
- 5 points per dollar for Lyft Rides (until September 30, 2027)
- 3 points per dollar for meals
- 3 points per dollar on select streaming services
- 3 points per dollar for online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- 2 points per dollar on all trips not booked with Chay Travel
- 1 point per dollar for everything else
these category It’s very broad and travel includes everything from plane tickets and hotels to subway passes and parking. dining Everything from high-end restaurants to fast food included Doordash streaming service.
Each of these points is worth 2.05 cents (according to the April 2025 TPG evaluation), you’re earning a range of 2.05 to 10.25 cents per dollar charged on your card, depending on the category you’re spending.
Related: The Power of Chase Trifecta: Sapphire Reserve, Ink Preferred, and Freedom Unlimited
Easy to use rewards
The most mathematically rewarding way to maximize your ultimate reward points is to forward it to the hotel and airline partners mentioned above if you have a tip about the availability of your favorable awards.
But I don’t need to do that, so I like this card for beginners. In fact, I have a lot of friends and family who never redeem tracking points through my transfer partner.
You can use Chase Ultimate Rewards Points at a fixed rate to book flights, hotels and other trips with Chase Travel. If sapphire is preferred, then using it like that will make the points worth 1.25 cents each. If you or someone else in your household has ever acquired Chase Sapphire Reservethe points used in this way are worth 1.5 cents each on that card.
Booking sites run the same way you book a trip through an online travel agency like Expedia. This makes using this point an easy and intuitive way to use it, even if new people are new to it.
Chase is more likely to be approved when you’re not used to reward cards
Lastly, Chase can easily obtain a Chase issued credit card before reaching your reward credit card journey.
Although Chase is not a written statement that if you have opened more than five card accounts in all your banks in the last 24 months, there are undocumented rules. Unofficially, this is known as: Chase 5/24 Rules.
If you’re used to getting a new credit card only once every few years at best, that seems easy enough. However, once you enter credit card rewards, you can easily use these slots as you get your airline card, hotel card, and more.
Because of this limitation, it makes sense to start by getting the chase card that Sapphire likes.
Related: 5/24 The best way to fill slots
Conclusion
With the best welcome bonus I’ve seen since 2021, now could be the right time to jump into and get credit card rewards Chase Sapphire Priority Card.
It walks the fantastic line between being rewarded with perks and points, and being rich, even intimidating, but not too expensive to try. It can be a perfect gateway to maximize your transfer partner with a wallet full of credit cards that earn you the ultimate reward. Award Chart Sweet Spotbuilt-in stopovers, etc.
Or, if you wish, it can remain a classic, low-year travel credit card by locking all its own with simple rewards.
There is no wrong way to use sapphire preferences. Also, there is no better card to start your travel reward journey.
Read more A full review of Chase Sapphire is desirable.
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Priority Card
Click here for Amex Platinum Card pricing and fees here.
