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If you're considering the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card(Rates and fees), it's important to have a complete understanding of what you're getting for your $95 annual fee.
The good news: this card punches well above its weight class. Between a generous welcome offer, strong rewards on everyday spending, comprehensive travel protections, and access to Chase's broad network of transfer partners, the Sapphire Preferred is one of our favorite travel cards on the market.
It's a great place to start your travel rewards journey as you learn how to get the most value from cards like this.
Here's a thorough look at what the card offers — and what to keep in mind as you evaluate whether it's right for you.
Top Chase Sapphire Preferred benefits
1. A significant welcome bonus
New cardmembers can earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. If you're able to comfortably hit the spending threshold — using the card for regular expenses like groceries, utilities, and dining — the welcome bonus alone could more than offset the first year's annual fee whether you redeem for a statement credit or through Chase's travel portal.
2. Up to $50 in annual hotel credits
Each account anniversary year, you can earn up to $50 in statement credits for hotel stays booked through the Chase Travel portal. This is an easy, automatic benefit that partially offsets the annual fee without any extra effort.
3. A 10% anniversary points bonus
Every year on your account anniversary, you'll receive bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases from the prior year. Spend $20,000 in a year and you'll automatically receive 2,000 bonus points — a small but consistent reward for everyday use that could further chip away at the annual fee.
Excellent for travel rewards rates and redemption
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4. No foreign transaction fees
The Sapphire Preferred charges no foreign transaction fees, making it an ideal credit card for international travel. Some cards charge as much as 3% on every international purchase, which adds up quickly over a trip. Because this card runs on the Visa network, it's accepted nearly everywhere in the world.
You also don't need to set up travel notifications before heading abroad. Chase's fraud systems are sophisticated enough that your card shouldn't be declined for making purchases outside the U.S. — a common headache with other issuers.
When you make a purchase in a foreign currency, Visa converts it to U.S. dollars using its wholesale or government-mandated exchange rate at the time of processing.
5. DoorDash perks
Activate a complimentary DashPass membership by December 31, 2027, and you'll receive at least 12 months of the subscription (after the user is auto-enrolled at the current monthly rate), which normally costs $9.99 per month (or $96 for the whole year).
DashPass unlocks $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible DoorDash orders of $12 or more. Cardholders also receive a $10 monthly promo on eligible non-restaurant orders. Used consistently, this benefit can be worth more than the card's annual fee on its own. As a Sapphire preferred cardholder myself, this is among my favorite perks. I spend way too much on delivery in the first place, but at least I'm not also paying a fee to get it to my house.
6. Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
If your trip needs to be cancelled or interrupted due to a covered reason — such as illness, severe weather, jury duty, or the financial default of a carrier — you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for prepaid, non-refundable travel expenses.
Coverage extends to immediate family members even when traveling without the cardholder, and the annual maximum payout is $40,000. The full cost of the trip must have been charged to the card, and note that pre-existing conditions, travel against a doctor's advice, and trips exceeding 60 days are among the exclusions.
7. Trip delay reimbursement
If your travel is delayed at least 12 hours — or long enough to require an overnight stay — you and your family members can be reimbursed up to $500 per ticket for unreimbursed expenses like meals and lodging.
8. Baggage delay insurance and lost luggage coverage
If a common carrier delays your baggage by more than six hours, the card reimburses up to $100 per day for up to five days to cover essential purchases like clothing and toiletries (a single phone charging cable is also covered; items like contact lenses and hearing aids are not).
If your luggage is lost, stolen, or damaged by a carrier, both the cardholder and immediate family members are covered for up to $3,000 per insured person per trip. Coverage for jewelry, watches, cameras, and other electronics is capped at $500 per person. You must report the loss to the carrier immediately upon exiting the vehicle and provide a copy of that report to Chase to file a claim.
9. Travel and emergency assistance services
The card connects you with a Benefits Administrator who can help arrange emergency medical and legal referrals, emergency transportation, message relay to family or colleagues, ticket replacement, translation services, prescription assistance, and important document delivery. Keep in mind that while Chase facilitates access to these services, any costs incurred are your responsibility — this benefit coordinates help, not coverage.
10. Rental car insurance
The Sapphire Preferred includes a collision damage waiver (CDW) that covers physical damage and theft of most rental vehicles up to the actual cash value of the car, for rentals up to 31 consecutive days. To activate coverage, pay the full rental with your card and decline the rental company's own collision coverage. Depending on the rental company, using your card's coverage could save you $10-$30 per day in rental insurance fees — potentially hundreds of dollars on a week-long trip.
Coverage applies domestically and abroad. Coverage provided through this benefit is primary, meaning no other insurance needs to be involved first.
Notable exclusions include antique vehicles, motorcycles, mopeds, trucks, vans with more than nine-passenger capacity, limousines, and RVs. Liability coverage and personal injury are not included.
11. Purchase protection
New purchases are covered against theft or damage for up to 120 days from the purchase date, with a maximum of $500 per claim and $50,000 per account. This applies when the purchase was made with your card or Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Coverage is secondary — homeowner's or renter's insurance must be claimed first. Antiques, collectibles, motorized vehicles, computer software, used items, and purchases made for resale are excluded. You must notify the Benefits Administrator within 90 days and submit a claim form within 120 days of the loss.
12. Extended warranty protection
When you buy an item with a U.S. manufacturer's warranty of three years or less, the card extends that warranty by one additional year. Coverage is limited to $10,000 per item and $50,000 per account.
13. Roadside dispatch
Cardholders can access roadside dispatch services — including towing, tire changes, jump starts, fuel delivery, and lockout assistance — for a per-use fee. This is a paid service rather than complimentary coverage, but it gives you a reliable point of contact on the road if you don't have something like AAA.
14. Points Boost
Points earned on your Sapphire Preferred can be redeemed for travel through Chase Travel℠, at a rate of 1 cent per point, unless you can score a Points Boost redemption. Through the Points Boost program, your points could be worth up to 1.5 cents each on qualifying hotel and airline purchases through Chase Travel — and up to 1.75 cents on premium cabin tickets with select airlines.
Note for existing cardholders: If you had the Sapphire Preferred before June 23, 2025, points earned before October 26, 2025, can still be redeemed at the older 1.25x rate through Chase Travel until October 26, 2027. After that, all redemptions convert to the Points Boost model.
Excellent for travel rewards rates and redemption
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How to maximize value through Chase's transfer partners
One of the Sapphire Preferred's most powerful features is the ability to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to airline and hotel loyalty programs at a 1:1 ratio. Points transfer in 1,000-point increments and generally arrive instantly, though some programs can take up to seven business days.
Chase's transfer partners include popular domestic carriers like Southwest, United, and JetBlue,
The value you get from a transfer depends heavily on which program you transfer to and how you redeem. You may be able to get 1.2 to 1.6 cents per point for standard redemptions, but premium international business class awards with certain airlines — like Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer — can deliver significantly higher value. It's worth researching redemption sweet spots before transferring, since point transfers are one-way and irreversible. As a benchmark, compare the transfer value against the up-to-1.5-cents-per-point you can get through Chase Travel's Points Boost program.
Because the Sapphire Preferred unlocks 1:1 transfer capability, you can also pool points from no-annual-fee Chase Freedom cards into your Sapphire Preferred account, then redeem them at the elevated rate or transfer to a partner. This is one of the most effective strategies for maximizing Chase Ultimate Rewards value overall.
Is the annual fee worth it?
The Sapphire Preferred's $95 annual fee is modest for a travel card, making it a great travel card for beginners, but it's still worth confirming you'll get value from it.
Disregarding the value of any specific perks and the opportunity for elevated redemptions through Points Boost portal bookings or partner transfers, you'd only need to earn 9,500 points a year on the card and redeem for a statement credit at 1 cent per point to offset the annual fee.
The card earns 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases. Even if you didn't do any spending in the elevated earning categories, you'd only need to put $9,500 worth of expenses on the card to earn that many points — significantly less if you use the card for some of the other, very common expenses that earn an elevated rate. Most cardholders who use the card for travel and dining will hit that threshold comfortably.
Factor in the card's ancillary benefits and the value calculation gets even easier: the DashPass membership alone is worth at least $96 annually. The up-to-$50 hotel credit directly reduces the net fee to $45 in a good year, and if you ever need to use the rental car insurance — forgoing the rental company's $30-per-day coverage on a week-long trip — that's $210 saved from a single rental.
On the other hand, if you carry a balance month to month, interest charges will quickly erode any rewards value, so we recommend using this card only if you can pay it in full each month.
FAQs
Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred offer airport lounge access?
No. Lounge access is not included with the Sapphire Preferred. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® provides complimentary Priority Pass Select membership with access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide, plus access to the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club network.
Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred reimburse for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry?
No. This benefit is only available on the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which offers a credit of up to $120 every four years for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS.
Can I have the Chase Sapphire Preferred if I already have the Sapphire Reserve?
Yes, as of June 2025 you can hold both Sapphire cards simultaneously. In most cases, applying for one won't prevent you from earning the welcome bonus on the other, provided you meet standard eligibility requirements and haven't earned a welcome offer on a Sapphire card in the past.
Bottom line
There are few credit cards at this price point that offer as much well-rounded value as the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Whether you're a frequent international traveler or someone who just wants dependable protections and a flexible rewards currency, this card delivers. If you can take advantage of the welcome bonus, DoorDash perks, and at least occasional use of the Chase Travel portal, the annual fee is easy to justify.
If you're still not sure, have a look at our full Chase Sapphire Preferred review and decide if you'd like to apply.
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Current Offer
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Rewards Rate
5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases
