It’s easy to decide you want to be able to travel for less, but it is hard to know where to start.
While we have a guide to getting started with points and miles and even an entire Points101 free email series designed to get you going with rewards earning and burning and encourage you to dive in there if you want to, just getting started doesn’t have to be all that complicated.
The overwhelming majority of the time, my number one recommendation for those looking to delve into earning points and miles is to first get the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees). It’s not an accident that it has won the Best Travel Rewards Credit Card for the seventh year in a row … it’s that consistently great.
Highest-ever offer: Earn 100,000 bonus points with the Chase Sapphire Preferred after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
The Sapphire Preferred has been around for over 15 years, but that doesn’t mean it is stale. In fact, it means it’s a classic that has stayed with the times since it was launched in 2009. But in this case, it’s tough to top this classic when starting in the rewards credit card landscape.
So whether you’re looking for which rewards credit card to start with — or which card to get next — here are five reasons why the Chase Sapphire Preferred is still my most frequently recommended card.
Limited-time highest welcome bonus in years
The sign-up bonus for the Sapphire Preferred varies over time, but right now, it’s the highest offer we have seen since 2021: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
TPG’s April 2025 valuations peg the welcome bonus at $2,050. It is based on maximizing points with Chase’s hotel and airline transfer partners.
Learning to maximize your Chase Ultimate Rewards points with transfer partners — such as Hyatt and United — takes a little research. Still, it is worth the myriad benefits you’ll reap once you start using transfer partners with valuable Ultimate Rewards points.
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If you use the points directly for travel booked through Chase Travel℠, you’ll still get 1.25 cents in value per point. Even though that fixed valuation comes in lower than if you maximize your points with partners, that’s a great sign-up bonus that requires little effort to utilize.
Outstanding transfer partners that stretch your points
Once you get the hang of it, the lineup of transfer partners available with the Chase Sapphire Preferred is stellar.
These transfer partners are:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- British Airways Executive Club
- Emirates Skywards
- IHG One Rewards
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Southwest Rapid Rewards
- United MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- World of Hyatt
Unlike other card programs, Chase Ultimate Rewards points can transfer to these partners at a 1:1 ratio (or higher, with occasional transfer bonuses).
This means that 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points could become the equivalent of 100,000 United MileagePlus miles, Aeroplan miles, World of Hyatt points and the list goes on. In the end, your points are more useful than they would be if they were locked into earning and redeeming with one loyalty program.
Several transfer partners — such as United, Southwest and Hyatt — are relatively unique to Chase, so the lineup can’t be easily replicated with most other credit card programs.
To give an example of why this matters, it can cost $800 or more to stay at a resort like the Hyatt Regency Maui if you were paying with cash (which, at $800, would be 64,000 points if redeemed at the fixed 1.25 cents each option).
However, you can transfer your Chase points to the World of Hyatt and book that same hotel from just 21,000 points per night via Hyatt’s award chart. When compared to an $800 rate, that would be almost 4 cents per point — much more than if you used them at the fixed rate via Chase Travel.
People newer to travel rewards are often more comfortable starting with U.S.-based loyalty programs than some international options, where you can leverage partner bookings often in an easier way. Thankfully, Chase has a number of those for you to start with, like the World of Hyatt.
Low annual fee with added perks
Premium travel rewards cards such as The Platinum Card® from American Express and the Sapphire Preferred’s luxury counterpart, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees), have replaced the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s slot in my own wallet. However, I travel multiple times per month and have been at the points and miles game for a really long time.
Even if those cards are worth it — and they can be — it’s rare for a points and miles newcomer to start with a card that comes with a $695 annual fee (see rates and fees) for the Amex Platinum) or $550 for the Sapphire Reserve.
Testing the rewards credit card waters with a card like the Sapphire Preferred can be a much easier place to start. With just a $95 annual fee, trying out a new card for at least a year is a minimal investment — especially while the welcome bonus is so high.
Some perks can partially offset the annual fee, even on an ongoing basis. For example, you can enjoy a $50 annual hotel credit for stays booked through Chase Travel, and you’ll also receive 10% of your points back each year (based on your card spending).
Related: The 8 best credit cards with annual fees under $100
Good earning rates that can improve with time
The Sapphire Preferred doesn’t have the highest earning rates out there, but it still offers a solid return on many purchases:
- 5 points per dollar on travel booked through Chase Travel
- 5 points per dollar on Lyft rides (through Sept. 30, 2027)
- 3 points per dollar on dining
- 3 points per dollar on select streaming services
- 3 points per dollar on online grocery store purchases (excludes Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- 2 points per dollar on all travel not booked through Chase Travel
- 1 point per dollar on everything else
These categories are quite broad, and travel includes everything from plane tickets and hotels to subway passes and parking garages. Dining includes everything from a high-end restaurant to fast food and DoorDash delivery services.
Since these points are worth 2.05 cents each (according to TPG’s April 2025 valuations), you are getting anywhere from 2.05 to 10.25 cents in value per dollar charged to the card, depending on the category you’re spending in.
Related: The power of the Chase Trifecta: Sapphire Reserve, Ink Preferred and Freedom Unlimited
Easy-to-use rewards
The most mathematically rewarding way to maximize your Ultimate Rewards points is to transfer to the previously mentioned hotel and airline partners when award availability tips in your favor.
However, I like this card for beginners because it’s not necessary to do that. In fact, I have many friends and family members who never redeem their Chase points via transfer partners.
You can use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points at a fixed rate to book flights, hotels, and other travel via Chase Travel. With the Sapphire Preferred, your points are worth 1.25 cents each when used in that manner. If you or someone else in your household ever get the Chase Sapphire Reserve, points used that way are worth 1.5 cents each with that card.
The booking site operates the same as when booking travel via an online travel agency like Expedia. This makes it a straightforward and intuitive way to use your points, even for those new to this way of traveling for less.
Chase makes it easier to get approved when you are newer to rewards cards
Last but not least, Chase makes it easier to get Chase-issued credit cards before you get too far into your rewards credit card journey.
There’s an unwritten yet well-documented rule that Chase generally won’t issue a new credit card account once you have opened five or more card accounts across all banks in the last 24 months. Informally, this is known as the Chase 5/24 rule.
That seems easy enough if you are used to only getting a new credit card once every few years, at most. However, once you get into credit card rewards, it can be easy to use those slots as you get an airline card, hotel card, etc.
Because of this restriction, it makes sense to start by getting a Chase card, like the Sapphire Preferred, as one of your first cards before you run into a brick wall with opening new Chase accounts for some time.
Related: The best ways to fill your 5/24 slots
Bottom line
With the highest welcome bonus we have seen since 2021, now could be the right time to dive into credit card rewards and get the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.
It walks a wonderful line between being rewarding and rich regarding perks and points without being intimidating or too pricey to try out. It can be the perfect gateway to having a wallet full of Ultimate Rewards-earning credit cards and maximizing transfer partners, award chart sweet spots, built-in stopovers and more.
Or, if you prefer, it can remain a classic, low-annual-fee travel credit card that unlocks simple rewards all on its own.
There’s no wrong way to use a Sapphire Preferred, and there’s no better card with which to get your travel rewards journey started.
To learn more, read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here.
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