While there is no Chase Sapphire Preferred 100k offer anymore, it’s still a very valuable card with a signup bonus of 60k Ultimate Rewards. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is known as the best first travel credit card to get. This is due to the high signup bonus, the ability to redeem its points at a high value, and the lower annual fee at $95. At Travel Freedom, we absolutely see it as the best first travel credit card in the travel industry. If you’re looking to travel more and want to do it for free, listen up. The Chase Sapphire Preferred might just be the card you’ve been looking for.
Chase Sapphire Preferred [earnist_link ref="chase-sapphire-preferred-card" id="6313"] |
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| INTRODUCTORY OFFER You'll earn 60,000 points after spending $4000 in the first 3 months. |
| REWARDS You'll earn 2X points on travel and 3X on dining. |
| BENEFITS Points are worth 25% more when used in the Chase travel portal. No foreign transaction fees. 1:1 point transfer partner hotels and airlines. |
| FEES $95 No foreign transaction fees. |
| TRAVEL FREEDOM THOUGHTS This is the best first travel credit card to get. It has a valuable signup bonus with easy to redeem points. You also get a boost to your points value in the Chase travel portal. |
| [earnist_link ref="chase-sapphire-preferred-card" id="6313"]LEARN HOW TO APPLY NOW >>[/earnist_link] |
What Makes the Chase Sapphire Preferred a Good Credit Card?
Redemption versatility is the number one reason that the Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best first travel credit card is that it’s so easy to redeem points. It’s a good card for people who are new to traveling with points because it is so easy to use. Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed in a few ways. They can be redeemed through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal for a fixed rate of 1.25 cents per point, for cash-back and gift cards, or by converting points to Chases transfer partners. Transferring to the travel partners can net an average redemption of over 2 cents per point. Both non-cash-back options give an elevated redemption value over 1 cent per point. If you’re willing to put in a little bit of effort to research airline award charts, you’ll get the most out of your points by using transfer partners.
Redeem Ultimate Rewards in the Travel Portal (1.25 cents/pt value)
At an elevated rate of 1.25 cents per point, redeeming through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal is a good option. Through the travel portal, you can book flights, hotels, car rentals, and more. It allows you to use your points for travel while keeping things very simple. You won’t have to understand how hotel and airline reward systems work to book travel with points.
Ultimate Rewards Travel Transfer Partners (~2 cents/pt value)
By transferring your points into an Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partner, you’ll have the opportunity to redeem your points for 2 cents per point. There are currently 13 different travel transfer partners, including 9 airlines and 4 hotel chains. Ultimate Rewards points transfer to all of the partners at a 1:1 ratio. Regularly, my wife and I transfer our points to the Ultimate Rewards travel partners. We most often transfer them to British Airways (to use their US travel partners for flights) and Hyatt Hotels (to get free nights). We’ve found that by using these two transfer partners, we often get more than 2 cents of value per point.
Chase Airline Transfer Partners
Chase Hotel Transfer Partners
Other Ultimate Rewards Redemption Options (1 cent/pt value)
There are a few other redemption options that don’t involve travel. They also aren’t redeemable for as much value as the travel options. Points can be redeemed for cash back, to spend on [earnist_link ref=”travel-accessories” id=”10682″]Amazon[/earnist_link], to spend on exclusive experiences, or to purchase gift cards. All of these options have a fixed redemption value of just 1 cent per point. I wouldn’t recommend using your points this way unless you don’t like to travel, because it’s not as valuable.
Earn Spending Bonuses on Travel and Dining
This card will give you more than just the Chase Sapphire Reserve 100k 60k signup bonus. It has a couple of valuable spending bonus categories. You’ll earn 2X points on all travel and dining purchases. I’m sure you spend money on these two quite a bit.
- Travel: The travel bonus counts for flights, trains, taxi’s, other transportation, hotels, and much more.
- Dining: Dining is considered anything purchased from restaurants, bars, cafes, fast food restaurants, restaurant delivery services like (Caviar, Eat24, GrubHub, Postmates, Seamless), and even from vending machines.
I’m going to guess that you spend some money on both travel and dining occasionally. Spending bonuses are a great way to earn some extra Ultimate Rewards without really doing anything. By earning 2X points on these purchases and then redeeming Ultimate Rewards at a value of 2 cents each, you’re essentially earning 6% back on those purchases. 4% value back on a credit card is unheard of!
Combine Other Chase Credit Cards with the Sapphire Preferred
One more reason that the Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the best travel credit cards is that there are many other Chase credit cards that pair very nicely with the Sapphire Preferred. There are six other Chase credit cards that also earn Ultimate Rewards. There are three other personal cards and three business cards. They all have their own set of great features and earning potential. Between my wife and I, we have at least one of each of these cards. This allows us to earn category bonuses on almost every purchase we make. We also earned over 350,000 Ultimate Rewards just from signup bonuses!
All the Cards That Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards
Ultimate Rewards Can Be Transferred Between Card Accounts
The best part of pairing up multiple [earnist_link ref=”chase-issuer-table” id=”6247″]Chase credit cards[/earnist_link], is that the Ultimate Rewards from one card account can be transferred and combined with the points in another card account. For instance, you can earn Ultimate Rewards with the Chase Freedom (which normally doesn’t have transfer partners available) and transfer them over to your Chase Sapphire Preferred account to redeem them (either with the 25% portal bonus or with transfer partners).
Three of the Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards have higher redemption rates in the travel portal. The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred both give a value of 1.25 cents per point when redeemed through the travel portal, while the Sapphire Reserve gives an even higher 1.5 cents per point value. While four of these credit cards are technically listed as cash back cards, you’ll still earn Ultimate Rewards. These “cash back” Ultimate Rewards can be transferred to any of the three premium card accounts to get the full Ultimate Rewards experience.
Other Ultimate Rewards Credit Card Offers
Chase Freedom [earnist_link ref="chase-freedom" id="6315"] |
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| INTRODUCTORY OFFER You'll earn $200 (in the form of 20,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after spending $500 in the first 3 months. |
| REWARDS You'll earn 5% on rotating quarterly categories. (up to $1500 in purchases per quarter) |
| BENEFITS Points can be transferred to primary Chase cards for better redemptions. Free credit score. |
| ANNUAL FEE No annual fee |
| TRAVEL FREEDOM THOUGHTS This is one of the best "cash back" cards for earning rewards. You can earn up to 5X per dollar and those points can be transferred to a primary Chase card for better redemptions. It's a perfect card to pair with either of the Sapphire cards or the Ink Business Preferred. |
| [earnist_link ref="chase-freedom" id="6315"]LEARN HOW TO APPLY NOW >>[/earnist_link] |
This rewards card pairs well with the Chase Sapphire Preferred 100k 60k Offer. Learn more about this card and find out how to apply [earnist_link ref=”chase-freedom” id=”6315″]HERE[/earnist_link].
Chase Freedom Unlimited [earnist_link ref="chase-freedom-unlimited-card" id="6346"] |
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| INTRODUCTORY OFFER You'll earn an additional 1.5% rewards on all purchases in the first year. (up to $20k purchases) |
| REWARDS You'll earn 1.5% back on all purchases. (after year 1) No limit. |
| BENEFITS Points can be transferred to primary Chase cards for better redemptions. Free credit score. |
| ANNUAL FEE No annual fee |
| TRAVEL FREEDOM THOUGHTS This is one of the best "cash back" cards for earning rewards. You earn 1.5% per dollar (3% year 1) and those points can be transferred to a primary Chase card for better redemptions. It's a perfect card to pair with either of the Sapphire cards or the Ink Business Preferred. |
| [earnist_link ref="chase-freedom-unlimited-card" id="6346"]LEARN HOW TO APPLY NOW >>[/earnist_link] |
This rewards card pairs well with the Chase Sapphire Preferred 100k 60k Offer. Learn more about this card and find out how to apply [earnist_link ref=”chase-freedom-unlimited” id=”6346″]HERE[/earnist_link].
Chase Sapphire Reserve [earnist_link ref="chase-sapphire-reserve-card" id="6311"] |
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| INTRODUCTORY OFFER You'll earn 60,000 points after spending $4000 in the first 3 months. |
| REWARDS You'll earn 3X points on travel and dining. Also Earn a total of 10X points on Lyft rides. |
| BENEFITS $300 annual travel credit. Priority Pass Select airport lounge access. TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. Points are worth 50% more when used in the Chase travel portal. No foreign transaction fees. 1:1 point transfers to partner hotels and airlines. 1 year of Lyft Pink. |
| FEES $550 No foreign transaction fees. |
| TRAVEL FREEDOM THOUGHTS This is one of the best premium travel credit cards if you want some luxury. It has a valuable signup bonus with easy to redeem points. You also get a boost to your points value in the Chase travel portal. The biggest key to this card is the airport lounge access. If you travel a lot, it's extremely valuable. |
| [earnist_link ref="chase-sapphire-reserve-card" id="6311"]LEARN HOW TO APPLY NOW >>[/earnist_link] |
This rewards card pairs well with the Chase Sapphire Preferred 100k 60k Offer. Learn more about this card and find out how to apply [earnist_link ref=”chase-sapphire-reserve-card” id=”6311″]HERE[/earnist_link].
Ink Business Preferred [earnist_link ref="ink-business-preferred-credit-card" id="6240"] |
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| INTRODUCTORY OFFER You'll earn 100,000 points after spending $15000 in the first 3 months. |
| REWARDS You'll earn 3X points on travel and select business expenses (including online social media ads). *Limited to first $150k per year. |
| BENEFITS Points are worth 25% more when used in the Chase travel portal. No foreign transaction fees. Employee cards at no additional cost. |
| FEES $95 No foreign transaction fees. |
| TRAVEL FREEDOM THOUGHTS The signup bonus alone for this card is amazing. Pair that with some great rewards earning for your business and this card is great. If you have a business, we find the Ink Preferred to be the best offer available. |
| [earnist_link ref="ink-business-preferred-credit-card" id="6240"]LEARN HOW TO APPLY NOW >>[/earnist_link] |
This rewards card pairs well with the Chase Sapphire Preferred 100k 60k Offer. Learn more about this card and find out how to apply [earnist_link ref=”ink-business-preferred-credit-card” id=”6240″]HERE[/earnist_link].
Ink Business Cash [earnist_link ref="ink-business-cash-credit-card" id="6242"] |
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| INTRODUCTORY OFFER You'll earn $750 (in the form of 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after spending $6000 in the first 3 months. |
| REWARDS You'll earn 5X points on internet, cable, phone, and office supply stores. *Limited to first $25k per year. Earn 2X at gas stations and restaurants. *Limited to first $25k per year. |
| BENEFITS Points can be transferred to primary Chase card accounts for better redemption. Employee cards at no additional cost. |
| ANNUAL FEE No annual fee |
| TRAVEL FREEDOM THOUGHTS The signup bonus on this no-fee card is amazing. Pair that with some great 5X reward categories for your business and this card is great. This card pairs well with the Chase Sapphire cards and the Ink Preferred. |
| [earnist_link ref="ink-business-cash-credit-card" id="6242"]LEARN HOW TO APPLY NOW >>[/earnist_link] |
This business rewards card pairs well with the Chase Sapphire Preferred 100k 60k Offer. Learn more about this card and find out how to apply [earnist_link ref=”ink-business-cash-credit-card” id=”6242″]HERE[/earnist_link].
Ink Business Unlimited [earnist_link ref="ink-business-unlimited-credit-card" id="6243"] |
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| INTRODUCTORY OFFER You'll earn $750 (in the form of 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after spending $6000 in the first 3 months. |
| REWARDS You'll earn 1.5X on all purchases. No limit. |
| BENEFITS Points can be transferred to primary Chase card accounts for better redemption. Employee cards at no additional cost. |
| ANNUAL FEE No annual fee |
| TRAVEL FREEDOM THOUGHTS The signup bonus on this no-fee card is amazing. Pair that with 1.5X rewards on every purchase for your business and this card is great. This card pairs well with the Chase Sapphire cards and the Ink Preferred. |
| [earnist_link ref="ink-business-unlimited-credit-card" id="6243"]LEARN HOW TO APPLY NOW >>[/earnist_link] |
This rewards card pairs well with the Chase Sapphire Preferred 100k 60k Offer. Learn more about this card and find out how to apply [earnist_link ref=”ink-business-unlimited-credit-card” id=”6243″]HERE[/earnist_link].
Keep It Simple with Chase Ultimate Rewards Cards
As you can see, there are many reasons why the [earnist_link ref=”chase-sapphire-preferred-card” id=”6313″]Chase Sapphire Preferred[/earnist_link] is the best first travel credit card to have. It has a great introductory offer with a reasonable minimum spending requirement. The annual fee is moderate. The 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points earned through the signup bonus are very valuable when used for travel. In fact, they are enough points to take multiple trips if spent efficiently.
Because there are so many other Chase credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards, it makes the Chase Sapphire Preferred a good base card. Just by earning Ultimate Rewards, you’ll be able to earn free travel for a long time to come. Between the signup bonuses mentioned above, there are currently 320,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points available. That only includes the signup bonuses. You can earn even more points on purchases with spending category bonuses. If you want to travel more, start traveling using Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Don’t Forget About the Chase 5/24 Rule
Chase has an unwritten rule, known as the “Chase 5/24 Rule”, that only allows you to be approved for a Chase-branded credit card if you have less than five new credit cards opened within the last 24 months. The five credit cards opened don’t just include Chase credit cards, it includes nearly all credit cards. Small business credit cards don’t count toward the five card limit, but the Chase 5/24 rule does come into effect when applying for a business card.
Chase 5/24 Rule FAQ’s
Can I apply for 2 Chase credit cards on the same day when I’m 4/24 and get approved for both?
- Data suggests you can, however, we recommend not pushing the line and only apply for one Chase card at a time. People have reported having their account shut down for applying for too much credit.
Can I apply the day my 5/24 limit drops off?
- Preferably wait until the first day of the next month to apply.
I’m over the 5/24 rule limit, can I be approved for a card from another bank?
- Yes. Approvals for credit cards from other banks besides Chase are not impacted by your 5/24 score. Each bank has its own set of rules for approval.
Do Chase business cards count toward my 5/24 score?
- No. Being approved for a Chase business card will not add to your 5/24 limit. However, to get approved for a Chase business card you must be below the 5/24 limit.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred 100k 60k Signup Bonus is Still a Great Offer
While the Chase Preferred 100k signup bonus is no longer available, 60k points is still an excellent offer. At a value of at least $750, it’s well above the average when it comes to credit card signup bonuses. When spent through travel partners, the signup bonus can be worth over $1000.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred was the first travel credit card I ever applied for. It gave me a good amount of free travel and was also a good base card to start earning other Ultimate Rewards and transferring them into my Sapphire Preferred account. Now my wife and I have all of the cards above and have an abundance to Ultimate Rewards to spend on free travel.
If you’re someone who wants to travel more, this will be a great credit card to get you started. It sure was for me. The [earnist_link ref=”chase-sapphire-preferred-card” id=”6313″]Chase Sapphire Preferred[/earnist_link] 100k 60k offer is still well worth the application. It’s the best first travel credit card for people who are looking to start traveling more.
