Some offers mentioned below are no longer available.
New Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card members can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, you'll currently receive up to $300 in statement credits on Chase TravelSM purchases within your first year. The full bonus is worth up to $1,050 in travel value, but you'll have to act fast as this offer is ending soon.
The Sapphire Preferred is a great beginner travel credit card with most of the benefits anyone who loves maximizing rewards would want. There's typically an increased bonus offer on this card once a year, so if you've had it on your wishlist, now is a good time to apply.
New Chase Sapphire Preferred welcome bonus
The elevated Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card welcome bonus is worth $300 more than the previous offer:
- New offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening, plus up to $300 in travel credit for eligible Chase TravelSM bookings.
- Old offer: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
On top of the welcome bonus, you'll get a $50 Chase Travel Hotel credit each card anniversary year. This credit is easy to use and is valid for eligible hotel reservations through Chase TravelSM.
You'll also have access to a long list of valuable insurance benefits, including:
- Purchase protection
- Extended warranty protection
- Rental car collision coverage
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
- Baggage delay insurance
- Trip delay reimbursement
- Travel and emergency assistance
Don't miss: What are Chase Ultimate Rewards® points worth?
How to make the most of the Chase Sapphire Preferred's welcome bonus
There is no shortage of options for redeeming Chase points — and the value you receive from the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card's intro bonus hinges on how you use the 60,000-point bonus.
If you keep things simple, you can redeem 60,000 points for one cent per point for several redemptions, including $600 in cash back or $600 in gift cards. You can bump that value by booking travel through Chase Travel,SM because the Sapphire Preferred gives you a 25% bonus on these redemptions.
That makes 60,000 points worth $750 in travel for a potential total bonus value of $1,050.
The Sapphire Preferred also unlocks full access to all 14 Chase travel partner programs and you can transfer points at a 1:1 ratio to all of them. Taking advantage of this option is usually the optimal path to maximizing your Chase points. Partner programs include World of Hyatt, Air Canada Aeroplan, United MileagePlus and Southwest Rapid Rewards.
When you take advantage of the best deals these partners offer, the value you get per point can dramatically increase. For example, one-way business class awards from the U.S. to Europe (under 4,000 miles) start at 60,000 points with the Aeroplan program. You can book awards on Air Canada and most of its partner airlines at that price. These flights can easily cost more than $3,000, which means you're getting a value of around five cents point (not accounting for taxes and fees).
Who's eligible for the Chase Sapphire Preferred's welcome bonus?
You'll typically need a good to excellent credit score to qualify for the Sapphire Preferred. To be eligible for this new welcome bonus, there are two additional requirements:
- You cannot currently have any Sapphire card (including the Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve®)
- You cannot have received a new card member bonus for any Sapphire card in the past 48 months
You'll also have to contend with Chase's 5/24 rule: If you've opened five or more credit cards from any bank in the last 24 months it will be harder to get approved for a new Chase credit card.
Some business credit cards may not add to your Chase 5/24 count, however, because they don't appear on your personal credit report.
Alternative cards to consider
If you can't qualify for the Chase Sapphire Preferred or are not interested in its new offer, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a great alternative.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Card currently has a limited time offer: earn more than $1000 in Travel Bonuses with a limited-time $300 Capital One Travel stays credit, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening—that's more than $1,000 in travel value.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a reasonable annual fee and earns flexible travel rewards, which makes it a great travel card for both beginners and frequent travelers.
- Valuable welcome offer
- You can transfer miles to Capital One's travel partners
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
- No foreign transaction fees
- Lacks ongoing travel benefits such as statement credits or lounge access
- Limited bonus spending category that only applies to certain Capital One Travel bookings
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $300 to use on hotel and vacation rental bookings through Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening – that's more than $1,000 in travel value
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app
Balance transfer fee
$0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
Foreign transaction fee
None
The Wells Fargo Autograph® Card has no annual fee and earns transferrable points. If you're not sure whether the Chase Sapphire Preferred's annual fee is worth it, this is a good alternate travel credit card.
The Autograph Card is a good option for purchases such as restaurants, travel, gas stations and popular streaming services. It also has a handful of additional insurance perks, including cell phone protection, travel accident insurance and trip cancellation/interruption coverage.
The Wells Fargo Autograph® Card offers generous bonus spending categories and lets you transfer points to airline and hotel partners, which is rare for a credit card with no annual fee.
- Excellent bonus rewards across travel and everyday categories
- Get access to all Wells Fargo transfer partners, including Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) and Virgin Red
- Features an intro APR on purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
- Doesn't include travel credits or other valuable travel perks
- Lacks key travel protections, such as trip delay reimbursement and trip cancellation/interruption coverage
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Apply Now to take advantage of this offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
- Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value.
- Earn unlimited 3X points on the things that really add up - like restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans. Plus, earn 1X points on other purchases.
- $0 annual fee.
- 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. 18.74%, 24.74%, or 28.74% variable APR thereafter.
- Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
- Redeem your rewards points for travel, gift cards, or statement credits. Or shop at millions of online stores and redeem your rewards when you check out with PayPal.
- Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.
Balance transfer fee
3% intro for 120 days from account opening, then up to 5%, min: $5
Foreign transaction fee
None
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