A June 2026 refresh made this card even stronger in a few specific ways.
If you're deciding which card to apply for first, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is still the one I point people toward: the best starter card in this hobby for over a decade, and a June 2026 refresh made it even stronger. This review covers what changed, whether the $95 fee still pays for itself (spoiler alert; it does IMHO), and two upcoming changes worth planning around.
The Sapphire Preferred works well if:
It's probably not worth it if:
If you already have this card and travel or spend more heavily, the Capital One Venture X review covers the next tier up.
The current welcome offer is 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months.
$5,000 over three months works out to roughly $1,667 a month, well within reach for most households once you factor in typical monthly bills. The key is using the card for spending you'd be doing anyway, not spending extra to chase the bonus.
The annual hotel credit doubled, from $50 to $100. Each cardmember year, you can get a statement credit of up to $100 for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel. Chase doesn't require a minimum stay, so a single $100+ booking through the portal captures the full credit. This alone offsets more than the entire annual fee.
A new $120 credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS. This applies once every four years and reimburses the application fee when you pay with the card.
A complimentary year of Apple TV, worth $99–156 depending on when you activate it (enrollment required by December 31, 2026).
A DashPass membership from DoorDash for at least one year (activation required by December 31, 2027), plus up to $10 a month in credits on non-restaurant DoorDash orders.
Two new 3x categories: gas and EV charging, and vacation rentals booked through services like Airbnb and Vrbo. These join the existing 3x categories for dining and online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs).
Stronger travel protections, including primary rental car collision damage coverage and new emergency evacuation and transportation coverage.
Chase also announced two negative changes: starting October 1, 2026, the card's 10% anniversary points bonus goes away, and the transfer ratio to World of Hyatt drops from 1:1 to 4:3. If you're holding points earmarked for a Hyatt redemption, it may be worth transferring before that date. Every other transfer partner is unaffected.
| Category | Rate |
|---|---|
| Travel purchased through Chase Travel | 5x |
| Dining, including takeout & eligible delivery | 3x |
| Online groceries (excl. Walmart, Target, wholesale clubs) | 3x |
| Gas & EV charging | 3x |
| Vacation rentals | 3x |
| Select streaming services | 3x |
| All other travel (flights, hotels, rental cars, tolls, rideshare) | 2x |
| Everything else | 1x |
That 2x category on general travel is broader than most cards offer. It covers airlines, hotels, cruises, trains, buses, parking, tolls, and rideshare apps, so even travel you don't book through Chase still earns a solid return.
You have two main ways to use Ultimate Rewards points earned on this card.
Through the Chase Travel portal, your points are worth 1.25 cents each toward flights, hotels, rental cars, and more. It's the simplest option if you don't want to learn the transfer-partner side of things yet. But it's worth calling out that the portal prices can be inflated compared to what you can get from booking directly, so it's always worth a quick comparison.
Transferring to airline and hotel partners is where the real value lives. That's how I fly business class "for free." Most Chase transfer partners move at a 1:1 ratio, and this is how people 2x-4x+ the value of their points.
If you're transferring points for the first time, or don't know how to do it, I can help you on a free call.
The natural next question is whether to skip straight to the Sapphire Reserve instead. The Reserve carries a much higher annual fee ($795) and adds airport lounge access, a bigger travel credit, and richer dining categories. It makes sense once you're spending $10,000 or more a year on travel and dining and would use the lounges. This card works like a glorified "coupon book," so check whether you'd use enough of it with this calculator.
For a first card, though, the Preferred is the better starting point: a fraction of the fee, and you keep the option to upgrade to the Reserve later without losing your account history. You can only hold one Sapphire product at a time, but Chase makes that upgrade path simple when you're ready.
The math is simple.
The Apple TV and DashPass perks are smaller in dollar terms but stack on top if you'd already be paying for either. The points themselves, especially if you book even one international flight or hotel stay with a transfer partner, will be worth more than the annual fee on their own.
For $95 a year, the Chase Sapphire Preferred remains one of the most practical first cards in the points and miles hobby. The June 2026 refresh made the everyday math better (a bigger hotel credit, new bonus categories, stronger protections), even with two changes landing October 1 that are worth keeping on your radar if Hyatt or the anniversary bonus factor into your plans.
Once you've got a redemption or two under your belt, the next moves are a premium card like the Venture X for bigger trips, or learning what a well-timed welcome bonus can turn into. One card application funded an Emirates First Class seat: read the full story.
Affiliate disclosure: Ross may be compensated for referral links at no cost to you. He will never recommend a card that isn't in your genuine best interest. Credit card offers are provided by issuing banks and may change, so always review terms on the issuer's page before applying. Full Affiliate Disclosure here.