The Chase Sapphire Preferred Is the First Card I Tell Everyone to Open
It’s the first one I opened for points myself. Two years later I’d still say start here. Here’s why.
Okay so I have to tell you something a little embarrassing.
For years we were earning points on our credit cards and just… cashing them out. Like, taking the statement credit. I didn’t know what I didn’t know, and I thought that was just how it worked. We have six kids. We’ve taken this family on the road in a Ford Transit van to 45 states. The travel budget has always mattered. And the whole time, we were leaving hundreds of dollars on the table every single month.
Then about two years ago I actually started learning this game. And the Chase Sapphire Preferred was the very first card I opened for points. Not because someone told me to. Because the more I researched, the more it kept coming up as the obvious starting place. Every source, every expert, every points person I read said the same thing. Start here.
Two years later I still think that’s true. It’s still the first card I’d tell anyone to open. Including you.
First, the sign-up bonus is kind of wild
Right now the welcome offer is 75,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first three months.
75,000 points is worth $750 toward travel through Chase’s portal. Transfer to the right airline or hotel partner and it can stretch to $1,000–$1,600. The annual fee is $95. In year one you’re up before you earn a single point on regular spending.
The key is you have to spend $5,000 in three months to earn it. For our family that’s not a stretch. We put groceries, gas, and everything else on the card and pay it off in full every month. If your normal spending doesn’t hit $5,000, don’t manufacture it. For most families running their regular life, three months isn’t hard.
It earns on the things your family actually buys
This is where a lot of travel cards fall apart. They earn big on “travel” and then 1x on everything else, which means the points trickle in until you’re on a plane.
Groceries. Restaurants. Netflix and Amazon Music. That’s basically our whole month. Every Costco run, every pizza night, every last-minute school supply scramble. Points on all of it. You don’t change anything. The points just show up.
The points go wherever you need them to go, and that’s the whole game
Okay this is the part that actually changed how I think about points. Stay with me.
Some cards are locked to one airline or one hotel chain. Delta miles are Delta miles. They live there forever. If Delta doesn’t fly where you’re going, or the award prices are terrible that year, you’re stuck.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points don’t work like that. The Sapphire Preferred connects to 14 transfer partners: 10 airlines and 4 hotel programs. That includes Southwest, United, Air France/KLM, Hyatt, Marriott, and more. You transfer at a 1:1 ratio, which means 75,000 points becomes 75,000 Hyatt points or 75,000 Southwest points or 75,000 United miles.
Hyatt is the transfer partner that makes the points community go a little crazy. Category 1–4 Hyatt rooms can start at 5,000 points per night , a room that costs $200+ in cash. The math on that redemption has been one of the best in the entire points game.
Chase just announced that for new Sapphire Preferred cardholders applying on or after June 15, 2026, the transfer ratio to Hyatt changes from 1:1 to 4:3. That means 40,000 Chase points becomes 30,000 Hyatt points instead of 40,000. Existing cardholders keep 1:1 until October 1, 2026. If you already have the card, use your Hyatt transfers before October. If you’re applying now, the Sapphire Reserve still gets 1:1 , but that card has a $795 annual fee. The Preferred still makes sense for most families; Hyatt just got a little less magical on it. Full breakdown here.
Clark Howard, who is famously not someone who recommends annual fee cards casually, has said Chase Ultimate Rewards is one of the two best travel rewards programs out there. That is a real endorsement from a man who has spent decades telling people to protect their money.
Why you keep it open (this is the part people don’t think about)
The bonus gets you in the door. But the Sapphire Preferred earns its keep every year after that for reasons that have nothing to do with the welcome offer.
One thing to know before you apply
Chase has a rule called 5/24. If you’ve opened five or more personal credit cards from any bank in the last 24 months, Chase will probably deny you. Doesn’t matter how great your credit score is.
I opened an Amex card, a Capital One card, and a couple of others before I knew this rule existed. By the time I went for the Sapphire I was already over the limit. Open your Chase cards first, before you touch Amex or Capital One. Once your Chase cards are in place, then go everywhere else.
Want the full breakdown on 5/24? I wrote a whole post on it here.
Does everyone need this card?
Honestly? If you truly never eat at restaurants, never order groceries online, never travel, and have zero interest in points, a simple no-fee cash back card is probably fine for you.
But if you feed a family, stream anything, and go somewhere at least once a year, this card earns back its $95 without you changing a single thing. And then some. NerdWallet, The Points Guy, Clark Howard. They all say the same thing. It’s not a trend. It’s just math that works.
Current offer is 75,000 points after $5,000 in spending in the first three months. Same offer either way, but using my link helps our family out a little.
Apply with Amy’s link →And if you want to see exactly what I’d do with those 75,000 points for a real family trip, come do the walkthrough with me. I built it so you could plug in your actual family and see a real plan.
xo, Amy
Always pay your balance in full every month. That’s the only rule. Card terms and offers change, so confirm current details on Chase’s site before applying.