Looking for a card with GREAT travel benefits, low annual fee and the flexibility to transfer to multiple loyalty programs, including Southwest Airlines? You’ll find it in my FAVORITE travel card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, which lets you
I think it’s a fantastic option to use to pay for your everyday expenses, because there are SO many things you can do with these points!
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This card provides travel lovers immediate benefits from the time you’re approved with a high sign-on bonus, and it pairs perfectly with Southwest Airlines, the top airline I recommend if you want to easily fly your family for free.
The flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards® points that it earns can be quickly transferred to many different hotels and airlines — for an instant boost of points wherever you need them most.
It’s also the card my family most frequently uses day-to-day, and it’s a no-brainer for anyone who wants to travel free.
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Chase Sapphire Preferred Quick Look
Bonus Offer: 75,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months
Annual Fee: $95
Offer End Date: None
Card Benefits:
- Points transfer instantly at a 1:1 ratio to Southwest Airlines, British Airways/Aer Lingus Avios, United, IHG, Marriott, Hyatt and more
- Earn 3 points per $1 on dining, online grocery and select streaming purchases
- Earn 2 points per $1 on travel expenses
- Get 5 points per $1 when purchasing Lyft rides through September 2027
- Get a 10% points bonus on your anniversary date based on your previous year’s spending where $10,000=1,000 points
- Complimentary DashPass from DoorDash, which grants you one year of free delivery and lower service fees on eligible orders for a minimum of one year when you activate by Dec 31, 2027
- No foreign transaction fees
All About Chase Sapphire Preferred
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card currently allows you to earn 75,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months.
But by stacking the opportunities above to earn DOUBLE and TRIPLE points, you could potentially earn up to 8,000-12,000 additional points simply by completing your minimum spend.
While the card’s points, which are called Chase Ultimate Rewards points, are not the same as Southwest points, they can be transferred INSTANTLY at a 1:1 ratio to Rapid Rewards, Southwest’s frequent flyer program.
This makes it a great travel credit card for those who fly Southwest Airlines a lot as we do.
It extends the 135,000 Southwest points you have accrued by earning the Southwest Companion Pass, stretching your points to allow you to fly even more places nearly free!
[4 Ways to Use Chase Sapphire Preferred to Earn Southwest Points]
Please note, however, that Chase Ultimate Rewards points transferred to Southwest Rapid Rewards DO NOT qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass, but they CAN be used for free flights!
What Does It Cost to Hold This Card?
This card comes with a reasonable $95 annual fee, and if you read through the benefits below, you’ll see how easy it is to cover that cost.
Plus, you can quickly earn points with expenditures on airfare, hotels, car rentals, dining (including take-out and delivery) and cruises.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Benefits I Love
1. More Points for FREE Flights!
These bonus points (plus, the points you earn for meeting the minimum spend) can be a great addition to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account to help you continue to book free flights for yourself and family members while bringing someone along for free on the Southwest Companion Pass.
This is how we stretch our points far enough to fly to at least 6 destinations every year for ALL four of my family members!
You can also redeem these points for airfare, hotels, vacation rentals, car rentals and cruises through the Chase Travel℠ portal.
2. Earn More Points on Dining and Travel Expenses
I have made this my day-to-day card, which I use for most expenses, as it earns DOUBLE POINTS on travel expenditures and TRIPLE POINTS on dining, online grocery and select streaming services, which really add up, especially if you travel frequently!
“Travel” is defined as airfare, hotels, taxis (I used my Chase Sapphire to pay for our New York City taxis and subways) and trains.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred benefits of DOUBLE and TRIPLE points are excellent!
3. Flexible Points
I also like the fact that Chase Ultimate Rewards can be used for other airlines besides Southwest. I like having a bank of points ready to transfer if needed.
You can leave your Chase points until you are ready to use them and then transfer them for instant use on your preferred airline (some airlines take longer than others for the points to post, though Southwest points — and British Airways — have posted INSTANTLY for us).
Other partner airlines include…
- Air Canada
- Virgin Atlantic
- United
- JetBlue
- British Airways
- Aer Lingus
We used Chase Ultimate Rewards transferred to British Airways to pay for all 4 of us to fly to Europe entirely on miles AND pay for most of our intra-Europe flights, including from Dublin to Paris and Bologna, Italy to Dublin.
5. Get FREE Hotel Stays
Ultimate Rewards can also be transferred to cover hotel stays. Partners include…
- IHG (EVEN Hotels, Holiday Inn, InterContinental, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza)
- Marriott
- Hyatt (has some great options, especially for all-inclusive resorts in Mexico!)
- Ritz Carlton
[Read how team member Cami uses Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book free Hyatt stays]
6. No Foreign Transaction Fees
If you travel out of the country, you can use this card and not worry about added overseas fees. We use the Chase Sapphire Preferred card on trips to Europe to earn 2X and 3X points on travel and dining expenses with NO foreign transaction fees.
7. Insurance
This card has great insurance benefits when you use it to pay for airfare and car rentals. They include:
- $3,000 for lost or damaged luggage, primary auto rental theft and collision damage for the cash value of the vehicle (primary is better than secondary, meaning NO CLAIMS need to be filed with your insurance company, potentially increasing your premiums)
- Trip cancellation insurance if canceled or interrupted due to weather, illness, etc. up to $10,000
- Baggage delay coverage of up to $100 a day for five days for essential purchases like clothing and toiletries
- Return protection for items a store won’t take back within 90 days up to $500
[7 Ways Chase Sapphire Preferred Can Get You Free Travel]
Who’s Eligible to Apply for This Card?
You’re eligible to be approved for this card if you meet the following criteria…
- You don’t already have this card
- You haven’t been approved for another Chase card in the last 30 days
- You haven’t opened 5 or more new cards of ANY type in the last 24 months (aside from Chase, Citi and AMEX business cards)
- Chase may also restrict you based on your history with them which varies by individual
An alternative is to have a spouse or traveling companion apply for the card if you already have it.
Other Details
Here are some other key details about the Chase Sapphire Preferred card…
- It has a high interest rate, so you’ll want to pay your balance in full BY the due date every month, if not every few days
- $95 annual fee
- After meeting the minimum spend, allow 6-8 weeks for the points to be applied to your balance
- Your points never expire as long as your account remains open
- Named the best credit card for flexible travel redemption by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance
Chase Sapphire Preferred versus Chase Sapphire Reserve
In 2016, Chase released a brand new card that was so popular they literally ran out of the material they used to manufacture the card.
Chase Sapphire Reserve offered a 100,000-point bonus, but came with a hefty $450 annual fee (currently $795).
The annual fee for this card, however, is offset with numerous credits, including a $300 travel credit; Apple TV and StubHub credits; and free TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS credit (worth up to $120) every 4 years. The bonus now allows you to earn 125,000 points after a $6,000 minimum spend in the first 3 months.
You used to only be able to hold ONE of these 2 cards, but now the fine print no longer has that restriction.
If you want this card, you’ll need to ideally recoup the majority of the $795 annual fee, which is charged to your first statement, through the various credits. You’ll also need to pay this fee by the card’s due date to avoid paying interest on the charge.
If you’re new to traveling free, I’d recommend starting with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, as it has a lower out-of-pocket spend and currently offers 75,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months.
An Easy Way to Earn MORE Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
With this credit card, you can ALSO earn 15,000 points per person you refer to the card up to a maximum of 100,000 points per year.
By sharing the amazing travel you’ve completed thanks to this card and its points with your friends, family and colleagues, they may be interested in getting their own card using your referral link.
To find your referral link, you’ll need to use the Chase Refer a Friend feature.
Do Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass?
Chase Ultimate Rewards points DO NOT qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass when transferred to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account, but they CAN BE USED FOR FREE TRAVEL on Southwest.
This is the quickest and easiest way to add to your Southwest points balance to keep you and your traveling companions flying free even longer. I don’t know about you, but that’s my goal: to keep my family of 4 flying free everywhere we want to go!
To Sum It Up
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a great addition to the wallet of anyone looking to travel nearly free. Not only do the benefits grant you points that can be used for air travel on many airlines, including Southwest, but they can be redeemed for hotel stays, as well.
The ability to earn DOUBLE points on travel and TRIPLE points on dining, online grocery and streaming helps to build your points balance more quickly and the flexibility to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points quickly to many different airlines and hotel chains is unbeatable.
Read More:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Hidden Benefits
- Reader Question: Do Points From Chase Sapphire Preferred Qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass?
- How I Use Chase Sapphire Preferred Points for Free Hyatt Stays
- Reader Question: Which Card Should I Use for Purchases: Southwest or Chase Sapphire Preferred?
- Chase Sapphire Preferred for Car Rentals: How Chris Uses Our Favorite Card
