The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is one of the best travel credit cards out there. It hits on all cylinders: lucrative earning rates, valuable perks and versatile rewards — all with an affordable annual fee.
Through our link, applicants can earn 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening, which is the standard offer.
However, right now, if you apply in-branch — meaning at a physical Chase location — you can earn up to 90,000 total bonus points: 80,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening, plus an additional 10,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 total on purchases made in the first 6 months.
The in-branch process is about as simple as an online application but do take into account the time and effort of getting to and from a branch. Make sure to take at least two forms of photo ID too.
TPG credit cards SEO writer Ryan Wilcox took about 20 minutes to apply in-branch and was told he’d hear back with an answer in 5-7 days.
If you recently applied for the card with a lower bonus, you may be able to get the higher bonus matched by sending Chase a secure message through your online account. Reports from readers indicate that Chase is not currently matching the higher in-branch offer, but it’s worth a try for a few minutes of your time.
TPG estimates the value of Chase Ultimate Rewards points to be 2 cents each when you maximize the program’s transfer partners. That makes the standard 60,000-point bonus worth $1,200 and the 90,000-point bonus worth $1,800 — the highest offer since October 2021 and the second-highest in the last six years, per the card’s offer history.
Even at the 60,000-point online bonus, the Sapphire Preferred is well worth opening, partly because of how easy it is to rack up points after you’ve spent the sign-up bonus.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred has several generous bonus earning categories:
- 5 points per dollar on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel portal.
- 3 points per dollar on dining.
- 3 points per dollar on select streaming services.
- 3 points per dollar on online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).
- 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases.
Cardmembers also receive a 10% annual point bonus based on their total spend during the account anniversary year at a rate of 1 point for each $1 spent. So if you spend $20,000 on the card in a year, you’ll get 2,000 extra points at the end of it.
Overall, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the top travel rewards credit cards on the market, with travel protections and up to $50 in annual hotel statement credits for hotel purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards after each cardmember anniversary. That essentially covers more than half the card’s already reasonable $95 annual fee.
No wonder many TPG staffers continue to carry the Chase Sapphire Preferred year after year. Given its easy-to-understand perks, strong earning rates and the usefulness of Chase Ultimate Rewards points, it probably deserves a place in any traveler’s wallet.
Official application link: Chase Sapphire Preferred with 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months
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Additional reporting by Ryan Wilcox and Eric Rosen.
