Chase Sapphire Preferred Review 2026
A strong mid-fee travel card for people who want transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards points without paying premium-card pricing. It works best if you book some travel through Chase or value broad travel protections.
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Your card estimate
Net first-year value
First year
+$955
Base rewards + bonus - fee - interest drag
Ongoing year
+$205
Excludes one-time welcome offer
SwitchWize take
Rewards credit card
Bonus value
$750
Everyday rewards
1x points
Up to 3x in some categories
Annual fee
$95
APR
19.49% to 27.74%
Quick summary
What this card is, in plain words
Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee and a variable purchase APR of 19.49% to 27.74%. It earns 1x points on everything else, and more on 6 categories (the highest is 3x points on gas). The current welcome offer is 75,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months, as stated on Chase's page.
What to consider
- The $95 annual fee is charged every year, so the rewards have to be worth more than that.
- The APR is 19.49% to 27.74% and it can change. Interest on a carried balance is usually larger than the rewards.
- The 5x points rate on Chase travel applies only when you book through the issuer's own portal.
- The welcome offer needs $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months.
Pros & cons
- Transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards points
- Strong travel and trip cancellation protections
- Useful dining and travel rewards
- Lower annual fee than premium travel cards
- Annual fee not waived first year
- Best value requires travel redemptions
- No lounge access
Derived from the current rate, fees, and terms we track for this product. Confirm the latest details on the provider’s site.
Card truth label
Terms that decide whether this card fits
Fees
What this card can cost you
- Annual fee
- $95
- Foreign transaction fee
- None
- Balance transfer fee
- Greater of $5 or 5% of each transfer
- Cash advance fee
- Greater of $10 or 5% of each advance
- Late payment fee
- Up to $40
- Authorized user fee
- Not verified yet
Earning rates
What you earn, by purchase type
Chase travelIssuer portal only
5x points
Gas
3x points
Streaming
3x points
Online groceries
3x points
Vacation rentals
3x points
Dining
3x points
Travel
2x points
Everything else
1x points
Fee Reality
What the credits on this card are actually worth
This card advertises $100 in annual credits. We scored how hard each credit is to use: signing up, how often it resets, which stores it works at, and how you redeem it. We estimate a typical cardholder realizes about $75 (75%) of that value against a $95 annual fee.
Net estimated cost after credits: $20/yr
Our verdict: close call — worth a manual review against your own usage.
Confidence grade C — an estimate from our scoring model, not a survey. See how we worked this out.
Points value
What Chase Ultimate Rewards points are actually worth
This card earns Ultimate Rewards points, currently valued at 2.05¢/point based on a sourced editorial estimate — not a marketed "up to" number.
Marketed value. See the full Chase Ultimate Rewards program page or the full valuation methodology.
Reality Score
What this card is really worth, by spend profile
Reality Score compares this card's advertised first-year value against what our model estimates a typical cardholder actually realizes in rewards and credits, net of the annual fee — not a marketing score.
High, diversified spender
A percentage would mislead here: the dollar amount is the number to read.
Frequent traveler
A percentage would mislead here: the dollar amount is the number to read.
Typical everyday spender
A percentage would mislead here: the dollar amount is the number to read.
Light everyday spender
A percentage would mislead here: the dollar amount is the number to read.
Point value uses a marketed/editorial estimate — no observed or sourced redemption data exists for this program yet.
Reality Score is currently scored for a subset of cards, not the full catalog. See the Reality Score methodology for how this is calculated across spend profiles.
Benefits and protections
Each item below was checked against the issuer's own published terms. Coverage limits and exclusions apply, so confirm them with the issuer.
Protections
- Auto Rental Coverage (per trip)
- Baggage Delay Insurance
- Extended Warranty Protection
- Lost Luggage Reimbursement (per trip)
- Purchase Protection
- Travel Accident Insurance (per trip)
- Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance (per trip)
- Trip Delay Reimbursement (per trip)
Perks and credits
- 5X Points on Lyft Rides
- 5X Points on Peloton Purchases
- Complimentary Apple TV (one time)
- Complimentary DashPass Membership (cardmember year)
- DoorDash Monthly Promotion (monthly)
- Emergency Evacuation and Transportation (per trip)
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck or NEXUS Application Fee Credit
- Roadside Assistance
- Travel and Emergency Assistance
Offer history
How today's bonus compares
Current public welcome offer
75,000 points
Observed Nov 13, 2026
12-month best
See terms
1 tracked observation
Signal
At or near tracked best
Last history update Nov 13, 2026
Terms history
Has the fee or APR changed?
Since tracking began (Jun 21, 2026), APR range moved from 19.24%–27.49% to 19.49%–27.74%. Tracked since Jun 21, 2026 across 32 tracked readings — not a signal to act by any deadline, just context on whether today's terms match what was first tracked.
Full change history (4 changes tracked) →
- Oct 11, 2026 — APR range moved from 19.49%–29.99% to 19.49%–27.74%.
- Oct 4, 2026 — APR range moved from 19.24%–27.74% to 19.49%–29.99%.
- Sep 21, 2026 — APR range moved from 19.24%–29.99% to 19.24%–27.74%.
- Aug 21, 2026 — APR range moved from 19.24%–27.49% to 19.24%–29.99%.
Best for
- People whose spending matches the rewards structure
- Applicants who can use the welcome offer responsibly
- Cardholders who pay in full
- People comparing net first-year value
Not for
- Carrying a balance long term
- Applying only for a bonus without a payoff plan
- Spending more to earn rewards
- Anyone who cannot meet issuer approval requirements
Decision checks
Apply only if these checks pass
$95 annual fee
19.49%-27.74% variable
Spend requirement: $5,000 in 3 months
Chase terms control approval, pricing, and rewards
How you earn
Caps, exclusions, merchant coding, and redemption values can change the real return. Verify issuer terms before applying.
If you carry a balance, compare payoff cost before rewards. Interest can erase rewards quickly.
Annual fee not waived first year
Comparison set
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Before you apply
Application rules and credit check
- Who can get the welcome bonus
The new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you previously held this card or received a new cardmember bonus for this card.
Source- How many cards you can open
- Not published by the issuer on its card page.
- Credit check when you apply
- Not published by the issuer on its card page.
These are the issuer’s own words. Informal rules reported by cardholders, such as "5/24", are not shown because the issuer has not published them. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Questions
Common questions
What is the annual fee for the Sapphire Preferred?
The Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee, according to Chase's page checked Nov 13, 2026.
Which transfer partners does the Sapphire Preferred have?
Ultimate Rewards points can move to 2 partners we have verified: Rapid Rewards points (1 to 1), United MileagePlus miles (1 to 1). The numbers show how many points you give for each point you get.
Does the Sapphire Preferred charge foreign transaction fees?
No. Chase lists no foreign transaction fee for the Sapphire Preferred.
What is the welcome offer on the Sapphire Preferred?
The offer we last saw was 75,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Offers change, so confirm it on Chase's page before you apply.
How do I earn rewards with the Sapphire Preferred?
5x points on Chase travel (issuer portal only); 3x points on gas; 3x points on streaming; 3x points on online groceries; 3x points on vacation rentals.
Sources
Where these figures come from
Fees and APR, Welcome offer, Earning rates, Benefits and protections
https://creditcards.chase.com/rewards-credit-cards/sapphire/preferred · checked Nov 13, 2026
Earning rates
https://creditcards.chase.com/ · checked Jun 21, 2026
Transfer partners
https://www.chase.com/personal/credit-cards/education/basics/chase-transfer-partners-everything-you-need-to-know · checked Jul 3, 2026
We could not verify the authorized user fee for this card yet, so we do not show a figure.
Bottom line
Is Sapphire Preferred worth it?
A strong mid-fee travel card for people who want transferable Chase Ultimate Rewards points without paying premium-card pricing. It works best if you book some travel through Chase or value broad travel protections.
Worth it if: People whose spending matches the rewards structure
Skip it if: Carrying a balance long term