Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Review – 50,000 Point Sign Up Bonus

The Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) is Chase’s entry level annual fee card. It gives cardholders the ability to transfer points to Chase’s travel partners, has a generous sign up bonus and bonus categories on travel & dining. In this review we will be looking at the benefits & negatives to this card and who it’s best suited to. Along with the minimum credit score we’d recommend you have before applying.

 

Interest Rates

Fees

Card Pros

  • 50,000 point sign up bonus
  • Ability to transfer to travel partners at 1:1 rate
  • 25% travel redemption bonus

Card Cons

APR: 16.99% to 23.99 Annual Fee: $95, waived first year
Introductory APR: None Balance Transfer Fee: $5/5% whichever is greater
Introductory APR Length: None Cash Advance Fee: $10/$5 whichever is greater
Cash Advance APR: 25.99% Foreign Transaction Fee: None
Penalty APR: 1 Late Payment Fee: $15-$37
Grace Period: 21 days Over The Credit Line: N/A
Minimum Interest Charge: None Returned Payment: Up to $37

Application Information

What Credit Score Is Required?

The CSP is considered a premium/prime card so you’ll normally need “excellent” credit to be accepted for this card.

Credit Boards Credit Karma
Lowest approved score 629 664
Average approved score 744 727

We suggest that you have a minimum credit score of 700 to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred and a recommended score of 720+. 

Common reasons for denial:

[Read: I was denied for the Chase Sapphire Preferred, now what]

What Credit Bureau Do They Pull?

The exact credit bureau that Chase pulls for the Chase Sapphire Preferred depends on the state you currently live in. Find out which bureau Chase pulls from your state.

Rewards Program

This card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Earning Points

This card earns at the following rates:

  • 2x points per $1 spent on travel and dining at restaurants
  • 1x points per $1 spent on all other purchases

Sign Up Bonus

  • 50,000 points after $4,000 in spend within the first 3 months of account opening. You also receive an additional 5,000 points after you add an authorized user and they make their first purchase

Public bonus history:

Targeted bonus history:

Redeeming Points

You can redeem points for the following:

  • Statement credit/cash back: 1¢ per point
  • Chase’s travel portal: 1.25¢ (this is due to the 25% travel redemption bonus)
  • Transfer points to one of Chase’s travel partners. They are as follows (1:1 transfer rate):
Chase Travel Partners (All Transfer 1:1)
Airlines
British Airways Executive ClubSingapore Airlines KrisFlyerVirgin Atlantic Flying Club
Flying Blue AIR FRANCE KLMSouthwest Airlines Rapid RewardsAer Lingus
United MileagePlusIberia PlusEmirates
Air Canada Aeroplan
Hotels
Hyatt Gold PassportMarriott Rewards
IHG Rewards Club

Card Benefits

Transfer to travel partners at 1:1 rate

As mentioned above holding this card allows you to transfer to Chase’s travel partners loyalty programs at a rate of 1:1. You can also combine points from Chase’s non annual fee products (Chase Freedom & Chase Freedom Unlimited) and use those points to transfer to travel partners.

25% Travel Redemption Bonus

When redeeming points through Chase’s travel portal you get a 25% bonus making points worth 1.25¢ each rather than 1¢.

Primary Rental Car Insurance

This is one of the few cards that offers primary rental car insurance. Most only provide secondary insurance.

Price Protection

You can read more about their price protection policy here.

Our Verdict

The best feature of this card is really the sign up bonus, as it provides a minimum value of $500 and significantly more if you can take advantage of the transfer partners. That being said second year onwards the card gets less and less attractive due to the $95 annual fee. Earning 1x on all purchases isn’t attractive when you have the Chase Freedom Unlimited earning at a rate of 1.5 and other cards earning 2% cash back or more on all purchases. Earning 2x on dining isn’t that attractive either, with other cards now earning up to 4x.

There is some value in having the primary rental car insurance and also having the ability to transfer Chase UR points, but for the majority of people I don’t think holding the card long term makes much sense. We talk about this more in this post: Keep, Downgrade, Cancel: Chase Sapphire Preferred.

All of that being said, I do think it provides fantastic value in the first year due to that sign up bonus and if you’re eligible for this card I’d recommend applying for it if you can meet the minimum spend requirements. Just remember you’re limited to one Chase Sapphire card, so you might want to consider the Chase Sapphire Reserve. That card has a much higher annual fee of $450, but more benefits and higher earning rates. The sign up bonus is currently the same.

F.A.Q’s

Can you earn the sign up bonus more than once?

Yes it’s possible to earn the sign up bonus more than once. This is known as credit card churning. If it’s been more than 24 months since you last received the bonus on a card then you’re eligible to get the bonus again.

Card History/Changes

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15 Comments
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Dan
Dan (@guest_1234276)
August 4, 2021 20:14

You should really update this page. The AF is no longer waived, and the current SUB is 100k points.

FickleFico
FickleFico (@guest_764308)
May 28, 2019 20:58

Long time lurker w/observation on cards offering PRIMARY CDW.
I am surprised that PRIMARY coverage is not (from what I infer) a higher priority among Hobby’ists’ on DoC.
Personally I’m cultivating my 790 (Vantage 8) Fico for a future trip to Italy (some cards do not provide CDW of any type in that country) and intend to acquire a Chase Preferred specifically for that feature rather than concern for any bonus.
I mention this to possibly stir-up some commentary on car rental coverage and which cards offer what.

Chuck
Editor
Chuck(@chucksithe)
May 28, 2019 21:54

I hope to write a post reviewing car rental options. It’s been on to-do list for while…

jake
jake (@guest_694560)
December 20, 2018 22:35

I’ve already received the chase sapphire preferred bonus last year. Will I be able to receive this bonus as well if i apply?

Mike Brooke
Mike Brooke (@guest_602265)
June 4, 2018 17:22

Can I register for an overnight card if I live in canada

Mia
Mia (@guest_574891)
March 28, 2018 02:14

Can someone please be my referral? Thank you!

https://www.referyourchasecard.com/6/1GN4CRT10Z

Harry
Harry (@guest_567721)
March 8, 2018 05:26

Referral link to sign up and Earn 50,000 bonus points with Chase Sapphire Preferred after 4K spend:
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/6/EGXKQ6GTLU

Also another 5000 points bonus for adding an authorized user.
And annual fee waived first year.
I’m a student so a big thank you in advance to anyone who uses my referral link to sign up 🙂

Chandra
Chandra (@guest_556688)
February 1, 2018 17:59

Here’s my referral for the Sappire Preferred
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/6/4OSW4Q9X2H

Here’s my referral for the Freedom
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/2/JVZ8FFN7FB

Here’s my referral for Mariott
https://www.chase.com/content/chase-ux/en/microsites/referafriend/marriottpremier1/marriottpremier_referral.html

I’d really appreciate it if you’re willing to use my link.

Jeff H
Jeff H (@guest_304771)
October 8, 2016 14:31

I saw DoC is working on a much needed update for this review given some DPs linked are a few years old. Can somebody who has gotten this card more recently help Doc out and provide either good or denied reason Data Points?

Dean
Dean (@guest_297435)
September 21, 2016 11:57

Bonus is back to 50,000 points after $4,000 spend. Thank you for using my Link.

https://applynow.chase.com/FlexAppWeb/renderApp.do?SPID=FHRJ&CELL=63HB&MSC=1514535597

Julien
Julien (@guest_293188)
September 9, 2016 01:02

If anyone needs a referral link for 50000 points after $4000 spending in 3 months :

https://applynow.chase.com/FlexAppWeb/renderApp.do?SPID=FH8L&CELL=600D&AFFID=&CLICK=&CID=&PROMO=DF01&MSC=1533522903

Another 5000 points for adding authorized user.
No fee for first year.