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Key Link: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
My single favorite card for earning valuable rewards points has just gotten better with an offer of 50,000 points as a signup bonus.
There was a brief targeted test of 50,000 points with a higher annual fee two years ago. For the most part we haven’t seen an offer like this for the card since March 2012.
I’ve been a fan of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card as an important tool for frequent flyers for a long time because:
- It earns one of the most valuable points currencies, which transfer to a variety of airlines (including in all 3 major airline alliances) and hotels.
- It earns points quickly, with double points on both travel and dining (what travelers tend to spend on most).
I’ve seen reports that Chase has only wants to approve this card for new customers that haven’t applied for 5 new cards in the past two years. The advice then is to prioritize getting a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card before you apply for other cards.
Here are my 10 favorite things about Sapphire Preferred.
- 50,000 Point Signup Bonus
At 50,000 bonus points after $4000 in spending within 3 months, it has a very rich signup bonus. Get that bonus now, we haven’t seen a broadly available 50,000 point offer for this card in almost four years.
Since the first year fee is $0 and then $95 thereafter, too, this is best broadly available offer we’ve ever seen for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card in over 4 1/2 years.
- Double Points on All Travel and Dining
That’s what most of my spend is, especially reimbursable spend — not just air and not just hotels, but both and cars and taxis and tolls, plus meals on the road.
- No foreign transaction fees
So I don’t mind using the card outside the United States, and especially for paying hotel bills and eating out during my travels since the card also offers double points on travel and dining. When I’m outside the country nearly all of my expenses are travel and dining.
- Ultimate Rewards Mall
Additional points for your online shopping through access to the Chase Ultimate Rewards mall, a mileage-earning shopping portal that often has the most lucrative opportunities to earn extra points for the online purchases you’d make anyway.
- Primary Rental Collision Coverage
If you rent a car with this card you don’t just earn double points (for travel) but get extra protection. Most premium cards offer secondary collision coverage, they pay what your insurance doesn’t (which usually means they cover your deductible). With Sapphire Preferred’s primary coverage, rental a qualifying vehicle and charge it to the card and your insurance company may not even need to know…
- The Card Has a Great Look and Feel
This isn’t a reason to get a card but it’s a sleek card, heavier than what you’re used to and without any raised numbers (and in fact, no numbers on the front of the card). Lucky called it “the poor man’s Centurion card.”
Milepoint member AndyAndy decided downgrade his Chase Sapphire Preferred card to a regular Sapphire card with no fee (no longer available). He tried to dispose of the card himself. With a blow torch.
- Transfers to Airlines in Each Alliance and More
These points transfer to United, Korean, Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Southwest. Here are the 9 Best Uses of Chase Points.
United gets you Star Alliance availability to Europe and Asia and no fuel surcharges. British Airways gets you cheap short-distance non-stop awards.
You get access to Skyteam award space through Korean Air which has some very favorable awards — like some of the cheapest awards to Hawaii and 80,000 mile business class roundtrips to Europe (plus fuel surcharges).
You also get the ability to redeem for international first class through Korean and not just business class, something Delta doesn’t allow.
And transfers to Singapore are exceptionally useful because using Singapore Airlines miles you get much better availability redeeming for Singapore business and first class flights than what’s offered to their partner airline members.
- Transfers to Several Hotel Chains
Hyatt is the best value, but points transfer to Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, and IHG Rewards Club..
Bedroom of suite at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur - Visa acceptance
The card is a Visa, while many other valuable cards are American Express, and that means you can use it pretty much everywhere (soon even Costco).
- Past cardmembers are welcome back
If you’ve had the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card before and don’t any longer, you’re eligible to apply again and still receive a bonus provided it’s been 24 months since you last received the bonus.
If you do not currently have the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, consider getting it — with 50,000 points as a signup bonus and a $0 annual fee the first year ($95 thereafter), there hasn’t been as good a time to do so in a very long time.
Key Link: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
“If you do not currently have the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card……”
AND haven’t had it for a few years AND you have NOT applied for more than 5 CCs in the last two years …….
Don’t waste a hard pull if you don’t qualify.
I’ve had 10+ new cards in the last 2 yrs so I’m going to walk into my local Chase branch & see if they can help me get approved. Might even open a ck. acct. if forced to.
“There was a brief targeted test of 50,000 points with a higher annual fee two years ago. But otherwise we haven’t seen an offer like this for the card since March 2012.”
Hmmm…sure about that? I applied and was approved for a 50,000 point CSP w/$95 annual fee back in February 2014. Can’t remember where I signed up for it, but it was my first CC so I’m pretty sure I wasn’t savvy enough to hunt down some special link on Flyertalk or anything like that. And I’m certain I wasn’t targeted.
But yeah, haven’t seen this offer since early-/mid-2014 myself.
Link doesn’t work 🙁
Shows SSL error
Works fine for me, perhaps a local / browser issue, you might try an incognito browsing sessions or another browser.
Gary, agree with the first two commenters that you should think about updating the post to notify newer readers about Chase’s restrictions on personal UR cards if you have had more than 5 new cards in the last 24 months. Pointing to the flyertalk wiki would be an easy way to do that.
@DCJoe that’s why I … wrote it in the post from the beginning. And put it towards the very top.. Feel free to search the words “5 new cards in the past two years.” 🙂
@Gary, for Chase private clients, is this offer available at 60,000 pts?
If you have surpassed the 5 new CC in 24 months, can you go to a Chase bank to sign up and get approved there? Anyone have any data points on this?
@Pablo I don’t know, I’m in a city right now that’s 100 miles from the nearest chase branch
Going for Marriott card 70k myself next with Chase, since that doesn’t have the 5 cards in 2 years restriction.
Had a realization on the plane today and signed up for this – very timely.
My top of wallet card is SPG Amex, and I put a lot of spend on it through Costco purchases. Given the SPG acquisition, that card is going to quickly fall out of favor, and I can’t use it at Costco in a year or so anyways. This is my new primary card, and the SPG Amex will get used the same way as my Hilton Amex – only when I stay at that chain.
Just as a data point – just got denied via Gary’s link. I knew about the 5/24 but decided to take a chance for various reasons – have a co-brand card close to expiring and wanted to try and time a closing it with the 50k offer window overlap. Called my banker first and he said (no surprise) he’s not aware of the 5/24 policy. So I thought maybe due to holiday season chase would be more liberal with the approval bc they want me to spend over the next few weeks. Apparently not.
Was a good calculated risk given the variables mentioned but if you don’t want to waste a pull as others have said – don’t bother. My current acct history says July 2017 is soonest I can apply for a new Chase card – not sure if that will ever occur given AmEx and Citi are continually upping their games. Will take some massive – and possibly not warranted – discipline. We’ll see. But just a FYI for others who are debating applying …
Gary- Sorry! Eyes must be failing in my old age. I think I was scanning for the number instead of spelling it out, which is the proper English, of course. Thanks as always.
Anyone know if a secondary authorized user applies for the card as a new primary would qualify?
@JL100 How solid is that info about the Marriott card not being under the umbrella of the 5/24 rule+. I am shut out on regular Chase cards for sure due to that but I’d like to get in under one or even 2 3rd Party cards like that one.
Anyone else know more about this, I’d like to know as i do not want to have any more hard pulls that do not result in positive results, at least for a while!
Is it 5 or more or more than 5 cards in 24 months? Do AU cards count as well?
The, “new customers, 5 cards rule”.. Is that five cards from any bank or just five Chase cards?
And what about the “new customers” part of that – those with even just one credit card in their name won’t be approved if that card is a Chase?
After a little research, I see that is indeed “any” bank. Though I haven’t seen any other reference to how I interpreted Gary’s “new customers” part of that. I suspect I misunderstood what he meant.
I was approved and received the card only 10 days ago, with the 40k bonus offer. I wrote to them last night regarding the new 50k bonus and they agreed that I would be eligible when I meet the spend criteria.
I think the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is unarguably one of the most preferred and popular credit cards you want to put in your wallet. The card perks include from dining to travel rewards. This Card had good rating from NERD Wallet And The Boring State. http://www.theboringstate.com/credit-cards/chase-sapphire-preferred-credit-card-review-2017.html