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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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The rise of the Chase Sapphire Preferred: Has it become Chase's premier card option?
Credit card writer Danyal Ahmed is an avid traveler, averaging about 100,000 aeronautical miles per year. He regularly applies that knowledge and his expertise in credit cards to his role as a credit card writer at TPG.
Daisy is a credit cards editor at TPG. Her expertise spans earning and redeeming rewards across rotating categories on multiple cards.Prior to this, she wrote news stories, how-to guides and tested and reviewed gear for Popular Mechanics, Sports Illustrated, Bicycling and Runner's World.
also contributed to this story
May 5, 2025 • 7 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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Quick summary
Two popular travel cards are compared, highlighting their appeal for both beginners and frequent travelers.
Both cards currently offer identical introductory bonuses, but their annual fees and perks differ significantly.
The mid-tier option provides strong travel protections and is easier to qualify for than the premium card.
Choosing between the two depends on how much value you place on luxury perks versus a lower annual fee and simpler benefits.
What to consider
The premium card offers more credits and perks, but requires more effort to maximize benefits and justifies a higher annual fee only for frequent travelers.
Approval for the mid-tier card is generally easier, but both are subject to restrictions such as the 5/24 rule, which limits approvals based on recent card openings.
Travel protections on the mid-tier card are unusually robust for its segment, including primary rental car insurance and generous trip coverage.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed side-by-side comparison of earning rates, travel protections and which card may better fit your spending habits and travel style.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Two of Chase's most popular credit cards — the mid-tier Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) and its premium sibling, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) — are well-loved at TPG due to several factors including the former's reasonable $95 annual fee, bonus-earning rates on travel and dining and valuable travel protections.
While the Sapphire Reserve has a much higher annual fee of $550, it also offers luxury perks and many of the benefits we've come to expect from premium travel cards.
That said, the Sapphire Preferred still packs a decent punch. What makes it even more appealing is that it's both a great starter travel card and ideal for frequent and seasoned travelers, too.
Let's take a look at why the Sapphire Preferred may just be the next Chase card you want in your wallet (if you don’t already have it).
Identical welcome bonus
Both cards currently offer the same welcome bonus:
Sapphire Preferred: Earn 60,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Sapphire Reserve: Earn 60,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
According to TPG's April 2025 valuations, the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s bonus is worth $1,230. If you choose to redeem through Chase Travel℠, however, the same amount of points are worth up to $750.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve’s 60,000-point bonus is also worth $1,230 according to our valuations but can be worth up to $900 when you redeem the points for travel through the Chase Travel or as a statement credit with the Pay Yourself Back feature since point redemptions are worth 50% more this way.
If you redeem points for cash back outside of Pay Yourself Back, 60,000 points are worth $600.
Lower annual fee
The two Chase Sapphire cards have very different annual fees, so it’s important to do the math and see which card makes the most financial sense for your lifestyle. Those who aren’t frequent travelers might not feel the need to pay more for benefits that they will rarely use.
If you’ve never held a premium card before or are averse to high annual fees, you may be a little apprehensive about the $550 annual fee for the Sapphire Reserve.
However, you should know that a high fee is common among cards of this tier. You can effectively recoup most of the fee if you utilize all the added card benefits.
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Just by accounting for the Sapphire Reserve’s $300 annual travel credit alone, the annual fee is already reduced to a more manageable $250 — yet it’s still a $155 premium over the Sapphire Preferred.
While the Sapphire Reserve delivers more credits and perks than the Sapphire Preferred, you do have to make more of an effort to maximize these additional perks, which could be a pain if you want a card with a simpler reward earning and redeeming structure.
3 points per dollar spent on online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
2 points per dollar spent on travel purchases
1 point per dollar spent on other eligible purchases
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For its part, the Chase Sapphire Reserve earns:
10 points per dollar spent on Chase Dining booked through the Ultimate Rewards portal
10 points per dollar spent on hotel and car rental purchases through Chase Travel
5 points per dollar spent on airline travel booked through Chase Travel
3 points per dollar spent on other travel
3 points per dollar spent on dining
1 point per dollar spent on other eligible purchases
The more you plan to spend in those bonus categories, the bigger the difference in rewards. Let’s say you spend $500 on non-Chase dining and $500 on non-Chase travel (a total of $1,000) per month on those two bonus categories.
That would bring your Sapphire Preferred earnings to 2,500 points monthly (up to $50 in value) versus 3,000 points with the Reserve (up to $60).
Overall, the additional 1 point earned on general travel purchases with the Sapphire Reserve may not warrant the much higher annual fee for some. When you consider that $155 difference in annual fees (after using the $300 annual travel credit from the Sapphire Reserve), the Sapphire Preferred may very well come out on top as the better choice for some consumers.
Travel protections
It’s rare to find a mid-tier card with strong travel protections. Most cards in this range offer a few protections, such as secondary auto insurance or baggage insurance.
With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, cardholders get the benefit of up to $10,000 per covered traveler or $20,000 per trip in trip cancellation insurance, up to $500 a covered ticket in trip delay insurance, up to $3,000 in lost luggage insurance, up to $100 a day (up to five days) in baggage delay insurance and primary rental car insurance.
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Secondary car rental insurance is more popular among mid-tier cards, adding even more value to an already impressive protection-rich card.
As a mid-tier card, the Sapphire Preferred packs a punch with premium-level travel insurance. The benefits here make the Sapphire Preferred extremely attractive, especially when its annual fee is so much lower than the Sapphire Reserve’s.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is easier to get approved for than the Chase Sapphire Reserve, too. Now, that doesn’t mean that it’s an easy process, especially if you’re looking to get the Sapphire Preferred as one of your first credit cards.
Many factors play into whether or not you’ll get approved for any credit card, such as income, credit history, credit score, age of your credit accounts and if you have a preexisting relationship with the credit issuer.
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When applying to the more premium Chase Sapphire Reserve, you’ll likely need a credit score of at least 740. However, it’s been reported the average person approved has a score of around 750.
It’s important to note that you can still be denied for either card even if you have an excellent credit score. However, these estimates can give you a place to start. And remember, Chase’s 5/24 rule still applies, so if you’ve opened five or more personal credit cards across all banks in the last 24 months, you’ll likely receive a denial on your application.
The Sapphire Reserve is an excellent premium card for travelers who plan to maximize its perks and use its coveted airport lounge access.
However, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is a standout in the sea of mid-tier cards. When you crunch the numbers, the similar benefits and lower annual fee make it the most attractive Chase card for most people.
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
