5 Things to Do When You Get Chase Sapphire Preferred

There’s no question that the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card has historically been one of my all-around favorite credit cards. Before the Chase Sapphire Reserve launched, I used the Sapphire Preferred for most of my purchases, thanks to the 2x points on all travel and dining, including expenses such as Uber rides, tolls, Seamless and Postmates, in addition to the obvious restaurants and hotels. I consider Ultimate Rewards points to be incredibly valuable, so I’ve earned lots of points that I very often put to good use. It also has a strong sign-up bonus of 60,000 points when you spend $4,000 within the first three months.

But as always, there are tricks to keep in mind in order to be a Chase Sapphire Preferred power user. Be sure to follow these steps to make the most of your card after it arrives in the mail:

1. Add an Authorized User

Having an authorized user on your Sapphire Preferred account lets you earn points faster and makes it easier to hit the card’s $4,000 spending threshold to earn the current 60,000 points sign-up bonus. It takes less than a minute to add an authorized user online, and there are a ton of ways to maximize Chase points.

Further Reading: Adding Your Kids as Authorized Users to Your Credit Cards

2. Update Your Rental Car Profile

Adding your Chase Sapphire Preferred info to your various rental car profiles lets you take advantage of CSP’s primary rental car coverage, which will save you a bundle on each car rental. This gives you full coverage for many car rentals around the world. Plus, car rentals count under the 2x point travel bonus, so you’ll get double points and enhanced protection.

3. Set the CSP as Your Default for Travel Purchases

When you pay for travel with the Sapphire Preferred, you’ll earn 2 points for every dollar spent, even on expenses like E-ZPass tolls and monthly parking. Based on TPG’s valuations, this equals a 4% return on spending.

Make sure you also add your CSP to your Uber account so you get 2x points and no foreign transaction fees when using Uber abroad. Chase defines travel very broadly, counting “airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, campgrounds, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, operators of passengers trains, buses, taxis, limos, ferries, tolls, bridges, highways, and parking lots and garages” as travel for 2x points on the CSP.

4. Add Your Card to Online Dining Sites

By adding the Chase Sapphire Preferred to delivery services such as Seamless and GrubHub, you’ll maximize your point earning ability, since you get 2x points on all dining purchases. If you have other cards that earn extra points for dining, such as the American Express® Gold Card, you’ll may want to use those cards instead. Regardless, be sure to also add your CSP to dining rewards programs to earn bonus miles for eating at restaurants.

Further Reading: The Best Credit Cards for Restaurants and Dining Out

5. Complete the “Chase Quartet”

By adding the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, Chase Freedom and Chase Freedom Unlimited cards, you’ll be able to build your Ultimate Rewards balance even more quickly. With Ink, for example, you can earn 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent annually on travel, shipping purchases, internet cable and phone services and advertising purchases made with social media sites.

Meanwhile, the Freedom Unlimited offers 1.5% cash back on every purchase, but that cash back comes in the form of Ultimate Rewards points that can be combined with the ones from your other “Chase trifecta” cards and transferred to valuable airline and hotel partners. Finally, the rotating quarterly categories on the Chase Freedom let you rack up as many as 6,000 extra points every three months at specific types of merchants. Just keep in mind Chase’s 5/24 rule, under which Chase won’t approve your application for additional credit cards if you’ve opened more than four credit cards (from any bank) in the last two years, and make sure you sign up for these three cards before adding others to your portfolio.

Further Reading: Maximize Your Wallet With the Perfect Quartet of Chase Cards

Bottom Line

Even after almost 10 years, I still love my Chase Sapphire Preferred, and you will too. Just be sure to follow the steps above to make sure you’re earning as many points as possible. Your hard work can definitely pay off.