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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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Ballpark bucket list: How the Chase Sapphire Preferred has helped me travel to 20 MLB stadiums
Giselle M. Gomez is a senior editor at The Points Guy, where she leads the credit cards vertical and helps readers make smarter, more strategic decisions about the cards in their wallets.
Compliance associate Paige Balcom joined TPG in 2022 and has spent her time working in the credit card industry reviewing content across sites such as CNET, CreditCards.com and Bankrate. She has used her knowledge to train new writers and other compliance members on the intricacies of compliance across multiple brands and partners.
May 16, 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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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.
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Quick summary
A travel rewards card helped the author visit 20 out of 30 Major League Baseball stadiums by offsetting hotel costs with points.
Transferring points to a major hotel loyalty program provided strong value, especially in mid-size cities with high hotel prices.
The card includes an annual hotel credit usable through the issuer’s travel portal, which can reduce out-of-pocket costs for hotel stays.
Additional travel protections such as trip cancellation, baggage delay and auto rental coverage offer peace of mind during trips.
What to consider
Some hotel redemptions may yield lower value compared to TPG's valuations, so comparing cash and points rates is important.
The annual hotel credit requires booking through the issuer’s travel portal and may take up to two billing cycles to post.
Baseball season spans several months, allowing travelers to seek off-peak hotel rates and maximize point value.
What you'll miss from the article
Specific examples of hotel redemptions in various MLB cities and how to determine when to use points versus cash.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
When 16-year-old me set a goal to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums, I knew it would take time — and money. What I didn’t know was how far one credit card would take me. And how little money I’d actually spend.
And no, I’m not talking about a premium travel card loaded with perks and a high annual fee. The MVP of my ballpark bucket list is actually the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees), which is currently offering 75,00 bonus points after spending $5,000 within three months of account opening. TPG values those points at $1,538 based on our May 2025 valuations.
Using Chase Ultimate Rewards points has helped me cut my hotel expenses and plan annual baseball trips. So, with my CSP in hand, here’s how one credit card helped me chase my MLB ballpark bucket list and already knock out 20 of 30 stadiums.
Why the Chase Sapphire Preferred card hits it out of the park
Ballparks aren’t always in major cities or “bucket list” cities, but that’s exactly why cash prices can be off-putting. With my CSP, I offset the cost by turning reward points into high-value hotel stays.
Chase has three hotel transfer partners, but arguably, the best is World of Hyatt. The generous award chart and 1:1 transfer ratio make my points stretch far and wide.
Some of my best redemptions have actually come from mid-size cities with surprisingly high hotel prices. (I’m looking at you, Cleveland.)
GISELLE GOMEZ/THE POINTS GUY
The Sapphire Preferred card also comes with an annual $50 hotel credit each anniversary year. The only caveat is that you have to book your stay through the Chase Travel℠ portal — but there is no minimum spend, and it works on one-night getaways.
Lastly, this card comes with trip cancellation and interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, and auto rental coverage. Therefore, I have peace of mind knowing I’m always covered if my bag doesn’t arrive with me, something happens with my car rental, my travels are interrupted, or I have to cancel the trip outright.
In my most recent MLB travel stint, I decided I wanted to cross off two ballparks this year — so Ohio fit the bill, as the state houses both the Cleveland Guardians and the Cincinnati Reds.
First things first, I had to find a weekend when both teams were playing at home. Once I narrowed down my dates, I started searching for a hotel.
I always like to stay within a 10-15 minute walk of the ballpark so I don’t have to worry about paying for an Uber and/or Lyft or driving if I rent a car. In Cleveland, the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade was centrally located and close to Progressive Field. But when I looked up cash prices for my dates, it was coming out to $320.12 a night. This is a bit steep, in my opinion, for a Category 3 property in the Midwest.
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However, on the rewards side, it was 12,000 Hyatt points per night — or a 2.7 cent redemption — which is well above our 1.7 cent valuation of World of Hyatt points, per our May 2025 valuations. My three-night stay in Cleveland just went from $930.36 to 36,000 Hyatt points.
Since Chase points transfer to Hyatt at a 1:1 rate, I easily transferred 36,000 points to my Hyatt account to book my stay.
It was time to book my Cincinnati hotel. The Hyatt Regency Cincinnati was in a great spot and fit my parameters for being close enough to the Great American Ball Park. It also went for a much more favorable rate — $174.18 a night after taxes and fees.
GISELLE GOMEZ/THE POINTS GUY
My two-night itinerary was considered “peak” nights, making it 15,000 Hyatt points a night. Had I made that redemption, I would have only gotten a value of about 1.2 cents per point, which is under our 1.7-cent Hyatt valuation — so, not a good deal.
I quickly checked my CSP benefits and realized I hadn’t used my $50 annual hotel credit yet. This seemed like the perfect opportunity.
By booking through the Chase portal, I would eventually receive a $50 statement credit, reducing the cost from $348.36 to $298.36 for my two-night stay. Per the terms of the benefit, the credit posts between one to two billing cycles, but mine only took 48 hours.
Plus, since cardholders earn 5 points per dollar spent on Chase travel bookings, I earned over 1,400 Chase points on this transaction, helping me stash points for a future trip.
The big picture: How far can 100k Chase points take you?
So far, I’ve seen games at 20 out of the 30 MLB ballparks. Across the board, Chase-to-Hyatt transfers have been a huge help, especially in cities where hotel prices can be surprisingly high.
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If you’d prefer to stay at a boutique hotel (or another brand), you can also redeem your points through Chase Travel at a value of up to 1.5 cents per point, depending on the specific redemption (see your rewards program agreement for full details). Just keep in mind you’d likely get better value by transferring to one of Chase’s hotel partners instead.
Here are some examples of five different ballpark cities and how points could collectively save you almost $2,500.
City
Hotel
Two nights on points
Cash Value
Points Value*
Baltimore, Maryland
Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor
24,000 (standard rate)
$582.80
2.4 cents
Phoenix, Arizona
Hyatt Regency Phoenix
18,000 (off-peak rate)
$508.82
2.8 cents
Cleveland, Ohio
Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade
24,000 (standard rate)
$620.24
2.6 cents
Houston, Texas
Hyatt Place Houston / Downtown
18,000 (standard rate)
$326.17
1.8 cents
St. Louis, Missouri
Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch
13,000 (off-peak rate)
$356.86
2.7 cents
*Value is based on our TPG April 2025 valuations.
Although the table is a mix of standard and off-peak rates, baseball season runs for several months, so you can likely find off-peak pricing if you’re flexible on your travel dates (and stretch your points even further).
You can use points to redeem for once-in-a-lifetime travel, or you can chip away at a niche bucket list item like I have, redeeming points slowly but surely.
I’ve mainly stayed at Hyatt hotels, but the flexibility to transfer to other hotels (or airlines) or redeem through the Chase portal at a fixed option gives you different choices in the city you’re visiting.
If you’ve been thinking about starting your own bucket list trip — or just want to save money on travel — consider applying for the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
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.
