Augusta Stone is a credit cards writer for TPG. She joined the TPG team in 2023 and is excited to take points and miles beginners with her on a journey toward maximizing rewards.
July 28, 2026 • 8 min read
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Quick summary
A popular travel rewards card offers significant value through a large introductory bonus, annual hotel credits and expanded bonus categories at various merchants.
Recent updates include a $100 hotel credit each year when booking through the card's travel portal, plus new statement credits for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus applications.
Cardholders benefit from strong protections such as travel insurance, purchase protection and emergency evacuation coverage.
Flexible redemption options, including valuable airline and hotel transfer partners, can help maximize the value of earned points.
What to consider
Annual credits and statement credits can offset the card's cost if used strategically, especially for those booking hotels through the travel portal.
Bonus categories now include travel, dining, select streaming services, online groceries (excluding certain merchants) and more, allowing for diverse earning opportunities at various locations.
Redemption values vary, with some transfer partners and travel portal bookings offering higher value per point, per TPG's July 2026 valuations.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of how to leverage travel partners, maximize annual credits and utilize card protections for optimal value.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
But with a $95 annual fee, you may ask, is the Sapphire Preferred worth it?
The Sapphire Preferred was my first transferable rewards card and my first one with an annual fee. After holding the card for a couple of years, I still strongly affirm that I’ve received significantly more value from the card than I’ve paid in annual fees.
If you hold the , you’ll receive a $100 statement credit each account anniversary year to book hotel stays purchased through the Chase Travel℠ portal.
(This is double the value of the previous $50 hotel credit. And, if you already have the card and used your $50 credit, you'll receive an additional $50 to spend this year.)
All you have to do is log into Chase Travel, select your Sapphire Preferred (if you have multiple Chase cards), search for hotels and book your stay.
If you maximize this credit by booking a hotel through Chase Travel, you'll completely offset the Sapphire Preferred's $95 annual fee — and net $5 in value.
†Effective immediately for new cardholders who applied on or after June 15; effective Oct. 1 for cardholders who applied before June 15.
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
Maximizing your redemptions can easily generate more than $95 in value — the cost of the Sapphire Preferred’s annual fee.
If leveraging transfer partners isn’t your thing, you’ll still get good value when you book through Chase Travel. That’s because Sapphire Preferred cardholders get up to 1.75 cents per point redeemed through the portal (depending on the specific redemption; see your rewards program agreement for full details).
So if you wanted to book a $500 American Airlines flight, you could use 40,000 Chase points to purchase it through the Chase Travel portal. Plus, you’ll earn AAdvantage miles on this flight.
Sapphire Preferred adds new card statement credits in 2026
The 's refresh included two new statement credits to provide more ongoing value to cardholders.
The first is a statement credit of up to $120 every four years for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus application fees charged to the card. Since the credit is worth up to $120 every four years, it can more than offset a year's annual fee when used.
SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
Plus, Sapphire Preferred cardholders now receive a complimentary one-time Apple TV subscription (when activated by Dec. 31).
Sure, you might not apply for a card simply to get travel insurance or purchase protection.
However, if the time comes that you need to leverage one of these perks, the 's suite of benefits is likely to have you covered. And, in many instances, just one successful claim would net you more in returns than you paid in the annual fee.
SUMMER HULL/THE POINTS GUY
Let’s say the airline loses your bag for five days on a trip to Europe. If you purchased your flight with your Sapphire Preferred card, you’ll be reimbursed for essential purchases like clothing and toiletries.
Chase will cover up to $100 a day for five days, giving you up to $500 — more than five times the card’s annual fee. Just make sure to keep all your receipts.
Plus, the Sapphire Preferred's refresh has added emergency evacuation and transportation coverage to these perks. With this benefit, if a covered traveler is injured or becomes sick during a trip 100 miles or more from home that results in emergency evacuation, they can be covered for medical services and transportation (up to $100,000).
The is worth holding year after year. Even if you only maximize the $100 annual credit for hotels booked through Chase Travel, you offset the $95 annual fee entirely each year. When you add in the high earning rates and valuable redemption options, this card continues to pay for itself.
Bottom line
Once you redeem the 's $100 annual hotel credit, you've already recouped the card's $95 annual fee and come out $5 ahead.
Between the card’s valuable perks and useful protections, it should be easy for most cardholders to get meaningful additional value out of the rest of the card each year.
Of course, you should consider your wallet’s existing cards and personal travel preferences before applying. But for most travelers, the Sapphire Preferred is worth it.
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.
