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TPG credit card reader question: Can you pair the Chase Sapphire Preferred with an airline or hotel credit card?

April 13, 2021
5 min read
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One of the first steps into the world of earning points and miles is getting a travel credit card. But once you have that first card and are ready to add another one to your wallet, it's important to consider which cards will pair best strategically with what you already have.

[pullquote source="Matthew Hankins"]Can you pair the Sapphire Preferred Card with a specific airline/hotel credit card?
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The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is arguably one of the most easily pairable cards on the market right now. Because Chase allows you to transfer points between accounts, you can apply for other Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards and pool your points for the best redemptions. The card's list of ten airline and three hotel transfer partners gives you some great redemption options.

(Photo by John Gribben for The Points Guy)

Which card strategy is best for you depends on your goals, so we'll dive into a few different options below.

Cards from a Chase transfer partner

One strategy is to pair your Chase Sapphire Preferred with a card from a brand that is also a Chase transfer partner. This is a great strategy because it means you can transfer Ultimate Rewards points over to your cobranded card's connected loyalty account to top up your balance for amazing redemptions.

For example, one of Chase's transfer partners is Hyatt. So if you get the World of Hyatt Credit Card, you could use your Ultimate Rewards points to top your Hyatt account when you need a little extra push to hit a redemption tier for a trip.

Other options could be a United credit card, such as the United Quest Card — which currently comes with a bonus of 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier qualifying points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months your account is open. Or the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, with an offer for new cardholders to earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Because the Chase Sapphire Preferred transfers to Hyatt, you can use the World of Hyatt card to supplement your earning strategy for Hyatt redemptions. (Photo by Chris Dong/The Points Guy)

Related: The 11 hotels where you'll get the most out of your Hyatt reward night certificate

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Diversifying your points and miles options

But there is also value in diversifying your points portfolio for maximum redemption options outside of Chase transfer partners.

For example, if you live near a Delta Air Lines hub and enjoy flying with the airline, having a Delta credit card in your wallet so you can earn Delta miles isn't a bad idea. Chase doesn't transfer directly to Delta, so you'd only be able to book Delta award flights through either SkyTeam alliance member FlyingBlue or mutual partner Virgin Atlantic.

While that doesn't make it impossible to find Delta redemptions, it could be worth it to have a Delta credit card that earns SkyMiles directly. In fact, one of the cards I pair with my Chase Sapphire Preferred is the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card.

Related: Best Delta credit cards

If you want to diversify your points for more redemption options, picking a cobranded card with an airline that doesn't partner with Chase — such as Delta — is a solid option. (Photo by Nick Ellis/The Points Guy)

Another card to consider is the Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card. It has limited time sign-up bonus of buy one ticket, get one for just the taxes and fees ($0 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) and get 40,000 bonus miles with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.

Alaska Airlines isn't a direct transfer partner with Chase, so there's value in having a card that earns miles for any redemptions you want to make through its Mileage Plan loyalty program.

Bottom line

If you're looking for an easily pairable card, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better one than the Chase Sapphire Preferred. The card is offering 60,000 points when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

Hopefully, for those of you who already have the card, this helps give you some insight into which cobranded airline and hotel cards make great pairing options!

Apply here for the Chase Sapphire Preferred with a 60,000-point bonus.

Updated on 6/28/23.

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.