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Which Purchases Count as Travel on Chase Sapphire Preferred?

March 15, 2015
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2 min read
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Which Purchases Count as Travel on Chase Sapphire Preferred?
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TPG reader Nik tweeted me to ask:

@thepointsguy—"I'm taking my Chase Sapphire Preferred card to Japan in April. Does the whole trip count as travel for double points since it's overseas?"

Nik, heading to Japan in April will be a great trip. I was just there recently and had a wonderful time, and so will you. While taking your Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a great idea (thanks to no foreign transaction fees), not every purchase outside of the United States counts as travel (don't we all wish).

Chase includes a wide array of expenses in the travel category. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Chase defines travel as

"airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, campgrounds, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, operators of passengers trains, buses, taxis, limos, ferrys, tolls, bridges, highways, and parking lots and garages."

If you use your Sapphire Preferred for spending in any of those categories, you'll earn double Ultimate Rewards points. Chase provides very good customer service, so if you ever spend in those categories and don't earn a bonus, you can always call and take it up with a phone representative. So long as your request is reasonable, chances are good that it will be honored.

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Chase just recently refreshed the Ultimate Rewards website, where you can monitor your account and check each transaction to see whether it counted for double points.

Have a great trip to Japan, and remember to use your Chase card for dining as well as travel expenses!

If you have any other questions, please tweet me @thepointsguy, message me on Facebook, or send me an email at info@thepointsguy.com.

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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)

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  • Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.

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  • The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
  • Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
  • LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
  • Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
  • Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
  • With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
  • Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
  • Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
  • Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
  • Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
  • Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
  • This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month