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Which Purchases Count as Travel on Chase Sapphire Preferred?

Brian Kelly
Brian Kelly
Founder and “The Points Guy”
Since launching TPG in 2010, founder Brian Kelly has expanded the team to include a distinguished editorial staff and an extensive network of freelancer contacts from around the globe. Today, TPG reaches 11 million unique monthly visitors and more than 3 million followers across social media platforms and has offices in New York City, Charlotte and the U.K.
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 quite a bit in their travel category. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.
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.