The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has been my #1 beginner travel card recommendation for years. It's the card I started with and it's the card I point every single person to when they ask me where to begin with points and miles!

And right now, it’s back at its all-time high welcome bonus AND just got a brand new set of benefits - all with the same $95 annual fee.

Let me walk you through everything!

What Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card?

Quick foundation if you're new to points: the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns Chase points — one of the most flexible point currencies in the travel rewards world. What makes Chase points so special is that you're not locked into using them one way. You can redeem them in the travel portal OR transfer them directly to airline and hotel partners — United, Southwest, Hyatt, Flying Blue, and more — where they're often worth significantly more than their cash value.

That's how families turn a welcome offer into free flights to Hawaii, a few nights at a dream hotel, or a trip to Europe — for next to nothing out of pocket. This card is what started my family's entire points journey, and it's still the first card I tell beginners to get. Here's why!

The Welcome Bonus

This offer has only been this high a couple times — and it's back! I've been recommending this card for years and when I see it at 100,000 points I always want to make sure my community knows about it because I genuinely don't know how long it'll last!

When I first opened the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, I got a 60,000 point welcome offer — and those points alone changed how my family travels. 100,000 points is a whole other level. 🙌🏼

What’s New to the Chase Sapphire Preferred

On top of the incredible welcome offer, Chase just refreshed this card starting June 15, 2026 — and as an earner, it got a LOT better!

New ways to earn points:

3x points on gas and EV charging (new!)
3x points on vacation home rentals (new!)

The gas and EV charging category alone is going to earn so many families a ton of extra points they weren't earning before. If you're spending $300/month on gas, that's 900 extra points every single month — just from filling up!

What I Already Love About This Card

Here's what was already great and is staying put:

5x points on Chase Travel purchases
3x points on dining
3x points on streaming services
3x points on online groceries
2x points on all other travel purchases
1x points on everything else

This card earns points on so much of what families already spend money on every single day. That's what makes it such a powerful everyday card — not just a card you open for the welcome bonus and forget about!

New Better Credits

$100 annual hotel credit (new!) through Chase Travel — DOUBLED from $50! Book any prepaid hotel through Chase Travel and get $100 back. No minimum stay, no complicated requirements. On a $95 annual fee card, this credit alone effectively pays for the card itself!
$120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit every four years (new!) — this used to be a premium card perk. Not anymore!
One complimentary year of Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 (new!)

Stronger Travel Protections

Emergency Evacuation and Transportation coverage up to $100,000 (new!)
Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
Trip delay reimbursement
Auto rental coverage
Baggage delay insurance

For families traveling with kids, these protections are worth so much peace of mind. Trips get interrupted. Bags get delayed. It's reassuring to know you're covered!

What Can You Do With 100,000 Chase Points

This is my favorite part. 😊

Those 100,000 points can be redeemed through Chase Travel — or moved/transferred to airline and hotel partners for even more value.

Here are just a few ideas:

Southwest: Multiple roundtrip domestic flights for your family when you transfer to Southwest Rapid Rewards
United: 1-2 Roundtrip flights to Europe or Hawaii when you transfer to United MileagePlus
Flying Blue: Two Roundtrip flights to Europe on Air France or KLM
Hyatt: 3-4 nights at the Grand Hyatt Maui when you transfer your points to World of Hyatt

The Hyatt Transfer Ratio Change

As of June 15, 2026, new Chase Sapphire Preferred® cardmembers transfer Chase points to Hyatt at a 4:3 ratio. That means for every 4 Chase points you transfer, you get 3 Hyatt points.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ are not affected by this change and continue transferring to Hyatt at 1:1. And because Chase points pool across cards, if you hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card alongside a Reserve card, you can move your points into the Reserve account first and transfer to Hyatt at the 1:1 ratio from there.

👉🏼 Read my full breakdown of the Hyatt transfer ratio change here.

My Take ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is my #1 beginner recommendation. After this refresh — with new earning categories, a doubled hotel credit, Global Entry coverage, AND the all-time high welcome offer back — I highly recommend it!

The New Chase Sapphire Preferred®: More Ways to Earn, Same $95 Annual Fee