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The Chase Sapphire Preferred has been one of the most consistently recommended travel credit cards for the better part of a decade — and for good reason. At $95 a year, it punches well above its fee with a solid sign-up bonus, strong earning rates in the categories that matter, and a benefits package that most cardholders barely scratch the surface of.
This review covers everything: the earning rates, the benefits most people overlook, the DoorDash situation that changed in 2026, and an honest take on who this card is actually for.
The basics: what you're getting for $95 a year
The 75,000-point sign-up bonus is worth roughly $750 in cash-equivalent travel redemptions through Chase's portal — or closer to $1,500 when you transfer to airline and hotel partners at favorable rates. That alone covers the annual fee for years. The $5,000 spend requirement in the first three months is meaningful, so it's worth timing your application around a larger planned expense (a move, a home project, a vacation) if you can.
Where it earns well (and where it doesn't)
| Category | Earn rate |
|---|---|
| Travel booked through Chase Travel portal | 5x points |
| Dining (restaurants, delivery, bars, cafes) | 3x points |
| Select streaming services | 3x points |
| Online grocery purchases* | 3x points |
| All other travel (flights, hotels, Airbnb, Uber) | 2x points |
| Everything else | 1x point |
* Online grocery excludes Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs (Costco, Sam's Club, BJ's).
The 3x on dining is genuinely useful for most people — restaurants, takeout apps, and cafes all qualify. The 5x on Chase Travel requires booking through Chase's portal rather than directly with airlines or hotels, which occasionally means slightly different rates or less flexibility. For casual travelers who aren't chasing elite status, the portal is usually fine. For frequent flyers who need direct bookings for upgrade eligibility, you'll earn 2x on those purchases instead.
The 10% anniversary bonus is an easy win to miss: each year, Chase credits you with bonus points equal to 10% of everything you spent on the card. Spend $20,000 in a year and you automatically get 2,000 bonus points on top of what you already earned. Small, but free.
The benefits most people never use
This is where the Chase Sapphire Preferred genuinely separates itself from no-fee cards. The insurance benefits alone can be worth more than the annual fee in the right situation.
The one that catches most people off guard is the primary car rental coverage. Most credit cards offer only secondary rental insurance — meaning they only pay out after your personal auto insurance has covered what it can (which also means a potential claim on your personal policy). Primary coverage means the card pays first, and your personal insurance never gets involved. At $30 or more per day for the rental company's collision damage waiver, this benefit can easily cover the annual fee on a single week-long trip.
Rally here. You're telling me I've been paying $30 a day at the rental counter for insurance I already had in my wallet? For years? I need a walk. We are going on a walk immediately. When we get back, you're declining the CDW. You are very welcome.
To activate the car rental benefit, you need to decline the rental company's collision damage waiver at the counter and pay for the entire rental on your Chase Sapphire Preferred. That's it. No extra enrollment, no calling Chase beforehand — just say no to the add-on insurance and charge the rental to your card.
The DoorDash benefit — and the catch everyone's running into in 2026
The Chase Sapphire Preferred includes a complimentary DashPass membership for one year (a value of roughly $120), plus a $10 monthly DoorDash credit on eligible orders. On paper, that's meaningful — a $120 DashPass value plus $120 in annual credits more than covers the $95 annual fee by itself.
Here's what changed: in April 2026, DoorDash added a $20 minimum order requirement on pickup orders — specifically the convenience store and grocery pickup method that most people were using to easily redeem the monthly credit. Previously, you could place a $10 pickup order, apply the $10 credit, and pay nothing. Now you have to spend at least $20, apply the $10 credit, and cover the remaining $10 yourself.
⚠️ The DoorDash math in 2026: To use the $10 monthly pickup credit, you now need to place a $20+ order. You'll net $10 back — but you have to spend $10 first. DoorDash confirmed the change was designed to prevent people from maximizing the credit with minimal spend. The benefit still has value if you're ordering food for delivery anyway, but the "free money" pickup arbitrage is gone.
The credit still makes sense if you're a regular DoorDash user — free DashPass membership eliminates delivery fees and reduces service fees on eligible orders, and the $10 credit offsets part of your order each month. It just no longer works as a frictionless monthly payout the way it did before April 2026.
Two easy wins that offset the annual fee
$50 annual hotel credit
Each anniversary year, you get a $50 credit on hotel bookings made through Chase Travel. It applies automatically and doesn't require any special enrollment. If you book even one hotel stay through Chase in a year, that's $50 back — more than half the annual fee recovered before you've done anything else.
10% anniversary point bonus
Each year, Chase adds bonus points equal to 10% of your total card spend. Spend $10,000 and get 1,000 bonus points. Spend $30,000 and get 3,000. It's not life-changing, but it compounds across years of card use without requiring any extra steps.
💡 Annual fee math: $50 hotel credit + ~$10/month DashPass value + primary rental insurance on one trip = the $95 fee is effectively recovered before you've used a single reward point.
Pros, cons, and who the card is actually for
✅ Pros
- Strong 75,000-point sign-up bonus
- Primary car rental insurance (most cards only offer secondary)
- Robust trip cancellation and delay coverage
- 3x on dining, streaming, and online groceries
- $50 annual hotel credit helps offset the fee
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Chase transfer partners (Hyatt, United, Southwest, British Airways, and more)
- 10% anniversary point bonus on all spend
- Free DashPass membership for one year
❌ Cons
- $95 fee is not waived in year one
- $5,000 spend requirement for the bonus is high for some
- 5x travel only applies when booked through Chase Travel portal
- Online grocery 3x excludes Target, Walmart, and warehouse clubs
- DoorDash $20 pickup minimum makes the monthly credit harder to use
- No airport lounge access (that's the Reserve at $550/year)
- No global entry or TSA PreCheck credit
Who this card is for
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is an excellent fit if you travel a few times a year, eat out regularly, and want a card that earns well without a steep annual fee. The insurance benefits add real value for anyone who rents cars or takes trips where things could go sideways — and at $95, it's hard to find a better package at this price point.
Who should consider a different card
If you travel constantly and want lounge access, the Chase Sapphire Reserve at $550/year may make more sense — it offers a $300 travel credit, Priority Pass lounge access, and 3x on all travel (not just through Chase's portal). On the other end, if you rarely travel and the $95 fee feels hard to justify, a no-fee card like the Discover it might be a better starting point.
If you want to see how the Chase Sapphire Preferred fits into a full card strategy — pairing it with an everyday cash-back card and a hotel or airline card — the card setup post walks through exactly that.
And if you're ready to put those Chase points to work, the Seattle trip post shows a real example of booking $2,000 in travel for $0 using the exact Chase points this card earns.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred worth the annual fee?
For most people who travel at least a couple of times a year and eat out regularly, yes. The $50 hotel credit recovers more than half the fee, the DashPass membership adds value for DoorDash users, and the primary car rental insurance alone can save $200+ on a week-long trip. If you activate those three benefits, the $95 fee is already covered before you've redeemed a point.
What's the difference between the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve?
The Reserve charges $550 a year (vs. $95 for the Preferred) but includes a $300 annual travel credit that effectively drops the net cost to $250. It also adds Priority Pass airport lounge access, 3x on all travel (vs. 2x on the Preferred for non-portal travel), a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, and higher trip delay/interruption limits. The Reserve makes more sense if you travel frequently, value lounge access, and will consistently use the $300 travel credit. If you travel a few times a year, the Preferred is the stronger value.
What transfer partners does the Chase Sapphire Preferred have?
Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer 1:1 to a solid lineup of airline and hotel partners, including United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, British Airways, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Virgin Atlantic, Hyatt, Marriott, and IHG. The Hyatt transfer is particularly valuable — Hyatt points are worth significantly more than most hotel currencies, and transferring Chase points to Hyatt is one of the best redemptions in the points world.
How does the primary car rental insurance work in practice?
When you pick up a rental car, the agent will offer you the collision damage waiver (CDW) — usually $20–$35 per day. Decline it, then pay for the full rental on your Chase Sapphire Preferred. That's the entire process. If the car is damaged or stolen during your rental period, Chase's benefit administrator handles the claim rather than your personal auto insurer. Coverage is up to $60,000 for vehicles with an MSRP of $125,000 or less. Luxury and exotic vehicles, trucks, and motorcycles are generally excluded.
Can I use the Chase Sapphire Preferred on international trips?
Yes — there are no foreign transaction fees, so every purchase abroad earns the same points without any surcharge. The travel insurance benefits also apply to international trips, making this a genuinely useful card to carry overseas. The 2x on all travel (or 5x through Chase Travel) applies to international bookings too, and Chase points can be transferred to several international airline programs including British Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Air France/KLM.