Q&A on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
🔥 Exciting New Offer! The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Credit Card is currently offering an incredible 100,000 points bonus when you spend $5,000 in 3 months from account opening!
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is our favorite beginner card! In our opinion, everybody needs to have this card as one of their first cards in their wallet. We break down the most frequently asked questions we get when it comes to eligibility for the Chase Sapphire Preferred here.
There are many great reasons to be interested and excited about the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s current welcome offer where you can earn 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points after spending $5,000 on the card within the first 3 months. This is the highest bonus we’ve seen in a long time. It is an incredible offer, especially for those who are just starting out with free travel (and for veterans who haven’t yet gotten this card!). This is a run-to-sign-up situation! Not much thinking required.
Here’s the breakdown:
First things first, in order to qualify for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card’s latest amazing elevated bonus, you must meet the following criteria.
- Under 5/24: If your credit report shows that you opened 5 or more new personal cards from any card issuers in the past 24 months, then you will not be approved for a new Chase card.
- Important Update on Sapphire Eligibility: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® no longer share a “family rule,” meaning you can now hold both cards at the same time. However, each card has its own limitation: You won’t be eligible for the welcome bonus if you’ve previously earned the bonus on the card. If that’s the case for you, you’ll see a pop-up message during the application letting you know you’re not eligible for the bonus, and you’ll be asked whether you want to proceed with the application without the bonus. The good news: You’ll know this before any credit check happens.
- Qualify for $5,000 credit line: Chase won’t approve your application unless they see fit to allocate a $5,000 credit line or more to your new account. Note that if you are a current Chase customer with other consumer cards, they will usually be open to moving credit from other cards in order to make this happen if needed, but it might require you to call Chase and ask directly.
- Meet minimum spend requirements: Once you are approved for the Sapphire Preferred, you have 3 months to make purchases totaling $5,000 or more. Keep in mind that the $95 annual fee (and any other card fees you incur) do not count towards that total. Also, any charges that count as cash advances will not count towards the total either.
What’s New With the Chase Sapphire Preferred (June 2026)
Chase refreshed the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card in June 2026, and the timing lines up with this elevated 100,000-point welcome offer. If you’ve been waiting for a reason to apply, this is a good moment to take a look. Here’s what changed and what it actually means for you.
More ways to earn bonus points
The card now earns at these rates:
- 5X on travel booked through the Chase Travel℠ portal, and 5X on Lyft (through September 2027)
- 3X on dining (including eligible delivery and takeout), select streaming, online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), gas and EV charging, and vacation rentals like Airbnb and Vrbo
- 2X on all other travel
- 1X on everything else
What it means for you: If you’re new to points and miles, the welcome bonus is still where most of the value comes from. You don’t need to memorize these categories or agonize over which card to use for every purchase. Put your everyday spending on the card, hit the bonus, and you’re already ahead. The categories are a nice bonus on top, not a homework assignment.
Updated (and improved) annual credits
- $100 Chase Travel hotel credit (up from $50): a $100 statement credit each year for hotel stays booked through the Chase Travel℠ portal. (If you’re an existing cardholder who already received the older $50 hotel credit, you’ll get an additional $50 to bring you up to $100.)
- Up to $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS credit added: a statement credit of up to $120 once every 4 years when you pay for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS with your card.
- Complimentary Apple TV for one year added (must activate by 12/31/26)
- No foreign transaction fees
What it means for you: The hotel credit is the easiest one to actually use. If you book even one hotel night through Chase Travel℠ in a year, that’s $100 back, which covers most of the $95 annual fee on its own. We’d gently caution against picking a card for its credits alone (a credit only counts if you’d have spent the money anyway), but these are simple and low-effort to claim.
A change to Hyatt transfers
Chase changed the transfer ratio from the Sapphire Preferred to World of Hyatt® from 1:1 to 4:3, meaning every 1,000 Ultimate Rewards® points now become 750 Hyatt points.
The good news: Hyatt is just one of many transfer partners, and flexibility has always been the real strength of Chase Ultimate Rewards points. You can still transfer 1:1 to partners like United, Air France KLM, Southwest, JetBlue, and more, and find excellent value across the program. (And if you also hold the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, it keeps the 1:1 transfer ratio to Hyatt.)
Additionally, for existing cardholders who applied prior to June 15, 2026, this change doesn’t go into effect until October 1, 2026.
Easier Sapphire eligibility
The biggest change for new applicants: The Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve are no longer treated as one “family,” so you can now hold both at the same time. Chase will also tell you whether you qualify for the welcome bonus before running a credit check, so there’s no guessing and no risk of a wasted hard inquiry. We cover the details in the eligibility questions below.
Still under 5/24? One rule hasn’t changed. To be approved for this card, you need to be “under 5/24,” meaning you’ve opened fewer than 5 new personal credit cards from any bank in the past 24 months. You can check your 5/24 status for free in Travel Freely.
100K Offer Questions & Answers
How do I apply?
Our affiliate link for this offer can be found on our Chase Sapphire Preferred Card page here (thank you for your support!). And for more info on the card, here’s our full Chase Sapphire Preferred Guide.
How much is this elevated offer worth?
The answer depends on how you use the points:
- $1,000 cash: You can directly cash out your points for a penny apiece as a statement credit to your credit card account or as an electronic deposit into your bank account. Note: The electronic deposit is only available if you have a Chase bank account.
- $1,500+ toward travel: With the Sapphire Preferred, the Chase Travel℠ portal’s Points Boost can get you up to 1.50 cents per point on select flights and hotels (and up to 1.75 cents on premium cabin tickets on select airlines), which would put 100,000 points at $1,500+. Anything not covered by Points Boost falls back to 1 cent per point, so the real value lands somewhere in that range depending on what you book. Additionally, if you also hold the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, its Points Boost feature can push select flights and hotels to up to 2 cents each through Chase Travel℠. To unlock that highest value, someone in your household needs to hold the Chase Sapphire Reserve, and you’d move your Preferred points to the Reserve account before booking.
- Even more value when transferred to partners: Chase Ultimate Rewards® points can be transferred 1:1 to a number of travel partners (see details here). In many cases, if you know what you’re doing, it’s possible to get far outsized value for your points this way.
What if I can’t spend $5,000 in 3 months?
That’s about $1,667 per month, which is reasonable for many households if you put recurring bills, groceries, gas, and all other everyday expenses on the card. For more ideas, read our article on 21 ways to reach a minimum spending requirement.
I applied and was denied. Is there anything I can do?
Yes! When denied for a Chase card, call the reconsideration line (1-888-270-2127) to ask for the decision to be reconsidered.
Here’s a helpful script you can use: “Hi, I just applied for the Chase Sapphire Preferred and saw that my application wasn’t approved right away. My credit score is around ___, and I’ve always managed my accounts responsibly. I’d love to know if there’s any additional information I can provide to help with the decision.”
If you currently hold other consumer Chase cards, tell the agent that you are not looking for more credit and that you are happy to move credit from another card to open this one. We have a great article walking you through what to do for pending or denied applications here.
I applied and did not get an answer. It went pending. Is there anything I can do?
Yes! Most of the time it’s to your benefit to call right away. Sometimes they just need to verify some information on your application. See the article above for specific strategies on pending Chase applications.
I recently applied for a lower offer. Will Chase match me to the higher offer if I ask?
Chase has been known to match welcome bonus offers in the past if they are public offers and within 90 days of a previous account opening. That said, there’s no guarantee. It also seems like people get denied if they ask within a few days of the new offer going live. So, I would wait a few days. Then, go to your Chase online portal and send them a secure message with a screenshot of the new offer from chase.com. Mention the last 4 digits of the card so they can streamline the communication.
Can my significant other also apply so that we will earn 200,000 points in total?
Yes! If you are both eligible and can both meet the minimum spending requirements, then it absolutely makes sense for both of you to apply. Chase even allows people within the same household to share points! So you could move the points all to one account as needed (you’ll have to call Chase to set up the initial transfer though). See our article on doubling up!
Can I earn the bonus by product changing to the Sapphire Preferred from another Chase card?
No. To earn the welcome bonus, you must open a brand new account.
5/24 Questions
How do I know my 5/24 status?
Check your Travel Freely ‘My Cards’ page.
Does this card count toward my 5/24 status?
Yes. Unlike Chase business cards, personal Chase cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred count toward your 5/24 total. If you’re approved, your count will increase by one. Read more about 5/24 here.
I am told I am over 5/24 due to being an authorized user on several accounts. Can I still qualify?
Yes. Authorized user cards can cause initial denials because of 5/24, but they don’t actually count toward your total. Call 1-888-270-2127 and ask to speak with an application specialist.
When they ask about the authorized user accounts, you can say: “I’m not financially responsible for those accounts. I’m only an authorized user.” They can typically remove those from the count during a manual review.
If the first rep insists authorized user cards count, politely end the call and try again with a different agent. This is known as the “HUCA” strategy (Hang Up, Call Again), and it often works because different reps interpret the rules differently.
Current Sapphire Card Questions
I currently have the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Can I qualify for the Sapphire Preferred?
Yes! The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® are no longer part of a “family,” which previously prevented you from holding both. You can now apply for the Sapphire Preferred while holding the Sapphire Reserve, and vice versa.
That said, you will still be checked for the new limitation: If you’ve previously held the Chase Sapphire Preferred (or received a welcome bonus on it), you may not be eligible for this offer. In that case, a pop-up will appear during the application process letting you know before any credit check happens. You can then choose to apply without the bonus or cancel the application.
I currently have the Sapphire Preferred. Can I downgrade or cancel it and then apply again for the bonus?
Possibly, but the rules have changed. Under the updated eligibility rules, you may not be eligible for the welcome bonus if you’ve previously held the Sapphire Preferred, even if you no longer have it. The pop-up at application time will tell you whether you’re eligible.
If you’re considering downgrading rather than canceling, you can product change your Sapphire Preferred to a no-annual-fee Chase Freedom card (we recommend the Chase Freedom Unlimited®). Your points stay with you when you product change, however, the ability to transfer points to partners and book travel in the Chase Travel portal with Points Boost is only possible with a premium card like the Sapphire Preferred or an ultra-premium card, like the Sapphire Reserve. Product changing will preserve your points, your credit line, and the credit history tied to the original card’s opened date.
Additionally, if you booked travel with the premium Sapphire Preferred card and then product changed to a no-annual-fee card before your trip, your travel protections may be based on the card you hold at the time you file a claim, not the card you held when you booked the trip. If you have upcoming travel you’re counting on for trip protections, it’s often worth waiting until that trip is complete before making any product change.
I currently have a Sapphire Preferred card but only because I’m an authorized user. Can I sign up for the Sapphire Preferred?
Yes! Being an authorized user does not prevent you from applying for your own Sapphire Preferred as the primary cardholder.
Is it helpful if I use Travel Freely’s link?
Yes, very much so! Using our Chase Sapphire Preferred link here is one of the best ways to support our site and app. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and it helps us keep Travel Freely completely free for everyone. Feel free to tell all your friends and family about this offer too! =)
(Some of this content originally appeared on The Frequent Miler and has been posted with permission.)
