The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has long occupied a unique place in the travel rewards world. For years, it has been one of the easiest premium-adjacent credit cards to recommend, thanks to its relatively low $95 annual fee, strong travel protections, valuable transfer partners and broad appeal to both beginners and experienced points enthusiasts.
That’s what made the card so popular in the first place. It delivered many of the benefits people wanted from a travel card without requiring them to pay hundreds of dollars in annual fees. But now Chase is making the biggest overhaul to the Sapphire Preferred in years.
While the annual fee remains unchanged at $95, Chase is adding new bonus categories, increasing the annual hotel credit, introducing a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® credit, and making changes to how points can be redeemed and transferred.
Some of these changes are genuinely valuable. Others will matter only to certain card holders. And one change could have an impact on the long-term value proposition of the card, depending on how you use your Ultimate Rewards points.
Here’s a closer look at what’s changing and if the refreshed Sapphire Preferred is actually better than before.
