Why You Might Want This Card

If You Don't Qualify For The Reserve Card, This Is A Super Consolation

Think of the Sapphire Preferred as the younger sibling to the Reserve card. It has a lot of the same benefits including car rental insurance, travel insurance, cell phone protection, road side assistance and extended warranty. The spending multipliers are respectable at 2 x for airlines, travel and hotels (vs. 3x for the Reserve). The sign-up bonus is better-than-average but the flexibility of the rewards - exceptional. The sign-up offer has increased over the years which is great because you can now transfer points to 13 hotel and airline partners at a 1-to-1 ratio. And if you use your reward points for this card on the Chase Travel Portal, each of your points gets a 25% boost (if your partner or spouse has the Sapphire Reserve card, the boost in your point value becomes 50%) This card is for travelers who can't qualify for the Reserve -- or who are strategizing with a partner to get both the Sapphire Reserve and the Sapphire Preferred.

The one thing that can make the Preferred more attractive than the Reserve is you can get 60,000 points a year in referrals (10,000 per referral). So if you regularly refer people, or have a lot of people you have referred to the Points Navigator, this could be the better option for you. It is of course our philosophy to always refer the card that is best for a person, not the one with the referral payment.

This card will count toward the 5/24 rule. But if you don't have it (or don't qualify for the Sapphire Reserve), it really is a no-brainer to add. The sign-up bonus is generous, the 2x points earning category is liberal, the redemption is easy and versatile. This is a great starter card -- or even for points and miles experts -- it's great to revisit this card. Something to remember though, is you cannot hold this card and the Chase Reserve at the same time anymore, so if you are torn between the two make sure you are decided on which one before you apply. Our suggestion is that if you have a spouse or partner -- one of you should get the Reseve, and the other the Preferred.

Check out our Chase Ultimate Rewards page for more details on how to best use Chase Points.

Bottom Line

If it weren't for the Reserve, the Preferred would be one of our favorite cards. Chase only allows customers to have one card or the other — so if you can only choose one, go for the Reserve (if you qualify for it). But if your spouse already has the Reserve -- or if you think you'll get at least 2 referrals in a year -- than the Preferred might be the better card of the two. The takeaway is that everyone in the points game should have either the Reserve or the Preferred. Many sites rank the Sapphire Preferred above the Reserve. We disagree. And we believe the reason those sites try to steer you away from the Reserve card is simple: They get paid on the Preferred card referrals and not the Reserve card referrals. Here is an article that breaks down which is best for you and why >