Best Card to Start Traveling on Points

The MOST recommended card for people who want to travel on points and miles is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

With an annual fee of just $95 this card offers great earning potential, easy redemption options and some of the best travel protections out there.

Points earned from the Chase Sapphire Preferred card are FLEXIBLE which means you’ll have lots of options when it comes to redeeming them.  They are worth $750 when you redeem them through Chase Travel℠ but you can often get TWICE that in value if you transfer those points to travel partners.

Chase points can currently be transferred to 14 different travel partners including 11 airlines and 3 hotel chains.  Some of the most beginner friendly transfer partners include Southwest, United and Hyatt which are not available with other credit card programs.  Hyatt in particular is a sweet spot where you can often get 3-4x more value from your points if you transfer points to stay at Hyatt properties. 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns points as follows:  

  • 5x points on TRAVEL purchased through Chase Travel℠ 
  • 2x points on all other TRAVEL
  • 3x points on DINING 
  • 3x points on ONLINE GROCERIES (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
  • 3x points on STREAMING SERVICES
  • 1x point on everything else

Perks of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card include:

  • Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel in Chase Travel℠
  • NO foreign exchange fees
  • $50 annual Chase Travel℠ hotel credit
  • $10 per month DoorDash credit through December 2027 – check out this post for all the details
  • 10% anniversary points boost
  • Primary car rental insurance
  • Travel and purchase protection benefits


There are a lot of great cards out there, but starting with the Chase Sapphire Preferred will give you a great introduction into the points and miles world.  

If you already have (or have had) a Chase Sapphire card, the flowchart below will help you determine if you are able to qualify for the welcome bonus on a new Chase Sapphire card.  If you are not able to apply for another bonus at this time, I’d be happy to help you figure out the next best card for you based on your travel goals and credit card history.

Couple things to NOTE:

➜ You must be under 5/24 to qualify for the bonus.  Chase will not approve you for a new card if you’ve opened 5 personal cards in the past 24 months.  This includes retail cards like Target or Home Depot so choose your new cards wisely!

➜ If it’s been more than 48 months since you received a bonus on a Chase Sapphire card then you can downgrade or close your card and reapply for another bonus!

➜ It’s often better to downgrade your card to a no annual fee card rather than to close the card because you’ll maintain the card credit history which helps your credit score.  Downgrading a card will not take a 5/24 spot.

➜ I don’t recommend adding your spouse or partner as an authorized user because they are better off earning a welcome bonus of their own using your referral link.  You can read more about Player 2 Mode HERE.

➜ Chase points can easily be combined and moved between household members.  This makes it easy to maximize your redemption options! 

➜ Never apply for a new card without using a referral link!  I’m always grateful when you use my links to apply for a new card as it allows me to continue providing FREE resources at no cost to you. Let me know if you like me to email you a referral link.

You can view Best Travel Credit Cards Here

  1. Carol says:

    What do you mean by downgrading the card? How can going from $95 annual fee to no fee earn bonus points?
    I have the card already and am confused how to maximize its use!

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