If you’ve been thinking about getting the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, this is your last chance to earn one of the highest welcome offers we’ve ever seen.
The limited-time 100,000-point welcome offer is expected to end tomorrow, July 30, at 9:00 a.m. ET. Eligible new cardmembers can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. If this card has been on your radar, I wouldn’t wait until the morning.
I’ve had the Chase Sapphire Preferred for over three years, and it’s still one of the first travel rewards cards I recommend to beginners. With a $95 annual fee, flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, valuable travel protections, and strong transfer partners, it’s one of the best cards for getting started with points and miles.
Why This Offer Is Worth Paying Attention To
A 100,000-point welcome offer is one of the highest public offers we’ve seen on this card. To earn the bonus, you’ll need to spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
At a conservative value of 2 cents per point, those 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be worth approximately $2,000 in travel when transferred strategically to Chase’s airline and hotel partners.
Of course, the value you receive depends on how you redeem your points, but that’s one of the biggest advantages of earning flexible points instead of locking yourself into a single airline or hotel program.
Why I Recommend This Card to Beginners
One of the biggest mistakes I see beginners make is opening a co-branded airline or hotel card first. While those cards certainly have their place, I typically recommend starting with a flexible points card because it gives you significantly more redemption options.
With Chase Ultimate Rewards, you can transfer your points to more than 10 airline and hotel partners, including World of Hyatt, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Marriott Bonvoy, and IHG One Rewards. Having multiple transfer partners gives you the flexibility to book the flights or hotels that offer the best value instead of being locked into a single loyalty program.
If you’re new to award travel, flexibility is everything.
Recent Changes to the Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase recently refreshed the Sapphire Preferred while keeping the annual fee at $95.
Some of the most valuable additions include:
- Up to a $100 annual Chase Travel℠ hotel credit (previously $50)
- Up to $120 every four years for TSA PreCheck®, Global Entry®, or NEXUS
- New 3X earning categories on gas stations, EV charging, and eligible vacation rentals
- Enhanced travel protections
There was one change that disappointed many travelers, including myself: new Sapphire Preferred cardholders now transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt at a 4:3 ratio instead of 1:1.
I covered everything that changed, including who is affected and what it means for Hyatt loyalists, in my complete breakdown here:
Read: Chase Sapphire Preferred Adds New Benefits Without Raising Its $95 Annual Fee
Chase Sapphire Preferred Adds New Benefits Without Raising Its $95 Annual Fee
While I wasn’t thrilled about the Hyatt change, I still believe the added benefits make this one of the strongest travel rewards cards available under $100 per year.
My Experience After Three Years
I’ve carried the Chase Sapphire Preferred for more than three years, and one of my favorite additions is the new $100 Chase Travel hotel credit.
I rarely used the old $50 credit because it wasn’t always enough to influence my booking decisions, especially for a third-party booking. I recently used the new $100 credit for a hotel stay, and it was much easier to maximize. For me, that’s a meaningful improvement to a card I was already able to use.
The addition of TSA PreCheck or Global Entry reimbursement is another benefit I’m excited to see. Perks like these have traditionally been reserved for premium travel cards with annual fees several times higher than $95.
What Can 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Get You?
One of the questions I get asked most often is, “What can I actually do with 100,000 points?”
Depending on how you redeem them, you could book experiences such as:
- Multiple nights at Hyatt hotels
- Business class flights with airline transfer partners
- Round-trip flights to Europe
- Domestic flights for an entire family
- Luxury hotel stays that would otherwise cost thousands of dollars
If you’re looking for inspiration, check out my guide on how to maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards points and my post comparing flexible points versus co-branded travel cards to see why I almost always recommend earning flexible points first.
Don’t Miss This Offer
If you’ve been waiting to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred, I wouldn’t wait any longer.
A 100,000-point welcome offer doesn’t come around often, and combined with the card’s recent refresh, this remains one of the best opportunities for beginners to jump into points and miles.
If you’d like to support Journey with Reese J, you can apply using my referral link to apply here. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and it helps support the free travel tips, award travel guides, and beginner-friendly points and miles content I share here.
