Top cards to pair with the Chase Sapphire Preferred
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BLUEPRINT
Published 10:21 a.m. UTC July 1, 2024
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The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the most popular travel cards on the market — and one of my favorite cards in my wallet. It packs a ton of perks into a $95 annual fee package with benefits that any traveler can use. But to maximize my rewards earning and perks, I combine other cards with my Sapphire Preferred to use the card that earns the highest rewards on each type of purchase to get the most value from my spending.
Here are my picks for the best cards to pair with the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Overview of the Chase Sapphire Preferred
First, it’s helpful to review the Sapphire Preferred card’s main benefits to determine which gaps you need to fill with other cards.
The Sapphire Preferred earns 5 points per $1 on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per $1 on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per $1 on all other travel purchases and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.
To maximize the value of your points, you can transfer them to several Chase airline and hotel partners at a 1:1 ratio.
Airline travel partners:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- British Airways Executive Club
- Emirates Skywards®
- Flying Blue AIR FRANCE KLM
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®
- United MileagePlus®
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Hotel travel partners:
- IHG® Rewards Club
- Marriott Bonvoy®
- World of Hyatt®
Plus, you can travel confidently with trip cancellation and interruption insurance, a primary auto rental collision damage waiver, baggage delay insurance and trip delay reimbursement. Every year on your account anniversary, you’ll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases that year. Finally, you can earn up to $50 in statement credit each year for hotels booked through the Chase Travel℠ portal.
It has an annual fee of $95. Here’s how to know if the Chase Sapphire Preferred is worth it
For everyday spending and luxury perks: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card * The information for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The $395-annual-fee Capital One Venture X ticks off many boxes for luxury perks. The card earns 2 miles per $1 on purchases, 5 miles per $1 on flights booked through Capital One Travel and on purchases through Capital One Entertainment and 10 miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel. The Sapphire Preferred earns more on dining purchases and streaming services, but the Venture X wins in everyday spending.
The variety of premium travel benefits make this a perfect card to pair with the Sapphire Preferred. The card earns 10,000 bonus miles each account anniversary, a $300 annual statement credit for travel booked through the Capital One Travel portal, an up to $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee statement credit and access to airport lounges from Capital One, Priority Pass and Plaza Premium Group. Plus, travel loyalty partners include ones you won’t get with Chase including Accor, Avianca, Asia Miles, Choice Hotels, Qantas and TAP Air.
I love this card combination and always keep both cards in my wallet.
Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred offer a trusted travel application fee credit? Here’s what to know
For groceries at U.S. supermarkets and elite hotel status: Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
For Marriott loyalists, getting a co-branded Marriott card to pair with the Sapphire Preferred, can make sense as you can earn elite status and other perks while having an opportunity to combine your rewards between the two programs since you can transfer your Ultimate Rewards® to your Marriott Bonvoy loyalty account.
I plan on applying for the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy (terms apply, rates & fees) this year, as it earns a high rate on dining at restaurants and groceries at U.S. supermarkets of 6 Marriott Bonvoy points per $1 on eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy, 4 points per $1 at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per calendar year, then 2 points) and 2 points per $1 on all other purchases. This is a solid earning structure for a card with a $250 annual fee. Plus, the welcome offer is huge at 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership.
For vacation rentals and CLEAR® Plus credit: American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. (terms apply) is another card I plan on adding to my lineup this year for its elevated rewards on travel, which on this card includes vacation rentals. It earns 3 points per $1 at restaurants, 3 points per $1 on travel including flights, hotels, transit, taxis, tours, and ridesharing services and 1 point per $1 on other purchases. With an annual fee of $150 and the higher earnings on transit and vacation rentals over the Sapphire Preferred, the Amex® Green Card is a great partner card.
All information about American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint.
The other big benefits of the Amex® Green Card include the yearly airport perks like the up to $189 CLEAR® Plus statement credit. Cardholders also receive up to $100 back as a statement credit for lounge access purchased through LoungeBuddy each calendar year. Even if you have a card that gives you access to Priority Pass lounges, there may be times when you need to pay for a lounge, so this could come in handy. Enrollment is required for select benefits.
Another benefit of the pairing: Amex has some of the same transfer partners as Chase, but different ones include Aeromexico, ANA Mileage Club, Avianca LifeMiles, Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Lines, Etihad Guest, Hawaiian Miles, Qantas Frequent Flyer and Qatar Airways Privilege Club. This can be advantageous for someone like me who frequently transfers to travel partners and wants to have as many options as possible.
For boosting your Ultimate Rewards® potential: Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Venture X, Bonvoy Bevy and American Express® Green Card * The information for the American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. all have annual fees, so you might prefer to pair your Sapphire Preferred with a no-annual-fee card. The Chase Freedom Unlimited is an excellent option for those seeking high rewards on a variety of spending categories. It earns 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on eligible dining and drugstore purchases and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. Although it’s marketed as a cash-back card, the rewards can be combined with those earned on your Sapphire Preferred card, which means you can more easily accrue Ultimate Rewards. It’s a simple way to get more out of your Chase account.
All information about American Express® Green Card has been collected independently by Blueprint.
For rewards on rent: Bilt World Elite Mastercard®
If you’re a renter, one of your biggest monthly expenses is likely your rent payment. Luckily, the Bilt Mastercard allows you to earn 1 point per $1 on rent payments without a transaction fee (on up to 100,000 points each year), 2 points per $1 on travel (when booked through the Bilt Travel Portal or directly with an airline, hotel, car rental or cruise company), 3 points per $1 on dining and 1 point per $1 on other purchases. At least five transactions must be made per statement period to earn these rewards. The ideal time to make those purchases would be on the first of every month, when you get double points on each non-rent category, so 6 points per $1 on dining and 4 points per $1 on travel. Bilt has many of the same transfer partners as Chase but also includes Alaska Airlines Mileage, Avianca, Cathay Pacific, Turkish Airlines and Hilton hotels, expanding your transfer possibilities.
Bottom line
For my points and miles strategy, I prefer to earn the most points per dollar possible on each of my purchases. I’m less concerned with having multiple cards that earn the same currency to build up points in one program. If you had each card on this list, you’d earn cash back, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards points, Marriott Bonvoy® points and American Express Membership Rewards®. This means you could access a full slate of transfer partners and take advantage of a suite of travel benefits, all while maximizing your rewards earning and redemption capability.
For rates and fees for the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card please visit this page.
*The information for the American Express® Green Card and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
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