Travel is overwhelming, points are overwhelming and credit cards can be overwhelming – but if you start simple, you can do so much good. Credit card points really do unlock free travel. Free travel really is better than paid travel. For anyone just getting started: there’s one credit card that’s a bit of an all around’er, we don’t get paid to push it, and we use it ourselves.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card…
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (Learn More) doesn’t carry a crazy annual fee (which can be beneficial, by the way) but it does carry a whole lot of points, great ways to use them and amazing potential for earning. The card is $95 per year, with the first year fee waived. The card offers some of the easiest ways to use points, as well as points transfer partners which can unlock really lucrative bucket list experiences, like: first class flights, five star hotels and that sort of stuff.
You Get 50,000 Points After Some Spending…
50,000 Points is a sizable bonus, especially for a card which waives the annual fee. It’s a real “try before you buy” kinda card, with points valued at a minimum of $500, just for trying it out. To get your massive bonus, you need to spend $4,000 over the course of 3 months, which isn’t as hard as it may seem – especially if you pay for every day items and monthly bills, like cellular phones. Here’s a comparison of how much more your points are worth versus similar cards.
You Earn 2X Points On All Travel And Dining.
If you’re a travel and dining kinda person (which we assume you are by being here), this card offers 2X points on all travel purchases made with airlines, hotels, taxis and more. It also does 2X points on all dining out. Trust us, saying “just give us cash” when the restaurant bill comes has its benefits!
You Can Use Your Points Easily For $625 Toward Travel…
People don’t like blackout dates, restrictions and all those things- so Chase offers an easy option to use your points. Your 50,000 points (and all points thereafter) are worth 1.25 cents per point when you book any flights or hotels through Chase. That’s not a terrible rate of return. And if you want to take things a step further, by transferring points for further maximization: you can.
And You Can Transfer To Airlines & Hotels To Maximize Points…
Many of the best ways to save on last minute flights, unlock $750 a night hotels for just 25,000 points and other neat tricks involve transferring your points from Chase to a specific airline or hotel. Chase partners with Southwest, Air France, British Airways, United, Singapore, Virgin Atlantic and other airlines.
You can also transfer your points to great hotel chains like Hyatt, Marriott and IHG. It takes a bit of time to get the hang of things- but the potential is amazing. Having the ability to use points easily, like cash through Chase, or transfer them is pretty fantastic.
Oh And Bonus: Trip Delay Protection When Things Go Wrong…
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers trip delay protection for when things go wrong. In english: this means you’ll be able to buy necessities up to $500 when flights are delayed, cancelled or your bags are lost. Since travel delays and issues are on the rise, this is very welcomed peace of mind!
