Key takeaways
- The Chase Sapphire Most well-liked® Card gives numerous advantages and rewards that assist make its annual payment worthwhile
- It gives a welcome bonus of 60,000 factors, for those who meet the required circumstances, which you should use in direction of journey with Chase or its journey companions, or redeem in different methods
- It additionally gives different journey perks and an anniversary bonus of 10 p.c of your earlier yr’s spending in factors
This text was initially revealed in August 2023. Card particulars might have been modified; see Bankrate’s evaluation for present gives.
I’m a flight hacker and frequent traveler, and I’m all the time looking out for good bank card offers. Final yr, I set my sights on a round-trip flight to Istanbul, so I began in search of a card that might cowl most of the price of my journey.
It didn’t take me lengthy to comprehend that the cardboard I used to be in search of was the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked Card, particularly given its spectacular welcome bonus on the time.
Greater than a yr later, not solely did that welcome bonus pay for my journey, however the card’s reward charges have made it my go-to for nearly all of my day by day bills. Add in its distinctive 10 p.c anniversary bonus and an annual $50 resort credit score (via the Chase Journey℠ portal), and it’s straightforward to see why it shortly turned certainly one of my favourite rewards bank cards. Listed below are among the causes I really like this card:
It gives a fantastic welcome bonus
After I utilized, the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked was providing 100,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 within the first three months from after I signed up. The provide is now 60,000 bonus factors after spending $4,000 within the first three months, however that’s nonetheless a fantastic deal.
I had thought-about getting the Chase Sapphire Reserve® as a substitute, however the $550 annual payment was too excessive for me — plus, I obtained a a lot better welcome bonus with the Sapphire Most well-liked than I’d have with the Sapphire Reserve. Bankrate values the present provide of 60,000 Final Rewards factors at $750 (when used to guide journey via the Chase Journey℠ portal), and as much as $1,200 for those who take full benefit of Chase’s switch companions. The present baseline providing of 60,000 bonus factors, price greater than seven occasions the $95 annual payment for those who redeem via Chase Journey℠, can be an excellent deal.
To get the welcome bonus, I wanted to spend a minimal of $4,000 throughout the first three months. In my case, I often spend round $800 on meals and groceries each month, so I put all of these bills on the cardboard. This was a good selection since I earn 3X factors on eating (together with eligible takeout and supply) and on-line grocery purchases (excluding Goal, Walmart and wholesale golf equipment). The cardboard additionally earns:
- 5X factors on journey bought via Chase Journey℠
- 3X factors on choose streaming providers
- 2X factors on different basic journey purchases
- 1X factors on every little thing else
It has perks like no overseas transaction charges
I stay a global life, splitting my time between Canada, the U.S. and Istanbul. I regularly journey to Asia, too. I discover myself utilizing my bank cards overseas on a regular basis. That’s why I all the time journey with a card that doesn’t cost overseas transaction charges, and the Sapphire Most well-liked suits the invoice. The opposite advantages of the Sapphire Most well-liked — reminiscent of journey, buy protections and associate advantages with DoorDash and Lyft — make it extra helpful and extra enjoyable.
I can switch factors to loyalty packages simply
One of many issues I like most in regards to the Sapphire Most well-liked is that it allows me to switch my factors to different loyalty packages, like Chase’s associate airways and resort chains, at a 1:1 price. This permits me to get way more worth out of my factors.
After I redeem my factors via the Chase Final Rewards program with the Sapphire Most well-liked card, essentially the most I can get is 1.25 cents apiece, which is fairly good (holders of the Sapphire Reserve card can get 1.5 cents per level).
Nevertheless, if I switch them to a associate airline’s loyalty program, I’ll usually get way more. For instance, I can switch my factors to United Airways’ MileagePlus and use them to redeem award flights straight via the MileagePlus program. After I do, I usually get a price of two or extra cents per level — in keeping with Bankrate estimates that Chase Final Rewards factors are price round 2 cents apiece on common when used with the best switch associate.
In my case, I booked a spherical journey from Houston to Istanbul in enterprise class. The most cost effective money flight I may discover value $2,300, however I solely spent 69,000 miles (transformed from 69,000 Final Rewards factors), plus $81.65 in taxes and charges. This implies my factors had been price over 3 cents every, making my 100,000-point welcome bonus price over $3,000. I stay for such a deal.
It gives an annual 10 p.c bonus
With this profit, I get 10 p.c of my whole spend again in factors every account anniversary. If I spend $10,000 on my card all year long, I’ll get 1,000 bonus factors. That’s a further 10 p.c bonus I wouldn’t earn with every other card — and yet one more perk that helps the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked pay for itself.
The underside line
The welcome bonus alone makes the Sapphire Most well-liked nicely definitely worth the annual payment. I gathered greater than 20,000 factors final yr from my on a regular basis spending, plus some further factors I earned on just a few giant purchases.
Whereas the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked doesn’t provide premium journey advantages like airport lounge entry, the cash I save utilizing the cardboard simply offsets these small prices. As I anticipate my annual 10 p.c factors bonus and put together to spend the remainder of the factors I have already got, I can’t assist however really feel that this is among the smartest monetary strikes I’ve made in a while.
