6 Ways to Maximize the Chase Sapphire Preferred as a Beginner in 2025

6 Ways to Maximize the Chase Sapphire Preferred as a Beginner: Travel Smarter in 2025

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The Chase Sapphire Preferred® card is one of the most beginner-friendly travel credit cards available in 2025.
Learn the 6 key ways to maximize the Chase Sapphire Preferred as a beginner, from using bonus categories to leveraging transfer partners.
Points are flexible and can unlock luxury travel perks for far less money—perfect for couples, families, and solo adventurers.
You’ll also discover how to redeem points wisely, avoid beginner mistakes, and plan your dream trip with smarter tools.
This guide is ideal for travelers who want to stretch their rewards and elevate their next vacation—without paying elite cardholder fees.

Table of Contents:

Why the Chase Sapphire Preferred Is Ideal for Beginner Travelers
6 Ways to Maximize the Chase Sapphire Preferred as a Beginner
How to Plan Smart Around Your Points
How to Plan This Trip the Smart Way
HopStrip-Style Tips and Tools for This Trip
FAQ: 6 Ways to Maximize the Chase Sapphire Preferred as a Beginner

Why the Chase Sapphire Preferred Is Ideal for Beginner Travelers

The Chase Sapphire Preferred has earned its reputation as the go-to travel rewards card for newcomers—and for good reason. The low annual fee ($95), strong welcome bonus, and flexible points make it approachable but seriously valuable.

You’ll earn 2x points on all travel and 3x points on dining—perfect for those who love to explore new cultures through food or travel frequently.
Those points are Chase Ultimate Rewards, which can be used for booking hotels, flights, rental cars, and even tours via the Chase travel portal—or transferred to over a dozen airline and hotel partners.
Even everyday spending stacks up quickly, with categories like online groceries, streaming, and Lyft rides earning bonus points.

Pair all that with no foreign transaction fees, built-in travel insurance, and broad acceptance worldwide—and it’s easy to see why this card is consistently ranked as a top pick by leading travel sites like The Points Guy (see the original article here).

6 Ways to Maximize the Chase Sapphire Preferred as a Beginner

If you’re asking how to get the most out of your card from day one, here are the six things every traveler should know.

1. Hit the Welcome Bonus Fast (But Safely)

One of the easiest ways to get serious value early is by earning the welcome bonus—often worth over $1,000 in travel if used wisely. Currently, you can earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months.

TIP: Time your sign-up around major planned expenses like flights, a home rental, or traveling with family. Use your card for bills or recurring expenses to reach the minimum without overspending.

2. Book Travel Through the Chase Portal for 25% More Value

When you use your points to book through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® travel portal, each point is worth 1.25 cents instead of the standard 1 cent.

For example, 60,000 points = $750 toward travel in the portal. You can use this for flights, hotels, car rentals, and tours.

Perfect Use Case: Booking hotel nights at centrally located accommodations without paying cash. You can also check Expedia for price comparisons before finalizing in the portal.

3. Take Advantage of Valuable Bonus Categories

The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers strong multipliers in common traveler categories:

3x on dining (including delivery)
2x on travel (airfare, trains, tours, etc.)
3x on select streaming services
3x on online groceries (not including Target/Costco)
5x on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards

For digital nomads and frequent flyers, this can add up fast—especially if you charge your recurring subscriptions, airport transfers, and takeout.

4. Learn to Use Chase Transfer Partners (For Even Higher Value)

Transferring points to Chase travel partners can unlock outstanding value. For airlines like United, Southwest, Emirates, or Singapore Airlines—and hotels like Hyatt or Marriott—you can often get more than 1.25 cents per point in value, especially in premium cabins or high-end properties.

For example, transferring 50,000 points to World of Hyatt might get you 2–3 nights at a luxury resort that costs $800+ a night.

TIP: Study typical point values before booking—check out the award charts of partner loyalty programs for the best swaps.

5. Add an Authorized User (Strategy for Couples or Families)

If you’re traveling as a couple or want to maximize home spending with a partner, consider adding them as an authorized user to earn more points across shared purchases.

You’ll pool points as one account, and it won’t cost anything extra with the Sapphire Preferred. Just make sure both users spend responsibly, as you’re ultimately accountable for charges.

6. Use Your Built-In Travel Perks

The Sapphire Preferred includes surprisingly strong travel benefits for a mid-tier card:

Primary rental car insurance (skip the $20/day rental fees)
Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
Baggage delay and trip delay reimbursement
Purchase and extended warranty protection

This means fewer costly add-ons when booking international car rentals or paying for travel insurance—a great perk for budget or mid-range travelers.

For full protection, consider a broader safety net with travel insurance from a flexible provider that covers medical emergencies, delays, and cancellation risks.

How to Plan Smart Around Your Points

Once you understand how Ultimate Rewards work, planning becomes fun—and surprisingly strategic. Here are some essential next steps to maximize your rewards:

1. Compare Flights and Prices Early

Before transferring points, see what your route would cost with cash or points. Use tools like this flight comparison tool to scope deal prices.

TIP: Then compare with the Chase portal (1.25x point value) versus partners like United or Emirates.

2. Use Points for Big-Ticket Travel, Not Small Redemptions

You’ll get the best return on flights or hotels—not gift cards, cash back, or Amazon purchases. Those redemptions usually drop your point value below 1 cent.

3. Be Flexible With Your Dates

Like most award travel, the key to snagging great value is flexibility. If you can adjust your itinerary by a day or two, you’ll often unlock better deals and point availability.

4. Automate Bonus Category Spending

Tweak your bill pay to make sure your subscriptions, groceries, and travel bookings are charging to your Sapphire Preferred. Use it consistently for restaurant bills and rideshares to rack up points without thinking.

How to Plan This Trip the Smart Way

Here’s how to turn your Chase Sapphire Preferred points into a real trip:

✅ Sign up and plan big spends to hit your welcome bonus.
✈️ Use a flight search tool to choose a destination within your budget.
🏨 Compare hotel rates in your destination—and cross-check the same hotels in the Chase portal.
🔁 Check Chase’s travel partners and see if a transfer could snag you a luxury hotel night or business class award ticket.
📅 Book major attractions or tours with points in the Chase portal—or use tools like GetYourGuide for skip-the-line access.
🧳 Make sure you’re covered by card insurance or top it off with flexible travel insurance for longer trips.

HopStrip-Style Tips and Tools for This Trip

At HopStrip, we always encourage smart travel—not just cheap travel. Using flexible rewards like Chase Ultimate Rewards lets you upgrade your experience without overpaying.

Flying into Tokyo? Transfer your points to Singapore Airlines for luxe seats—and book a fixed-rate airport transfer into the city.
Planning a month in Europe? Use points to cover your expensive long-haul flight, then mix trains, Airbnbs, and boutique hotels in local portals.
Traveling with kids or as a couple? Split your stays between Ultimate Rewards redemptions and VRBO homes via this curated vacation rental search.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

FAQ: 6 Ways to Maximize the Chase Sapphire Preferred as a Beginner

Q: Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred worth the $95 annual fee?

Absolutely—especially if you travel at least once a year. The value from travel insurance, portal booking bonus (1.25x), and consistent reward points quickly outweigh the fee.

Q: Can I book hotels and flights directly with points?

Yes! Use the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal or transfer points to travel partners. In the portal, every point is worth 1.25 cents toward travel.

Q: What’s the best redemption for Chase points?

Booking premium economy or business class flights through transfer partners often provides the highest cent-per-point value—often 2–4 cents per point.