6 Ways to Maximize the Chase Sapphire Preferred as a Beginner

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

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

• The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers valuable travel rewards and perks — even for total beginners.
• Focus on the six most effective ways to quickly earn, maximize, and redeem points.
• Strategically time your welcome bonus, understand bonus categories, and learn how to transfer points.
• This guide shows you exactly how to use the Chase Sapphire Preferred like a pro traveler from day one.
• Includes smart booking links for flights, insurance, and hotels along the way.

Table of Contents

1. Why Every Beginner Traveler Should Care About Travel Reward Points
2. Best 6 Ways to Maximize the Chase Sapphire Preferred as a Beginner
3. How to Plan This Trip the Smart Way
4. HopStrip-Style Tips and Tools for Reward-Backed Travel
5. FAQ: 6 Ways to Maximize the Chase Sapphire Preferred as a Beginner

Why Every Beginner Traveler Should Care About Travel Reward Points

Before we get into the exact strategies, let’s look at the “why.” Credit card rewards—when used responsibly—are a behind-the-scenes engine for smarter, cheaper travel. The Chase Sapphire Preferred, in particular, awards points through Chase Ultimate Rewards. These points are flexible, often more valuable than traditional airline or hotel points, and come with a host of traveler perks.

For example, you can use your points to:

• Book free flights and hotel stays
• Transfer to airline/hotel loyalty partners for VIP value
• Offset trip expenses via statement credits
• Access built-in travel insurance and no foreign transaction fees

Whether you’re backpacking through Europe or booking luxury stays in Bali, those points are your entry ticket to traveling more often—without spending wildly.

Best 6 Ways to Maximize the Chase Sapphire Preferred as a Beginner

The following six tips are the tried-and-true building blocks of making the most of this card, even if you’ve never used a travel rewards card before.

1. Nail the Welcome Bonus (Before Time Runs Out)

The Chase Sapphire Preferred typically offers a sign-up bonus of 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 in your first 3 months. That’s roughly $750 toward travel if redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards, or possibly more if transferred smartly.

✅ HopStrip Tip: Time your card approval around a major travel purchase—like booking flights or accommodations on your next trip. That way you hit the spending requirement without extra effort.

2. Use the Bonus Categories Daily

The card earns:

• 5x points on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• 3x on dining (including delivery services)
• 2x on all other travel (flights, hotels, trains, etc.)
• 1x on everything else

Even beginner travelers rack up points just by paying for Uber rides, meals, and hotel stays. So use the card strategically for what you’re already spending on.

✅ HopStrip Tip: Going on a tour? Pay through a platform like GetYourGuide using your Chase card to leverage the 2x or 5x bonus and even use your Ultimate Rewards at checkout.

3. Redeem Points the Smart Way: Not for Cash!

One of the biggest rookie mistakes? Redeeming your hard-earned points for basic cash back at 1 cent per point. Big mistake.

Instead, redeem them through Chase Ultimate Rewards’ travel portal, where each point is worth 1.25 cents with the Sapphire Preferred. Even better? Transfer them 1:1 to airline or hotel partners like Hyatt, United, or Air France for potentially outsized value.

✅ Example: A one-way business class flight from New York to Paris might cost $2,800 or just 60,000 points via transfer. That’s HUGE value.

4. Activate Chase Offers + Travel Perks

Don’t forget the extras baked into the card:

• Built-in trip cancellation/interruption insurance
• Auto rental collision coverage
• No foreign transaction fees
• Extended warranty protection
• Chase Offers for occasional bonus discounts

HopStrip travelers love using the card abroad, especially for car rentals (thanks to primary insurance) or when shopping with global vendors.

5. Combine Points from Other Chase Cards or Partner Accounts

If your spouse or partner also uses Chase cards, you can merge points into a single account to book trips faster. Sapphire Preferred also combines well with cards like Chase Freedom Unlimited to pool rewards for max travel redemptions.

✅ HopStrip Tip: Got one person focused on restaurants and the other on travel? Use separate cards to maximize bonus categories and then combine the points.

6. Use the Card to Book Through Chase Travel—Or Transfer for Luxury Perks

Sometimes it makes sense to book directly through Chase’s travel portal for simplicity. Other times, transferring your points gets you first-class flights or luxury hotel stays with a huge redemption value.

✅ Want to splurge on a hotel? Transfer points to Hyatt for luxe stays like the Andaz Tokyo or Park Hyatt New York—often starting around 25,000 points per night (a steal).

Learn more about these beginner-friendly strategies in the original guide by Stephanie Stevens on The Points Guy.

How to Plan This Trip the Smart Way

Even the most valuable travel card needs a smart plan. Here’s how to turn your Chase Sapphire Preferred into a trip-dashboard:

1. 🌎 Apply for the Sapphire Preferred right before booking a big travel spend (flights, hotels, tours).
2. ✈️ Compare flights for your destination to hit that sign-up bonus spending goal with a useful purchase.
3. 🏨 Check hotel deals for your travel dates, and use your Sapphire card to earn extra points.
4. 🚖 Book a fixed-rate airport transfer ahead of time—eligible for travel bonus points.
5. 🔁 Review your Ultimate Rewards dashboard to check transfer partners, value charts, and Chase offers.
6. 📅 Set a points-strategy calendar: track when you’ll earn major bonuses or plan to use your points.

HopStrip-Style Tips and Tools for Reward-Backed Travel

HopStrip travelers prefer to mix function and flexibility—earning rewards while keeping our travel nimble. Here’s how to apply that logic with the Chase Sapphire Preferred:

• Use free travel tools like Google Flights + Chase Offers to stack point value and bonus discounts
• Pair this card with digital nomad essentials like travel insurance plans you can also pay with the card to get protection and points
• Combine big city stays with 2–3-day getaways where points stretch further (e.g., use points to book a luxury hotel in Bali for less than a city-center NY stay)
• Always build in extra value—book high-end tours or airport lounges using rewards instead of cash

HopStrip readers often email us their success stories of booking $5,000+ worth of trips using points—all from this one entry-level card.

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

• ❓Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred worth it for new travelers?
  Absolutely. It’s one of the most beginner-friendly cards on the market with straightforward ways to earn and redeem. The $95 annual fee is often offset by the first trip you book using the welcome offer.
• ❓What is the best way to use Chase Sapphire Preferred points?
  Generally, transferring to hotel and airline partners (Hyatt, United, Air France, etc.) gives you the best value—often more than 2 cents per point.
• ❓Can I redeem Chase Sapphire Preferred points for Airbnb?
  Not directly. Airbnb isn’t a Chase partner. You’d need to redeem points as a statement credit if you used the Chase card to pay for your Airbnb. But this often has less value compared to travel portal or transfer options.
• ❓Do points ever expire?
  Points don’t expire as long as your account is open and in good standing. If you cancel the card and don’t transfer or redeem your points, you’ll lose them.
• ❓Can couples share points?
  Yes! Chase allows household members to combine Ultimate Rewards points, making it easy for couples to pool their balances to book large redemptions.