Official application link: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card with a 60,000-point bonus after you spend $4,000 in the first three months.

Choosing the best travel credit card is a critical element in maximizing your points and miles, and a select few offer a wide array of perks that appeal to a variety of traveler profiles. Today I want to share my top reasons why you should get the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. And I’m not alone in thinking it’s great; readers chose the CSP as the Best Mid-Tier Card of the Year at the TPG Awards.

1. 60,000 Points ($1,200 in Value) for Signing Up

Since 2015, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card has offered a standard sign-up bonus of 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months from account opening. However, this just changed; the card’s now offering a new, increased standard sign-up bonus of 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months. This is worth $1,200 based on TPG’s valuations, a $200 increase over the previous offer.

2. Generous 2x Travel and Dining Categories

On the surface, this feature of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card may not sound that special. Many cards offer category bonuses for travel purchases and dining, but the real appeal of these bonuses is how wide the definitions span.

Here are some examples of real-life purchases that have earned me 2x Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent:

A beer hall (that didn’t serve food)

Street parking

Uber

A rental car

Tolls

Cupcake shop

Train transportation

City tours

Tram tickets

Parking at the airport

Food delivery services such Seamless and Postmates also fall into these bonus categories, so if your hometown has these options, that gives you additional earning potential.

3. So Many Redemption Options

There Are Two Key Ways to Redeem Ultimate Rewards Points

Booking travel directly through the Chase travel portal where points are worth a flat 1.25 cents apiece. The big benefit of redeeming points this way for flights is that they typically do count toward elite status (but note that isn’t the case with hotel bookings).

Transferring your points to one of Chase’s 13 travel partners. Typically you’ll get the most out of your points when you transfer them to these valuable partners, including United, Hyatt and Marriott.

When you transfer points to these partners, you’ll unlock terrific redemptions, such as the Park Hyatt Tokyo and Singapore Suites — and in some cases, TPG’s valuation of 2 cents apiece for Ultimate Rewards points can easily be eclipsed.

4. The Travel Benefits

In addition to earning valuable rewards for making purchases while traveling, you can also take advantage of some fantastic benefits while on the road.

Top 5 Travel Benefits

Primary car rental insurance. This covers the entire loss, damage or theft of your car rental without reporting it to your insurance company, a benefit that can save you big time in the long term.

Lack of foreign transaction fees on the card. While these appear to be gradually on their way out, the Sapphire Preferred has always waived them, a benefit that’ll typically save you 2.7%-3% on every purchase abroad.

Trip delay insurance up to $500 per ticket. If your flight, train, or other common carrier is delayed more than 12 hours or you require an overnight stay as a result of a delay, you’re covered for unreimbursed expenses such as meals and lodging.

Trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance up to $10,000 per trip for pre-paid, nonrefundable travel expenses such as plane tickets, hotels or tours if your trip is cut short or interrupted by sickness, severe weather or other covered situations.

Baggage delay insurance of $100 per day for up to 5 days when your checked baggage is delayed by more than 6 hours for reimbursement of essential purchases like toiletries and clothing.

Bottom Line

Whenever I meet someone who wants to travel like I do, I immediately ask about a credit card strategy. I stopped traveling extensively for work a few years ago, yet I’m still able to rack up hundreds of thousands of points and miles every year. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card plays a big role in this. It’s a terrific starter card as you’re getting a minimum of $750 in value if you use the sign-up bonus to book flights and hotels through the Chase Travel Portal. But, with the excellent Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners, it wouldn’t be difficult to get value of $1,200 or more from the sign-up bonus alone.

But the Sapphire Preferred is also a great product for experienced award travelers. So, if it isn’t currently in your wallet, definitely consider making it your next application. And once you get the card, make sure to check out “5 Things To Do When You Get the Chase Sapphire Preferred“,

Official application link: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card with a 60,000-point bonus after you spend $4,000 in the first three months.

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