Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Chase Sapphire Preferred



This is widely regarded in miles and points circles as THE credit card to have.
“Best Overall” – Gary Leff, View from the Wing
This card, aka the CSP, has some great benefits.
40K Ultimate Rewards sign up bonus after spending $4000 within 90 days of opening
5K additional UR points for adding an authorized user
2X on restaurants and travel
Access to Chase UR shopping portal
Visa Signature benefits
No foreign transaction fees
Chip and signature technology
Annual fee waived first year, $95 fee per year after


For anyone wanting to start the miles and points hobby, this card is a must. The points accrued are the aforementioned Ultimate Rewards points. This gives you the most flexibility on how you want to use your points. I have used these points in a variety of ways. I have redeemed for Chase Travel at a 1.2 cents per mile (cpm) value. I have transferred to my Southwest account for a 1.43 cpm value, and with the companion pass a value of 2.86 cpm. Last fall I transferred them to my United account and received about 3 cpm in flying business class to Europe.



If you enjoy dining out, this card gives 2x points on restaurants. The first Friday of each month, you can dine out and receive 3x points. Some of my friends like to take advantage of these first Fridays by buying up their favorite restaurant gift cards and using them throughout the month and getting 3x for their dining purchases.


If you are planning on a paid international trip, this is the card to put all of your spending. There are no foreign transaction fees when using this card. Many other cards will charge 2-3% fee for using their cards overseas. Think of that as an automatic savings on that fee. And you will get 2x back on your travel and dining purchases. These purchases tend to make up the bulk of expenses during family travel.

Finally, this card just looks and feels really cool. I have often been told by cashiers that the card feels heavier, and that’s because it is. Maybe only an ounce or two, but when you’re talking about a credit card, that feels significant. Looks wise, your CC number is not printed on the front. All you see on the front is your name and the CSP logo. 
  
Bottom line: this card is a great start to collecting miles and points. If you are interested in applying for this card, please comment or email me. There is a referral page where I can send you an application link and I can receive a referral bonus. Any referrals would be appreciated.

No comments:

Post a Comment