The best entry-level premium travel card. A $95 fee unlocks transfer partners and 25% more value on travel — the card most people should start with.
Links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Drag your monthly spend. We earn travel and dining at the bonus rates, value points at 2¢ via transfer partners, then subtract the $95 fee.
You want to start earning transferable travel points without a big fee, you dine out and travel a few times a year, and you value strong trip protection.
You only want flat cash back, you never travel, or you won’t engage with transfer partners — a 2% card is simpler.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is issued by Chase, carries an annual fee of $95, currently offers a welcome bonus of 60k pts, and has no foreign transaction fees. It scores 8.7/10 on the Cards Made Simple methodology. The best entry-level premium travel card. A $95 fee unlocks transfer partners and 25% more value on travel — the card most people should start with.
Drag your monthly spend. We earn travel and dining at the bonus rates, value points at 2¢ via transfer partners, then subtract the $95 fee. At a benchmark spend of $400/month on travel, $400/month on dining, $1200/month on everything else, the card returns about $816 a year in rewards value. Add the ~$50 in annual credits the card carries and the picture improves further. Set against the $95 annual fee, that nets out to +$771 per year. Points valued at 2¢ via transfer partners. Portal redemptions are worth ~1.25¢; transfers to partners can exceed 2¢. Drag the sliders in the calculator above to run the numbers on your own spending.
5x on travel via chase (Booked through Chase Travel portal). 3x on dining (Restaurants, takeout & delivery). 3x on online grocery & streaming (Excludes Target/Walmart). 2x on all other travel (1x on everything else).
The current welcome offer is 60k pts. Welcome bonuses change frequently and are the single most time-sensitive number on this page, so treat it as a snapshot: measured against the $95 annual fee, the bonus does the heavy lifting on first-year value — most cardholders come out ahead in year one before the ongoing math takes over. What the bonus should never do is talk you into a card whose ongoing earn structure doesn't fit your spending — run the calculator above on year-two numbers, with no bonus, before you apply.
Start with what the card does well. Low $95 fee unlocks Chase transfer partners. Points worth 25% more redeemed through Chase Travel. Excellent trip cancellation & primary rental insurance. $50 annual hotel credit through Chase. Those strengths are why the Chase Sapphire Preferred scores 8.8/10 on rewards value in our breakdown — the earn structure holds up when you run it against real monthly budgets rather than best-case scenarios.
Now the other side of the ledger, because every card has one. No lounge access at this tier. Only 1x on non-bonus everyday spend. Welcome bonus requires meaningful spend. Top travel rate is locked to the Chase portal. None of these are dealbreakers on their own, but they are exactly the kind of fine print that decides whether this card beats the no-fee 2% benchmark for your specific spending pattern — which is why the fine-print factor scores 8.5/10 here.
Five factors go into every CMS score. Rewards value measures what the card actually returns at realistic spend, not headline multipliers. Fees and APR weighs the annual fee against the credits and earn that offset it. Perks and protection covers insurance, credits, and lounge or statement benefits. Approval reality reflects the credit profile the issuer actually approves. Fine print catches caps, exclusions, enrollment requirements, and category definitions that quietly change the math.
Rewards value scores 8.8/10, fees and APR 8.4/10, perks and protection 8.6/10, approval reality 8.0/10, and fine print 8.5/10 — an overall CMS score of 8.7/10. Scores follow the published Cards Made Simple scoring methodology, which weights real reward math over headline rates and reads the fine print so you don't have to.
Get it if: You want to start earning transferable travel points without a big fee, you dine out and travel a few times a year, and you value strong trip protection.
Skip it if: You only want flat cash back, you never travel, or you won’t engage with transfer partners — a 2% card is simpler.
| Card | CMS score | Annual fee | Welcome | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Preferred | 8.7/10 | $95 | 60k pts | Travel |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | 8.9/10 | $550 | 60k pts | Premium |
| Capital One Venture | 8.5/10 | $95 | 75k mi | Travel |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited | 8.3/10 | $0 | $200 | No annual fee |
Against the Chase Sapphire Reserve (8.9/10, $550 annual fee): Premium travel done with restraint. The $300 travel credit and 1.5x redemption do real work — the thinking traveler’s premium card. Read the Chase Sapphire Reserve review →
Against the Capital One Venture (8.5/10, $95 annual fee): 2x miles on every purchase with flexible redemption — the simplest on-ramp into travel rewards, no categories to track. Read the Capital One Venture review →
Against the Chase Freedom Unlimited (8.3/10, none annual fee): 1.5% on everything, no annual fee — and it quietly becomes a points powerhouse when paired with a Sapphire card. Read the Chase Freedom Unlimited review →
In the same travel tier we also score: Capital One Venture (8.5/10, $95 fee). If this card's who-it's-for profile above doesn't describe you, one of those usually will — the category pages rank them head to head.
The default first rewards card. If we could hand one card to most people, it’s this. The fee is low, the points are flexible and valuable, and the protections are genuinely useful. Graduate to the Reserve only when your travel justifies it.
Links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Card details as of July 2026 — verify current terms with Chase before applying. This content is for informational purposes only and is not financial advice. Credit card terms, rates, and offers change frequently. Verify all details with the card issuer before applying.
If we could hand one card to most people, it’s this. The fee is low, the points are flexible and valuable, and the protections are genuinely useful. Graduate to the Reserve only when your travel justifies it.
Links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Two Card Tuesday runs the real numbers on one card matchup a week. Free, unsubscribe anytime.