The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) has earned its place among the top travel credit cards. It has long been a great option for anyone who wants to put a dent in their ever-growing bucket list.
And right now is the best time to consider this card because it has an all-time-high welcome bonus of 100,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
The previous intro offer was worth 75,000 points, and this 33% larger bonus unlocks more travel opportunities for you. Let’s take a look at a few bucket list adventures that the Sapphire Preferred’s welcome bonus can help you book.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card packs a punch for a $95 annual fee card, offering annual travel credits, comprehensive travel protections, flexible rewards and more.
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase’s travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Long list of travel and shopping protections
- Annual Chase Travel hotel credit
- Has an annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM, 3x on dining, 3x on vacation homes, 3x on gas & EV charging, 3x on top streaming services and online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get a year of complimentary Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 – a value of $156.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card for a Global Entry, TSA Precheck® or NEXUS application.
- Transfer points to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
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How to maximize 100,000 Chase points
Fly to Hawaii
Once you have 100,000 Chase points in your account, you won’t have to wait until retirement to make it to The Aloha State. And if you’re already retired, you can break out the sandals and Hawaiian shirt for another go at the white sand beaches.
Southwest can be a good option, and when prices are low, you could book airfare for four people for just over 100,000 points. Keep in mind, the points prices of Southwest flights vary with the cash price, and the cheapest flights tend to have a connection or less desirable departure or arrival times. However, if you have a Southwest Companion Pass, this is an amazing option because you can bring along your designated companion for just the taxes and fees.
Southwest also frequently has fare sales, which means you can book for fewer points as well. At the time of writing, there is a 40% off sale, and I found flights to Hawaii for 26,000 points round-trip.
Chase points also transfer to several airlines that are part of the Avios loyalty program, including The British Airways Club. Once you transfer to British Airways, you can link to your Qatar Privilege Club and Finnair Plus accounts and transfer points between programs at a 1:1 ratio. All of these loyalty programs allow you to book award flights to Hawaii on American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines.
The prices for the same flight vary between programs, so you can save by moving your points around. Direct flights booked through Qatar Airways Privilege Club can be as low as 16,000 points each way from the West Coast and 20,750 points each way from cities like Dallas to Hawaii. Finnair has excellent prices for American Airlines awards at just 15,000 points each way between North America and Hawaii. The drawback is that you need to contact Finnair’s customer service to book via chat or over the phone.
Flights to Disney World
When you book through Chase Travel℠, you can pay with points at a rate of 1 cent per point. However, select flights and hotels are eligible for a Points Boost, which increases the value up to 1.5 cents per point. If you can find Points Boost travel at the maximum rate (it can be lower than 1.5 cents per point), 100,000 points can easily be turned into $1,500 in travel.
Chase points transfer to several airlines that operate a large number of flights to Orlando, such as Southwest and JetBlue. Both programs have dynamic award prices, where the points price fluctuates with the cash price. If you can travel when flights are cheaper or take advantage of a fare sale, you could book round-trip flights for four or more people. At the time of writing, Southwest had a 40% off promotion, and I found round-trip flights to Orlando from Milwaukee for 16,000 points (normally 27,000 points) and from Washington, D.C. for 9,000 points (normally 15,000 points).
British Airways is a solid choice for booking shorter American Airlines or Alaska Airlines flights. It costs 12,000 points for flights of up to 650 miles and 16,000 points for flights of up to 1,151 miles. But if you need to make a connection or book a longer flight, it can get expensive because British Airways charges per segment, not based on the total trip length.
Finnair Plus is an indirect Chase transfer partner and can be a good option for booking flights with a connection. You can book one-way flights within North America for 16,500 points on American Airlines or 17,500 points on Alaska Airlines, regardless of the length of the flight or the number of connections.
Visit Machu Picchu
If you’ve been longing to fill up on ceviche before wandering the ancient Incan ruins, you can book two to three round-trip economy flights from several U.S. cities to Lima, Peru, for under 100,000 Chase points.
By using British Airways to indirectly transfer Chase points to Qatar Airways, you can unlock partner awards on American Airlines from Miami to Lima for 16,000 points one-way in economy and 43,000 points one-way in business class.
Both of those options are best for direct flights. Virgin Atlantic and Qatar Airways awards are priced out per segment, which means you’ll pay more when you add a connection even if the total distance falls in the same price band.
For flights with connections, Air Canada Aeroplan or United MileagePlus could be better options, although you won’t be able to book as many flights with 100,000 points. These programs have dynamic award pricing, and the cheapest prices typically start around 30,000 to 40,000 points for one-way economy flights from the U.S. to Peru.
Keep in mind that certain United credit cards, such as the United℠ Explorer Card (see rates and fees), offer a 10% discount on United award flights and access to a greater number of the cheapest award seats.
The United℠ Explorer Card is worth it even if you only fly with United Airlines once or twice a year because you can take advantage of two United Club℠ passes per year when the primary cardmember or authorized user is traveling and you can receive free checked bags.
- No annual fee for the first year
- Unlocks upgrades for elite members on award flights
- Two free United Club airport lounge passes every year
- Valuable United Airlines perks, such as in-flight purchase discounts and the ability to earn elite status credit through credit card spending
- First checked bag free benefit requires you to pay for the flight with the card
- United Airlines has a dynamic award chart which can limit the value and flexibility of your miles
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn up to 60,000 bonus miles
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
- NEW! 9x total miles on eligible United flights and 3x miles on all other eligible United® purchases
- 2x miles on dining and hotel stays when booked with the hotel. 1x mile on all other purchases.
- Free first checked bag – a savings of up to $200 per roundtrip. Terms Apply. Plus, priority boarding on United® flights.
- 2 United Club one-time passes per year – over a $100 value
- Over $500 in partner credits each year
- NEW! Save 10% or more when booking flights with miles. Premier members save even more.
- Member FDIC
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