ToolsCard ScoresChase Sapphire Preferred
Every Chase Sapphire Preferred credit — and what each is really worth
MoneyRoom Card Score
9.0/ 10
For most people who eat out or buy groceries online, yes — the credits alone recover the $95 fee at typical usage, and the earning runs near the top of our scale.
Data: MoneyRoom card catalog (pending verification noted) · scores recompute daily · card terms last checked 2026-04-30 (source: creditcards.chase.com) · How we verify
The Sapphire Preferred scores 9.0/10 because it wins twice: its bonus categories cover spending you already do — dining, online groceries, gas — and its points price at 1.5¢ each on our midpoint scale, which pushes the effective earn rate to 3.2% on our reference basket. The credits and memberships add $366 of typical-usage value a year against the $95 fee.
The score isn't perfect on this card for one reason: upkeep. The hotel credit only counts when you book through Chase Travel. The DoorDash promo requires enrollment and resets monthly, so a hands-off cardholder will leak some of the face value. The ledger below shows exactly how much.
The ledger
The $95 fee vs what you get back.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred lists $526 in yearly credits and benefits at face value; our estimate of what a modeled holder might recover under our published assumptions is $366. Typical value applies our published realization factors: the discount for expiry windows, spending restrictions, enrollments, and reimbursement delays a real cardholder faces.
| Credit / benefit | Resets | Face value / yr | Typical value |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 annual Chase Travel hotel creditHotel · via Chase Travel | Yearly · cardmember year | $100 | $81 |
| Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS creditTravel | Every 4 years | $30 | $27 |
| DoorDash non-restaurant promoDining/grocery · enrollment required | MonthlyEnrollment required | $120 | $59 |
| Complimentary DashPass (12 months)Partner benefit · enrollment required | Yearly | $120 | $87 |
| Complimentary Apple TV+ (one year)Partner benefit · enrollment required | Yearly | $156 | $113 |
| Yearly total | $526 | $366 | |
Net at face value, after the fee:+$431 / yr
Net at typical usage, after the fee:+$271 / yr
The fine print that matters
Why is typical value less than face value?
Three things separate this card's face value from our modeled recovery estimate. The hotel credit books only through Chase Travel, so travelers loyal to a hotel's own site tend to skip it. The DoorDash promo is the classic monthly use-it-or-lose-it: enrollment first, then a clock that resets every month. And the Global Entry credit shows up once every four years, so the ledger annualizes it rather than pretending it lands yearly.
The two memberships — DashPass and Apple TV+ — are real value but time-boxed: each needs a one-time activation, and each is only worth its sticker if you'd otherwise pay for it.
$100 annual Chase Travel hotel credit — $81 typical of $100 face
Hotel · via Chase Travel
- Resets yearly × 0.95
- Restricted where it spends × 0.85
Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS credit — $27 typical of $30 face
Travel
- Recurs every 4 years (annualized) × 0.95
- Posts as reimbursement × 0.95
DoorDash non-restaurant promo — $59 typical of $120 face
Dining/grocery · enrollment required
- Resets monthly × 0.65
- Restricted where it spends × 0.80
- Enrollment required × 0.95
Earning
What does everyday spending actually earn?
Rewards post as Chase Ultimate Rewards points, valued at 1.5¢ per point on our midpoint scale. On our published reference basket the effective rate is 3.2%.
| Category | Rate | Effective after caps | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | 3× | 3.00× | |
| Groceries | 3× | 3.00× | |
| Gas | 3× | 3.00× | |
| Flights booked direct | 2× | 2.00× | |
| Hotels booked direct | 2× | 2.00× | |
| Everything else | 1× | 1.00× |
Honest gaps
What does the score leave out?
- The welcome bonus. Never scored, on any card — the score measures year-two value, not the signup chase.
- 1:1 transfer partners. The score prices points at the 1.5¢ midpoint. Transferring to airline and hotel partners can beat that — that upside is yours to capture, not ours to promise.
- The anniversary points bonus — discontinued. Chase closed it: applications on or after June 15, 2026 don't receive it at all, and existing cardmembers earn it only on purchases through October 1, 2026 (awarded by January 31, 2027). It was never inside the score, and a new applicant should not count on it.
- The travel-protection suite. Primary rental collision coverage, trip cancellation and delay, baggage delay, purchase protection, extended warranty — insurance value depends entirely on your luck, so it's listed, never scored.
Listed on the card, never priced:
- 10% anniversary points bonus
- 1:1 Ultimate Rewards transfer partners
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
- Trip delay reimbursement
- Baggage delay insurance
- Purchase protection
- Extended warranty protection
Your numbers, not the model
See if it pays for itself with your usage.
The score models a typical cardholder. The free Annual Fee Calculator loads this card's real credits and fee and lets you set what you'd actually use — no account needed.
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Questions
Asked before applying.
What does the Chase Sapphire Preferred score?
9.0 out of 10 — value 10.0, effort 6.5, earning 10.0. The full pillar math is on our methodology page, and every number regenerates from catalog data, with pending-verification flags where applicable.
Do the credits cover the annual fee?
At typical usage, yes: the score's friction-discounted estimate is $366 a year against the $95 fee — and that's before you count point earnings or transfer-partner upside.
What earns bonus points on this card?
Dining, online groceries, select streaming, and gas all earn 3× points; travel booked outside Chase earns 2×. Everything else earns the base rate, which is how our basket lands on 3.2% effective.
Who shouldn't get the Sapphire Preferred?
Someone who won't book a hotel through Chase Travel or track a monthly promo — without those credits the case rests on earning alone, and a flat no-fee cash-back card is simpler.
When do the Chase Sapphire Preferred credits reset?
Each credit keeps its own clock: 1 credit resets monthly, 1 credit resets once a year, 1 credit resets every four years. 1 of them runs on your cardmember anniversary instead of the calendar, so the deadline depends on your own open date. Four-year credits run from last use, not January 1; check your last redemption and issuer terms. Unused calendar and cardmember windows do not roll over. See every card's reset calendar.