By Lisa Whitlaw
When I first learned that it was possible to fly free and travel frequently for next to nothing, I knew I needed to find out exactly how that was possible.
I think it all started when I saw a link on social media that mentioned free flights with points, so I started reading and at that “point” I was hooked (pun intended 😊).
I began looking at different credit cards and recommendations and decided that Chase Sapphire Preferred would be the most versatile card for us to get started. It had a low annual fee and a high points bonus, so I applied.
The application process was painless, and they approved me right away.
Once the card came in the mail, the points started accumulating. Hooray!
[Read Lyn’s full review of Chase Sapphire Preferred]
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Why I Love Chase Sapphire Preferred
Not really knowing what I was doing exactly, I decided to apply for Chase Sapphire Preferred based on the way my family travels and lives.
Sadly, we don’t have unlimited vacation time, and with my kids in school, we have to plan around the school calendar and travel when things tend to be the most expensive 😢.
If we can earn points for free flights and hotel stays, we can possibly travel more, and that’s my plan!
I knew the Chase Sapphire Preferred card would be beneficial, because we can redeem the points with numerous airlines and hotels not only by transferring points, but by purchasing travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal.
This isn’t a card that locks you into just one brand!
Chase Ultimate Rewards, which are the points you earn with this card, transfer at a 1:1 ratio to airlines like Southwest, United and Aer Lingus.
They also transfer at a 1:1 ratio to hotel brands like Marriott, IHG and Hyatt.
This card gives you many options when it comes to redeeming points for travel.
[Read How to Use Chase Sapphire Preferred to Get Free Southwest Flights]
[Read How to Use Chase Sapphire Preferred to Get Free Hyatt Hotel Stays]
Chase Sapphire Preferred Benefits I Love
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card has a long list of benefits. Some of my favorites are:
- 3x points on dining
- 2x points on travel
- 1:1 points transfer to airlines and hotels
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
- Trip cancellation/interruption insurance
- No foreign transaction fees
- Lyft discounts
Chase Sapphire Preferred currently offers a 60,000 points after a $4,000 minimum spend.
In order to meet this minimum spend, I used the card for ALL of our purchases and even to pay some of our utility bills. It felt really good to have that bank of points after meeting the spending requirements!
Earning 3x points on dining and 2x points on travel purchases clinched the deal for me with this card. My family of four likes to eat at restaurants on the weekends, and meals can add up quickly.
If you’re eating out anyway, why not earn points?
Also, my husband is an authorized user on my card, and he’s able to pay for business lunches and dinners with it, which earns our family even MORE points.
How I Use Our Chase Sapphire Preferred Points
With the bonus and points earned from dining combined, we were able to redeem our points for flights to Jackson Hole, Wyoming in July by booking through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, which gave us 25% more value for our points.
In case you didn’t know that is THE MOST EXPENSIVE time to fly to Jackson Hole outside of ski season.
We wouldn’t have taken the trip if we hadn’t been able to use our points for the flights!
After returning from this amazing trip, I knew I was going to get even more serious about collecting points.
I’m still learning new ways to travel using points, but it all started with the amazing Chase Sapphire Preferred card!
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Do you hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred card? If so, where has it taken you?
