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Clearly, in this instance, “It’s not you, it’s me.”
You’re amazing because of your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Over the years, you’ve been a fantastic travel companion, saving me hundreds of dollars on foreign exchange fees across 41 nations. Two flights to Portland (the Oregon city) were paid for by your welcome bonus, and your yearly hotel credit saved me $50 on my stay, which I immediately used to purchase artisanal s’mores and craft beer.
Heck, you’re so well-liked that my travel-related acquaintances have given you the affectionate moniker “CSP.” The truth is, though, I don’t travel the world as much as I used to. I have four parents within thirty miles who are all in their seventies, a mortgage, and a life partner. My roots are becoming deeper, and unlike in the past, I can’t just hop on a plane and head to Delhi or Destin.
Yes, I still travel, and your 25% multiplier on travel points is still useful, but not in a way that makes your yearly charge worthwhile. Furthermore, you did not fully disclose to me the significant unstated disadvantage of making reservations using Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
What is that? Do you need specifics? You did, after all, ask.
Why I Selected the Preferred Chase Sapphire
I should start by outlining everything that drew me to you in the first place, CSP. You are regarded by many as one of the greatest travel rewards cards because of them.
Solid welcome addition. Earn 60,000 extra points after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
Ongoing prizes. Earn 5 points per dollar for travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3 points per dollar for dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar for all other travel purchases, and 1 point per dollar for all other purchases.
Hotel credit. Statement credits of up to $50 each anniversary year are available for hotel stays booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.
Strong travel protections. This includes trip delay reimbursement, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, auto rental collision damage waiver, and travel accident insurance.
Travel redemption bonus. Points redeemed for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal will be multiplied by 25%.
I like the ability to combine Chase Ultimate Rewards points with Chase Freedom Unlimited® and Chase Freedom Flex℠* to receive a 25% travel redemption bonus for each point earned.
Plus, you were never jealous when I transferred my Chase Ultimate Rewards points to other loyalty programs such as Southwest Rapid Rewards or World of Hyatt, where they were frequently worth far more than a penny each.
Still, I did the arithmetic, and there wasn’t enough to keep the relationship going.
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