Advertiser Disclosure People ask me all the time what card to get first if they want to start earning real travel rewards. My answer hasn't changed in years: get the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Chase Freedom Unlimited® together. I've run this exact pairing for a long time now, and it's still the combo I recommend before anything fancier. The idea is simple, but it's genuinely one of the best beginner setups in the whole points game. The Freedom Unlimited earns stro

Advertiser Disclosure A lot of Chase Sapphire Reserve® reviews just list the benefits. I wanted to show what actually using them looks like day to day, because that's the part that convinces people the $795 fee makes sense. Lounges, every single trip. Every time I fly, I check for a Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club or a Priority Pass lounge first. Free food, free drinks, quiet space to work, and I can bring guests. Chase values this benefit at over $850/year for a family tha

Advertiser Disclosure The Chase Sapphire Reserve® has one of the highest annual fees in the credit card world at $795. That number scares a lot of people off before they look at what's actually included, and once you do the math, it's a different conversation. The credits do a lot of heavy lifting: up to $300 in statement credits for travel purchases each account anniversary year, up to $500 annually toward prepaid bookings through The Edit℠ (Chase's curated hotel collection

Advertiser Disclosure If you're on the fence about applying for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, let's actually run the numbers instead of just vibes. The basics. $95 annual fee. Currently a 75,000-point welcome bonus after $5,000 spend in the first 3 months from account opening. That bonus alone is worth $750 in statement credits or Chase Travel℠ bookings, more with Points Boost offers on select hotels and flights, or more still when transferred to airline/hotel partners.

Advertiser Disclosure I've carried a lot of cards over the years, but the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is still the one I recommend first to anyone getting serious about points and travel. Here's why it earns a permanent spot in my wallet. The fee is low, the bonus is solid. The Preferred carries a $95 annual fee, genuinely one of the smallest asks in the premium travel card world, and right now new cardholders can earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first