Chase Sapphire Preferred Review 2026: Is the $95 Annual Fee Worth It?
Updated: Aug 9
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.
Where the ongoing value comes from: 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3x points on dining, online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), select streaming, gas, EV charging, and vacation rentals; 2x points on all other travel; 1x points on everything else.
The credits that offset the fee: a $100 Chase Travel℠ Hotel Credit annually, up to $120 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck®/NEXUS credit every 4 years, a complimentary 1-year Apple TV+ subscription (activate by 12/31/2026), and new emergency evacuation and transportation travel protection added in June 2026.
Do the math and the $100 hotel credit alone covers the $95 fee in most years. Everything else is upside.
What changed recently that you should know: Chase eliminated the 10% anniversary points bonus for anyone who applied on or after June 15, 2026, and adjusted the Hyatt transfer ratio to 4:3 (1,000 Chase points now become 750 Hyatt points instead of a 1:1 transfer). Neither change is a dealbreaker, but they do shave a bit off the card's long-term value compared to a few years ago.
Who should get this card: anyone spending a few hundred dollars a month on dining and travel who wants real, flexible rewards without a triple-digit annual fee. It's also the natural first step if you might eventually want to pair it with the Sapphire Reserve or a Chase Freedom card to build out a full points strategy.
Bottom line: for $95, this is still one of the strongest value propositions in the credit card world in 2026. The 75K bonus alone makes now a good time to consider applying.
Disclosure: I may earn a commission if you apply through a link on this site. All opinions are my own.
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
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