It is easy to determine you need to have the ability to journey for much less, however it’s onerous to know the place to start out.
Whereas we have now a information to getting began with factors and miles and even a whole Points101 free electronic mail collection designed to get you going with rewards incomes and burning and encourage you to dive in there if you wish to, simply getting began would not must be all that sophisticated.
The overwhelming majority of the time, my primary advice for these trying to delve into incomes factors and miles is to first get the Chase Sapphire Most popular® Card (see charges and costs). It is not an accident that it has gained the Finest Journey Rewards Credit score Card for the seventh 12 months in a row … it is that constantly nice.
Highest-ever provide: Earn 100,000 bonus factors with the Chase Sapphire Most popular after spending $5,000 on purchases inside the first three months of account opening.
The Sapphire Most popular has been round for over 15 years, however that does not imply it’s stale. In actual fact, it means it is a traditional that has stayed with the instances because it was launched in 2009. However on this case, it is powerful to prime this traditional when beginning within the rewards bank card panorama.
So whether or not you are on the lookout for which rewards bank card to start out with — or which card to get subsequent — listed below are 5 the reason why the Chase Sapphire Most popular continues to be my most continuously really helpful card.
Restricted-time highest welcome bonus in years
The sign-up bonus for the Sapphire Most popular varies over time, however proper now, it is the very best provide we have now seen since 2021: Earn 100,000 bonus factors after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
TPG’s April 2025 valuations peg the welcome bonus at $2,050. It’s primarily based on maximizing factors with Chase’s lodge and airline switch companions.
Studying to maximise your Chase Final Rewards factors with switch companions — equivalent to Hyatt and United — takes some research. Nonetheless, it’s definitely worth the myriad advantages you may reap when you begin utilizing switch companions with precious Final Rewards factors.
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If you happen to use the factors immediately for journey booked by Chase Journey℠, you may nonetheless get 1.25 cents in worth per level. Despite the fact that that fastened valuation is available in decrease than when you maximize your factors with companions, that is a terrific sign-up bonus that requires little effort to make the most of.
Excellent switch companions that stretch your factors
When you get the grasp of it, the lineup of switch companions accessible with the Chase Sapphire Most popular is stellar.
These switch companions are:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- British Airways Govt Membership
- Emirates Skywards
- IHG One Rewards
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Singapore Airways KrisFlyer
- Southwest Fast Rewards
- United MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership
- World of Hyatt
In contrast to different card packages, Chase Final Rewards factors can switch to those companions at a 1:1 ratio (or increased, with occasional switch bonuses).
Which means that 100,000 Chase Final Rewards factors might turn into the equal of 100,000 United MileagePlus miles, Aeroplan miles, World of Hyatt factors and the checklist goes on. Ultimately, your factors are extra helpful than they’d be in the event that they had been locked into incomes and redeeming with one loyalty program.
A number of switch companions — equivalent to United, Southwest and Hyatt — are comparatively distinctive to Chase, so the lineup cannot be simply replicated with most different bank card packages.
To offer an instance of why this issues, it will possibly price $800 or extra to remain at a resort just like the Hyatt Regency Maui when you had been paying with money (which, at $800, can be 64,000 factors if redeemed on the fastened 1.25 cents every choice).
Nonetheless, you’ll be able to switch your Chase factors to the World of Hyatt and e-book that very same lodge from simply 21,000 factors per evening by way of Hyatt’s award chart. When in comparison with an $800 price, that will be nearly 4 cents per level — way more than when you used them on the fastened price by way of Chase Journey.
Folks newer to journey rewards are sometimes extra snug beginning with U.S.-based loyalty packages than some worldwide choices, the place you’ll be able to leverage associate bookings typically in a neater method. Fortunately, Chase has numerous these so that you can begin with, just like the World of Hyatt.
Low annual payment with added perks
Premium journey rewards playing cards equivalent to The Platinum Card® from American Specific and the Sapphire Most popular’s luxurious counterpart, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see charges and costs), have changed the Chase Sapphire Most popular’s slot in my very own pockets. Nonetheless, I journey a number of instances monthly and have been on the factors and miles recreation for a extremely very long time.
Even when these playing cards are price it — and they are often — it is uncommon for a factors and miles newcomer to start out with a card that comes with a $695 annual payment (see charges and costs) for the Amex Platinum) or $550 for the Sapphire Reserve.
Testing the rewards bank card waters with a card just like the Sapphire Most popular generally is a a lot simpler place to start out. With only a $95 annual payment, making an attempt out a brand new card for not less than a 12 months is a minimal funding — particularly whereas the welcome bonus is so excessive.
Some perks can partially offset the annual payment, even on an ongoing foundation. For instance, you’ll be able to get pleasure from a $50 annual lodge credit score for stays booked by Chase Journey, and you may additionally obtain 10% of your factors again annually (primarily based in your card spending).
Associated: The 8 greatest bank cards with annual charges below $100
Good incomes charges that may enhance with time
The Sapphire Most popular would not have the very best incomes charges on the market, however it nonetheless provides a strong return on many purchases:
- 5 factors per greenback on journey booked by Chase Journey
- 5 factors per greenback on Lyft rides (by Sept. 30, 2027)
- 3 factors per greenback on eating
- 3 factors per greenback on choose streaming providers
- 3 factors per greenback on on-line grocery retailer purchases (excludes Goal, Walmart and wholesale golf equipment)
- 2 factors per greenback on all journey not booked by Chase Journey
- 1 level per greenback on every thing else
Since these factors are price 2.05 cents every (in line with TPG’s April 2025 valuations), you’re getting wherever from 2.05 to 10.25 cents in worth per greenback charged to the cardboard, relying on the class you are spending in.
Associated: The facility of the Chase Trifecta: Sapphire Reserve, Ink Most popular and Freedom Limitless
Straightforward-to-use rewards
Probably the most mathematically rewarding method to maximize your Final Rewards factors is to switch to the beforehand talked about lodge and airline companions when award availability suggestions in your favor.
Nonetheless, I like this card for newbies as a result of it is not needed to do this. In actual fact, I’ve many family and friends members who by no means redeem their Chase factors by way of switch companions.
You need to use your Chase Final Rewards factors at a hard and fast price to e-book flights, accommodations, and different journey by way of Chase Journey. With the Sapphire Most popular, your factors are price 1.25 cents every when utilized in that method. If you happen to or another person in your family ever get the Chase Sapphire Reserve, factors used that method are price 1.5 cents every with that card.
The reserving website operates the identical as when reserving journey by way of a web-based journey company like Expedia. This makes it an easy and intuitive method to make use of your factors, even for these new to this fashion of touring for much less.
Chase makes it simpler to get authorized when you’re newer to rewards playing cards
Final however not least, Chase makes it simpler to get Chase-issued bank cards earlier than you get too far into your rewards bank card journey.
There’s an unwritten but well-documented rule that Chase usually will not concern a brand new bank card account upon getting opened 5 or extra card accounts throughout all banks within the final 24 months. Informally, this is called the Chase 5/24 rule.
That appears straightforward sufficient if you’re used to solely getting a brand new bank card as soon as each few years, at most. Nonetheless, when you get into bank card rewards, it may be straightforward to make use of these slots as you get an airline card, lodge card, and so on.
Due to this restriction, it is smart to start out by getting a Chase card, just like the Sapphire Most popular, as one among your first playing cards earlier than you run right into a brick wall with opening new Chase accounts for a while.
Associated: The most effective methods to fill your 5/24 slots
Backside line
With the very best welcome bonus we have now seen since 2021, now might be the appropriate time to dive into bank card rewards and get the Chase Sapphire Most popular Card.
It walks a beautiful line between being rewarding and wealthy relating to perks and factors with out being intimidating or too dear to check out. It may be the proper gateway to having a pockets filled with Final Rewards-earning bank cards and maximizing switch companions, award chart candy spots, built-in stopovers and extra.
Or, when you want, it will possibly stay a traditional, low-annual-fee journey bank card that unlocks easy rewards all by itself.
There is no improper method to make use of a Sapphire Most popular, and there isn’t any higher card with which to get your journey rewards journey began.
To study extra, learn our full evaluation of the Chase Sapphire Most popular.
Apply right here: Chase Sapphire Most popular Card
For charges and costs of the Amex Platinum card, click on right here.
