Traveling frequently can be expensive, but a travel credit card can save you money. Today will be featuring two top travel cards: the card_name and card_name.
The Sapphire Preferred is one of the most popular travel rewards cards because it offers nice welcome bonus and extra points on travel and dining, which can be transferred to airline and hotel partners or redeemed directly for travel at a rate of 1.25 cents per point through Chase Ultimate Rewards. The Sapphire Preferred also offers great travel and purchase protections for a card with a $95 annual fee.
The IHG Premier is a hotel card that offers automatic Platinum Elite status, an anniversary free night up to 40,000 points, fourth night free on award stays, and up to 10x points at IHG Hotels & Resorts.
This article will compare each card based on several factors to help you make an informed decision on which card is the best to add to your wallet.
Full Review: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card.
Card Overviews
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Welcome Bonus
The Chase Sapphire Preferred currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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The IHG Premier Card currently offers the following welcome bonus:
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Earning Points
The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns Ultimate Rewards points and offers bonus points on spending in several categories:
- 5 points per dollar on travel booked through the Chase travel portal;
- 5 points per dollar on Lyft purchases (through March 2025);
- 5 points per dollar on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases of $250 or more (through March 2025, with a limit of 25,000 bonus points);
- 3 points per dollar on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout, and dining out;
- 3 points per dollar on online grocery store purchases (excludes Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs);
- 3 points per dollar on select streaming services, including Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, Youtube TV, Pandora, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Sling, Vudu, Fubo TV, Hulu, and ESPN+;
- 2 points per dollar on all travel not booked through the Chase travel portal; and
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible spending.
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The IHG Premier Card earns IHG Rewards points at the following rates:
- 10 points per dollar spent when you stay with IHG® Hotels & Resorts;
- 5 points per dollar on travel purchases;
- 5 points per dollar at gas stations;
- 5 points per dollar on dining at restaurants; and
- 3 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred wins this category because Chase Ultimate Rewards points are much more valuable than IHG points.
Card Benefits
The Sapphire Preferred offers nice benefits, including:
- Receive 25% more value on points redeemed for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal.
- $50 annual credit on hotel stays purchased through Ultimate Rewards.
- 10% Points Bonus for each Cardmember anniversary.
- A complimentary one-year subscription to DashPass by DoorDash when you enroll by December 31, 2024.
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance (up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip).
- Primary car rental insurance.
- Lost luggage reimbursement (up to $3,000 per passenger)
- Baggage delay insurance (up to $100 per day for five days).
- Trip delay insurance (up to $500 per ticket for a delay longer than 12 hours or overnight).
- Extended warranty.
- 120 days purchase protection (up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per year).
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Free 6-month membership to Instacart+ (activate by July 31, 2024).
The IHG Premier Card offers the following benefits to cardholders:
- Free anniversary hotel night (up to 40,000 points).
- IHG Platinum Elite status.
- Fourth hotel night free on award stays.
- Potentially earn Diamond elite status by spending $40,000 within a calendar year.
- Get up to $50 in United® TravelBank Cash which can be used when you book United® or United Express® flights.
- $100 Statement Credit and 10,000 Bonus Points after spending $20,000 in a calendar year and making one additional purchase.
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or Nexus Statement Credit.
- No foreign transaction fees.
- Trip cancelation/trip interruption insurance.
- Baggage delay insurance.
- Lost luggage reimbursement.
- Secondary car rental insurance.
- Purchase protection.
- Extended warranty.
Winner: Tie. I really like IHG Premier Card‘s Platinum Elite status and free anniversary hotel night, but the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers better travel protections and special credits.
Value of the Annual Fee
The Chase Sapphire Preferred comes with an annual fee of $95.
While some users might be initially deterred by this cost, it’s important to consider the value and benefits that come with the card.
The rewards points, travel benefits, and purchase protections can help offset the cost of the annual fee for frequent travelers.
The IHG Premier Card comes with a $99 yearly fee, which is easily justified by the anniversary free night certificate.
Plus, the complimentary Platinum Elite status, fourth-hotel-night-free perk, statement credits, and comprehensive travel insurance plans make the card well worth the annual cost.
Winner: IHG Premier Card because you can offset its annual fee easily by using the free hotel night.
Redeeming Points
The earns Ultimate Rewards points, one of the most flexible points currencies.
You can use your points to book flights, hotel stays, and even rent a car through Chase Travel — all at a fixed rate of 1.25 cents per point. For example, 100,000 points are equivalent to $1,250 towards travel.
You can unlock even more value than 1.25 cents per point by transferring rewards to Chase airline and hotel partners.
Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners [1 to 1]
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Aer Lingus
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Air Canada Aeroplan
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British Airways
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Emirates
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Air France/KLM
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Hyatt Hotels
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Iberia
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IHG Hotels
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JetBlue
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Marriott
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Singapore
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Southwest
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United
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Virgin Atlantic
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IHG One Rewards points can be used at over 6,000 hotels worldwide, including several brands like Kimpton, Intercontinental, Holiday Inn, and more.
IHG uses dynamic pricing for award nights, which means the number of points required varies depending on the hotel, date, and demand. You can check the price and availability of award nights on the IHG website or app by selecting the “Reward Nights” option.
To redeem IHG points for a hotel stay, you need at least 5,000 points. You can also use Points & Cash to pay for part of your stay in points and the rest in cash. This can help you save money and stretch your points further.
Besides hotel stays, you can also redeem your IHG points for other things, such as experiences, gift cards, merchandise, donations, or airline miles. However, these options usually offer lower value for your points and may have limited availability or restrictions.
Winner: Chase Sapphire Preferred
The Sapphire Preferred offers a higher redemption value when points are redeemed for travel on the Chase portal. Plus, Chase points are more flexible giving, allowing you to transfer to several hotel and airline partners across different airline alliances.
The Verdict
Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and IHG Premier Card are great options and complement each other well.
The IHG Premier card offers great benefits at IHG Hotels and Resorts, and its Platinum Elite status and free anniversary hotel night can easily offset its annual fee.
But if you don’t stay at IHG Hotel often, the Sapphire Preferred offers more valuable points, offers better travel protections, and is better at earning points.
Which card are you going to choose?
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