Having the right travel credit card can unlock a world of benefits, rewards, and savings. Two popular travel rewards credit cards are the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and JetBlue Plus Card.
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 Travel℠. The Sapphire Preferred also offers great travel and purchase protections for a card with a $95 annual fee.
On the other hand, the JetBlue Plus delivers solid value for regular JetBlue flyers through its generous airline rewards and travel perks like free checked bags. The card’s benefits are heavily JetBlue-focused, making it a poor choice for travelers who frequently fly other airlines.
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 JetBlue Plus Card.
Overviews of Each Card
Welcome Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred:
Let’s begin with one of the most attractive aspects of the Chase Sapphire Preferred: the welcome bonus. Currently, new cardholders can earn the following welcome bonus:
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
JetBlue Plus:
The JetBlue Plus Card currently offers the following welcome bonus: Earn up to 80,000 bonus points (60,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 within the first 90 days and earn 20,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 within the first year).
Earning Points
Chase Sapphire Preferred:
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 Chase Travel;
- 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;
- 2 points per dollar on all travel not booked through Chase Travel; and
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible spending.
JetBlue Plus:
The JetBlue Plus Card earns TrueBlue points at the following rate:
- 6 points per dollar for JetBlue purchases;
- 2 points per dollar at restaurants;
- 2 points per dollar at grocery stores; and
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Spending on the JetBlue Plus helps you earn Mosaic elite status. Members earn “1 Tile” for every $1,000 spent on the card.
Winner:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers high earning rates on multiple spending categories, providing cardholders with a faster and more efficient way to rack up points. With bonus points for travel, dining, streaming, and grocery purchases, you can easily accumulate rewards for your everyday expenses and travel expenses alike.
Card Benefits
Chase Sapphire Preferred:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers nice benefits, including:
10% Points Bonus: You will earn bonus points equivalent to 10% of your total spending in points earned with your Chase Sapphire Preferred Card during the past account anniversary year. For example, if you spent $10,000 during your cardmember year, you would receive an additional 1,000 points ($10,000 * 10% = 1,000 points).
$50 Hotel Credit: The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers up to $50 in statement credits every account anniversary year if you book your hotel stays through Chase Travel.
DashPass Membership: This card offers a one-year DashPass membership for free, which includes DoorDash and Caviar, offering unlimited deliveries with free delivery fees and reduced service fees for eligible purchases. The offer must be activated by December 31, 2027. Once the free membership is over, you will be automatically enrolled in DashPass at the prevailing monthly rate.
Instacart Membership: Have your groceries delivered to your doorstep with a complimentary 6-month Instacart+ membership plus a $15 credit once every quarter. Enrollment is required by July 31, 2024.
No Foreign Transaction Fees: You’ll save money on every purchase while traveling internationally since this card doesn’t add the typical 3% surcharge that many other cards impose.
Travel Benefits
Primary Rental Car Insurance: When you rent a car and pay with this card, you’ll receive comprehensive coverage including damage and theft protection. Simply decline the rental company’s collision damage waiver and charge the entire rental to your card to activate coverage. This insurance covers damage, theft, and valid loss-of-use charges worldwide.
Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance: This protection reimburses you for non-refundable, prepaid travel expenses if you need to cancel before departure or cut your trip short due to covered situations like severe illness or weather events. Coverage activates when you pay for your trip with the card, but it’s important to note that reimbursement only applies for specific covered reasons rather than any cancellation.
Trip Delay Insurance: When your trip is significantly delayed due to covered reasons like equipment failures or severe weather, this protection reimburses you for reasonable expenses including lodging, meals, toiletries, and medication. The coverage activates when you pay for travel with your card and extends to family members on the same itinerary, though you’ll need to seek reimbursement from the travel carrier first.
Lost Luggage Reimbursement: Your checked luggage gets extra protection against loss, theft, or damage beyond the basic compensation offered by carriers when you pay for travel with this card.
Baggage Delay Insurance: Missing luggage doesn’t have to derail your trip – this coverage steps in to reimburse you for essential purchases when your checked bags are delayed by airlines, trains, or other carriers. You can grab the necessities you need, from a fresh outfit to personal care items, while waiting for your bags to arrive.
Purchase Benefits
120-Day Purchase Protection: Get 120 days of protection against damage, theft, and even loss of your purchases – one of the longest windows available. This premium coverage automatically applies when you pay with your card.
Extended Warranty Protection: Your purchases gain an extra year of warranty protection when bought with this card, extending manufacturer warranties of three years or less without the inflated prices of store warranty plans.
JetBlue Plus:
The JetBlue Plus Card offers the following benefits for its cardholders:
Free Checked Bag: Receive a first checked bag free for you and up to three companions on the same reservation when you purchase a ticket with your card.
Anniversary Points: Celebrate your cardmember anniversary with an automatic 5,000-point bonus each year. These points post to your account without any spending requirements, giving you a valuable reward just for keeping your card active.
Inflight Savings: Enjoy 50% back on eligible inflight purchases when flying JetBlue. From drinks to snacks, you’ll automatically receive statement credits for half of what you spend on inflight refreshments.
Award Flight Rebate: Get 10% of your points back every time you redeem for JetBlue flights. This rebate helps stretch your points further and adds extra value to every award redemption.
Vacation Credit: Get a $100 statement credit annually when booking a JetBlue Vacations package worth $100 or more. This perk effectively reduces the cost of your vacation packages and provides extra value for bundling your travel.
No Foreign Transaction Fees: You’ll save money on every purchase while traveling internationally since this card doesn’t add the typical 3% surcharge that many other cards impose.
World Elite Benefits: This card is a World Elite Mastercard, which gets you access to these special benefits and discounts: DoorDash ($5 off your first DoorDash order each month), Lyft (Take 3 rides in one month and earn a $5 Lyft credit), Shoprunner (free two-day shipping), and Fandango (spend $20 and get $5 back).
Winner:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a wide range of benefits that make it a highly valuable card for frequent travelers and everyday spenders alike.
Value of the Annual Fee
Chase Sapphire Preferred:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred has a $95 annual fee, which may give some people pause. However, as a frequent traveler, I’ve found that the card’s benefits and rewards can easily offset this cost.
Think about it this way: if you take advantage of the welcome bonus and redeem those points for travel, you’ve already recouped the annual fee many times over. Plus, the ongoing rewards and perks like travel insurance, hotel credit, and no foreign transaction fees can save you money and provide peace of mind during your trips.
JetBlue Plus:
The JetBlue Plus Card has a $99 annual fee that is not waived in the first year. You’ll receive valuable benefits that can easily offset this cost, including a 5,000-point anniversary bonus (worth approximately $75), free checked bags for you and up to three companions, and a $100 annual JetBlue Vacations statement credit.
Winner:
It depends how often you fly JetBlue. If you fly JetBlue frequently and check your bags, then the JetBlue is the better option for the free bags.
But if you only fly JetBlue a few times per year, then the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a more versatile option.
Redeeming Points
Chase Sapphire Preferred:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers exceptional flexibility when it comes to points redemption, allowing you to create the travel experiences you’ve been dreaming of.
One popular redemption option is booking travel through the Chase Travel portal. Here, your points are worth 1.25 cents apiece, meaning that a substantial amount of points can be redeemed for a significant value towards travel. I’ve used this option to book flights, hotels, and rental cars, and I appreciate the simplicity of the process. Plus, when you book through the portal, you can still earn airline miles and hotel points on your reservations.
If you’re looking to stretch your points even further, transfer to Chase’s airline and hotel partners. Some notable transfer partners include United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, British Airways, Air France/KLM, Hyatt, and Marriott. By strategically transferring points, you can unlock incredible redemption opportunities like first-class flights or luxurious resort stays.
In my experience, transferring points to Hyatt has yielded some of the most valuable redemptions. By leveraging my Ultimate Rewards points, I’ve booked top-tier properties like the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme and the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort for a fraction of the cash price.
Of course, if you’re not in the mood for travel, you can always redeem your points for statement credits or gift cards at a rate of 1 cent per point. While this may not provide the most bang for your buck, it’s a decent option to have for those times when you need a little extra cash in your pocket.
Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners [1 to 1]
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Aer Lingus
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Air Canada Aeroplan
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Air France/KLM
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British Airways
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Emirates
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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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JetBlue Plus:
JetBlue TrueBlue offers a straightforward rewards program with flexible redemption options. Members can redeem points for any seat on JetBlue flights, with no blackout dates. The program uses a revenue-based model, typically offering solid value for economy bookings. In fact, our analysis shows that TrueBlue points are worth approximately 1.31 cents each when redeemed for economy flights. This value proposition makes TrueBlue points particularly attractive for budget-conscious travelers.
For those seeking premium travel experiences, TrueBlue points can be used for JetBlue’s Mint business class, though the redemption value is generally lower, averaging about 1.1 cents per point. Despite this lower redemption rate, the program truly shines with its partnership redemptions, particularly with Qatar Airways. Members can book Qatar Airways flights directly through JetBlue’s website, often securing excellent value for long-haul business class travel.
Another notable partner is Hawaiian Airlines, offering opportunities for inter-island hops and flights between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. These redemptions can provide good value, especially during peak travel periods when cash fares are high.
TrueBlue’s user-friendly features include points that never expire and fee-free changes or cancellations on award bookings. This flexibility allows members to book with confidence, knowing they can adjust their plans if needed.
While JetBlue doesn’t belong to a major airline alliance, its partnerships with Qatar Airways and Hawaiian Airlines expand redemption options beyond JetBlue’s network. This combination of simplicity, flexibility, and strategic partnerships makes TrueBlue an appealing program for both casual and frequent travelers, offering consistent value for economy redemptions and unique opportunities for premium travel experiences.
Winner:
Chase Sapphire Preferred.The Ultimate Rewards Points earned on the Sapphire Preferred have higher redemption values when redeemed for travel on the Chase Portal. Plus, they can be transferred to several airline and hotel partners.
The Verdict
While both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and JetBlue Plus Card have their own unique set of benefits and rewards, the Sapphire Preferred stands out as the more versatile and valuable option overall.
The Sapphire Preferred has a wider range of earning categories, flexible redemption options, premium perks, and comprehensive travel insurance.
On the other hand, the JetBlue Plus Card may only be valuable for those who frequently fly with JetBlue and take advantage of the benefits like free checked bags.
Which card are you going to choose?
