I liked my ‘s benefits, including lounge access, travel protections and numerous statement credits — but the annual fee became tough to justify after it increased to $795. Therefore, I downgraded it to a no-annual-fee .
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Too many benefits overlapped with other cards in my wallet, and I wasn’t using enough of them to offset the annual fee. For example, I struggled to find ways to use The Edit hotel credit, finding it restrictive because it only works at limited luxury hotels and requires a two-night stay.
Why the Chase Sapphire Preferred庐 Card Fits Better
The has long appealed to me for its value and practicality. It has many of the benefits I cared about most with the Chase Sapphire Reserve庐, including access to Chase transfer partners and primary rental car coverage — but with a significantly lower $95 annual fee.
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When I downgraded my Chase Sapphire Reserve庐, I knew I’d want to open a Chase Sapphire Preferred庐 Card when a good welcome offer came around. I found the offer I was looking for with the that increased the sign-up bonus to 100,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
The refresh improved the card’s rewards and benefits without raising the annual fee — and an already good card became better aligned with my lifestyle. I was glad to see improvements that fit my spending, including a straightforward $100 annual Chase Travel? hotel credit (up from $50) and three points per dollar on EV charging, gas and online groceries.
Why the Math Works for Me
The Chase Sapphire Preferred庐 Card doesn’t need to replace every benefit I lost from the Chase Sapphire Reserve庐. I don’t need it for lounge access, statement credits or other benefits I get from other premium cards in my wallet.
What I do need is a travel card with access to Chase transfer partners, primary rental car coverage, useful travel protections and bonus categories that fit my spending. The Chase Sapphire Preferred庐 Card does that — and the $100 annual Chase Travel hotel credit alone can offset the card’s annual fee.
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