Confessions of a Points Amateur (And Why the Chase Sapphire Card Finally Made It Click)
I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, because this was a genuine turning point for me as a solo traveler.
For years, I tried to understand airline and hotel points and failed in increasingly creative ways. I listened to podcasts, signed up for rewards programs I barely understood, and watched YouTubers enthusiastically diagram formulas on whiteboards. None of it stuck. It all felt like being back in high school Trigonometry class.
Meanwhile, people around me were flying business class to Bali, and I was Googling, “how to use miles for literally anything please help.”
Then a well-traveled friend casually mentioned, “Chase Sapphire is the best travel credit card.”
Cue the heavenly choir.
By the way, I do not have an affiliate relationship with Chase. I recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred because it is genuinely the card I use, not because I earn anything from getting you to use it.
Why I Finally Got the Chase Sapphire Card
This friend is no points amateur. He’s the kind of traveler who knows which airport lounge has the best snacks. He told me that not only does the Chase Sapphire Preferred (or Reserve, if you’re fancy) come with a hefty signup bonus, tens of thousands of points just for meeting the minimum spend, but the real magic is this: The points you earn are transferable to a bunch of airlines and hotel partners.
This was news to me. Until then, I’d only ever had a United Airlines card, which made sense because I live near a United hub in San Francisco. But that meant I was locked into their flight network. With Chase Sapphire, I’d have lots of options – here's their current list of airline and hotel chain partners:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- British Airways Executive Club
- Flying Blue Air France KLM
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®
- United MileagePlus®
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- IHG One Rewards
- Marriott Bonvoy®
- World of Hyatt
Top Travel Perks I Actually Use
Beyond the points, one thing I really like about the card is the built-in travel protection.
I travel solo. A lot. So knowing that if my flight gets delayed, my bag gets lost, or I need emergency help while in France, I’ve got backup? Reassuring.
Plus, the concierge services are actually helpful. Think of it as having a personal assistant who doesn’t roll their eyes when you ask them to help plan your Roman holiday. Just knowing this assistance is there makes me feel slightly more put-together than I am. (And, maybe they are rolling their eyes, I just can't see them.)
The Moment It Clicked
Once I got the card, I started noticing something, all the savvy travel bloggers and YouTubers (Nomadic Matt, The Points Guy, even that one guy who makes TikToks in an airport lounge) all recommend this card, especially for point novices.
I had somehow missed this tip for years, even though it’s been right there, quietly recommended by the points people in the know. So I’m passing it along to you in case you’ve also been squinting at your rewards dashboard wondering, “Am I doing this right?”
Because honestly? I wasn’t. But now I feel like I am.
My Final Thoughts
No credit card is perfect for everyone. If you never travel, prefer cash-back cards, or hate annual fees on principle, this probably isn’t your card. But if you are like me, traveling a bit more, trying to stretch your dollars, and wanting travel perks that actually make sense without needing a spreadsheet, this card was a turning point.
It took travel points from something I avoided to something I finally understood and used. That alone made it worth it for me.
I want to be clear about one thing: I do not have an affiliate relationship with Chase. I recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred because it is genuinely the card I use, not because I earn anything from it.
Chase Sapphire Pros and Cons
Let me think…
These pros and cons are based on my personal experience using the Chase Sapphire Preferred for solo travel. This is not a sponsored review.
Pros
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- Provides referrals and assistance in the event of a medical or legal emergency. This really offered me peace of mind when travelling Italy recently. Not knowing the language, it was great to know I had a resource I could contact who could put me in touch with English-speaking help.
- Earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases each account anniversary.
- $50 credit each anniversary to use when booking a hotel stay through Chase Travel.
- Car Rental insurance coverage. I loved being able to decline the extra insurance coverage when I rented a car in Germany.
- International Roadside assistance
- Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance
- Trip Delay: If your common carrier travel is delayed more than 6 hours or requires an overnight stay, you are covered for unreimbursed expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per covered traveler.
- Baggage Delay: Reimburses you up to $100 a day for up to 5 days for essential purchases like toiletries and clothing when baggage is delayed over 6 hours. This came in really handy when my luggage was lost between my ill fated day at the Florence Airport and England. I was able to go on a little “shopping spree” in England to tide me over till my luggage arrived a couple of days later!
- Lost Baggage Coverage: Provides reimbursement up to $3,000 per covered traveler for the cost to repair or replace checked or carry-on baggage that is lost, damaged or stolen during a covered trip.
Cons
- $95 Annual Fee (this was the only “con” I could think of, but really, I haven't been able to find a travel credit card with a lower annual fee!)
In Summary
For years, I thought travel credit cards were only for people who enjoyed decoding fine print and chasing loopholes. Turns out, I just needed one that matched how I actually travel.
This card helped me get there. And if nothing else, I hope this post saves you a few years of confusion and at least one frustrated Google search.
