The best travel hacking starter card

In 2017, we took one, four-day vacation. That was paid for in cash. And we walked over 25,000 steps a day because we were afraid of spending money on a car rental or any ride-shares. Relatively early in our careers and focused on becoming financially stable, we were also planning a wedding, which came with a number of expenses. That is, until we found this card. Today, it’s our favorite travel credit card.

Knowing that travel was important to us and wanting to maximize our spend, we began to explore the concept of travel hacking. Max was the first to open the Chase Sapphire Preferred card to start our journey of traveling on points and miles. He then referred Sam for the card, earning a referral bonus in addition to his sign-up bonus.

How this card earns points:

• Earn 3x on dining
• 3 points per dollar on select streaming services
• 3 points per dollar on online grocery purchases
• 2x points on travel
• 5x points on travel purchased through the Chase Travel portal
• 5x points on Lyft rides
• 10% Anniversary Points Boost
• 1x on all other purchases

Why this is our choice for the first card:

• The Sapphire Preferred or Reserve earns Ultimate Rewards points, which can be redeemed for travel through transfers or through the Chase Travel Portal
• You can combine your other Chase Cash Back points with this card to maximize Ultimate Rewards points
• The Sapphire Preferred $95 annual fee is well worth the benefits you get
• Chase has travel partners, like Hyatt, that no other credit card provider has
• The card has travel protections in the event of things like a cancelled flight, rental car damage, lost luggage, and more
• No foreign transaction fees

If you do your research, the vast majority of travel hacking resources suggest this card as the starter card for travel hacking, and it’s easy to see why.

Questions? Drop them below.