Will Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card’s Annual Fee Be Going Up For New Applicants?

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DDF user AAFlyer first reported seeing an annual fee of $149 on Chase.com for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card after the first free year. Then BarryLincoln said that he saw a $125 offer.

Indeed by using a couple of different browsers to go to Chase.com I was able to replicate both of their findings:

$149 annual fee:

sapp1

$125 annual fee:

sapp2

 

 

 

 

 

 

For now, my affiliate Chase Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card® Card link is still showing free for the first year and then a $95 annual fee:

sapp3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of the cards have the same offer of 40,000 bonus points for spending $3,000 in 3 months plus 5,000 additional bonus points for adding a free additional user.

I don’t have any information on pricing changes, but in the past changes first occur on Chase.com and then for my affiliate link. That has happened with the Ink card, Freedom card, etc.

Indeed the Southwest offer direct from Chase.com is now back down to 25K while my affiliate Chase Southwest link is still showing the 50K bonus…for now.

Maybe they’re testing different levels, maybe a change is coming for everyone, hard to say at this point. But if you do want to lock in the lower fee now seems like a good time to apply.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the best all-around cards out there with a great signup bonus, great year-round spending bonuses, and great benefits.

It gives free primary car rental insurance in Israel while offering 2.14 points per dollar spent and no foreign exchange fees.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card s have an EMV chip so that you’ll be able to use your card in more places when abroad.  The card is made from metal and feels awesome.  Plus when you call the number on the back of your card a human being answers right away. No phone maze to fight with and no hold time.

Besides for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card’s excellent signup bonus the card also offers:
-No foreign exchange or transaction fees so you’ll always get the best possible rate.
-2.14 points per dollar on all airfare, including tickets bought from travel agents and online agencies.
-2.14 points per dollar on timeshares (just in case you’re a real sucker)
-2.14 points per dollar on car rentals.
-2.14 points per dollar on hotels.
-2.14 points per dollar at restaurants, fast food, coffee shops, bars, lounges, and cafes (3.21 on the first friday of the month)
-2.14 points per dollar on catering (3.21 on the first friday of the month)
-2.14 points per dollar on transportation including trains, buses, taxis, limos, ferries, bridges, tolls, and parking.
-1.07 points per dollar elsewhere.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card also offers protections including very generous travel protections when the trip is charged to your card:
-Trip cancellation insurance ($5,000 per individual trip or $10,000 per family trip).
-Lost luggage protection ($3,000 per person)
-Trip delay protection ($500 per person for trips delayed by 12+ hours or that require an overnight stay)
-Baggage delay protection (If delayed 6+ hours: $100 per day per person up to 5 days)
-Travel accident insurance
-Price protection ($500 per item that drops in price within 90 days of purchase)
-Return protection ($500 per item for 90 days)
-Purchase protection ($500 per item damaged or stolen for 120 days)
-Extended warranty protection ($10,000 per item for an extra year on original warranties of 3 years or less)

Points can instantly at an equal ratio transfer to:
-United (Star Alliance)
-British Airways (OneWorld)
-Korean (Skyteam)
-Southwest
-Virgin Atlantic
-Hyatt
-Marriott
-Ritz Carlton
-Priority Club
-Amtrak

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20 Comments On "Will Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card’s Annual Fee Be Going Up For New Applicants?"

All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.

berele

Hey Dan are there any partners of Korean that are part skyteam that fly regionally within the us at favourable rates ( like aa with british airways)? Thanks

Dan

@berele:
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/21319

Where Korean really shines is first class availability. You can get a suite to Asia (or from Asia to Israel if you want) basically any day you want.

Michael

The united changes certainly devaluated UR points. Dan, do you think this annual fee increase could be indicative of any future improvements to the rewards program? In your experience, have you ever seen significant uptrends in the value of any of the major points programs. In my limited experience in the points game, I’ve only seen downtrends.

pass this time

While chase used to be something to care for I will be passing now on applying for any cards. Many people I know were shut down for no reason and more importantly all their points were taken away.

And the points are not worth that much anyways

blackcat

Seems like raising the annual fee now is a bad idea, given that AmEx EveryDay will be coming out soon, and I view that product as a head-to-head competitor with CSP.

Dan

@pass this time:
People don’t get shut down for no reason, they just don’t know the reason.
Probably was one of these things: http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/35174

Also they stopped confiscating points. Now when you’re shut down they have been letting people transfer the points out.
In fact people that had points taken away in the past have had them randomly show up in their accounts.

@blackcat:
Even after the devals I still think that Chase has much stronger partners.

And those cards have weak bonuses though they look like they have very good potential for spending.

But yes, it does seem like a strange time to raise the annual fee.

I wish AMEX would make a premium version of the SPG card…

Fishing4Deals

@Dan: @Dan: The Sapphire Preferred is the premium version! There is also a no annual fee version of the card.

dovid

will those with card already be grandfathered into 95 $

lkwd

will be able to use my BA miles on US airways after march 31

drew

Hay Dan, what happened to the hit counter?
I just noticed it missing now dont yell if its been gone for ages already….

J

“Plus when you call the number on the back of your card a human being answers right away. No phone maze to fight with and no hold time.”

Had a 15-minute hold time on Friday before a rep picked up. No maze, but definitely not right away.

Dan's the man

@Fishing4Deals: Dan said he wants a premium version of the SPG card not the Sapphire card. The SPG is an Amex not Chase. You got confused.

UA

Sapphire worth keep for $95? math?

was considering re cycle.

advice?

TIA

AA

85,000 /500 *4 = $680 cost of points for coach
add 95 AF

$800 for a “FREE” ticket

need to find availability.

can many times get a paid ticket at this rate, earning miles.

AA

as a side note, my friend just got paid tix for Pessach, hard to find award seats for that time, via travel agent, TK, cost $1000 per seat. No award available for dates, and free would be $800. A lot of hassle, and no easy seat, for “maybe” savings of $200.

Anonymous

@Dan: is there a sapphire non preferred?

Lkwder

Can you please direct me to the thread that says how to switch a Saphire Visa to MC? My 1st yr is almost up & I would like to do that, while keeping the credit line, & of course my points!!
TIA!

Shayt

I opened up a Sapphire preferred card a few years ago, and then downgraded it to the standard Sapphire which is still open.

Can I reapply for the Sapphire preferred and get the points?

ST

@Dan I really hope you see this. I’ve wanted to ask you for a while. what are the differences between Sapphire Preferred and just Sapphire? I was really cheap when I signed up and got the plain Sapphire because I didn’t want the annual fee. now I sort of regret it. I don’t want to open a new card just to get the preferred so I just wanted to know the pros and cons if you don’t mind…
Thanks so much.

Anonymous

I recently called to request a card with an EMV chip because my original metal card did not have one. They sent a replacement card with a chip, but it was plastic, not metal, and had a raised account number on the front like any other credit card.

@J: When I called to request a metal card with a chip, I was on hold for a few minutes, but I was presented with an option to use the automated system.

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