The Chase Sapphire Preferred Isn't the Card I Fell in Love With Anymore. Here's Why I'm Moving On

CNET

5 days ago

Chase will offer 1.25% boosted redemption on travel through October 2027.
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For a while, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card* was CNET's best travel card. And it's been a favorite in my wallet -- until now.
Sadly, Chase recently removed my beloved 25% boosted redemption rate when booking travel through Chase Travel℠, which is why I applied for the card in the first place. Chase's Ultimate Rewards portal lets you redeem your points for travel, gift cards, experiences and even shopping. But I mainly redeem my points in the portal for flights and hotels.
Chase replaced it with a Points Boost program, which offers a higher per-point value than the 25% bonus, but only for specific flights and hotels that can periodically change. If you redeem for any other, nonboosted, flight or hotel, you'll receive only 1 cent per point.
While the other card benefits are sticking around, like the $50 hotel credit and the 10% anniversary bonus points, the new rewards program makes the card less valuable than it was with the previous 25% redemption bonus.
I'm not thrilled about Points Boost. It might even push me to swap cards. Let's walk through the program and figure out if the Chase Sapphire Preferred is still worth it.
What is Chase's Point Boost program?
The new Points Boost program went into effect last month. However, any points earned before Oct. 26, 2025, can be redeemed under the previous rewards program for the next two years.
But any points earned after Oct. 26 will be valued at up to 1.5 cents per point on select flights and hotels, and up to 1.75 cents per point on premium flights. However, the boosted offers will change.
That can mean good savings if you're booking a first-class flight or find a good deal on a hotel, but the promise of a flat 1.25-cent redemption value regardless of the day or form of travel was an easy way for me to secure value.
I'm glad I'll have two years to use my points as I have been. Points redeemed during this time will qualify for the Points Boost program, too. That gives some time to compare the value and savings.
Why I'm not excited about Chase's Points Boost
Chase's Point Boost feels like gambling for a travel deal. You may spend more points for the same deal you could get for less. Here's how the math shakes out.
If I book an economy round-trip flight from Charlotte to New York's LaGuardia airport, I'll spend $179 or 14,316 points booking through the Chase portal. But if those points were redeemed at only 1 cent, I'd need 17,900 points.
If I'm lucky enough to score a Points Boost offer that lets me redeem points at 1.5 cents per point for the flight, I'll need fewer points: 11,933. But the big question is, Will the offer apply when I'm ready to book, since offers are limited and can change?
Where once there was certainty in landing a good deal, it now feels like it's up to Chase's whims to decide when I can earn more value and when I'll miss out.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve's new annual fee doesn't make it worthwhile, either
The Chase Sapphire Reserve®* is Chase's premium travel card, and though it may seem like the next best choice if you're not happy with the CSP's changes, think again.
The Sapphire Reserve could be worthwhile if you use the myriad of perks and annual credits attached to its steep $795 annual fee, but the Points Boost changes will apply to the CSR, too.
Seeing that I'll run into the same problem with my points, the card's benefits and annual fee don't make sense for my wallet.
I'm not breaking up with Chase yet, but it's complicated
Although I don't like the new Points Boost program, it's not all bad. For example, I like that Marriott is a Chase travel partner, and I'm a fan of the card's travel insurance perks. But I'm on the fence. So is my colleague Evan Zimmer, a CNET money editor who's covered credit cards for eight years.
He typically uses the Chase portal to book flights and has been able to score some savings. But he's not certain of his future with the CSP.
"I'll keep the card for the foreseeable future, but the redemption changes certainly are making me reconsider it," he said. "I'll probably wait to see if I notice a big difference in savings."
I'll likely do the same, but in the meantime, I'm shopping for new cards that are a better fit for my wallet and have a better redemption value than what Chase will give me, like the Capital One Venture X and the American Express Gold Card.