Welcome bonuses typically offer the quickest way to earn a large number of points from a new credit card. However, it can be a challenge to find the best credit card offers, because bank websites don’t always highlight the highest offers available. Case in point: Chase occasionally offers an elevated welcome bonus on the popular Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, but you need to know where to look to snag this deal. Here’s how to find the Chase Sapphire Preferred 80,000 bonus points offer.
Where can you find the Chase 80,000 bonus offer?
Right now, the standard welcome offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is 80,000 Ultimate Rewards® points, earned after spending $4,000 in three months. That’s worth up to $1,000 in travel when booked through Chase. There are three primary ways to find the the Chase Sapphire Preferred 80,000 bonus points offer:
Elevated offer
The easiest way to qualify for the 80,000 bonus offer is when Chase provides this offer to the public. These elevated offers are available to everyone through the Chase website, branch locations and credit card partners.
Prequalify through CardMatch
CardMatch is an automated tool that matches you with targeted offers based on a soft pull of your credit report. These offers come from a variety of banks, including American Express, Chase and Citi. There is no impact on your credit for viewing these offers. However, the bank will do a hard pull if you submit an application.
To view your CardMatch offers, you’ll need to provide your full name, address and the last four digits of your Social Security number. There are no guarantees that these offers will be better than what’s publicly available. However, the results show the card offers you are most likely approved for based on your credit report.
Visit a Chase branch
Chase has a history of offering elevated bonuses to customers who apply in a branch versus online. These applications allow bank employees to verify your identity more easily and potentially cross-sell other products to you. Additionally, these interactions help bankers build relationships with customers and generate more loyalty with the bank.
Targeted offers from Chase
From time to time, Chase targets existing customers with elevated bonus offers. These exclusive offers may come through the mail or be found online in the “Just For You” section of your account dashboard.
Opt in to targeted offers to ensure that Chase considers you for these. Adjust your settings by selecting your marketing preferences in the profile settings of your online account.
Referrals from existing cardholders
Existing Sapphire Preferred cardholders can earn bonus points for referring new customers to Chase. Cardholders earn 15,000 points for every successful referral and can earn up to 75,000 bonus points from referrals each year. And, the new customer will have an opportunity to earn a welcome bonus on their card. In some cases, referral offers may be better than the publicly available offer on the Chase website or what’s available in-branch.
Can you downgrade the Chase Sapphire Reserve to get the Chase Sapphire Preferred offer?
Existing Chase Sapphire Reserve®* cardholders cannot qualify for a new Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card, as you’re only allowed to hold one of the Sapphire cards at a time. However, you can contact Chase and ask for a product change — a downgrade from the Sapphire Reserve Card to the Sapphire Preferred Card. But know that in most cases, you will not be able to get a new Chase Sapphire Preferred card by downgrading your Sapphire Reserve card.
If you downgrade your existing Sapphire card to a Chase Freedom Flex℠* or Chase Freedom Unlimited®*, you may be able to eventually qualify for a new Chase Sapphire Preferred. However, be aware the Chase Sapphire cards state on their online landing pages that if you’ve owned a Sapphire card within the previous 48 months or received a welcome bonus on any Sapphire card within the previous 48 months, you are not eligible for another Sapphire card.
Alternatively, you could close your existing Reserve or Preferred before applying for a new Chase Sapphire Preferred account. The restriction on having owned or earned a welcome bonus on any Sapphire card in the past 48 months will still impact your eligibility to earn a new bonus.
Finally, applicants also should be aware of the unwritten Chase 5/24 rule, where Chase will not approve you if you’ve opened five or more new credit card accounts from any issuer in the previous 24 months.
Clearly, earning the Chase Sapphire Preferred 80,000-point welcome bonus will require some thoughtful planning if you’re a current or recent Sapphire Preferred cardholder, and won’t be possible in all cases. But, the strategies above can be helpful in determining your approach, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements.
How to bump up the offer from 80,000 to 100,000 points
If you are able to find a 100,000-point welcome bonus offer after you’ve applied through the 80,000-point offer link, the best strategy is to save the URL and take a screenshot of that page. Send a secure message to Chase asking them to bump up your offer from 80,000 to 100,000 points. If you’ve been approved recently, there’s a good chance that customer service might be able to accommodate your request.
How to achieve the minimum spend requirement to earn the 80,000 bonus points
To earn the Chase Sapphire Preferred 80,000-point welcome bonus, you need to meet the card’s minimum spend requirement. While many people can hit this hurdle through their regular spending, others need to be creative. Here are a few strategies you can use to earn your welcome bonus.
- Everyday expenses. Your monthly expenses may be more than you think. Use your Chase Sapphire Preferred Card to pay for all of your expenses during the welcome bonus period. Even if you’re not getting extra points through bonus categories, earning the welcome bonus can be worth it.
- Prepay your bills. Some vendors allow customers to prepay their bills ahead of time. Prepaying bills like utilities, auto insurance, and cellphones can help you meet the spending goal.
- Annual insurance payments. Pay for your home, auto, life and other types of insurance with your credit card.
- Home improvement projects. Planning a home improvement project, like a new roof, upgraded carpet or replacing your windows? Time your application to coincide with your upcoming project.
- Use Plastiq. This third-party service allows customers to use their credit card to pay virtually any bill. Plastiq charges your card and adds on a fee. The company then mails a check to pay for rent, mortgages, utilities, HOA dues, taxes, tuition and more.
- Buy gift cards. Grocery stores, gas stations, office supply stores, restaurants and more offer gift cards. You can buy gift cards today to meet your minimum spending requirement, then use the gift cards over time. Note, while buying some gift cards along with your normal shopping should be fine, some issuers may flag unusually large purchases of gift cards, so don’t go overboard.
- Major car repairs. Buying new tires, getting a tune-up or other repairs can be costly. Use your credit card to earn a welcome bonus when getting your car fixed.
- Pay someone else’s bills. Ask friends and family if you can pay their bills with your credit card and receive payment from them.
- Business expenses. If you run a small business, you may be able to pay for your expenses with your credit card, then get reimbursed from the business.
Why you may not be eligible for a higher welcome offer
Even with the current Chase Sapphire Preferred 80,000 bonus points offer, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be eligible to get approved. Make sure that you qualify for the card before applying. Here are some reasons why you may not be eligible for the current offer:
Too many new credit cards
The Chase 5/24 rule prohibits customers from getting approved for a new credit card if they’ve opened five or more cards from any bank in the last 24 months. Getting added as an authorized user or opening a line of credit may also count toward this limit.
Received a welcome bonus less than four years ago
Customers who’ve owned a Sapphire card or earned a welcome bonus from either the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Chase Sapphire Preferred in the last 48 months are ineligible to earn a bonus on a new Sapphire card account. The 48-month clock starts based on when you opened your account or earned the bonus, whichever is more recent.
Existing card open
If you currently have a Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred card open, you are ineligible to apply for either card again. To apply, you must close your current account or downgrade it to another card. One strategy is to downgrade your Sapphire card to the no-annual-fee Chase Freedom Unlimited, which earns 1.5% cash back (1.5 points per dollar) on all non-bonus category purchases
Low credit score
To get approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you need to have good-to-excellent credit. A good FICO Score is 670 to 739, while very good is 740 to 799 and exceptional is 800 and higher. If your score is too low, you may wish to take steps to build your credit fast so you can apply to earn this elevated offer.
Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred worth it without the 80,000 bonus points offer?
While the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s 80,000 bonus points offer is very lucrative, it can still make sense to apply for other reasons. This credit card offers tremendous ongoing value for travelers because of its high earning power, flexible rewards and generous travel benefits in exchange for a reasonable annual fee.
Cardholders can earn up to 5 points per dollar on travel booked through Chase, 3 points on dining, select streaming services and online grocery purchases (some exclusions apply), 2 points on other travel and 1 point per dollar on other spending. You can redeem points for cash back and gift cards or transfer them to more than a dozen airline and hotel loyalty partners. Additionally, points are worth 25% more when booking travel through the Chase travel portal. The card also includes travel and purchase protections at no extra charge.
Other cards with 80,000 to 100,000-point bonus offers
Before applying for the Chase Sapphire Preferred welcome bonus, you should compare it against other credit cards. While this bonus is higher than normal, it isn’t the only credit card that offers a generous welcome bonus. Here are a few other cards with large welcome bonuses.
- The Platinum Card® from American Express. Earn 80,000 points when you spend $6,000 within the first six months.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. Earn 50,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after spending $5,000 in purchases in the first six months.
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. Earn 130,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 in the first three months.
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. Earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months.
- Hilton Honors American Express Card. Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending 1,000 in the first three months.
- Aeroplan® Credit Card*. Earn up to 100,000 points through a two-tiered bonus. You’ll get 60,000 points by spending $4,000 in three months. Plus, another 40,000 points after spending a total of $20,000 in the first 12 months.
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card*. Get three free nights valued at up to 50,000 points each (for a potential value of up to 150,000 points) when you spend $3,000 in the first three months.
- IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card*. Earn 140,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months.
- British Airways Visa Signature® Card*. Earn up to 100,000 points with a two-stage bonus offer. You’ll get 75,000 points by spending $5,000 in three months, plus another 25,000 points when you spend a total of $20,000 in the first 12 months.
- Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card*. Get 75,000 points when you spend $5,000 in three months plus an additional 25,000 points by spending a total of $20,000 in 12 months for a total welcome bonus of up to 100,000 points.
- Iberia Visa Signature® Card*. You’ll receive a total of 100,000 points by meeting both welcome bonus offers. Earn the first 75,000 points by spending $5,000 within three months. Plus, get an additional 25,000 points by spending a total of $20,000 in the first year.
*The information for these cards has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
The value of points from the Chase Sapphire Preferred varies based on how you use them. There are many redemption options available, and Ultimate Rewards points are a valuable award currency. Cash back and gift cards get one cent per point in value, while booking travel through the Chase travel portal gets 1.25 cents per point. Cardholders typically get the highest value, often more than 1.25 cents per point, by transferring their rewards to loyalty partners and using to book high-end hotels, premium flights or peak-season travel.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers numerous benefits that can justify its $95 annual fee, like complimentary travel and purchase protections. It also includes an annual $50 hotel credit (for bookings made through Chase), 25% more value per point when booking travel with points through Chase’s portal and offers exclusive partner benefits and discounts.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are very flexible and have numerous redemption options. Points can be redeemed for cash back and gift cards, online shopping, travel, Apple products, and more. The highest value generally comes from booking travel through Chase or transferring points to Chase’s airline and hotel partners.
