Citi Premier Card Vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

While it’s a good idea to compare credit cards based on the value you can get in the long run, welcome bonuses remain a significant incentive.

With the Citi Premier® Card, you can earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.

If you opt for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you can earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

For basic redemption options, when each point is redeemed for 1 cent, the Citi Premier® Card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are equal due to identical welcome bonuses. However, the Sapphire Preferred’s bonus has an edge when factoring in that the Sapphire Preferred offers a value of 1.25 cents per point for booking travel via Chase’s travel portal.

However, if you want to transfer points to partners to get potentially outsized value on travel deals, consider each card’s airline and hotel partners.

See cardholder agreement for the Citi Premier® Card’s annual fee. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card’s annual fee is $95—making them even when it comes to the yearly cost of carrying either card.

The two cards have some overlap in their rewards rates, but there are enough differences that it’s important to consider your spending habits when deciding between them.

With the Citi Premier® Card, you’ll earn the following rewards rates: 3 ThankYou points per dollar at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels, 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases and a total of 10 points per dollar on hotels, car rentals, and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel portal through June 30, 2024.

In contrast, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card’s rewards rates are: 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points per dollar on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per dollar on all other travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on other purchases.

The Sapphire Preferred has an edge for people who spend more on streaming services and online groceries, but the Premier may be better if you spend a lot on gas or prefer shopping in person.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

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5.0

Forbes Advisor created additional star ratings so that you can see the best card for specific needs. This card shines for this use, but overall the star ratings may differ when compared to other cards.

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Up to 5x Reward Rate

Earn 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on allRead More

Welcome Bonus

75,000 bonus points

Annual Fee

$95

Regular APR

21.49%-28.49% Variable

Credit Score

Excellent, Good (700 - 749)

Editor's Take

Offering a rare mix of high rewards rates and redemption flexibility, this card is a dream for frequent spenders on travel & dining – while charging a modest annual fee.

Expert Commentary

Julian Kheel

Credit Cards and Travel Rewards Expert

With over 15 years of professional experience studying credit cards and travel loyalty programs, Julian Kheel has served as CNN’s senior editor covering travel and credit cards, as well as the editorial director for The Points Guy, and worked as a consultant for the biggest airlines. He is currently the CEO of Tripsight Inc., an award tools company that recently released Points Path, the first browser extension that automatically adds the prices of flights in miles into Google Flights search results to help travelers decide when to best use their travel rewards.
 
Julian first learned the ins and outs of credit card rewards and travel loyalty programs while flying more than 200,000 miles a year as a TV producer and director for World Wrestling Entertainment. (And yes, of course it’s all real.) He has previously written about travel and credit cards for U.S. News & World Report, Upgraded Points and Going, and created weekly columns for the travel websites Frequent Miler and Travel Codex.
 
In addition to appearing as a TV analyst to discuss travel and loyalty programs on national segments for CNN, Bloomberg News, CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Yahoo Finance and Cheddar TV, Julian has also been featured on ABC and CBS Radio, and has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and the Chicago Tribune on travel-related topics as well.

Julian Kheel

Julian Kheel

Credit Cards and Travel Rewards Expert

With over 15 years of professional experience studying credit cards and travel loyalty programs, Julian Kheel has served as CNN’s senior editor covering travel and credit cards, as well as the editorial director for The Points Guy, and worked as a consultant for the biggest airlines. He is currently the CEO of Tripsight Inc., an award tools company that recently released Points Path, the first browser extension that automatically adds the prices of flights in miles into Google Flights search results to help travelers decide when to best use their travel rewards.
 
Julian first learned the ins and outs of credit card rewards and travel loyalty programs while flying more than 200,000 miles a year as a TV producer and director for World Wrestling Entertainment. (And yes, of course it’s all real.) He has previously written about travel and credit cards for U.S. News & World Report, Upgraded Points and Going, and created weekly columns for the travel websites Frequent Miler and Travel Codex.
 
In addition to appearing as a TV analyst to discuss travel and loyalty programs on national segments for CNN, Bloomberg News, CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Yahoo Finance and Cheddar TV, Julian has also been featured on ABC and CBS Radio, and has been quoted in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and the Chicago Tribune on travel-related topics as well.

Credit Cards and Travel Rewards Expert

I​​t’s the granddaddy of travel credit cards, but it still earns its reputation as one of the best around with solid bonus categories, strong travel protections, a great set of domestic and international transfer partners and a reasonable annual fee to boot. You can’t go wrong with it as your first travel credit card.

Pros & Cons

• Earn high rewards on several areas of spending
• Transfer points to travel partners at 1:1 rate
• Many travel and shopping protections

• Annual fee
• No intro APR offer
• Best travel earning rates are only for bookings through Chase

Card Details

• Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 75,000 points are worth $937.50 toward travel.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
• Member FDIC

Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

Neither card charges foreign transaction fees, making both an option for international trips.

With the Citi Premier® Card, you’ll also get $100 off a single hotel stay of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees) each calendar year when you book through thankyou.com.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card’s hotel benefit is less valuable, offering just up to $50 each account anniversary year on hotel stays booked through Chase Travel—but it doesn’t require you spend a certain amount to get it.

On top of that, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card’ also offers travel protections:

• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
• Primary auto rental collision damage waiver
• Baggage delay insurance
• Trip delay reimbursement
• Travel and emergency assistance services

The Citi Premier doesn’t offer any similar perks, giving an edge to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for travelers who want extra peace of mind if something goes wrong.

Both cards offer several redemption options with a redemption rate of at least 1 cent per point.

When redeeming your points for options such as cash back and gift cards, the two cards are pretty much even. But if you like the convenience of booking travel through your issuer’s portal, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a clear advantage—the 25% more value you get per point.

Both credit cards offer transferable points, allowing you to squeeze even more value out of your rewards. Although a few of the transfer partners are the same, several unique partners for each card could tip the scales to one or the other for you.

With the Citi Premier® Card, you can transfer your points to:

• Aeromexico Club Premier
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• Accor Live Limitless
• Avianca LifeMiles
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Choice Privileges
• Shop Your Way
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Guest
• EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• The Leading Hotels of the World Leaders Club
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Thai Royal Orchid Plus
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• Wyndham Rewards

With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you can transfer your rewards to:

• Aer Lingus AerClub
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• British Airways Executive Club
• Emirates Skywards
• Iberia Plus
• IHG One Rewards
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Marriott Bonvoy
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
• United MileagePlus
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• World of Hyatt

The Citi Premier® Card offers more international airline partners, while the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card provides a good mix of domestic and international airline options. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card also offers better quality hotel transfer partners.

As you consider each card’s transfer partners, focus on your general travel habits and preferences to determine the right fit.

The Citi Premier® Card offers damage and theft purchase protection, extended warranty coverage on eligible purchases and virtual account numbers, which you can use to shop online without putting your main card number at risk.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card also offers purchase protection and extended warranty coverage but doesn’t allow creation of virtual account numbers. However, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card still has an advantage with its partner benefits, which include:

• Earn 5 points per dollar spent on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025.
• Earn 5 points per dollar on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 with a max earn of 25,000 total points through March 31, 2025.
• Receive a complimentary DoorDash DashPass subscription for at least one year if activated by December 31, 2024.
• Get a complimentary six-month Instacart+ membership, plus $15 per quarter in statement credits on Instacart purchases.

The fees and APRs for each card are comparable, making them less of a factor than other features as you determine the better fit for you. Neither offers a 0% introductory APR, so if you need to finance a big-ticket item or transfer debt from another card, you’re probably better off looking at a card other than the Citi Premier or Chase Sapphire Preferred.

See cardholder agreement for rates and fees for the Citi Premier® Card.

And with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 21.49%-28.49% variable APR on purchases and balance transfers.

On a positive note, the Premier and Sapphire Preferred can be used abroad without a foreign transaction fee.

Premium Travel Perks

If you’re looking for a card that offers premium travel benefits, such as airport lounge access, application credits for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, or more travel-related credits, you may consider The Platinum Card® from American Express (terms apply, see rates & fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

A Simple Rewards Program

Both the Premier and Sapphire Preferred have a lot of bonus reward categories, which can be tough to keep track of. If you prefer a card with a high, flat rewards rate, you may wish to consider the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, mentioned above, or its more affordable sibling card—the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

An Annual Fee

If you’re not sure you can get enough value from a card to make up for an annual fee or you’re generally fee-averse, you may want a no annual fee travel credit card like the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card.

Both the Citi Premier® Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offer solid value, but each card also has drawbacks.

The Citi Premier® Card’s welcome bonus is solid, and you can earn bonus rewards on several everyday spending categories. It also has many international transfer partners, making it a good choice for people who enjoy traveling abroad. However, the card falls short on benefits.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card also has a strong rewards program with several opportunities to earn points, and if you plan to use your rewards for travel, the welcome bonus is more valuable than the Citi Premier’s.

When it comes to card benefits, though, there’s no contest. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the clear winner, with a robust array of travel protections and other benefits. It’s also a better choice if you want a healthy mix of domestic and international travel partners.

All things considered, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has an edge for most credit card users based on its redemption options and benefits. But, of course, it’s important to consider your spending habits and travel preferences to determine which is better for you.

To view rates and fees for The Platinum Card® from American Express please visit this page.