The *chase sapphire preferred* is currently offering a bigger welcome bonus of 75,000 points after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months. And the entire team here at Thrifty Traveler HQ started thinking about how we'd put all those points to use.
That's up from the standard bonus of 60,000 points, making this one of the best bonuses you can get on this card – or any travel card right now, period. Many of us already have this card, but a bonus this good has some of us attempting to get it again.
Live near a Chase branch? See if you can get an 85,000-point bonus (with a slightly higher spending requirement) by applying in-person – but only on the Chase Sapphire Preferred!
Wondering just what can those 75,000 points get you? Between the ability to book flights and hotels directly through Chase Travel℠ and transferring them to more than a dozen airline or hotel partners, these points are more than enough to cover a few types of trips.
But let's make it real. The Thrifty Traveler team turned on wanderlust mode and dreamed up how we'd each put these points to use.
Learn more about the *csp*.
Jared & Erica: Business Class to Europe on Air France
Thrifty Traveler founder and CEO Jared and his wife Erica would both use their own bonuses of 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to fly KLM business class between their home airport of Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) and Europe.
Since Flying Blue – the shared loyalty program of Air France and KLM – is a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner, you can instantly send Chase points to Flying Blue to book these flights for just 50,000 miles and $205.50 in taxes and fees each.
Got a spouse or go-to travel partner? You can both open a Chase Sapphire Card and earn 150,000 points total!
It's hard to beat lie-flat seats on a nonstop flight to Europe from our home airport. We'd each have 25,000 points to spare to book other intra-Europe flights to explore beyond Amsterdam.
Plus, when you fly KLM you'll get one of the airline's famous Delft Blue miniature houses, filled with Dutch gin. Each one depicts a real Dutch building, and they're highly collectible. The airline has been offering these to business-class passengers since the 1950s!
Nick: 2 Nights in Wine Country at the Alila Napa Valley
Now it's my turn.
My wife and I are looking at doing a trip to Napa Valley early next year. I can't think of a better hotel stay to make the experience special than the Alila Napa Valley, a Hyatt property.
The Alila Napa Valley is a category 8 property, meaning a standard room will cost 40,000 World of Hyatt points per night. With Hyatt introducing peak and off-peak award pricing a few years back, it's possible to pay as few as 35,000 points per night for an award at this property – or as much as 45,000 during a peak period.
But the two nights in February 2025 are pricing out as off-peak nights at 35,000 points each. So two nights will cost 70,000 Hyatt points – a very good deal considering cash rates for those nights cost nearly $900 per night.
Since Hyatt is a transfer partner of Chase, I can transfer 70,000 points directly into my Hyatt account and book the two nights I need.
Kyle: A Ski Trip to Japan in Style
Our executive editor, Kyle, has his sights set on returning to Japan with this bonus. He's eyeing one of the best ways to get to Japan.
Just one flight in ANA's “The Room” business class wasn't enough. I mean, just look at this. Can you blame me?
Read our full review of ANA's The Room business class from Chicago to Tokyo!
As luck would have it, my friend and I are hoping to head over to Japan next winter for a ski trip up in Hokkaido. Booking these flights would normally cost a small fortune: Think $20,000 or more in cash. And booking with some airlines like United would run you at least 220,000 miles or more for a roundtrip. This 75,000-point bonus opens up an even better avenue to get to Japan on points and miles.
I could book these business class seats from San Francisco (SFO) to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) and back for just 105,000 points via Virgin Atlantic. While Virgin Atlantic recently raised award rates to book ANA business class, it's still far and away the cheapest way to book these seats.
Read more on how to book ANA business and first class – and where you'll find these amazing seats!
Virgin is a Chase transfer partner, and Chase points normally transfer 1:1 to Virgin. I know what you're thinking: 75,000 points is not enough to book these flights.
Fortunately, Chase regularly offers a 30% bonus transferring Chase points to Virgin, including one such bonus available as of publication. Factoring in that bonus, I would have to transfer just 81,000 points to my Virgin Atlantic account to book these incredible flights to Japan!
Considering the minimum spend requirement to earn the welcome bonus offer, I'll have at least 79,000 Chase points to spend. I shouldn't have a problem earning those final 2,000 points to book ANA's “The Room” business class back to Japan.
Jon: Roundtrip and Nonstop to Hawaii for Cheap
We don't need to tell you that 75,000 points from a single credit card is a big deal. It's so big, in fact, that you can book a roundtrip flight to Hawaii … and still have 5,000 points left over! You just have to do it right.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points offer one of the cheapest ways to fly nonstop in economy to Hawaii. There's just one hitch: You're not using them to fly Virgin Atlantic, but its partner carrier Delta Air Lines. On Delta, you can fly from Minneapolis St. Paul (MSP) to Honolulu (HNL) for just 70,000 miles roundtrip… with minimal fees!
Since Virgin Atlantic is a Chase transfer partner that regularly offers 30% transfer bonuses, you can book this for 54,000 points roundtrip! And, that's exactly what our Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal guru Jon would do.
My wife, Sarah, and I have been trying to sneak in a getaway to Hawaii for years. Using this big 75,000 point Chase bonus, each of us could earn the bonus and easily fly from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Honolulu (HNL) nonstop on Delta!
It's hard to believe we can do it this cheap. Paying cash, each one of these flights would cost more than $1,100 apiece roundtrip! And with the 30% transfer bonus, I'd only need to transfer 54,000 points from Chase to Virgin Atlantic to pull this off per person person.
Gunnar: A Delta Hub Captive's MSP Jailbreak
Our flight deal analyst and travel reporter, Gunnar, has his sites set on a trip south of the border. But instead of heading to Mexico's famed beaches, he's looking to take in a little bit of culture in Mexico City (MEX).
The only problem? Getting there on his preferred airline, Delta, is typically quite expensive. Don't worry though: By transferring Chase points, there's an easy solution!
Delta hub captives, I too feel your pain! Travelers in places like Atlanta (ATL), Detroit (DTW), and Salt Lake City (SLC) know this pain all too well. When Delta doesn't have meaningful competition in a market, they get to set their own flight prices…and sometimes those prices can get offensive.
It's annoying, but Delta is far and away the best airline flying the most routes out of my home airport ofMinneapolis-St. Paul (MSP). More often than not, it's the only reasonable choice. But I'm not paying $668 to fly main cabin roundtrip to Mexico City (MEX)! That's offensive.
In SkyMiles, the same flights are close to 60,000 points roundtrip in main cabin. No thanks.
These are the flights I need to take, though. So how is a 75,000-point bonus on the Chase Sapphire Preferred going to help me? Through Chase's transfer partners Virgin Atlantic and Air France/KLM Flying Blue, which often allow you to book Delta flights at a fraction of the price Delta charges.
These two Delta partners are my Delta nonstop cheat codes. The same flights booked with Virgin? Only 18,500 points each way or 37,000 points roundtrip. With that handy 30% transfer bonus, I'd only need to transfer 29,000 points to book this roundtrip!
And then check out with FlyingBlue has to offer!
That's a 30,000-Chase point roundtrip Delta flight instead of shelling out more than $600 or 50,000 Delta SkyMiles. It's meaningful savings for a Delta hub captive like me.
Better yet: When you use Delta tickets through Flying Blue or Virgin, the lowest economy price books into main cabin – so unlike Delta basic economy, you get a free seat assignment. Plus, you can cancel your ticket at any time for just a $50 fee. Well worth it for the flexibility!
I still get to fly my preferred airline from my home airport awhile avoiding becoming the latest victim of Delta's price-gouging.
Booking short Delta flights with Chase points isn't the sexiest use of points and miles … but it will help me save roughly $2,500 on flights to weddings, graduations, and otherwise getaways in 2024. All thanks to my Chase points!
Peter: Two Stops in South America
Ready to take things to the next level with Chase points?
Our senior flight deal analyst and points and miles reporter, Peter, has insights into redeeming this bonus for an incredible trip to South America with one of the best ways to use United miles.
With 75,000 Chase points, I would book a multi-city “winter” escape down to South America. It’s one of my favorite places to visit and by utilizing Chase’s transfer partnership with United and United’s excursionist perk, I'd book the following itinerary to see both Peru and Colombia for just about 67,000 United miles plus around $137 total in economy.
United's little-known Excursionist Perk allows you to tuck in a free one-way flight inside of a roundtrip reservation. That means the flight from Lima (LIM) to Bogota (BOG) on my trip doesn’t require any extra miles in this case since it’s booked as a stopover on the way back to his home airport of San Diego (SAN). That's right: I'm flying down to Lima, over to Bogota, and then back home from Colombia to San Diego for the same mileage as a simple roundtrip to Peru.
With points to spare, I could book a few more flights within South America or hotels for my trip via Chase Travel℠.
Paying cash for these flights would be almost $1,000 each, so it's a great value using Chase points. Flying business class with points is almost always a better value compared to the cash cost of a ticket, but if one sign-up bonus can fly a traveler in economy to see two destinations in South America and back, I’d say that’s a steal!
Allie: Diving in Honduras
Our senior editor, Allie, is planning to knock the dust off her scuba gear with her newfound pile of Chase Ultimate Rewards.
My fiance and I are both certified scuba divers who've yet to dive in 2024, and this Chase bonus will go far towards paying for our next trip. I've had the Chase Sapphire Preferred card for years, but my favorite way to redeem Chase points is also the easiest: using them to book free flights through the Chase Travel℠ portal.
With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, each point is worth 1.25 cents when booking through Chase Travel, so I always know I'm getting pretty good value for my points. And it's easier than transferring points to partner airlines.
The cheaper the fare, the fewer Chase points you need to cover it. That's perfect for when a Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal hits my inbox like this one to Roatán, Honduras, a top diving destination.
After zeroing in on the flights I want on Google Flights, I'll pull up the exact same flights in the Chase Travel portal.
With 75,000 Chase points, I can easily cover two roundtrip flights from Minneapolis (MSP) to Roatán (RTB) … with plenty of points to spare for another trip!
Jackson: A Trip in the World's Best Biz Class
As our credit cards and points & miles editor Jackson put it, a bonus of 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards is more than enough to “live like the rich and famous for a day” – or at least one flight.
This isn't just any business class seat: It's Qatar Airways Qsuite, complete with a fully closing door, lie-flat bed, and top-notch food and drinks. I can't think of a better way to spend a hard-earned welcome offer bonus than this!
Read next: Qatar QSuite Business Class Review
Qatar flies its Qsuite business class all over the world, including many routes from the U.S. to Doha (DOH). But why stop there? I'd prefer to continue on from Doha to see another destination in the Middle East like Dubai (DXB).
In order to make it happen, I'll need to transfer 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards to British Airways Avios. Since Chase points transfer instantly to British Airways, I shouldn't need to worry about award space disappearing while I wait.
I could stop here and book flights directly with British Airways but I'm actually going to take things one step further and transfer those Avios to my Qatar Airways Privilege Club account instead. There are a couple reasons why taking this extra step makes sense and since Chase and Qatar aren't direct partners, it's a necessary one.
For starters, I'm going to save some points by doing this: British Airways charges 77,000 Avios for the one-way business class flight from Chicago O'Hare (ORD) to Dubai, while it only costs 75,000 Avios when booking with Qatar. When it comes to booking a bucket list trip like this, 2,000 points isn't much … but hey, every bit counts! But the bigger reason for booking through Qatar is that they have a more generous change and cancellation policy than British Airways. If my plans change, I'll only have to pay $25 to change or cancel my trip compared to the $55 I'd be on the hook for with British Airways.
When all is said and done, the total out-of-pocket cost for taxes and fees will run me a moderate $206.40. Not bad for nearly 14 hours in the world's best business class – and a pit stop in the incredible Al Safwa First Class Lounge in Doha (DOH) before the final leg to Dubai.
Read more: The Easiest (& Cheapest) Way to Get Into the World’s Coolest Airport Lounge
Lauren: First Time to Dubai
Your bucket list doesn't stand a chance if you get this bonus of 75,000 points. Our social media manager, Lauren, is planning to put those points towards flying to Dubai.
I've always wanted to see Dubai and its stunning architecture. As a shopaholic and fashion aficionado, Dubai's luxury malls and haute couture are a must. And of course, since I'm a social media manager, I want to go to Dubai for the endless supply of Instagrammable spots like the Dubai Magical Garden and The Frame.
But getting to Dubai is expensive – it's not a trip I would take if not for this big bonus. I'm pretty new to the world of points and miles, so my co-workers encouraged me to keep things simple. And there's no easier way to take a flight and make it free than using Chase Travel℠.
Every point is worth 1.25 cents toward flights, so this 75,000-point bonus is worth at least $900 in travel. The cheaper the flight, the fewer points I need.
Lucky for me, I work for a flight deal company. I just got a Thrifty Traveler Premium deal alert for flights to Dubai (DXB) for as low as $697 roundtrip. That's like half the normal cost!
Get flight deals like this one from your home airport with Thrifty Traveler Premium!
Flights from nearby Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Dubai were a bit more expensive but still an amazing deal: I could book a trip this fall for just 63,424 Chase points! I'd still have points leftover to put toward another trip – or I might use some of those points to pop down to Abu Dhabi (AUH), maybe take a quad bike ride out in the Arabian desert.
Long: A Direct Flight to Vietnam in Biz Class
Our credit card and award travel reporter Long has a bucket list trip that many aviation geeks don't even know how to book. With 75,000 Chase points, he would top up his points balance and fly to his favorite country in the world: Vietnam.
Just last month, I got a Thrifty Traveler Premium deal for a business class flight with Vietnam Airlines on the only nonstop route from the U.S. to Vietnam.
I grew up in Vietnamese American household and have traveled to Vietnam frequently,so I instantly geeked out over this deal. It's a flight I'd been eyeing for a while but never dared to book because of its hefty price tag of $3,500 or more.
In order to book this flight I'd need to transfer 108,000 Ultimate Rewards to Virgin Atlantic miles during one of Chase's 30% transfer bonuses. While the current bonus isn't quite enough to make this flight a reality, it will get me most of the points I need. And since I don't ever plan to spend $3,000 or more for a flight, it's well worth it to me.
With the current bonus offer combined with a transfer bonus, I'll be roughly 37,000 Virgin points short. But since I can transfer points to Virgin from many other banks including American Express, Capital One, and others, this shouldn't be an issue at all.
Considering this flight is over 15 hours long, business class is essential. I've been on a lot of cool flights but this one is still one on my list that I have yet to check off.
Amber: Lodging in Ireland
At Thrifty Traveler, we're not above getting high off our own supply … our own supply of amazing flight deals, that is. When we dug up roundtrip flights to Dublin (DUB) for under $150 we knew it was a mistake fare that wouldn't last long: Amber jumped on it by booking flights to the Emerald Isle for her and her husband.
Now, it's time to put some Chase points to use to plan the rest of the trip.
The chance to fly roundtrip to Dublin for less than a typical economy ticket to Las Vegas (LAS) was just too good of a deal to pass up. But cheap airfare is only half the battle.
Hotels in Dublin and other parts of Ireland are pricey, to say the least. Thankfully, with a big stash of Chase Ultimate Rewards, I can skip the hostels and stay at a hotel without breaking my budget (or my back).
We're planning to spend our first couple of nights in Dublin before venturing out to see more of Ireland (and Northern Ireland, too). There are lots of chain hotel options in Dublin but thanks to most hotel chain's dynamic award pricing, they're just as expensive with points as they are with cash. That's where Chase's transfer partner Hyatt comes in – and it's a big reason why year after year, Hyatt remains our favorite hotel program.
By transferring 36,000 Chase points to Hyatt, we can book save about $700 and book a two-night stay at the Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin.
This hotel is in a great location which means we won't need to worry about renting a car in Dublin and can visit many of the top tourist spots like the famous Temple Bar area, Guinness Storehouse, and the Trinity College Library by bike.
After a couple of days in Dublin, we're planning to head up to Belfast for a few nights. Once again, hotels here are really expensive … but this time, we're opting to rent an Airbnb instead of staying in a hotel.
To help cover some of the cost of our Airbnb I'm doing something that many wouldn't dare: I'm using Chase Ultimate Rewards to buy an Airbnb gift card. There are far more valuable ways to use Chase points, but cutting down expenses for lodging on this trip is the most important thing for me, so cashing in my points now to cover an amazing Airbnb is a better option than saving them for later.
After using 36,000 points for my hotel in Dublin, I'd have just over 40,000 Ultimate Rewards left from meeting the card's initial spending requirement to earn the bonus. That means, I could turn those 40,000 points into a $400 Airbnb gift card – nearly enough to cover three nights in an adorable one-bedroom Belfast apartment.
Read more: 5 Steps to Find the Best Airbnb, No Matter Where You're Heading
Bottom Line
Clearly, no one on our team would have a hard time putting 75,000 points to use.
From business class flights to a luxurious hotel stay to taking a slew of cheap flights and making them free, there are a ton of options to get a lot of value out of this bonus on the *chase sapphire preferred*. Our ideas are just the tip of the iceberg, so be sure to read up on all the great ways to redeem this huge bonus!
Learn more about the *csp*.