The Best Travel Credit Card for Beginners

Hey ladies! Today I will be telling you about the credit card that has changed my travel life. If you know me then you know I love fun experiences and what’s more fun than traveling the world and experiencing new things and saving money while doing so? Nothing! So let me tell you my travel secret that has helped me travel to places like New York, Miami, The Bahamas, Cancun, Tulum etc . It’s this credit card: The Chase Sapphire Preferred. The benefits of this card has enhanced my overall travel experiences and provided so many valuable perks! Let’s talk about it.

Disclaimer: Affiliated links are included within this post, which means I may earn a commission if you click on them. Also, please keep in mind that the specific benefits and terms of credit cards can change over time, so it’s essential to check the latest information on the Chase website or contact Chase directly for the most up-to-date details.

So let’s talk about the important stuff. Why I use and recommend this card for traveling beginners. Let’s begin. Here are some of the common travel benefits associated with Chase Sapphire credit card:

1.Introductory Reward of $750

First let me start by saying this: If you spend $4,000 within the first 3 months of having this card you will get $750 towards travel (redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards). Ladies, who have large events coming up (weddings, birthday parties, graduation parties, baby showers, etc) you can easily spend that amount. Afterwards, you will have money to take yourself on a trip (honeymoon, birthday trip, family vacation etc). You can use this introductory benefit to your advantage!

2. Travel Rewards

The Chase Sapphire Preferred allows the cardholder to earn points or miles for every dollar spent on eligible travel and dining purchases. These points could be redeemed for travel-related expenses, such as flights, hotels, and car rentals, through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. Meaning you literally get paid to use this card and the money they pay you can be used to pay for hotels, flights, car rentals, cash back etc. So if you naturally spend a lot of money you will be able to use those points to pay for trips and barely pay out of pocket. I love it here, that’s one of the reasons why I’m more inclined to travel so often.

3. DoorDash Pass

Do you get your food delivered to you often using DoorDash? Imagine not having to pay for delivery. Yes! With this credit card your delivery fee is waived when dining from places that partner with Chase (which is just about everywhere). If you want to start getting into the habit of giving more, take the money you would have spent on the delivery fee and tip the person delivering. It’s a good habit to give back.

4. InstaCart Membership

Does anyone else sometimes drive to the grocery store then just sit in the parking lot contemplating going in because it’s too many people in there? Guilty! Skip the long lines and almost bumping into everyone by getting your groceries delivered to you for free for the first 6 months of your membership. Not only do you have complimentary InstaCart, but you can earn up to $15 credits each quarter.

5. Transfer Partners

Those points you earn from using your card can be transferred to various airline and hotel loyalty programs that chase partners with. This feature allows you to potentially get more value from your points by booking flights and hotel stays directly through these loyalty programs. In turn you’re able to save more money, again!

6. Pay Over Time

A big difference between this credit card and other credit cards is that you can pay eligible purchases (greater than $100) into budget friendly payments with no interest-just a fixed monthly fee! What credit card you know of that allows you to not pay any interest for having money rolled over into the next month? Yes, some credit cards having introductory periods of no APR fees, however this one is for as long as you have the card. That’s different and that is valuable especially for your credit score and pockets.

7. Apple Pay/ Google Pay/ Samsung Pay

Apply for the card and use it the same day with these services. Some times you may forget your card, and that’s okay because you can get instant access to it by adding it to your digital wallet and using Apple Pay or Google Pay or Samsung Pay.

8. Travel Insurance

This perk is another huge game changer!

The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a range of travel insurance benefits, such as trip cancellation/interruption insurance, trip delay reimbursement, baggage delay insurance, and primary rental car insurance. You can receive up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses for trip cancellations/interruption! Imagine your trip is cut short because of sickness or severe weather and you can’t do anything about it. Well, that’s not the case with this card because you can get reimbursed. Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver: you can decline the company’s insurance and have primary coverage which reimburses you for theft or collision damage for most rentals cars. Baggage delay: Reimburses you for purchases like toiletries and clothing for baggage delays over 6 hours up to $100 a day for 5 days. Trip Delay Reimbursement: If your trip is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay you and your family are covered for unreimbursed expenses like meals and lodging up to $500.

This is essential! Especially in today’s times where there’s strikes, bad weather, Covid etc that can change your travel plan in the blink of an eye.

9. Annual Travel Credits

Currently this card gives you $50 annually for hotel stays purchased through the Chase app. Which is very nice.

10. No Foreign Transaction Fees

Cardholders do not incur foreign transaction fees when using the Chase Sapphire cards for purchases made abroad. This can result in significant savings for international travelers.

11. Generous Rewards Program

The Chase Sapphire cards often offers competitive reward programs, allowing cardholders to earn points or miles for every dollar spent on eligible purchases. These points could be redeemed for travel, cash back, gift cards, or other rewards. Earn 5x the points on travel purchased through Chase and 2x for other travel, 3x the points on dining in, takeout, and delivery services. Earn 3x the points for select online grocery purchases and select streaming services. Also, earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.

13. Credit Score Benefits

Responsible use of this card could help build and improve your credit score over time. This is the main credit card I use and by paying off the monthly balance on time I’ve been able to raise my credit score tremendously!

Ladies, just to give you some perspective, I was able to purchase a brand new house then four months later I was approved to purchase a brand new 2023 vehicle. The power of your credit score is significant so make sure you’re using any credit card to your advantage! However, I’m telling you this is a GREAT credit card for beginner travelers.

Now, because this credit card offers so many benefits you do have to pay an annual fee which is $95. However, honestly, that is a steal..trust me.

So ladies, I hope you’re considering working smarter not harder and letting your money work for you while traveling. There are plenty of other benefits to this credit card that I didn’t even mention but I did touch on the most relevant ones. Just take a look on the Chase website to learn more. I hope this was helpful for the women who are interested in traveling but also want to do it responsibly, and gain perks while doing so. I love you and God loves you more. Happy traveling!

Ovy