How to use the $50 Annual Hotel Credit with your Chase Sapphire Preferred
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If you carry the Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP), do not forget that it comes with a $50 annual hotel credit.
How to book a hotel to get $50 hotel credit with your CSP
- You have to book your hotel accommodation using the Chase Travel Portal
- No need to register or sign up to trigger this benefit
- If you are a new cardmember, this credit is available to you for use on your first cardmember year
- This annual credit is available from the time you opened your account, until you reach your account’s anniversary.
- It then resets after the anniversary, a new $50 credit becomes available.
How did I use this?
We spent few days in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. We had a late night arrival in Abu Dhabi after spending a week in the Maldives. Our nephew advised us to boo Premier Inn – Abu Dhabi International Airport (onsite hotel at the airport).
We arrived close to midnight. It was the best decision ever. There was no need for us to take a cab. It was within walking distance. We didn’t have to leave the airport. We didn’t want to book using our points knowing that we only needed a place to sleep and a hot shower, as we had plans to explore on Sunday morning. It’s got great reviews on TripAdvisor. Nothing uber fancy – let’s call it functional and it serves it purpose.
Booking this with our Chase Sapphire Preferred
We used our CSP for this booking. I knew about $50 hotel credit when you book a hotel using the Chase Portal. The total damage came to $81.49 for a one night stay at Premier Inn. With the $50 credit, this stay simply became $31.49.
Here’s what you have to do:
- Go to your Chase credit card account and access onto the Ultimate Rewards portal.
- Make sure you choose the one specifically for your Chase Sapphire Preferred.
- Select Travel
- Click on HOTELS
- Pick the hotel of your choice
- At check out, make sure to pay for the booking using your Chase Sapphire Preferred (not with points).
Things to remember when booking with a travel portal
- Booking with the portal means you are going through a third party. So by doing so, you will not receive any perks that you would normally get if you have a hotel status
- Using the $50 credit is one thing, but I suggest that you shop around. Are you really saving by booking with the travel portal? What are the rates if you booked directly? Are there any discount codes or special offers that you might get elsewhere
- Should there be an issue with the booking, you’d have to deal directly with Chase or the travel portal that you used.
How long does it take to get the credit
I’ll say this, based on my experience, we booked our stay at Premier Inn Abu Dhabi in early March, and it took over 6 weeks for us to see the credit on our Chase Sapphire Preferred statement. There was no need for us to call Chase. As long as we booked using the Chase Travel Portal, and paid using the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, the process worked itself out.
Takeaway
Many have asked me if paying $95 annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Preferred is worth it. You have to look at the big picture. Signing up for a Chase Sapphire Preferred means that you earn lucrative sign up bonus, and the bonus you earn could be used towards travel rewards or cash back. And while you may be paying $95 annual fee, you get a $50 statement credit when you book a hotel when booking via the Chase Travel Portal. So for me, do not simply shy away from getting a credit card that has an annual fee.
And….if you have this card, make sure you know the benefits tied with this card. The $50 hotel statement is one of the many benefits with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, so find the best options for you use this annual benefit.