Beginner Guide to Chase CSP Credit Card: Step-by-Step Tutorial from Application to Usage

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For you with some credit foundation, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a very worthwhile card to apply for. It can turn your daily spending into valuable travel benefits.

Chase currently offers generous newcomer rewards. You spend $5,000 in the first 3 months after opening the card to earn 75,000 bonus points.

This tutorial will guide you step by step, from application to maximizing the use of this “god card.”

Key Points

• The Chase CSP credit card offers high-value signup bonuses; you can use them to redeem travel benefits.
• Before applying, check the “5/24 rule” to ensure you have opened fewer than 5 new credit cards in the past 24 months.
• You can maximize point value by booking through the Chase travel portal or transferring to airlines/hotels.
• CSP provides rental car insurance and trip delay reimbursement, saving you money.
• You can pair CSP with Freedom series cards to accumulate points faster.

Full Value Analysis of Chase CSP Credit Card

Whether a credit card is worth applying for depends on whether the value it brings far exceeds its cost. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card performs excellently in this aspect; its value is mainly reflected in the following areas.

Generous Signup Bonus

The signup bonus is the most attractive part of this card and key to quickly recouping costs and earning your first bucket of “travel gold.”

Currently, spending $5,000 in the first 3 months after card opening earns you 75,000 bonus points. This bonus points value is considerable.

Calculate Point Value These 75,000 points have multiple redemption methods. The most direct is booking flights, hotels, or car rentals through Chase’s own travel portal (Chase Travel Portal). In this case, each point is worth 1.25 cents.

75,000 points × 1.25 cents/point = $937.50

This means the signup bonus alone is worth at least $937.50. This value covers years of annual fees. If you later learn to transfer points to partner airlines or hotels, actual value may far exceed $1,000.

High Multiplier Everyday Spending Categories

Besides signup bonus, the Sapphire Preferred card’s earning power in daily spending is very strong, especially in these high-frequency categories:

• Travel Booked Through Chase Travel: 5x Points You earn 5x points booking the following through the Chase travel portal:
  • Flights
  • Hotel stays
  • Car rentals
  • Cruises and tours
• Dining, Streaming, and Online Groceries: 3x Points These cover your main living expenses.
  • Dining: Includes restaurant dine-in, delivery (like DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub).
  • Online Groceries: Excludes Target, Walmart, and large warehouse supermarkets.
  • Select Streaming Services: Includes Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, Apple Music, Disney+, and other common services.
• All Other Spending: 1x Points You earn 1x points baseline on all other categories.

Annual Fee and Benefits Balance

This card’s annual fee is $95. For a card offering travel benefits, this pricing is very competitive. More importantly, you can easily reduce the effective annual fee through a very practical benefit.

$50 Annual Hotel Credit Each cardmember year, booking hotels through the Chase Travel portal earns you up to $50 credit. This credit is automatic—you just pay a hotel booking over $50 with CSP, and Chase credits $50 back to your account in days as statement credit.

This benefit is very easy to use. As long as you have one travel plan per year, you can easily get this $50 back. This way, the card’s effective annual fee drops to $45 ($95 - $50). Paying $45 for a card with powerful points system and travel insurance offers excellent value.

CSP vs Cash Back Cards

You may ask, since there is an annual fee, why not choose a no-annual-fee card with 2% cash back on all spending? This is a good question; choice completely depends on your spending habits and goals.

For users pursuing simplicity and disliking points research, a no-annual-fee cash back card is indeed hassle-free. But if you are willing to spend a little time understanding points, the Sapphire Preferred card brings returns far exceeding 2%.

In summary, if you have at least one travel plan per year and are willing to use points for flights or hotels, the value from Sapphire Preferred easily crushes ordinary cash back cards. The signup bonus alone suffices for a high-value trip experience.

CSP Application Full Process Guide

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After understanding the Sapphire Preferred card’s value, you may be eager to apply. Don’t rush; before applying, confirm you meet basic conditions and choose the most suitable application channel.

Hard Requirements Before Application

Applying for Chase credit cards, you must understand a very important unwritten rule—the “5/24 rule.”

What is the “5/24 Rule”? This is an unwritten policy: If you have opened 5 or more personal credit cards with any bank in the past 24 months, the system automatically denies most Chase credit card applications. This rule only counts new account openings, not caring about credit inquiries.

Therefore, before applying, review your card openings in the past two years. If new cards approach 5, recommend delaying application. Additionally, to improve success rate, we usually suggest applicants have at least one year of US credit history.

Best Application Channels Comparison

You can apply mainly through two channels: online or in-branch.

• Online Direct Application
  • Advantages: Convenient and fast, submit anytime anywhere.
  • Disadvantages: May delay due to information verification issues.
• In-Branch Application
  • Advantages: If you are already a Chase customer, branch staff sometimes see system “pre-approved” offers, greatly improving approval rate. In-person application can also avoid delays from identity verification issues.
  • Disadvantages: Requires personally visiting a bank branch.

For beginners with not very “strong” credit records or already Chase savings/checking account users, we more recommend trying in-branch application.

Detailed Application Steps and Tips

Online application process is very direct, mainly including these steps:

1. Visit Chase official application page.
2. Fill your personal information, such as name, address, SSN or ITIN.
3. Fill your financial information, mainly your gross annual income.
4. Agree to terms and authorize bank to pull your credit report.
5. Check all information correct, then submit application.

What If Application Denied? Try “Phone Reconsideration” After submitting, if page doesn’t show “instant approval” but “under review” or direct denial, don’t lose heart. You can proactively call Chase’s “reconsideration line”: 1 (888) 270-2127. After connecting, politely ask about application status and explain why you believe you qualify for this Chase CSP credit card. Many times, phone communication resolves some system automatic denials.

CSP Benefits Maximization Strategy

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Congratulations on successfully applying for this god card! But this is just the first step. What truly makes the Sapphire Preferred card worth it is learning to maximize every benefit. This section deeply explores how to maximize your returns.

UR Points Value Maximization Guide

Ultimate Rewards (UR) points you accumulate through spending are this card’s most valuable asset. You have two main redemption methods, each with different values.

Method One: Fixed Value Redemption in Chase Travel Portal (Guaranteed Usage)

This is the simplest direct method. You can log into Chase’s own travel site (Chase Travel Portal) to book flights, hotels, and car rentals with points.

Using Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (CSP) to book travel through Chase travel portal, each point is fixed at 1.25 cents. This means your 75,000-point signup bonus can redeem at least $937.50 worth of travel products.

This method’s benefit is simple and straightforward, what you see is what you get, without complex rules.

Method Two: Transfer to Partners (Value Maximization Usage)

This is key to unlocking UR points potential. Chase allows 1:1 transfers to multiple partner airline and hotel loyalty programs.

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

Why higher value transferring? Because you can use fewer points for expensive tickets or rooms on airline or hotel official sites.

Transfer Practical Example: Redeem New York Luxury Hotel

Suppose you want to book Park Hyatt New York in Manhattan, cash price over $1,200/night in peak season.

• If Booking Through Chase Portal: At 1.25 cents/point, you may need nearly 100,000 points.
• If Transferring to World of Hyatt: This hotel may need only 40,000 Hyatt points/night. You just transfer 40,000 UR points to your Hyatt account to complete booking.

In this example, each point achieves up to 3 cents value, far exceeding Chase Portal usage.

Make Good Use of Travel and Purchase Insurance

The Sapphire Preferred card’s attached insurance benefits are very practical, saving you real money at critical moments. The following are two most important insurances.

1. Primary Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver (Primary Auto Rental CDW)

This is one of CSP’s most powerful benefits. When renting cars in most global regions, as long as you pay full rental fee with CSP and decline rental company’s collision coverage (CDW/LDW), Chase provides primary insurance for you.

What Does “Primary Insurance” Mean? If vehicle collision or theft occurs, you don’t need to first claim through your personal auto insurance; directly handle with Chase. This avoids stains on your personal insurance record and premium increases.

This benefit’s coverage is broad:

• Covers theft and collision damage for vehicles worth up to $60,000.
• Covers most standard vehicles but excludes some luxury sports cars or vehicles with MSRP over $125,000.
• Reimburses vehicle damage, theft, and reasonable fees charged by rental company.

2. Trip Delay Reimbursement

Flight delays are common travel annoyances. If your flight severely delays due to bad weather, mechanical issues, etc., the Sapphire Preferred card reimburses extra expenses incurred.

Trip Delay Reimbursement Key Terms

• Delay Requirement: Your flight must delay at least 12 hours, or require overnight stay.
• Reimbursement Amount: Up to $500 per ticket.
• Covered Persons: Cardholder, spouse, and dependent children under 26.
• Reimbursement Scope: Reasonable meals, accommodation, transportation, and essentials like toiletries.

You just need to pay part or all ticket fees with Sapphire Preferred to qualify. Remember to keep all receipts and airline delay proof.

Activate Hidden Benefits and Offers

Besides points and insurance, you can save money by activating some partner benefits.

1. DoorDash DashPass Membership
If you frequently order delivery, this benefit is very worthwhile.

• Benefit Content: You get at least one year free DashPass membership, enjoying no delivery fees on eligible restaurant orders.
• How to Activate:
  1. Log into your DoorDash account.
  2. Add your Chase CSP credit card as default payment method.
  3. Click activate as prompted.
  • Note you need to activate by December 31, 2027.
    2. Chase Offers
    This is like “coupons” within the bank, earning extra cash back on daily spending.
• Benefit Content: In Chase mobile app or website, you see many partner merchant cashback offers, like $10 back on $50 restaurant spend or 10% back on certain clothing brand websites.
• How to Use:
  1. Log into your Chase account, find “Chase Offers” section.
  2. Browse available offers, click “Add to card” to activate.
  3. Spend at corresponding merchants with your Sapphire Preferred card within offer validity.
  4. Cashback usually auto-credits to your account as statement credit in 7-14 business days.

Pair with Freedom Series for Double Points

If you want faster point accumulation, consider applying for Chase Freedom series credit cards (like Chase Freedom Flex) to pair with Sapphire Preferred. This is a very classic “combo” play.

• Core Play: Freedom Flex has rotating quarterly categories (like supermarkets, gas stations, Amazon, etc.) earning 5% cash back.
• Value Conversion: “Cash back” earned on Freedom card converts 1:1 to UR points in CSP account. For example, $50 cash back equals 5,000 UR points.

This way, you achieve 5x points accumulation in specific quarterly high-spend categories, then transfer these points to CSP account, redeeming far exceeding 5% actual returns via airline/hotel transfers.

Long-Term Holding and Advanced Strategies

When you hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred card for a full year, you reach a decision crossroads. You need to decide based on spending and travel habits whether to continue holding, downgrade, or consider upgrading to a higher-tier card.

Choice After One Year: Downgrade or Close

The first year’s annual fee is usually offset by generous signup bonus. But starting second year, you pay $95 annual fee. At this time, evaluate if the card still creates value for you.

If your travel plans decrease or you feel $95 annual fee not worthwhile, you have two choices: downgrade or close. We strongly recommend downgrade.

Important Rule About Sapphire Rewards Chase stipulates you can only earn Sapphire series cards (including CSP and CSR) signup bonus once every 48 months. If you close the account, this 48-month timer starts. But if you just downgrade to a no-annual-fee Freedom series card, your account history is preserved, and credit score unaffected.

Downgrade benefits:

• Preserve Credit History: Keeping a long-active account is very beneficial for your credit score.
• Avoid Annual Fee: You can downgrade to no-annual-fee Chase Freedom Flex or Chase Freedom Unlimited card.
• Preserve Points: UR points in your account are not lost, can continue using.

Upgrade Timing: CSP vs. CSR

If you are a travel enthusiast and find Sapphire Preferred benefits no longer sufficient, consider upgrading to its “big brother”—Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR).

Before upgrading, clearly understand core differences between the two cards. CSR’s annual fee is high at $550, but it also provides more powerful travel benefits.

Should You Upgrade?

This question’s answer depends on your travel frequency.

• Suitable for Upgrade: If your annual travel spending far exceeds $300 and you frequently need airport lounges, CSR suits you well. The $300 travel credit automatically offsets your flights, hotels, etc., reducing effective annual fee to $250. Trading $250 for unlimited lounge access and stronger travel insurance offers high value.
• Not Suitable for Upgrade: If you only occasionally travel and cannot fully use $300 credit, continuing to hold CSP may be more economical.

Upgrading is an operation without credit check, suitable for those temporarily ineligible for new card bonuses but wanting immediate CSR benefits.

This card provides high-value signup bonuses and practical spending benefits. It is not only your travel companion but also an excellent stepping stone to building credit and advancing to premium cards.

We hope this tutorial helps you decide. You can confidently take the first steps in application and usage based on your situation.

FAQ

When is the $95 annual fee charged?

The first-year $95 annual fee appears on your first statement. This card’s anniversary is from your card opening date. Subsequent years, annual fee charges in your card anniversary month.

Can I use points to directly offset statements?

You can, but very not recommended. Direct statement offset values each point at only 1 cent.

Redeeming through Chase travel portal or transferring to partners achieves 1.25 cents or higher value per point. Direct offset is a waste.

As an authorized user on someone else’s card, does it affect my 5/24 rule?

Yes. In most cases, authorized user accounts appear on your credit report and count toward 5/24 limit. If denied because of this, you can call reconsideration line, explain some cards are authorized user cards, request re-review.

Can I apply without SSN?

Yes. If you have ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number), you can also apply for Chase credit cards. We strongly recommend bringing passport, ITIN documents, and address proof to personally apply at Chase bank branch (Branch)—higher success rate.