Chase Sapphire Preferred 2026 Refresh (concept)
This is an AI rendition of what a potentially refreshed design of the Chase Sapphire Preferred could look like in 2026 or 2027.
(To be clear, this post is a concept idea; none of the info in this post is confirmed to be true at this time. These are just things that I’d like to see in a potential Chase Sapphire Preferred refresh.)
I’ve been a Chase customer for a while now, but I only have cashback cards. As much as I’ve wanted to break into the Chase rewards ecosystem, American Express and Capital One are my current heavy hitters, and Chase’s credit card lineup has not yet convinced me enough to take the plunge… yet.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve got refreshed in 2025 with a sleek new design, a hefty annual fee increase, and a bit of a downgrade with multipliers. If Chase wants to do right by its customers and woo new users into their ecosystem, here’s a refresh of the Chase Sapphire Preferred that I think can achieve that.
Before embarking on this fun journey, here’s Chase’s current page on all the Sapphire Preferred benefits and multipliers.
Refreshed Multipliers Wishlist
5x on all Chase Travel
3x on ALL Travel (list isn’t exhaustive)
Airfare
Hotels & Rentals
Rideshare (Uber / Lyft)
Transit (Trains, Buses, etc.)
3x at Restaurants (including takeout and delivery worldwide)
3x at Grocery Stores
2x at Wholesale Clubs (Sam’s Club, Costco, Walmart, etc.)
1x on everything else
The Thought Process
We’d love to see an upgrade from 2x → 3x on all travel. This change would compete directly with American Express’ Green Card, and would escape the heat brought by Capital One’s Venture & Venture X cards, which provide 2x on everything.
Adding a 2x at wholesale clubs would enter a space with very little crowding. In fact, Chase would be one of the first major players to offer such a multiplier. Even if American Express were to add a wholesale club multiplier to one of their own cards, they still couldn’t compete on account of the exclusive Visa-only partnership with Costco.
To mitigate the annual fee hike, I wouldn’t mind getting rid of the 3x on Select Streaming Services.
Refreshed Credits & Welcome Bonus Wishlist
$100 of flexible, yearly travel credit for Chase Travel
$50 of flexible, yearly dining credit
$120 yearly Doordash Dashpass credit
$120 TSA / Global Entry credit every 4-5 years
Welcome Bonus: 80,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first 4 months
The Thought Process
Since this card earns travel points, I personally think it should be considered an actual travel card, meaning that the original $50 hotel credit should be converted to something a little more all-encompassing; hence a $100 flexible travel credit available every year on Chase Travel.
Everyone eats out, especially when on vacation. Adding a flexible $50 yearly dining credit is a great way to add a larger selling point to the card while still staying true to its purpose.
The current Sapphire Preferred offers a Dashpass membership, but only through December of 2027. I would love to see it become a permanent staple. I also think adding a $120 TSA / Global entry credit every 4-5 years would give it an edge over the competition.
Lastly, the current bonus is already fairly generous. Upping from 75,000 → 80,000 and from $5,000 within 3 months to $6,000 within 4 months seems like a proportional upscale.
The Refreshed Annual Fee…
Obviously, none of us are fond of fees. The current Chase Sapphire Preferred showcases a mild $95 annual fee. However, we’ve added /revamped some heavy-hitting multpliers, and have added about $200 of credits.
A Chase Sapphire Preferred 2026 / 2027 refresh could sport a $250 - $325 annual fee.
The Thought Process
Determining the new annual fee would be a mix of evaluating exactly what the card is offering and what the competition is offering at what price points. For example, the American Express Gold card has an annual fee of $325, offering superior food multipliers and credits, but inferior travel multipliers and credits compared to this hypothetical refresh.
You could also compare it to Capital One’s Venture X card with a $395 annual fee. The Venture X has superior benefits, multipliers and credits for travel (as well as lounge access), but inferior food multipliers and credits. The 2x catch all is its legendary selling point, something that the Chase Sapphire Preferred would simply not have.
Chase’s credit card lineup has historically undercut the competition as far as annual fees go. For example…
$795 Sapphire Reserve vs. $895 American Express Platinum
$95 Chase Sapphire Preferred (non-refreshed) vs. $150 American Express Green card
In fact, a refreshed Chase Sapphire Preferred could have enough potency to compete with the American Express Gold card. What does this mean? We will simply have to wait and see!
Did you enjoy this refresh concept and analysis? I’d love to hear your opinion on what I got right and what I got wrong. Feel free to comment below!
