Advertiser Disclosure: nextcard may receive compensation from card issuers. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain. For the most up-to-date terms & conditions, refer to the official credit card application on the issuer's website.
After thinking about it for a while, I finally decided to get the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card this week specifically before June 15, 2026.
It’s an interesting transitionary period. The annual fee is staying at $95, the card is adding new benefits, and people who apply before the cutoff keep two outgoing benefits for a few extra months.
I’ll walk through my detailed analysis below.
June 15, 2026 is the key date because that is when the updated Sapphire Preferred structure takes effect for new applicants.
Starting June 15, the card adds several benefits:
But Chase is also removing two benefits for anyone who applies for the card on or after June 15, 2026: 1:1 transfers to World of Hyatt and the 10% anniversary points bonus go away.
That means for anyone who applies starting June 15, Sapphire Preferred transfers to World of Hyatt change to 4:3 immediately. Ouch.
That is the main reason I wanted the card before the cutoff.
The biggest negative change to the Preferred is the Hyatt transfer nerf.
Sapphire Preferred transfers to World of Hyatt are changing from 1:1 to 4:3… that is a 25% reduction in the number of Hyatt points you receive. If you use Hyatt often, this is the biggest reason to care about the June 15 cutoff.
The interesting part is that anyone who applies for the card before June 15, 2026 will get the new benefits (once they arrive) while temporarily keeping the old Hyatt transfer ratio.
| Benefit | Apply Before June 15, 2026 | Apply On or After June 15, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $95 | $95 |
| 3x gas and EV charging | Yes (starting June 15) | Yes |
| 3x Airbnb, Vrbo, and vacation rentals | Yes (starting June 15) | Yes |
| Chase Travel hotel credit | Up to $100 (starting June 15) | Up to $100 |
| Apple TV+ | One year, with activation required by December 31, 2026 (starting June 15) | One year, with activation required by December 31, 2026 |
| Trusted traveler credit | Up to $120 every four years (starting June 15) | Up to $120 every four years |
| Hyatt transfers | 1:1 through October 1, 2026 (then 4:3) | 4:3 immediately |
| 10% anniversary bonus | Eligible purchases through October 1, 2026 (then discontinued) | Discontinued |
My plan is as follows:
Alternatively, if I elected to wait to get the card after June 15, 2026, my math would look not as good:
Anyways, as you can probably tell, this is going to be a very material change for some people. Since I have planned Hyatt stays, keeping the points at their 1:1 transfer ratio is important to me.
The card’s $95 annual fee is much easier to justify if you use even a few of the credits naturally.
| Benefit | Face Value | My Take |
|---|---|---|
| Chase Travel hotel credit | Up to $100/year | Strong if you book at least one hotel through Chase Travel. |
| DashPass membership (through 12/31/2027) | $120/year value | Valuable if you already use DoorDash. |
| DoorDash nonrestaurant promos (through 12/31/2027) | Up to $10/month | Useful for groceries, daily essentials, and convenience orders. |
| Trusted traveler credit | Up to $120 every four years | Useful if another card does not already cover it. |
| Apple TV+ (activate by 12/31/2026) | Up to $156 | Nice extra if you already pay for it or planned to try it. |
Since I plan on using the Chase Travel hotel credit (now that it’s a meaningful $100 credit), that should be an easy way for me to get the annual fee back straight away.
I already have Global Entry, so the trusted travel credit isn’t that valuable to me. Likewise, I don’t use Apple TV+, so that’s also not really anything worthwhile for me.
But, I’d probably get some value out of the free DashPass membership. So that's nice to have in my book.
Getting the Sapphire Preferred before June 15 makes sense if you really value retaining temporary 1:1 Hyatt transfers through October 1, 2026.
(I find it hard to imagine that anyone really highly values the 10% anniversary bonus given how menial the additional rewards are)
If you don’t care about Hyatt, you’ll get all the benefits of the card after June 15 anyways. So don't make to overindex on Hyatt and pressure yourself to get the card early.
However, if you care about Hyatt points and don’t want to lose out on a lot, then… it might be time to pull the trigger.
I got the Chase Sapphire Preferred before June 15, 2026 because the timing created a rare overlap: new benefits, the same $95 annual fee, and temporary access to 1:1 Hyatt transfers.
The card is becoming better for everyday travelers who spend on gas, EV charging, and vacation rentals. Plus the expanded Chase Travel hotels credit and travel protections are pretty interesting as well. It is becoming worse for points maximizers.
For my situation, getting in before the cutoff made sense. I wanted the new version of the card, but I also wanted the last few months of the old Hyatt transfer ratio. Will reevaluate the card after I move all of my points to Hyatt.
I got it before June 15 because cardmembers who applied before that date keep 1:1 Hyatt transfers through October 1, 2026 while still getting the new benefits starting June 15.
That also means if you currently have the card and you got it in like 2018, you also keep 1:1 Hyatt transfers through October 01.
No, the annual fee is staying at $95. That makes the refresh more interesting because Chase is adding new credits, categories, and protections without raising the annual fee (at the expense of Hyatt).
The DoorDash benefits include DashPass, listed as a $120/year value, plus up to $10 per month on nonrestaurant DoorDash orders. That is up to $240 in annual DoorDash-related face value if you use both pieces fully.
Sapphire Preferred cardmembers who apply on or after June 15, 2026 get the 4:3 Hyatt transfer ratio immediately. Cardmembers who applied before June 15 keep 1:1 Hyatt transfers through October 1, 2026.
The welcome bonus helps, but it is not the main reason for the June 15 timing. The timing matters because applying before June 15 preserves temporary access to 1:1 Hyatt transfers and the outgoing 10% anniversary bonus window.
