Annual fee winner
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
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These cards charge the same $95 annual fee, which is reasonable considering the rewards proposition each card provides. However, the Sapphire Preferred card offers an annual $50 hotel credit toward a stay booked through Chase Travel. It’s easy to use that credit annually and offset a portion of the annual fee, effectively reducing it to $45. That’s why it’s the winner in our book.
The Venture Card also offers a credit, this one up to $120 every four years for your TSA Precheck or Global Entry application fee. The credit is obviously higher, but it’s only available every four years so the annual credit from Sapphire Preferred wins out.
In either case, the annual fee is reasonable given the opportunities for big first year bonuses as well as the ongoing benefits and rewards offered by both cards.