Chase Freedom Unlimited vs Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

Fees, rewards and real yearly value, side by side. Updated October 29, 2026.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card card art

Chase Freedom Unlimited

Estimated value every year on typical spending

$540/ year

Every year, after the annual fee. Year one adds a $200 welcome bonus: $740

+$540rewards−$0annual fee

Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

Estimated value every year on typical spending

$561/ year

Every year, after the annual fee. Year one adds a $750 welcome bonus: $1,311

+$576rewards+$80credits & perks−$95annual fee

The short answer

On typical spending, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card comes out ahead: about $561 a year after its fee, against $540 for the Chase Freedom Unlimited.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited earns more on travel, everything else.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card earns more on groceries, gas.
The Chase Freedom Unlimited costs $95 less a year to hold.

Side by side

	Chase Freedom Unlimited	Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card
Annual fee	$0	$95
Rewards	1.5% cash back; 3% on dining and drugstore purchases; 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel	5x points on Chase Travel; 3x points on dining, gas stations, EV charging, vacation homes, top streaming services, and online grocery; 1x points on all other purchases
Welcome bonus	Earn a $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.	Earn 75,000 points after you spend $5,000 in purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Credits counted	$0/yr	$80/yr
Intro APR	0% for the first 15 months	Not applicable
Regular APR	18.49% to 29.99% variable	19.49% to 27.74% variable
Foreign transaction fee	None	None
Credit needed	Not specified	Good/Excellent

Yearly rewards by category

Category (monthly spend)	Chase Freedom Unlimited	Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card
groceries ($500)	$90	$180
dining ($400)	$144	$144
gas ($200)	$36	$72
travel ($300)	$54	$36
everything else ($1,200)	$216	$144

Yearly value is rewards plus credits you'd realistically use, minus the annual fee, on $2,600/month: $500 groceries, $400 dining, $200 gas, $300 travel, $1,200 everything else. Points use conservative cash values; store-only rewards count at half. How we rank · Use your own spending

Questions people ask

Which is better, the Chase Freedom Unlimited or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card?

On typical spending the Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card is worth more: about $561 a year after its fee, against $540 for the Chase Freedom Unlimited. Which is better for you depends on where you spend most; see the category answers below.

Which has the lower annual fee?

The Chase Freedom Unlimited ($0 a year, against $95).

Which is better for groceries?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card. On $500 a month of groceries it earns about $180 a year, against $90 with the Chase Freedom Unlimited.

Which is better for travel?

The Chase Freedom Unlimited. On $300 a month of travel it earns about $54 a year, against $36 with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card.

Which is better for gas?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card. On $200 a month of gas it earns about $72 a year, against $36 with the Chase Freedom Unlimited.

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Maintained by Aashish Shah. Card details are collected from issuer websites and were last refreshed October 29, 2026. Terms change often; confirm them with the issuer before you apply.