After trying out travel credit cards for years, I decided the Chase Sapphire Preferred is the right card for me for 3 reasons

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• Although Cheryl Lock had a cash-back credit card, she wanted a card that earns travel rewards.
• After trying and considering other cards, she made her choice: the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
• She needed a flexible card and likes the Sapphire Preferred’s benefits and generous welcome bonus.
• Read Insider’s guide to the best travel rewards credit cards.

About five years ago I started wondering if I was taking advantage of credit card rewards the way I should be.

At the time, I was earning limited cash back on a Chase credit card I no longer remember, which was intoxicating, sure, but I couldn’t help but wonder what else might be out there.

It was only a few years before my credit card rewards revelation that I had discovered my love for travel, as well. Without credit card rewards on my side, I needed to dig deep into my savings reserves in order to pay for my (necessary, in my mind) trips to Hawaii, London, Italy, and so on and so forth.

Read more: Chase Sapphire Preferred card review

Staying with friends in these places helped curb the costs, but still, these trips were adding up, and as a very low-paid intern living in Manhattan, money was scarce.

Chase Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Thus began my search for a credit card that would help me fund my travel habit and still allow me to cover my other necessities, like food.

I started with the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card, mostly because those commercials were so alluring. This card did me proud, helping me to cover a number of adventures including a cruise in the Bahamas and a trip to Iceland, but soon I was lured away by a mailer (I was very affected by advertising during this period, apparently) to the Discover it® Miles.

Read more: Capital One Venture vs Chase Sapphire Preferred: How to decide which travel rewards credit card is best for you

My strategy at this point was to essentially try on a couple of different cards until I found the one I liked the best … credit score be damned. (Don’t worry – since seeing the error in my ways, my score has made a full recovery!)

After a few years of moving from card to card – cards that offered a 0% APR for a limited time on purchases or balance transfers were of great interest to me, as well – I realized that jumping from card to card probably wasn’t the best strategy. It was a lot of work to keep track of so many different cards and balances and to make sure I was paying for everything on time. So I did a little research and settled on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Here are the main reasons why:

I’m a ‘sticky’ customer

I had never heard the term “sticky” in reference to banking until a few years ago while sitting in on an intro session at a new job with a personal finance site. Calling a customer “sticky” in the banking world refers to customers who have multiple accounts with one bank.

Whether it’s actually because of superior products or simply a lack of willingness to search elsewhere, sticky customers are more likely to open new accounts at the same bank they’ve always had than find new places to bank with.

Read more: 3 reasons you should double up on credit cards from the same loyalty program – from earning rewards in more categories to unlocking better benefits

While I have tried out products at other institutions, I do find that I usually end up back at Chase. Logging on and seeing all of my information in one place is definitely something I appreciate, and I can often negotiate with them if I need to since I’m a loyal customer.

I wanted a card that was flexible

I’ve researched other credit card opportunities – I was particularly interested in the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card since we’re fairly loyal to that airline (thank you, no change fees!) – but I ultimately wanted a product that wouldn’t leave me feeling guilty if, for whatever reason, we didn’t end up booking with the same company over and over again.

Read more: Many people are reconsidering earning travel rewards, but it’s impossible to get stuck with flexible credit card points that work for both travel and cash back

I like what I get

I might have originally been drawn to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card because it was a Chase product, but what I ultimately get with the card is pretty amazing, as well. After spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months after opening it – easy for a family of four – you earn 60,000 points, worth $750 toward travel when you redeem points through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Read more: How to use the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal to book flights, hotels, rental cars and more – and get the most from your points

I like the travel perks – like 2x the points on airfare, hotel, and transportation purchases – but I also like that we earn 2x the points on restaurants and 1 point per dollar spent on other purchases. There is a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card annual fee for the card (which is the only thing I don’t actually like about it) but so far the points that we’ve earned have far and away covered that fee.

Back in the day my travel goals mostly consisted of visiting places that intrigued me, but these days, as a mom with two kids who lives far from family, most of our points go directly into purchasing plane tickets back home for various occasions.

Those trips definitely add up when you’re paying for four people, but I would never want to skip them, so I’m grateful that the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card helps us cover them.

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