Chase Sapphire Preferred Bonus Eligibility Pop-Up Explained

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is currently offering new cardholders 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points upon spending $5,000 in the first three months, valued by TPG at $2,050. However, some applicants may encounter a "bonus eligibility pop-up" message before completing their application, indicating they will not receive this welcome bonus. This pop-up serves as a notification from Chase that the applicant does not qualify for the advertised offer.

The primary reason for encountering this pop-up is past eligibility for a Sapphire Preferred welcome bonus. For example, Emily Thompson, TPG's partnerships and newsletter editor, encountered this issue. She had previously held the Sapphire Preferred, upgraded it to the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, and then canceled it. Despite not currently holding the card, her past receipt of a bonus made her ineligible for the current offer. This ineligibility extends to individuals who have previously held the Sapphire Preferred and received its welcome bonus, even if they have since downgraded or canceled the card.

Furthermore, former Sapphire Preferred Card holders might be deemed ineligible for the current bonus even if they have never received a previous offer. The exact criteria for this exclusion are not explicitly detailed by Chase, but it suggests a lifetime bonus limit or a specific waiting period after holding or canceling the card. The pop-up appears before the final application submission, allowing potential applicants to decide whether to proceed without the bonus or reconsider their application strategy.

While the pop-up indicates ineligibility for the welcome bonus, it does not necessarily mean the applicant cannot be approved for the card itself. Applicants who see the pop-up can still choose to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, but they will not receive the 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points. The article suggests that applicants in this situation are not entirely without options and may have alternative strategies to consider, though these are not fully detailed in the provided text.