Chase Sapphire Preferred Bonus Eligibility Rules Updated

Chase updated its eligibility rules for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, allowing individuals to hold both the Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve® cards simultaneously. Previously, cardholders could not possess both Sapphire cards at once. The author, who had held the Sapphire Preferred card nearly 15 years prior and earned its welcome bonus, believed they would not qualify for a new bonus due to past participation. Despite this assumption, the author applied for the card and was approved after a brief call to Chase's lending department, bypassing an expected ineligibility pop-up. This approval means the author is now eligible to earn the card's current 100,000-point welcome offer, which requires spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. The application page for the Sapphire Preferred card previously stated that the new cardmember bonus might not be available to those who had previously held the card or received a new cardmember bonus for it. Chase also indicated that the number of cards opened and closed could be a factor in bonus eligibility. The author's experience suggests a relaxation or change in how these previous holding and bonus rules are applied, enabling them to re-qualify for a welcome bonus on a card they had held and received a bonus for in the past. This development offers a new opportunity for existing Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders or previous Sapphire Preferred cardholders to obtain the 100,000-point welcome offer, which is noted as the highest ever for this card.