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Chase Sapphire Preferred 10% Anniversary Bonus Ending in 2026: What Cardholders Need to Know
July 1, 2025
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The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired.
Chase has confirmed that the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card's 10% anniversary points bonus will be retired on October 1, 2026. Here's what cardholders need to know, and how to make the most of your points before the change.
What's Changing
If you carry the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you've been earning a 10% bonus on all points accumulated over the course of your cardmember year, automatically deposited on your anniversary date. That benefit is going away.
Chase sent notifications to cardholders confirming the change:
"The Anniversary Bonus is retiring. You will continue to earn 10% of your spend through 10/1/26."
After October 1, 2026, new spending will no longer accrue toward an anniversary bonus. Existing Sapphire Preferred cardholders have until that date to earn their last round of bonus points under the current structure.
How Much Were You Actually Getting?
The 10% bonus sounds modest, and for most cardholders, it was. If you spent $15,000 on the card in a year and earned roughly 20,000 points (factoring in category multipliers), the anniversary bonus would add around 2,000 points, worth approximately $20 to $25 in travel or cash back.
For heavy spenders and optimizers, it added up. For the average cardholder, it was a nice-to-have rather than a core reason to hold the card.
Should You Still Keep the Chase Sapphire Preferred?
Losing the anniversary bonus doesn't make the Sapphire Preferred a bad card, but it's worth running the numbers on whether it still earns its $95 annual fee.
Here's what the card still offers:
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For cardholders who primarily value UR transfer partners (especially Hyatt), the Sapphire Preferred remains one of the most cost-effective ways to stay in the ecosystem at a $95 annual fee.
What To Do Before October 1, 2026
If your anniversary date falls before October 1, you'll still receive your final 10% bonus as usual. If your anniversary falls after October 1, the bonus will already be retired by the time it would have posted.
A few things worth doing now:
Check your anniversary date. Log in to your Chase account and confirm when your cardmember year resets. If it's before October 2026, you're still on track to receive one final bonus.
Evaluate your annual spend. If the anniversary bonus was a meaningful part of your points strategy, it may be worth shifting more spend to other UR-earning cards in your wallet, like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® or Chase Freedom Flex®, which don't carry annual fees and still feed the same points pool.
Consider your transfer partner usage. If you're holding the Sapphire Preferred primarily to unlock UR transfers to Hyatt or airline partners, the card still does that job well at $95/year. If you're not using transfer partners, a no-fee cash back card might serve you better going forward.
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The Bigger Picture
This isn't an isolated change. Card issuers have been steadily trimming loyalty benefits across the board, from annual fee increases to award chart devaluations to benefit consolidations. The Chase Sapphire Preferred's anniversary bonus was one of the more differentiated perks among mid-tier travel cards, and its removal narrows the gap between the CSP and its competitors.
That said, the card's core value proposition (affordable UR access, strong transfer partners, and solid category multipliers) remains intact. The 10% bonus was always a secondary benefit, not the headline.
How Kudos Can Help
Losing a passive benefit like the anniversary bonus is a good reminder that maximizing credit card rewards requires active management. Knowing which card to use where, and making sure every purchase is working as hard as possible for you, makes a real difference over time.
Kudos automatically recommends the best card in your wallet at checkout, so you're never leaving points on the table. Whether you're still running the Sapphire Preferred or considering a switch, Kudos helps you get the most out of every swipe.
Unlock your extra benefits when you become a Kudos member
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Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are those of Kudos alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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