Credit score required for chase sapphire preferred

Credit Score Needed for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

• Requirements
• Rewards
• If You're Not Approved

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Chase Sapphire Preferred is a premium dining and travel rewards card with an annual fee but a generous rewards program. How high does one’s credit score need to be to qualify for this attractive card? Here is an overview of Chase Sapphire Preferred credit score and other requirements.

Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred a Hard Card To Get?

Since the requires good to excellent credit, it may be hard to get for those with a low credit score, insufficient income to cover current debt obligations or credit report blemishes — such as high credit card balances or a history of late payments. Card applicants may want to consider the following card eligibility requirements before applying.

What Credit Score Is Needed for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card?

Chase doesn’t publish any exact numbers for its credit score requirements, but it likely requires a minimum credit score of 670 or higher for the Sapphire Preferred card — a score in the good to excellent range. But a 670 credit score does not guarantee approval. Card issuers also consider an applicant’s credit history, employment and income to determine eligibility. 

How Much Income Is Needed for the Chase Sapphire Preferred? 

Chase does not publish minimum income requirements in its pricing and terms. While Chase requests income information on its applications, the amount of income may not matter as much as the applicant’s income-to-debt ratio.

Per Section 109 of the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009, card issuers cannot approve applicants who cannot show enough income to support monthly payments. That is why an applicant may be required to show proof of income through a W-2 or pay stub.

Other Chase Sapphire Preferred Requirements

Those who frequently open credit cards to take advantage of generous new card member bonuses should be aware of the Chase 5/24 rule. To qualify for the Sapphire Preferred, an applicant must not have been approved for five or more cards in the previous 24 months. Additionally, anyone who currently has any other Chase Sapphire card or has received a new cardmember bonus for a Sapphire card in the past four years is ineligible for the Sapphire Preferred bonus.

Reasons To Apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred

Frequent travelers who qualify for the card can quickly rack up rewards, earning up to 5x points on travel — and 2x points on other travel — 3x points on dining, streaming services and eligible online grocery purchases — excluding Target and Walmart — and 1x points on other purchases.

Signing up for a rewards card is tempting given the generous bonus offers and introductory rates many cards offer — and the Sapphire Preferred is no exception. New Sapphire Preferred cardmembers can earn 60,000 rewards points — worth $750 towards travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards — by spending $4,000 in the first three months.

However, even those who can meet Chase Sapphire Preferred credit score and other requirements should carefully consider how much they can take advantage of the card’s travel rewards. While the annual fee is relatively low at , those who can’t find the time or afford to travel and dine out to earn enough rewards to offset the card’s annual fee will be better off with a rewards card without an annual fee.

Didn’t Get Approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred?

Chase may deny a Sapphire Preferred applicant for several reasons, but time and good credit habits can help any applicant improve the chance of being approved later. Sapphire Preferred must notify an applicant of any reasons for the denial, but common reasons include:

• The applicant has already received a Sapphire new cardmember bonus in the previous 48 months.
• The applicant may have too many new credit accounts.
• The applicant’s income is insufficient to cover current debt obligations.
• The applicant’s credit score does not fall within the good or excellent credit score ranges.

What Is a Good Credit Score for a Chase Credit Card?

Although Chase does not state that it uses the FICO credit score range to determine if a credit score is good, many card issuers do. A FICO credit score that falls within the range of 670 to 739 is considered good. Very good is 740 to 799, and anything above 799 is considered excellent. So an applicant typically needs a minimum credit score of 670 to qualify for the Sapphire Preferred.

Takeaway

Anyone considering applying for a Chase Sapphire Preferred should compare several cards’ APRs, fees, rewards and other perks before applying to ensure the card will best meet their needs at a good rate. It can also help applicants to check their credit score first to determine which cards they are likely eligible for.

Information is accurate as of Oct. 25, 2022.

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The information related to the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card was collected by GOBankingRates and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card. Product details may vary. Please see the issuer’s website for current information. GOBankingRates does not receive commission for this product.