Picture this: you’re planning a quick weekend away, looking for a way to shave a bit off your hotel bill, when you remember something about a $50 hotel credit from Chase. It sounds awesome, but what does it really take to cash in, and is it as straightforward as it seems? If you’ve got a Chase Sapphire Preferred card sitting in your wallet, there’s a fair chunk of change in hotel perks you could be missing—and they’re much easier to grab than most people realize. But there are a few details you can’t overlook, or else you might end up waving goodbye to that tidy travel bonus.
Who Gets the Chase $50 Hotel Credit?
First things first: the $50 hotel credit isn’t a blanket perk for everyone with a Chase card. The feature is exclusive to folks holding a Chase Sapphire Preferred card (not the Reserve or Freedom, which come with their own perks). Starting from August 2021, new and existing cardholders get a $50 annual hotel statement credit. What trips people up: you only get this credit when the purchase is made through the Chase Ultimate Rewards booking portal. So, hotels booked via Booking.com, Expedia, or straight from a hotel’s site won’t qualify, no matter how good the deal looks elsewhere.
This perk renews every cardmember year. Let’s say your card renews each September—your hotel credit resets then, instead of by the normal calendar year. This quirk catches a surprising number of people off guard, who go to claim a credit in December only to discover their anniversary date was in May, and oops—no credit left until next year. The good news is, you don’t need to register or opt in; the card simply applies the credit automatically when you pay for hotel accommodation on the portal using your Sapphire Preferred.
Chase Sapphire Preferred remains one of the most popular mid-tier travel credit cards worldwide, with more than two million cardholders as of 2024, many of whom never fully explore their benefits. The $50 hotel credit is just the tip of the iceberg—pairing it with the card’s points system and travel insurance can sometimes net you hundreds in annual value, depending on how you use it.
How to Use the $50 Hotel Credit: The Easy Step-by-Step
Don’t stress—redeeming the Chase $50 hotel credit is painless when you know how it works. You don’t need to call customer support, send in forms, or jump through hoops. Everything happens online or in the Chase mobile app. If you’re a first-timer, it can help to follow a clear checklist to avoid making any mistakes.
- Log in to your Chase account and head straight for the Ultimate Rewards dashboard. This is the starting point for pretty much all things related to card perks and redemptions.
- Hit the "Travel" booking portal, then select "Hotels." Only bookings made through this portal are eligible for the credit. No exceptions.
- Search for your hotel of choice, sort by price or reviews, and pick the room that fits your vibe (and your budget).
- At checkout, be sure to pay with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card—not points, not your Reserve, not a debit card. The $50 hotel credit won’t trigger otherwise.
- After the transaction posts (usually within a few days), you’ll see a statement credit of up to $50 appear on your account. If your hotel cost is under $50, you get the whole amount covered. If it’s more, you’re only credited up to $50, and pay the difference.
Here’s where you need to keep sharp: taxes and fees count toward the total price eligible for the credit, as long as they are included in the hotel charge itself. However, if a hotel charges you extra at check-in—say, for parking or resort fees—these won’t count since they weren’t billed through the Chase portal. So, if your goal is to max out the credit, opt for prepaid rates that include as many fees as possible upfront.
Chase is pretty quick in posting the credit. Some users see it hit their account within 24 hours, while others find it takes 2-7 days. If you don’t see the credit after two weeks, it’s smart to reach out to Chase support—they’re used to questions around this benefit and can spot missing credits instantly.
Tricks and Tips to Maximize Your Hotel Credit
Getting the full $50 value is a bit of an art if you like to travel on a budget or are simply looking to squeeze every cent from your perks. First, when searching for hotels in the Ultimate Rewards portal, sort by lowest price. You’ll sometimes find local motels, boutique inns, or hidden gems sitting just under the $50 mark. In smaller cities or during low season, it’s not strange to find rooms for R800 to R1000 a night—that’s your $50, almost spot on with the current USD/ZAR exchange rate hovering near R18 to the dollar in 2025.
When you stumble on a room for less than $50, Chase won’t pocket the difference. The system automatically matches your charge—so if your bill is $41, you get a $41 credit. On the flip side, you don’t forfeit unused value, so it makes sense to browse for digs close to or just above the $50 threshold. Even suites at family hotels in places like Durban or slightly off-the-grid Garden Route spots can slide in under budget if you book midweek. Search deals over public holidays or event weekends, they spike fast and eat up that credit in a flash.
Another trick: stack your $50 hotel credit with other credit card offers (think Amex statements or Mastercard promos during travel months) when planning a multi-night stay. Book each night as a separate reservation on eligible cards to maximize statement credits if you’re shuffling more than one travel benefit at a time. Be careful, though—splitting bookings can mean switching rooms, depending on hotel policy, so always call the front desk before you travel to confirm they’ll keep you in the same room.
Also, don’t forget—even though you book through the Chase portal, you might still be eligible for hotel loyalty points and status. This can be a grey area, so always give your loyalty number to the front desk and ask nicely, since some chains don’t honor points for portal bookings. The rules vary. Properties linked to Marriott or Hilton may side-step giving you full credits, but many smaller or independent hotels don’t care and will toss in points or an upgrade if you mention you’re a returning guest.
What Doesn’t Qualify—Common Mistakes to Dodge
Plenty of people think the $50 credit will apply to third-party sites or when they pay out-of-pocket at the hotel. That’s a guaranteed way to lose out. Payments that bypass the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, even by accident, won’t trigger the credit. Watch for this detail if you’re traveling with friends who want to split bills, as only the card used to pay via the portal will get the benefit.
Gift cards, discounted vouchers, phone-in bookings, or rooms booked with points (instead of cash) make you ineligible. Another curveball: you can’t use the credit on Airbnbs, vacation rentals, or timeshares. No cruise cabins, either. Stick to hotels found in the portal’s own inventory; that’s the hard line Chase draws.
Pay attention to your anniversary date. If your card renews in November but you book a hotel in October, even if the stay is for November, the charge applies to the prior year’s benefit. People miss this detail if they’re rushing to spend perks near the annual reset. You need the charge to POST to your account in the correct cardmember year—not just be booked for a future date. Booking ahead is smart, but timing when the payment posts is critical for nailing down the credit.
Lastly, if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve or use the Freedom line, you have other travel perks, but not the $50 hotel credit. Some people open multiple cards hoping to double-dip, but Chase tracks usage by cardmember, not just card account, so you can’t fool the system.
Other Perks That Pair with the Chase Hotel Credit
The Chase Sapphire Preferred isn’t just about the $50 hotel credit. It’s got a sweet lineup of travel benefits if you plan things right. You earn 5x points per dollar on hotel bookings via the Ultimate Rewards portal on top of the statement credit, so your first qualifying hotel night each year gets a points bump AND the credit. Those points add up for free flights, experiences, or hotel nights down the line.
Travel protections come baked in—think purchase protection, trip cancellation insurance (up to $10,000 per trip), even lost luggage reimbursement. Many users only discover these quirks when disaster strikes, and Chase’s fast claim time (studied by CreditCards.com in early 2024) puts it ahead of many local and global competitors.
Cardholders also get DoorDash DashPass membership for a year and $10 monthly Gopuff credits, which counts for something when you’re hungry late at night at the hotel. No foreign transaction fees mean those who use the card abroad get the real interbank rate, avoiding the bitter bite of hidden charges many South Africans know all too well.
Don’t sleep on combining the hotel credit with points sales during portal promos. For example, Chase ran a 25% bonus event in April 2024, giving out extra points for bookings made in that window, essentially multiplying the value of your $50 hotel spend. Paying attention to the promo calendar lets you grab cash value and stretch those points—an underrated hack in the game.
Word is, with travel rebounding in late 2025, more South Africans are picking up international reward cards and running with the perks. If you’re living in Cape Town and split your time between Jo’burg or even jaunts up the Moz coast, the hotel credit becomes a yearly free night away, provided you follow the steps. Simple, stress-free, and worth the effort to check the portal before you hit "book."
