What credit score do you need to qualify for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card?

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) is one of the best travel rewards credit cards on the market, offering cardholders a lucrative 100,000-point welcome bonus after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

For a modest $95 annual fee, Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders receive access to a host of different travel-related benefits, such as primary rental car insurance, up to a $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit and up to $120 back for a TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS application fee credit.

Keep in mind that to even qualify for this card, you'll need to have a decent credit score. Below, CNBC Select highlights the credit score range you'll need to become a Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholder and what to do if you aren't approved.

Cardholders can earn transferable points on a number of everyday categories, including:

• 5X points on travel purchased via Chase Travel℠
• 3X points on dining (including takeout and certain delivery services), online grocery shopping, select streaming services, vacation homes and gas and EV charging
• 2X points on all other travel purchases
• 1X points for all other purchases

The Chase Ultimate Rewards® points you'll earn can then be redeemed in several ways or transferred to any of Chase's airline and hotel partners, including United, Southwest, British Airways, Air France, JetBlue, Marriott and IHG, making this one of the most valuable travel rewards cards out there.

Most credit card issuers will look at your FICO Score to determine your eligibility for a new card. FICO Scores range from 300 to 850, with higher scores indicating a higher likelihood that you'll be able to pay off your balance on time and in full.

FICO Score ranges

• Poor: 300 to 579
• Fair: 580 to 669
• Good: 670 to 739
• Very good: 740 to 799
• Exceptional: 800 to 850

Generally, you'll need to have a credit score of at least 670 to qualify for the Chase Sapphire Preferred. You can qualify with a lower score — or even be rejected with a higher score. To improve your odds of being approved, aim to have a score above 700.

To maintain a good credit score, you'll need to make your payments on time, keep a low credit utilization ratio and have a long credit history.

FICO factors

Here's how each category contributes to your overall credit score.

• Payment history (35%): If you've made your previous payments on time
• Amounts owed (30%): Your credit utilization ratio, or the ratio of the amount of credit you're using to the amount that's been extended and owed on your accounts
• Length of credit history (15%): The amount of time you've had credit
• New credit (10%): How often you open new accounts
• Credit mix (10%): Whether you have different types of credit, such as installment loans or revolving lines of credit

You could also benefit from signing up for a service such as *Experian Boost®, which uses your on-time payments for select subscription services and utilities to calculate your credit score.

Credit card issuers do, however, look at factors besides your credit score, such as your annual income, how long you've had credit and how many credit cards you've applied for recently. 

Chase is known for its (unofficial) 5/24 rule, which means Chase credit card applicants aren't likely to be approved for a new card if they've opened five or more personal credit cards from any issuer within the past 24 months.

Another factor issuers consider is the length of your credit history. When I first applied for the Chase Sapphire Preferred, I was rejected immediately, even though I had a FICO credit score above 700. I had been an authorized user on my parents' card, but I didn't have any credit history of my own. Generally, the Chase Sapphire Preferred may not be a good option for a first credit card if you're in a similar situation.

If you have a lower credit score, consider first looking at cards for those with no credit, bad credit or fair or average credit.

You will automatically be rejected for this card if any of the following cases apply to you:

• You currently have a Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, regardless of whether you previously received the bonus.
• You previously had a Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and received the bonus within the past 48 months.

If you don't get accepted for the card, issuers and banks are required by federal law to let applicants know why they've been rejected for a line of credit, and you should be informed within 60 days.

It is possible to contest the rejection by calling Chase. If you're a current customer, you could point to your longtime relationship with the issuer and (if true) your history of on-time payments.

You may also be able to sign up for the card by being a current Chase customer, calling the issuer and requesting a product change, although this means you will not be eligible for the welcome bonus.

If you find that your credit score may not qualify for the Chase Sapphire Preferred and are looking for other ways to boost your credit score beyond utilizing *Experian Boost®, here are some steps you can take:

• Pay down any revolving debt. Since your payment history makes up 35% of your credit score, it's important to prioritize paying down any debt and making any extra payments beyond the minimum payment.
• Increase your credit limit. You can increase your credit limit by either requesting an increase on your current credit card. Having a higher credit limit lowers your credit utilization ratio as long as you keep it under 30%.
• Dispute credit report errors. You can get a free credit report from one of the three major credit bureaus and review it to make sure there aren't any errors that could be dragging down your credit score. If so, you could potentially dispute the error and have it removed, which can then improve your score.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every business card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best credit cards.

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*Results may vary. Some may not see improved scores or approval odds. Not all lenders use Experian credit files, and not all lenders use scores impacted by Experian Boost.