Ballpark bucket list: How the Chase Sapphire Preferred has helped me travel to 20 MLB stadiums

[Admin]

When 16-year-old me set a goal to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums, I knew it would take time — and money. What I didn’t know was how far one credit card would take me. And how little money I’d actually spend.

And no, I’m not talking about a premium travel card loaded with perks and a high annual fee. The MVP of my ballpark bucket list is actually the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees), which, for a limited time, is offering 100,00 bonus points after spending $5,000 within three months of account opening. TPG values those points at over $2,000 based on our April 2025 valuations.

Utilizing Chase Ultimate Rewards points has helped me cut my hotel expenses and plan annual baseball trips. So, with my CSP in hand, here’s how one credit card helped me chase my MLB ballpark bucket list and already knock out 20 of 30 stadiums. 

Why the Chase Sapphire Preferred card hits it out of the park

Ballparks aren’t always in major cities or “bucket list” cities, but that’s exactly why cash prices can be off-putting. With my CSP, I offset the cost by turning reward points into high-value hotel stays. 

Chase has three hotel transfer partners, but arguably, the best is World of Hyatt. The generous award chart and 1:1 transfer ratio make my points stretch far and wide.

Some of my best redemptions have actually come from mid-size cities with surprisingly high hotel prices. (I’m looking at you, Cleveland.)

GISELLE GOMEZ/THE POINTS GUY

The Sapphire Preferred card also comes with an annual $50 hotel credit each anniversary year. The only caveat is that you have to book your stay through the Chase Travel℠ portal — but there is no minimum spend, and it works on one-night getaways.

Lastly, this card comes with trip cancellation and interruption insurance, baggage delay insurance, and auto rental coverage. Therefore, I have peace of mind knowing I’m always covered if my bag doesn’t arrive with me, something happens with my car rental, my travels are interrupted, or I have to cancel the trip outright. 

Related: Chase Sapphire Preferred benefits: Everything you need to know

Using Chase’s transfer partners to book travel

In my most recent MLB travel stint, I decided I wanted to cross off two ballparks this year — so Ohio fit the bill, as the state houses both the Cleveland Guardians and the Cincinnati Reds. 

First things first, I had to find a weekend when both teams were playing at home. Once I narrowed down my dates, I started searching for a hotel. 

I always like to stay within a 10-15 minute walk of the ballpark so I don’t have to worry about paying for an Uber and/or Lyft or driving if I rent a car. In Cleveland, the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade was centrally located and close to Progressive Field. But when I looked up cash prices for my dates, it was coming out to $320.12 a night. This is a bit steep, in my opinion, for a Category 3 property in the Midwest. 

However, on the rewards side, it was 12,000 Hyatt points per night — or a 2.7 cent redemption — which is well above our 1.7 cent valuation of World of Hyatt points, per our April 2025 estimation. My three-night stay in Cleveland just went from $930.36 to 36,000 Hyatt points. 

Since Chase points transfer to Hyatt at a 1:1 rate, I easily transferred 36,000 points to my Hyatt account to book my stay.

Related: Should I get the World of Hyatt Credit Card or transfer points from Chase instead?

Chase’s Underrated $50 annual hotel credit

It was time to book my Cincinnati hotel. The Hyatt Regency Cincinnati was in a great spot and fit my parameters for being close enough to the Great American Ball Park. It also went for a much more favorable rate — $174.18 a night after taxes and fees.

GISELLE GOMEZ/THE POINTS GUY

My two-night itinerary was considered “peak” nights, making it 15,000 Hyatt points a night. Had I made that redemption, I would have only gotten a value of about 1.2 cents per point, which is under our 1.7-cent Hyatt valuation — so, not a good deal. 

I quickly checked my CSP benefits and realized I hadn’t used my $50 annual hotel credit yet. This seemed like the perfect opportunity. 

By booking through the Chase portal, I would eventually receive a $50 statement credit, reducing the cost from $348.36 to $298.36 for my two-night stay. Per the terms of the benefit, the credit posts between one to two billing cycles, but mine only took 48 hours.

Plus, since cardholders earn 5 points per dollar spent on Chase travel bookings, I earned over 1,400 Chase points on this transaction, helping me stash points for a future trip. 

CHASE

Related: The 8 best credit cards with annual fees under $100

The big picture: How far can 100k Chase points take you?  

So far, I’ve seen games at 20 out of the 30 MLB ballparks. Across the board, Chase-to-Hyatt transfers have been a huge help, especially in cities where hotel prices can be surprisingly high.

If you’d prefer to stay at a boutique hotel (or another brand), you can also redeem your points through Chase Travel for a fixed value of 1.25 cents apiece. Just keep in mind you’d likely get better value by transferring to one of Chase’s hotel partners instead. 

With 100,000 Chase points, I could theoretically cover 10 nights at several Hyatt properties around the U.S. Here’s how:

City	Hotel	Two nights on points	Cash Value	Points Value*
Baltimore, Maryland	Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor	24,000 (standard rate)	$582.80	2.4 cents
Phoenix, Arizona	Hyatt Regency Phoenix	18,000 (off-peak rate)	$508.82	2.8 cents
Cleveland, Ohio	Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade	24,000 (standard rate)	$620.24	2.6 cents
Houston, Texas	Hyatt Place Houston / Downtown	18,000 (standard rate)	$326.17	1.8 cents
St. Louis, Missouri	Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch	13,000 (off-peak rate)	$356.86	2.7 cents

*Value is based on our TPG April 2025 valuations.

With the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, I could easily pay for 10 nights at five different ballpark cities with this one limited-time welcome bonus (and save almost $2,500).

Although the table above is a mix of standard and off-peak rates, baseball season runs for several months, so you can likely find off-peak pricing if you’re flexible on your travel dates (and stretch your points even further). 

Related: Who’s eligible for the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s 100,000-point bonus?

Bottom Line

You can use points to redeem for once-in-a-lifetime travel, or you can chip away at a niche bucket list item like I have, redeeming points slowly but surely. 

I’ve mainly stayed at Hyatt hotels, but the flexibility to transfer to other hotels (or airlines) or redeem through the Chase portal at a fixed option gives you different choices in the city you’re visiting. 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred 100,000-point bonus offer won’t last forever. If you’ve been thinking about starting your own bucket list trip — or just want to save money on travel — the time to apply is now.

To learn more, read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

View the full article