Freedom Unlimited vs Sapphire Preferred

Every figure below is from the same dataset Miles computes its recommendations from. Rows the two cards agree on are collapsed at the bottom.

Economics

Dollar figures are per year unless the row says otherwise. Ongoing annual value is Miles' estimate of what the card adds per year after its annual fee: statement credits discounted for realistic use, benefits, and earning above a strong flat-rate card on a typical spending profile. First-year value is a separate net figure that includes the welcome bonus. A welcome bonus shown at its advertised maximum may not be available to every applicant; that figure is not marked as stronger. ★ marks the stronger comparable figure on other rows, and no row is marked when either figure is unknown.
Figure	Freedom Unlimited Chase	Sapphire Preferred Chase
Annual fee	Best: $0 $95/yr less	$95
Ongoing annual value, after fee	$170	Best: $432 $262/yr more
First-year value	$247	Best: $1,322 $1,075/yr more
Foreign transaction fee	3%	Best: None
Authorized user fee	—Unknown	—Unknown

Sign-up Bonus

The current welcome offer as recorded in the dataset. No winner is marked: a bonus is points times a valuation times a spend requirement you may or may not clear, and the first-year value above already prices it.
Offer	Freedom Unlimited Chase	Sapphire Preferred Chase
Current offer	$200 (*awarded as 20,000 points) after spending $500 in the first 3 months	75K bonus points after spending $5K within the first three months from account opening.

Earning

Percentages are the return on a dollar spent: the multiplier times what Miles values those points at. ★ marks the higher return on a row. Categories only one card earns a bonus on are marked for that card; the other earns its base rate.
Category	Freedom Unlimited Chase	Sapphire Preferred Chase
Peloton equipment and accessories over $150 (through 12/31/2027, max 25K points)	—Unknown	Best: 5X7.5%
Drugstores	Best: 3X4.5%	—Unknown
Gas & EV charging	—Unknown	Best: 3X4.5%
Lyft (through 9/30/2027)	2X3%	Best: 5X7.5%
Online Grocery (excluding Target, Walmart, and Wholesale Clubs)	—Unknown	Best: 3X4.5%
Select streaming services	—Unknown	Best: 3X4.5%
Vacation homes	—Unknown	Best: 3X4.5%
Travel including airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, rental car agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds and operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots and garages	—Unknown	Best: 2X3%
All other purchases	Best: 1.5X2.2%	1X1.5%

Benefits

Statement credits, lounge access and elite status as listed in the dataset; protections are counted, not listed. No winner is marked: twelve small credits are not more than two large ones, and the row that prices them, ongoing annual value, is under Economics.
Benefit	Freedom Unlimited Chase	Sapphire Preferred Chase
Statement credits	DoorDash Grocery/Retail, quarterly: $10 (Quarterly)	Hotel Credit: $100 (Annual Cardmember Year) DoorDash Grocery/Retail, monthly: $10 (Monthly) Global Entry / TSA PreCheck / NEXUS Credit: $120 (Every 4 Years)
Lounge access	—Unknown	—Unknown
Elite status	—Unknown	—Unknown
Protections	4	9

The same on both cards (6)

Rows where both cards state the same figure or the same earning rate. Nothing is marked, because there is no stronger side.
Fact	Freedom Unlimited	Sapphire Preferred
Issuer	Chase	Chase
Rewards currency	Chase Ultimate Rewards	Chase Ultimate Rewards
Card type	Personal	Personal
Network	Visa	Visa
Dining	3X4.5%	3X4.5%
Travel booked through Chase Travel	5X7.5%	5X7.5%

Which one is right for you

This page shows the difference. It does not pick: the winner depends on what you spend and what you already hold, and adding these figures up without knowing that would be a guess dressed as a verdict. Ask Miles and it computes the answer against your own wallet.

Ask Miles which to get