Chase Ultimate Rewards points have long been one of our most valued rewards, as you can redeem this transferable currency with 14 valued travel partners, including Hyatt, Southwest and United.
According to TPG’s December 2024 valuation, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve’s sign-up bonuses currently offer a value of $1,230, so there’s good reason to be interested in this rewards program.
In this post, we’ll go over the top five cards to consider if you want to increase your account balance as you look ahead to your next trip.
RELATED: 6 Simple Strategies I Use to Earn Over 500,000 Points and Miles a Year
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
This The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is a popular mid-tier travel rewards card.
Best for: Most travelers, thanks to a reasonable $95 annual fee and a great sign-up bonus.
Earning Rate: 5 points per dollar on Lyft rides (through March 2025) and travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3 points on eligible delivery services, dining including takeout and dining out, 3 points on select streaming services, 3 points on online grocery purchases (except ) Target, Walmart and Wholesale Club), 2 points on all other travel and more 1 point on all purchases
Sign Up Bonus: Earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. According to TPG’s December 2024 valuation, this bonus is worth $1,230.
Annual Fee: $95
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Why we love it: Chase Sapphire Preferred tops this list, as it offers one of the best sign-up bonuses of any individual Chase card. This card has unlimited reward travel opportunities; For example, you can use your points to book any travel through Chase Travel℠ at a 25% point redemption boost (or 1.25 cents each). For even more value, transfer your points to Chase loyalty partners for that dream business-class flight or luxury hotel stay on a beautiful island.
You’ll also earn 2 points per dollar on travel and 3 points on dining. While dining is fairly straightforward, Chase counts many purchases as travel expenses, from airfare and hotel stays to Uber rides and parking fees.
To learn more, read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Related: Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Prefer the Chase Sapphire?
Apply at: Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase Sapphire Reserve
This The Chase Sapphire Reserve is Chase’s top general travel rewards card.
Best for: Getting maximum returns on travel and dining purchases and enjoying additional benefits (like a $300 annual travel credit), make it well worth the $550 annual fee.
Earning Rate: 10 points per dollar on Lyft rides (through March 2025) and hotel and car rentals, 5 points on flights through Chase Travel℠, 3 points on travel and dining and 1 point on everything else
Sign Up Bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points worth up to $1,230 after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening, according to TPG’s December 2024 evaluation.
Annual Fee: $550
Why we love it: The Chase Sapphire Reserve Card has the most generous ongoing rewards rates for travel and dining purchases. Similar to Sapphire Preferred, the onboard definition of dining and travel is a great way to earn rewards on multiple purchases. Based on TPG’s December 2024 valuation, 3 points per dollar equates to just a 6% return. For TPG Credit Card writer Danyal Ahmed, the Sapphire Reserve has been a mainstay in his wallet since its release in 2016.
For points-earning potential, Reserve is the clear winner between it and Sapphire Preferred. Your points are worth 1.5 cents each when booking travel through Chase Travel℠. However, Preferred is still a great choice if you don’t want to pay the $550 annual fee.
To learn more, read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Related: Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve Worth the Annual Fee?
Apply at: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Chase Freedom Flex
This The Chase Freedom Flex® is a popular cash-back rewards card.
Best for: A quarterly bonus category spend that stacks well with other Ultimate Rewards cards.
Earning Rate: 5% in bonus categories up to $1,500 each quarter you activate, 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1% on everything else
Sign Up Bonus: Get $200 cash back after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
Annual Fee: $0
Why we love it: The Chase Freedom Flex is a strong rewards card with solid earnings across multiple categories. If you hold a Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred® credit card, you can pool your rewards together as Ultimate Rewards points to help you get to that dream trip faster.
If you maximize your purchases in each quarter’s qualifying 5% bonus category, you’ll earn 30,000 Ultimate Rewards points per year—worth $615, based on TPG’s December 2024 valuation.
A $200 sign-up bonus is equivalent to earning 20,000 points, so opening this card is an easy way to quickly increase your Ultimate Rewards points balance.
To learn more, read our full review of the Chase Freedom Flex.
Related: Why I got Chase Freedom Flex and how I’m getting the most cash this quarter
Apply at: Chase Freedom Flex
Chase Freedom Unlimited
This Chase Freedom Unlimited is another popular cash back rewards card.
Best for: All other non-rotating category spend that stacks well with other Ultimate Rewards cards.
Earning Rate: 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% on dining (including delivery services eligible for takeout) and 1.5% on drugstores and everything else.
Sign Up Bonus: Get an additional 1.5% cash back on all purchases (up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
Annual Fee: $0
Why we love it: Not to be confused with Freedom Flex, Chase Freedom Unlimited has a simple earning plan. You’ll earn 5% back on travel, 3% back on food and drugstores, and a flat 1.5% back on all other purchases through Chase Travel℠.
For common non-category expenses, from medical bills to haircuts, be sure to get 1.5% back. Freedom Unlimited’s cash back rewards can also be transferred to other Ultimate Rewards cards to be used as points for travel.
To learn more, read our full review of Freedom Unlimited.
RELATED: The Power of the Chase Trifecta: Sapphire Reserve, Inc Preferred and Freedom Unlimited
Apply at: Chase Freedom Unlimited
Inc Business Preferred Credit Card
This The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is one of Chase’s best value business cards.
Best for: Business expenses on office supply stores, advertising, utilities and travel.
Earning Rate: 3 points per dollar on first $150,000 spent on combined travel, shipping purchases, social media sites and search engine and internet, cable and phone services on each account anniversary year, 1 point on everything else
Sign Up Bonus: Earn 90,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. Based on TPG’s December 2024 valuation, 90,000 Ultimate Rewards points are worth $1,845.
Annual Fee: $95
Why we like it: Whether you’re a business owner, freelancer or other sole proprietor, consider applying for the Chase Inc. Business Preferred Card. With the sign-up bonus of any Chase Ultimate Rewards card (both personal and business), this can be a great card to earn a large number of points. Like Sapphire Preferred, Inc. Business Preferred offers a 25% point redemption boost when booking travel through Chase Travel℠.
Make sure you max out this card’s bonus categories, as you’ll earn 3 points per dollar. Before you pull the trigger and sign up for this card, remember that there is a high spending requirement to get this sign-up bonus. If you’re a business owner with low expenses, you can choose one of Chase’s no-annual-fee business cards instead.
To learn more, read our full review of Ink Business Preferred.
Related: 5 Reasons to Get the Inc Business Preferred Card
Apply to: Chase Inc Business Preferred
Track credit card application restrictions
Before you apply for all of the Chase cards listed above, be sure to check with Chase 5/24 rule. This basically states that you will be denied any Chase card if you have opened five or more credit cards (from any issuer) in the last 24 months. Note that opening a Chase Business Card should not increase your 5/24 standing, but you generally need to be below 5/24 to qualify for most Chase Business Cards.
Additionally, there are sign-up bonus restrictions on the Sapphire and Freedom cards.
In short, you will not receive a sign-up bonus if you are an existing Sapphire card member or have received a sign-up bonus from a Sapphire card in the last 48 months. This means you can’t own the preferred now and still get the bonus from the reserve.
For Freedom Cards, you cannot currently hold the card for which you want to receive a sign-up bonus, and you have not received that card’s sign-up bonus in the past 24 months.
It’s important to remember these restrictions when building your credit card portfolio — you’ll want to be strategic about which card you open first.
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Credit Card Application Restrictions
The bottom line
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