Chase Ultimate Rewards: What You Need to Know

Get the most out of Chase credit cards and learn ways to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points fast and how to redeem the points for the best value.  It’s easy to earn points through sign up bonuses and Chase’s shopping portals.

But the important thing to know is that it’s also easy to redeem the rewards for good value, but other redemption options are better than others. Keep reading below and find out how to get the most out of Chase credit cards and get the maximum value!

Chase Ultimate Rewards Cards

Chase has several Ultimate Rewards cards, you’ve got to earn them before you can redeem any points. You’re enrolled in the program as soon as you’re approved for one of the following cards:

Personal 

The Chase Freedom FlexSM offers a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR. You'll earn: • Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! • 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel?, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more • 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service • Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases You cash back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open and there is no minimum to redeem for cash back. This card has no annual fee. Click here to learn how to apply

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® Card offers a $250 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers. In addition, you can earn: • 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more • 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service • 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. There is no minimum to redeem for cash back & your cash back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open. This card comes with no annual fee and you'll get a free credit score that is updated weekly with Credit JourneySM. Member FDIC Click here to learn how to apply

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn: • 5x on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM • 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries • 2x on all other travel purchases • 1x on all other purchases • $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit • Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027. Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase TravelSM This card carries a $95 annual fee. Click here to learn how to apply

Business

The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card offers $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening. You'll earn: • 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year • 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year • 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn. This card comes with no annual fee. You'll be able to take advantage of employee cards at no additional cost. Click here to learn how to apply

The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card offers $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business and you'll receive employee cards at no additional cost. This card carries no annual fee. Click here to learn how to apply

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card offers 90,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 cash back or $1,125 toward travel when redeemed through Chase TravelSM. You'll earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year; 1 point per $1 on all other purchases - with no limit to the amount you can earn. Furthermore, points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase TravelSM. This card does come with a $95 annual fee but does not have any foreign transaction fees. Click here to learn how to apply

No Annual Fee Cards

Ultimate Rewards offers several cards with no annual fee. Most people would know them as cash back cards, but the rewards are still in the form of UR points and you still earn URpoints when you make purchases. Points can be only redeemed for cash value at a rate of 1 cent per point. Some redemption options with these cash back cards include:

• Getting cash back through direct deposit or statement credit
• Trading in points for gift cards
• Booking travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal

Premium Cards

Premium cards do have an annual fee, but it also has more flexibility in how you can redeem your rewards. One advantage is that you can redeem points for travel at a discount. You get more option for redeeming points that you do with cash back cards.

• Booking a travel with points through Ultimate Rewards at discount. Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred both offer a 20% discount, making each point worth 1.25 cents when redeem for travel.
• Transferring the points to frequent travel programs with the potential for each point to be worth even more.

How To Earn Points

Combining Points to Earn a Travel Discount

• With the no annual fee cards, you are able to redeem points for travel through the Ultimate Rewards portal, but each point is worth 1 cent. But you can get more out of your points by pooling points earned with multiple Chase cards.
• You can maximize your redemption potential by combining all your points onto one of the premium card accounts. Then you can use those points toward travel rewards at a higher value. Once you’ve combined all of your points onto one of the premium Chase cards, you are eligible to earn a discount and you can book your trip through Ultimate Rewards

Earn Bonus Points When You Shop

You can earn even more bonus points when you use Chase’s shopping portal. Chase has over 200 partner merchants that offer bonus points per dollar spent. Most stores offer up to 5X points per dollar spent, but some stores go as high as 25X points. So if you’re doing some online shopping, be sure to check if your store is on the list.

Earn Bonus Points  by Referring a Friend

You can receive a nice referral bonus when your family members or friends sign up for a new Chase card. Different cards will pay out different bonus points for the referral, ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 bonus points. This is an easy way to earn a lot of UR points.

How To Redeem Points for the Best Value

Chase Ultimate Rewards can be redeemed in a variety of ways, but how much your points are worth depends on how you choose to redeem them.

Redeem Rewards for Non-Travel

• Redeem for cash back: You’ll need a minimum of 2,000 points to convert them to cash. You get a 1:1 return in the form of a credit statement of direct deposit into y our account.
• Give yourself a gift: You could get a gift card from your favorite retailer, most merchants require that you trade at least 2,500 points for a $25 gift card.
• Pay on Amazon: Although the points are only value at .80¢, the perk here is an easy checkout.
• Buy an experience: You can trade in your points for an experience with Chase’s Exclusive Events, from fine dining, entertainment, or sports. Please note that events are limited and are only in certain cities.

Redeem Rewards for Travel

If you have one of the premium cards, you can redeem for a travel rewards for a better value.

• Using the Chase Travel Portal: The Chase travel portal works like most online booking sites. All you have to do is enter your destination and the dates of travel and search to review your options. You’ll automatically avoid any blackout dates since you’re not directly booking with an airline. You’ll also be able to book during times when award flights are hard to find.
• Transferring points to travel partners: This is where you really get the ultimate value from your points. With transfer partners, you can make your Chase rewards points worth 2 cents or more. Transferring points is easy and you always get full value with no transfer fees. Transferring Ultimate Rewards is best or international travel or expensive business class or first class tickets. You could save a bundle on your flight if take the time to check out both options.

Ultimate Rewards Travel Partners

Airlines

• United MileagePlus Miles
• Southwest Rapid Rewards
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• British Airway Avios
• Air France Flying Blue
• Singapore KrisFlyer
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• Iberia Plus
• Aer Lingus AerClub

Hotels

• World of Hyatt
• IHG Rewards Club
• Marriott Rewards
• Ritz Carlton Rewards

Ultimate Rewards Expiration

Your points never expire as long as your account is active and in good standing. But if you by any chance decide to shut your card down, any of the rewards you have earned and haven’t redeemed will disappear. Keep in mind that Chase also reserves the right to suspend you Ultimate Rewards privileges if they detect that you are abusing them.

Bottom Line

Chase Ultimate Rewards is one of the best reward programs with the potential to get the best maximum value out of your points.  Check out what Chase credit cards and other credit card bonuses offered, here on HMB!