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Chase Ultimate Rewards points rival Amex Membership Rewards points as the “holy grail” of credit card rewards.
This is evidenced by the fact that Ultimate Rewards points offer everything you’d want from a rewards currency, including the ability to earn a lot of points without limits and the option to select from a wide variety of flexible redemption options.
Chase issues a powerful collection of credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points, so there’s a card (or combination of cards) for every spending profile, whether personal or business.
In fact, you may need a primer on just how many ways you can earn Ultimate Rewards points. So in this article, we’ll cover why you’d want to earn Ultimate Rewards points, which personal and business Chase credit cards earn Ultimate Rewards points, and all of the ways you can earn Ultimate Rewards points.
Let’s get started!
There are several types of reward currencies you can earn on credit cards, but the most valuable are those that have flexible redemption options and are relatively easy to earn.
Ultimate Rewards points are valuable because they have both of those key characteristics.
Flexible redemption options for your Ultimate Rewards points result in rewards that you can actually use!
It’s easy to earn Ultimate Rewards points on your purchases when the mix of your spending matches up with the reward-earning categories on your Chase credit card.
With all the ways available to earn Ultimate Rewards, you just may need some assistance sorting through all of the options.
Let’s take a look at which Chase credit cards earn Ultimate Rewards points and the multitude of ways to earn them.
Bottom Line: Earning a lot of valuable Ultimate Rewards points creates an asset that can be used to fund a family vacation, offset business expenses, or redeem for immediate cash in an emergency.
There are plenty of ways to earn Ultimate Rewards with Chase personal credit cards. Whether your greatest spending is on travel, dining out, or shopping at wholesale clubs, you’re going to earn rewards on every purchase.
Let’s take a look at all the ways to earn Ultimate Rewards points with Chase personal cards.
There are a number of personal Chase credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards. Each one has features, benefits, and earning structures that reward specific spending patterns.
The fastest way to earn plenty of Ultimate Rewards points is to sign up for a Chase credit card that earns Ultimate Rewards points, complete the initial spending requirement, and earn a welcome bonus.
All Chase credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points offer a welcome bonus, and some are occasionally quite generous. Although offers can differ, the bonus is generally earned after reaching an initial spending level in the first 90 days after you’re approved for the card.
Fortunately, Chase defines travel very broadly, so nearly any travel-related purchase you make will earn extra rewards.
The merchant code assigned by the credit card network will determine eligibility, but Chase lists the following examples of purchases that qualify as travel:
Let’s take a look at the earning power of making travel purchases with your personal Chase credit card:
| Chase Personal Credit Card for Travel Purchases | Rewards |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve card |
|
| Chase Sapphire Preferred card |
|
| Freedom Unlimited card |
|
| Freedom Flex card |
|
While the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers the highest rewards for travel purchases (and for redemption), it does come with a $550 annual fee.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers up to 5 points per $1 spent on travel, has a lower $95 annual fee, and still delivers 25% more value when redeeming points for travel on the Chase travel portal.
Bottom Line: If you have a premium Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning credit card, you can transfer Ultimate Rewards points to those accounts and redeem for greater value (up to 50% more) through the Chase travel portal.
While many use the Chase travel portal for redeeming Ultimate Rewards points, you can also earn points by purchasing travel via the portal.
A convenient way to do this is to pay for a portion of your travel purchase with Ultimate Rewards Points and the remainder using your Chase credit card. You will earn the corresponding Ultimate Rewards points for the amount of travel charged on your card.
The Freedom Unlimited card earns 1.5% cash-back on every purchase, making it a good choice for everyday purchases, including groceries.
Dine out a lot? Several Chase credit cards earn elevated rewards on purchases made at restaurants:
| Best Personal Chase Card for Dining | Rewards |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve card | 3x points on dining |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred card | 3x points on dining |
| Freedom Unlimited card | 3% cash-back |
The Freedom Unlimited card earns 1.5% cash-back on every purchase, including purchases made at gas stations.
Since all Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards earn rewards on every purchase, you’ll earn points for paying all of your household expenses.
| Personal Chase Card for Paying Household Bills | Bonus Spending Category | Rewards |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve card | All purchases | 1 point per $1 spent |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred card | All purchases | 1 point per $1 spent |
| Freedom Unlimited card | All purchases | 1.5% cash-back |
The Freedom Flex card has a unique earning structure with quarterly bonus categories that earn 5% cash-back!
Each quarter, there’s a different lineup of bonus category merchants. Previous bonus merchants have included department stores, restaurants, gas stations, wholesale clubs, and theaters. There is a limit of $1,500 in purchases per quarter that earn 5%.
Hot Tip: You can also earn 5x to 10x points on select Peloton purchases over $250 through March 31, 2025 with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
If you have a business (small or large), there’s a Chase business credit card that will match up with your business spending mix to earn the most Ultimate Rewards points possible.
If you have a premium Chase credit card (a card that carries an annual fee) such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve card or Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you can transfer your rewards earned on your Ink Business Unlimited card over to those cards. You’ll then receive up to 50% more value when redeeming for travel in the Ultimate Rewards travel portal.
Bottom Line: With multiple Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning business credit cards to choose from, it’s easy to find one that matches your business spending patterns and earns the most rewards.
If your business involves a lot of travel, those expenses add up quickly. Earning Ultimate Rewards on those purchases delivers tremendous value back into your business — or can help fund that much-needed family vacation.
Hot Tip: The definition of “travel” for Chase purchases is the same for personal and for business credit cards.
| Chase Business Credit Card for Travel Expenses | Rewards for Travel Purchases |
| Ink Business Preferred card | 3x points per $1 spent |
| Ink Business Unlimited card | 1.5% cash-back |
| Ink Business Cash card | 1% cash-back |
Whether you’re purchasing an airline ticket, staying at an urban Airbnb, or taking a taxi across town, all your travel-related purchases earn 3 points per dollar spent on the Ink Business Preferred card.
Redeeming your Ultimate Rewards points through the Chase Travel portal with the Ink Business Preferred card gives you 25% extra value. Additionally, you can purchase travel via the portal and earn 3 points per dollar spent.
The Ultimate Rewards travel portal also allows you to pay partially with points and the remainder with your Chase credit card.
Your business has a lot of different expenses that may or may not fall into a particular bonus-earning category. Selecting the business credit card that closely matches your largest expenses will ensure you’re earning maximum rewards.
Here’s a sample of how Chase business credit cards earn on common business expenses.
| Chase Business Card | Business Expense Categories | Business Expense Rewards |
| Ink Business Cash card | Office supplies, internet, cable, phone | 5% cash-back, up to $25,000 in combined purchases in 5% categories every cardmember year |
| Ink Business Preferred card | Shipping, advertising, internet, cable, phone | 3x points per $1 spent, up to $150,000 in combined purchases in 3x categories every cardmember year |
| Ink Business Unlimited card | All business purchases | 1.5% cash-back |
Hot Tip: If your business maximized the $150,000 limit for 3x earnings on the Ink Business Preferred card, your business would realize $5,625 worth of travel when redeeming points through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal!
Many Ultimate Rewards bonus category merchants (such as office supply stores and gas stations) sell gift cards you can purchase to use for non-bonus category spending.
For example, you can purchase grocery store, gas, hotel, and department store gift cards and receive an elevated 3% to 5% bonus on the purchase.
All those restaurant business meetings, late-night hotel dinners, and quick bites during your road trip could be earning Ultimate Rewards points, too!
Use these business Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning credit cards for multiple rewards per dollar spent on dining:
| Chase Business Credit Card for Dining | Rewards |
| Ink Business Cash card | 2 points per $ spent |
| Ink Business Unlimited card | 1.5% cash-back |
| Ink Business Preferred card | 1 point per $1 spent |
The Ink Business Cash card is your go-to card for gas purchases. If you’re a road warrior, you’ll earn 2 points for every dollar spent at the pump.
Using the Ink Business Unlimited card would also be a good option, as it earns 1.5% on every purchase (including gas)!
No matter which Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning credit card you have, you can earn multiple points per dollar spent on your card.
An excellent way to earn Ultimate Rewards points is to utilize Shop through Chase.
You can log in to the Ultimate Rewards shopping portal using your Chase account online password.
Click on Earn Bonus Points at the top of the Ultimate Rewards home page, and you’ll see the shopping link.
Hot Tip: Earn big on dining out by purchasing Restaurant.com certificates on Shop through Chase to earn up to 20 points per dollar spent or more during special promotions.
Every purchase you make on your Ultimate Rewards-earning credit card earns points!
If you’ve signed up for a Chase credit card offer and you see a higher offer is now available, you can contact Chase and they may match that offer.
For example, say you were approved for a Chase credit card with a welcome bonus of 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points, but you now see that a 75,000-point welcome bonus offer is available.
You might be able to get that offer matched by Chase. Just call within 90 days after approval to see if they’ll consider granting the higher welcome bonus offer.
The Chase Refer-A-Friend bonus is a great way to earn more Ultimate Rewards points without spending. If you have an Ultimate Rewards-earning Chase credit card, you can refer a friend to sign up — you’ll both receive a bonus once they’re approved and make a purchase!
Bonus amounts vary depending on the card and whether there is an existing offer available. There is also an annual limit to how many points you can earn.
Ultimate Reward bonuses for adding an authorized user to your credit card come and go.
You may receive a bonus offer for adding an authorized user once you’re approved for your new Chase credit card, or you can call the number on the back of your card to inquire if a bonus is available.
There is no set limit to how many Chase credit cards you can have, but Chase does have a rule about how many total credit cards you can open within 24 months.
Hot Tip: Be sure to review the Chase 5/24 rule before applying for any Chase credit card.
As Chase allows you to have only 1 Sapphire credit card, you’ll need to decide between the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Both cards are personal credit cards.
While there are plenty of ways to earn lots of valuable Ultimate Rewards points, the real fun starts at redemption time.
If you have one of the premium Chase credit cards such as the Ink Business Preferred card, Chase Sapphire Preferred card, or Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you’ll receive 25% to 50% more value when redeeming points on the Ultimate Rewards travel portal (depending on the card).
You’ll also experience enhanced value when you transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Chase’s travel partners.
For other ways to redeem your Ultimate Rewards Points for maximum value, check out our complete guide.
The information regarding the Chase Freedom Unlimited® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Chase Freedom Flex℠ was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
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Christine ran her own business developing and managing insurance and financial services. This stoked a passion for points and miles and she now has over 2 dozen credit cards and creates in-depth, detailed content for UP.
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26 comments
Brett
April 15, 2018
Why is it always said that you must have a Sapphire or Ink card to use your points for travel? I have the Freedom cards and it gives me the option to use my points towards hotel, air etc.
Alex Miller
April 19, 2018
You need to be a cardholder of a Chase card that has an annual fee to be able to transfer your Ultimate Rewards to their transfer partners. For example, if you have a Freedom card (no annual fee) on it’s own then you’ll only be able to accrue cash-back.
However, if you also have one of the Chase Sapphire cards (which have an annual fee) then you can transfer the cash-back accrued via your Freedom card to Ultimate Rewards…thus enabling you to transfer to partners. Hope that makes sense
Chris
July 06, 2018
I got the CSR card in May. Applied for the CSP card in June and was denied because I already have a Sapphire Branded card. Is this a standard denial or should I try again?
Alex Miller
July 06, 2018
Unfortunately Chase will not allow you to get both of the Sapphire cards so I would not apply again for the CSP! If you don’t have it already, I’d combine the CSR with the CFU (/credit-cards/reviews/chase-freedom-unlimited-credit-card/) so that you can get 1.5pts/$1 spent outside of Travel & Dining purchases. That’s what Erin and I do!
Chris
July 17, 2018
Great Alex.
So if I have the CSR card and earn UR points and I get this card I can transfer the cash back to UR points? I am looking for my business expenses such as fuel, Insc, office stuff.
Sounds like a pretty good option.
C
Alex Miller
July 17, 2018
Yes, you can definitely do that (convert Chase Freedom Unlimited cash-back > UR points) because you already have the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
However, if you’ve got business expenses then I’d strongly recommend getting a business card instead because
a) their rewards for business expenses in general are more generous than a personal card and…
b) it keeps your business expenses separate which you’ll be happy about at the end of each month or whenever you update your accounts.
I’d recommend either the Ink Business Preferred or the Ink Cash – just scroll back up this page to the see the table and card info for more details!
Christian
July 25, 2018
Thanks Alex.
I have checked out some of the business plans but most of them have big spend requirements for the bonuses. I am a very small business with min/mod expenses. So I think the freedom might be the best option. I had not realized the freedom was not just a cash back card. I am glad that I can earn UR points. I think paired with my Sapphire, it would be a great option.
Tom K
September 11, 2018
I haven’t had a good experience with Chase Sapphire points program. They took 8+ weeks for the signup bonus to post and only posted after I called in and reminded them. I thought it might be a fluke but the same thing happened for the refer-a-friend. They also miss a lot of 2x travel/dining so I am always checking my statement. Does anyone else also find this to be the case? I have heard good things about the Amex points program.
Alex Miller
September 12, 2018
Hi Tom – sorry that you’ve had some bad experiences with Chase. We haven’t had the same issues and I’ve not heard this complaint from other readers either…doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen though! Has anyone else had problems like what Tom is describing?
Gaston Mckillop
September 12, 2018
I learned something new from your article.
Michelle
September 18, 2018
I have the regular Chase card and I’m looking forward to the Warehouse clubs being added for Q4 this year.
But I have a question, do you know if I can take advantage of the 2% online bonus for sam’s club and also the 5% for the bonus category? I’m looking for a gift card I know they sell online so I wanted to take that approach if it was allowed, but I can’t find any details on whether Chase will allow it.
Stephen Au
September 18, 2018
Hi Michelle,
Is the 2% online bonus for Sam’s Club is offered by Sam’s Club itself? They should stack and you should be able to take advantage of both, since the 5% bonus category is on all relevant Chase purchases in those categories.
Leslie
October 01, 2018
I don’t see the SWA Chase Premier (Visa) Rapid Rewards mentioned. I’ve had it a good number of years. How does it compare? Should I upgrade? Thank you.
Alex Miller
October 01, 2018
Hi Leslie – this article is focused on earning Chase Ultimate Rewards points whereas the SWA card you mentioned earns Southwest points.
As Southwest is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards (“UR”), we much prefer to earn UR points because they’re very easy to accrue and you can transfer to multiple airline and hotel partners…thus giving you a lot more options.
Conversely, SWA points cannot be transferred and aren’t very value due to their fixed price.
For more on the value of UR, see these articles: /credit-cards/best-ways-to-redeem-chase-ultimate-rewards-points/ and /best-ways-to-use-100000-chase-ultimate-rewards/
Haley
December 03, 2018
What a great article. My dad needs to see this immediately.
Christine Krzyszton
December 03, 2018
Thank you for the comment Haley and say hello to Dad for us!
Christian
December 03, 2018
I like how the boarding pass in the first picture has the dreaded SSSS on the bottom. Everybody gets pegged eventually.
Alex Miller
December 04, 2018
haha, indeed. My green card was being renewed at the time of travel and even though I had a permit to travel, they wanted to plant the ol’ SSSS on me! That went on for a while and wasn’t super fun! All good now though 🙂
Robert
May 02, 2019
Is that a relatively new rule that Chase only allows 1 Sapphire card? I’ve had both the Preferred and Reserve cards for about 2 years now, so I guess if you already have both they’re fine with you keeping them.
Christine Krzyszton
May 02, 2019
Hi Robert. I did some research and it appears the rule was implemented in August of 2017. And yes, those who had more than one Sapphire card were not affected by the rule.
Debra Ryan
May 09, 2019
Does Chase debit card accrue points?
Christine Krzyszton
May 09, 2019
Hello Debra. Unfortunately your Chase debit card does not earn points.
Tray Hanna
June 09, 2019
I currently have the CSR card and I am thinking of getting the Ink Business Preferred to get the 80,000 bonus. Will the points be at my current reward portal or will I have to have 2 separate UR point portals?
Christine Krzyszton
June 09, 2019
Hello Tray. Each card will have its own terms for redeeming Ultimate Rewards points. You can redeem points via the CSR Ultimate Rewards travel portal for 1.5 cents per point. The Ink Business Preferred allows you to redeem points at 1.25 cents per point via its Ultimate Rewards travel portal. However, you will be able to transfer points between accounts in order to redeem your points at the higher 1.5 cents per point.
Ryan
July 05, 2021
Okay, I’m a bit confused. The article says 20 best ways to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards, but several of the cards (including Freedom Unlimited which is listed as the 3rd best way to earn Ultimate Rewards) say they earn CASH back, not Ultimate Rewards points. Is the “cash” the Freedom Unlimited card earns actually in the form of Ultimate Rewards points? I’d like to know before signing up.
Christine Krzyszton
July 06, 2021
Hi Ryan. Yes, the Freedom Unlimited card earns cash-back in the form of Ultimate Rewards points. You can then redeem the points for cash-back, travel, etc. or you can transfer the points to premium Chase cards. Thank you for the question.
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