What Purchases Count as Travel on Chase's Credit Cards? [2023]

So, you just received your shiny new credit card, and you can’t wait to use it to start earning points. You see that your card offers bonus points for “travel” purchases. That’s great, but how do you know exactly what counts as “travel?”

Does this scenario sound familiar? Most readers have likely questioned whether or not a purchase will count towards a specific category at some point. Even the most seasoned points and miles enthusiasts can question a purchase every now and then.

The bad news is that each type of credit card can be a little different — what counts as travel on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card may not count as travel on the Citi Prestige® Card. The good news is that we’ve already sorted all of it out, so you can easily determine if a purchase will earn bonus points or not.

In this post, we’re focusing on what counts as a travel purchase on 2 of the most popular cards available: the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.

These 2 cards are favorites among points enthusiasts, partly because of their ability to earn lots of Chase Ultimate Rewards points through their generous bonus categories.

Table of contents

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Chase Ink Business Preferred Card
What Counts as Travel on Chase Credit Cards
What Doesn’t Count as Travel
How Rewards Categories are Determined
How to Determine If Your Purchase Will Count as Travel
How to Redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Chase Ink Business Preferred Card
What Counts as Travel on Chase Credit Cards
What Doesn’t Count as Travel
How Rewards Categories are Determined
How to Determine If Your Purchase Will Count as Travel
How to Redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Final Thoughts

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of what purchases count as travel on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, let’s take a quick peek at some of the benefits offered this popular card.

Chase Ink Business Preferred Card

The next card we’re discussing in this post is the Ink Business Preferred card, one of the best all-around business credit cards out there. Here are the highlights:

What Counts as Travel on Chase Credit Cards

According to Chase, the following purchases DO count as a travel:

Airlines
Hotels
Motels
Timeshares
Car rental agencies
Cruise lines
Travel agencies
Discount travel sites
Campgrounds
Passenger trains
Buses
Taxis
Limousines
Ferries
Toll bridges and highways
Parking lots and garages

Here are some additional charges that count as travel, based on experience and crowdsourced data:

Southwest Airlines EarlyBird Check-In fees
Uber and Lyft rides (excluding Uber Eats)
Online travel agencies like Priceline, Expedia, Orbitz, etc.
Payments to travel vendors (like a hotel) paid through PayPal via a credit card
Any items purchased on a cruise ship that are charged to your room (including big-ticket items like artwork purchased during the onboard auctions)

What Doesn’t Count as Travel

According to Chase, the following types of purchases do NOT count as travel:

Real estate agents
Educational merchants arranging travel
Inflight goods and services
Onboard cruise line goods and services
Sightseeing activities
Excursions
Tourist attractions
Boat rentals
Merchants within hotels and airports
Merchants that rent vehicles for the purpose of hauling
Gift cards (unless the merchant is set up to count as travel)
Points and miles (unless the merchant is set up to count as travel)

You’ll notice that gas stations, while essential for travel, don’t code as travel. Another tricky one is Uber Eats. It used to count as a travel purchase, but now it counts as dining.

How Rewards Categories are Determined

Every card network (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc.) assigns codes to each merchant within the network. Merchant codes are assigned according to the merchant’s primary category of goods and services. Chase then groups several merchant codes together to make a rewards category like dining or travel. This is what determines what will or won’t count in a specific rewards category.

How to Determine If Your Purchase Will Count as Travel

There are a few ways to determine if your upcoming purchase will code as travel.

The most surefire way to determine a purchase’s category isn’t always easy when it comes to the travel category. If you can, run a small charge through your card to see how it codes before you make a large purchase. Or you can scroll back through your past purchases to get a good idea of how common merchants code. You’ll be able to see each purchase’s rewards category in your online statement.
Image Credit: Chase
The second way to double-check a merchant code is by using this tool offered by Visa. You can look up a specific business, but you need to have an address. While this tool is a bit finicky, it can be helpful if you are really unsure of a specific purchase’s category.

Hot Tip: Curious about other rewards categories? Check out the Rewards Category FAQ offered by Chase. Although this doesn’t list specific vendors, you should be able to get a good idea of how your purchase will code.

How to Redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

You’ll be earning a lot of Chase Ultimate Rewards points with your Chase Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred card since the travel category is so broad.

Now that you’ve got all those points, you need to know how to use them. There are 2 main ways to turn your points into flights and hotel stays.

Redeem your points in the Chase Travel Portal for flights, hotels, and more. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Ink Business Preferred card, you’ll get 1.25 cents per point in value when you use them in the Chase Travel Portal.
To get even more value out of your points you can transfer them to one of Chase’s hotel and airline partners. Your Chase Ultimate Rewards points will transfer at a 1:1 ratio to lots of different airline and hotel partners. You can then use those points to book great flights and hotel rooms.

Bottom Line: For more information about getting the most out of your points, check out these great ways to redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards points for max value.

Final Thoughts

Having a broad rewards category on your credit card is a great way to earn lots of points. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Ink Business Preferred both count a wide range of businesses in the travel category. Everything from flights and hotels to rental cars and parking will earn bonus points on these 2 cards.

With so many different types of purchases that will count as travel, you’ll be racking up big-time points in no time at all!

Frequently asked questions

What does Chase count as travel?

According to Chase, the following categories count as travel: airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds, passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots and garages.

Do tours count as travel on the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card?

No, unfortunately sightseeing tours and tourist attractions do not count as a travel expense on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

Does gas count as travel on the Chase Sapphire Preferred?

No, gas station purchases do not count as travel on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or the Ink Business Preferred card. In fact, none of the Ultimate Rewards-earning credit cards count gas as a travel expense.

2 comments

Erin Wisneski September 10, 2020

I can’t find a date to this post, but gas does count as travel on the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card now.

Christine Krzyszton September 10, 2020
Hi Erin. I think you might be referring to the temporary promotion for July, August, and September where purchases at gas stations earn 3x Ultimate Rewards Points. This is set to expire September 30, 2020.
Reply

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What Purchases Count as Travel on the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and Ink Business Preferred Cards?

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Chase Ink Business Preferred Card

What Counts as Travel on Chase Credit Cards

What Doesn’t Count as Travel

How Rewards Categories are Determined

How to Determine If Your Purchase Will Count as Travel

How to Redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

Final Thoughts

Frequently asked questions

What does Chase count as travel?

Do tours count as travel on the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card?

Does gas count as travel on the Chase Sapphire Preferred?

About Katie Seemann

2 comments

Any thoughts or questions? Comment below! Cancel reply

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Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

Chase Ink Business Preferred Card

What Counts as Travel on Chase Credit Cards

What Doesn’t Count as Travel

How Rewards Categories are Determined

How to Determine If Your Purchase Will Count as Travel

How to Redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

Final Thoughts

Frequently asked questions

What does Chase count as travel?

Do tours count as travel on the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card?

Does gas count as travel on the Chase Sapphire Preferred?

About Katie Seemann

2 comments

Any thoughts or questions? Comment below! Cancel reply

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Advertiser Disclosure