20 Best Ways to Earn Lots of Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
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Chase Ultimate Rewards points rival American Express 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 7 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
- All of the ways you can earn Ultimate Rewards points
Let’s get started!
Table of contents
- Why Ultimate Rewards Points?
- Personal Credit Cards That Earn Ultimate Rewards
- Business Credit Cards That Earn Ultimate Rewards
- Earn Lots of Chase Ultimate Rewards With Chase Personal Cards
- Earn Lots of Chase Ultimate Rewards Points With Chase Business Credit Cards
- More Ways to Earn Ultimate Rewards on Chase Credit Cards
- Everything Else You Need to Know
- Final Thoughts
Table of Contents
- Why Ultimate Rewards Points?
- Personal Credit Cards That Earn Ultimate Rewards
- Business Credit Cards That Earn Ultimate Rewards
- Earn Lots of Chase Ultimate Rewards With Chase Personal Cards
- Earn Lots of Chase Ultimate Rewards Points With Chase Business Credit Cards
- More Ways to Earn Ultimate Rewards on Chase Credit Cards
- Everything Else You Need to Know
- Final Thoughts
Why Ultimate Rewards Points?
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.
Flexibility of Ultimate Rewards
Flexible redemption options for your Ultimate Rewards points result in rewards that you can actually use!
- Redeem rewards at any time, with no minimum or maximum redemption amount per transaction
- Transfer rewards to the loyalty programs of Chase’s travel partners
- Transfer rewards between business and personal Ultimate Rewards accounts
- Use a combination of points and cash for travel purchases
- Have the option to redeem points for cash, gift cards, and more
Ease of Earning Ultimate Rewards
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.
- Every purchase made earns Ultimate Rewards points
- Bonus category purchases earn up to 5X rewards
- Generous sign-up bonuses jumpstart your earnings
- Earn up to 20X Ultimate Rewards through the Chase shopping portal
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.
Personal Credit Cards That Earn Ultimate Rewards
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.
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card - This is our favorite beginners travel rewards card which has a 60,000 point bonus (highest ever) after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. This sign up bonus is worth $750 in travel purchases (flights, hotels, car rentals etc) when you redeem your points through Chase's travel portal, which works like Expedia. The bonus alone could get you multiple round-trip flights or hotel stays. |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® - Consider this premium card if you want to get into a lot of airport lounges. The current sign up bonus is 50,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll also get a $300 travel credit per year which wipes away a big chunk of the $550 annual fee. |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited® - A simple, no annual fee card that earns you a $150 bonus after you spend $500 in your first 3 months. Easy earning at 1.5% on all purchases. Just know that you won't get any travel benefits or the ability to earn bonus points with this card. |
Chase Freedom®
Like the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card, the no-annual-fee Freedom earns cash-back in the form of Ultimate Rewards points that can be redeemed for cash-back.
Where the Freedom card differs is that every purchase earns 1% cash-back, and quarterly bonus categories earn 5% cash-back.
Each calendar quarter, a selection of bonus categories — such as department stores, restaurants, gas stations, wholesale clubs, and theaters (plus others) — will earn 5% cash-back on up to $1,500 in purchases.
Business Credit Cards That Earn Ultimate Rewards
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.
| Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card - This is our #1 recommended business card and comes with a whopping 80,000 sign up bonus after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening. This bonus is worth $1,000 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards for travel purchases (flights, hotels etc). Also, if you pay for your cell phone bill with this card, you can get up to $600 in cell phone insurance coverage per year. |
| Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card - earn $500 bonus cash back after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening. In addition, get up to 5% cash back on a range of business expenses such as office supply stores, internet, cable, and phone services. This is one of the best no annual fee business cards. |
Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card
Although the Ink Business Unlimited Card earns cash-back rewards, that cash-back is initially earned as Ultimate Rewards points that can be subsequently turned into cash-back.
With simplified earnings of 1.5% cash-back on every purchase, there’s no need to manage complicated bonus earning structures or register for quarterly bonus programs.
The Ink Business Unlimited with no annual fee serves as a simple yet effective vehicle for earning cash-back that goes directly to your business’ bottom line.
Additionally, you have the option to transfer Ultimate Rewards earned on your Ink Business Unlimited Card to a premium Chase credit card, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
You’ll then receive up to 50% more value when redeeming for travel in the Ultimate Rewards travel portal.
Bottom Line: With 3 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.
Earn Lots of Chase Ultimate Rewards With Chase Personal Cards
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 credit cards.
Earn a Sign-up Bonus
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 sign-up bonus.
All Chase credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points offer a welcome sign-up 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 are approved for the card.
Purchase Travel
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:
- Airlines
- Hotels and motels
- Timeshares
- Car rental agencies
- Cruise lines
- Travel agencies and discount travel sites
- Campgrounds
- Passenger trains
- Buses, limos, taxis, ferries
- Parking lots/garages
- Highway and bridge tolls
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 | 3 points per $1 spent |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred Card | 2 points per $1 spent |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited | 1.5% cash-back |
| Chase Freedom | 1.0% cash-back |
While the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers the highest rewards for travel purchases (and for redemption), it does come with a $450 annual fee.
The Chase Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a respectable 2 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.
Use the Chase Travel Portal
While many use the Chase travel portal for redeeming their 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.
Buy Groceries
The Freedom Unlimited earns 1.5% cash-back on every purchase, making it a good choice for everyday purchases including groceries.
Dine Out
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 | 3 points per $ spent |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred | 2 points per $ spent |
| Freedom Unlimited | 1.5% cash-back |
Fill up the Tank
The Freedom Unlimited earns 1.5% cash-back on every purchase, including purchases made at gas stations.
Pay Your Household Bills
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 | All purchases | 1 point per $1 spent |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred | All purchases | 1 point per $1 spent |
| Freedom Unlimited | All purchases | 1.5% cash-back |
Earn on Quarterly Bonus Spending Categories
The Freedom 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%.
Use the Chase Pay App
Chase Pay is a digital payment method that allows you to use your smartphone to make payments at checkout when making a purchase.
There are frequent promotions that allow you to earn bonus points for utilizing the Chase Pay App. For example, some promotions reward you for making a specific number of purchases in a limited period of time, or making purchases at selected merchants.
Currently available only for personal credit cards, Chase Pay doesn’t accept business credit cards, business debit cards, or Mastercard.
Earn Lots of Chase Ultimate Rewards Points With Chase Business Credit Cards
Pay for Travel Expenses
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 | 3 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.
Earning Through the Chase Travel portal
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.
Pay Other Business Expenses
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, maximum $25,000 in purchases in 5% categories |
| Ink Business Preferred Card | Shipping, advertising, internet, cable, phone | 3 points per $ spent, maximum $150,000 in purchases in 3X categories |
| Ink Business Unlimited Card | All expenses | 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!
Purchase Gift Cards
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 the elevated 3%-5% bonus earning on the purchase.
Dine Out
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 |
Fill Up the Tank
The Ink Business Cash Card is your go-to card for gas purchases. If you’re a road warrior, know that you’ll be earning 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)!
More Ways to Earn Ultimate Rewards on Chase Credit Cards
No matter which Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning credit card you have, you can earn multiple points per dollar spent on your card.
Go Shopping at the Chase Ultimate Rewards Shopping Portal
An excellent way to earn Ultimate Rewards points is to utilize the Ultimate Rewards shopping portal.
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 through the Chase Ultimate Rewards shopping portal to earn up to 20 points per dollar spent or more during special promotions.
Everyday Purchases
Every purchase you make on your Ultimate Rewards-earning credit card earns points!
90-Day Second Chance Sign-up Offer
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 sign-up bonus of 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points, but you now see that a 75,000-point sign-up 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 sign-up bonus offer.
Refer-a-friend for a Chase Credit Card
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 as to how many points you can earn.
Add an Authorized User
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.
Everything Else You Need to Know
There is no set limit as to how many Chase credit cards you can have, but Chase does have a rule as to how many total credit cards they allow you to 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. Both cards are personal credit cards.
Final Thoughts
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, you’ll receive 25%-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.
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.
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
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?
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 (https://upgradedpoints.com/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!
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
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!
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.
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.
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?
I learned something new from your article.
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.
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.
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.
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: https://upgradedpoints.com/redeem-chase-ultimate-rewards-points-for-max-value/ and https://upgradedpoints.com/best-ways-to-use-100000-chase-ultimate-rewards/
What a great article. My dad needs to see this immediately.
Thank you for the comment Haley and say hello to Dad for us!
I like how the boarding pass in the first picture has the dreaded SSSS on the bottom. Everybody gets pegged eventually.
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 🙂
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.
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.
Does Chase debit card accrue points?
Hello Debra. Unfortunately your Chase debit card does not earn points.
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?
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.