KEY POINTS
- Getting cash back is a popular way to redeem points.
- Buying gift cards with points could be a good deal.
- Booking travel through Chase's rewards portal maximizes the value of your points.
Many credit cards offer a rewards program, but Chase credit cards have some of the best perks. I've had a Chase credit card for years, and it's one of the only cards I use.
As great as Chase credit card rewards can be, it can sometimes take work to know how to spend the rewards to get the most bang for your buck. Let's take a look at four of the best ways to spend your points.
Ratings Methodology
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Featured offer: save money while you pay off debt with one of these top-rated balance transfer credit cards
Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Reserve®
OnChase'sSecure Website.
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor
Credit Score:Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Poor
Fair
Good
Excellent
300-579
580-669
670-739
740-850
Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Reserve®
OnChase'sSecure Website.
Credit ScoreFalling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
22.49%-29.49% Variable
RewardsEarn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
5x points on flights and 10x points on hotels and car rentals through Chase Travel℠.
Annual FeeN/A
$550
Welcome OfferEarn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
60,000 bonus points
All the perks we've come to expect from a top travel card, including a $300 annual travel credit, airport lounge access, and big bonuses on travel and dining. Points are transferable to airline and hotel partners or worth 50% more if you book through Chase Travel. The annual fee is hefty, but if you can use all its features, this card could be well worth the cost.Read Full Review
- Travel credits
- Airport lounge access
- Travel and dining rewards
- Welcome offer
- Flexible travel points
- Annual fee
- Limited-time benefits
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
- $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursem*nt for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Member FDIC
1. Redeem points for cash
There's a reason cash back credit cards are one of the most popular types of rewards cards: When credit users have the option to trade their points in for cash, many of them take it.
Chase makes it easy to convert points into cash by crediting some or all of your points to your credit card statement or depositing them into your checking or savings account.
Each Chase rewards point is worth $0.01 of cash back, so 5,000 points are worth $50 and 25,000 points are worth $250. No matter which type of Chase credit card you have, the points to cash value is the same.
2. Redeem them for gift cards
I've used my credit cards to buy gift cards, and, just like cash back, it feels like I'm getting free money.
The value of Chase rewards points are the same as cash back: $0.01 for every point. In most cases, if you had 10,000 in Chase points, you could buy a $100 gift card.
But it's worth mentioning that Chase sometimes offers discounted gift cards through the company's Ultimate Rewards portal. For example, I found an Apple gift card that was 10% off, which makes my Chase points go even further.
3. Redeem through Chase Travel
This is where your Chase Rewards points really start to work in your favor. You can use your points to book travel (airline, hotel, and rental car) directly through Chase's Rewards portal, using some or all of your points for your trip.
The type of Chase card you have will determine how much your points are worth. For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® gives you $0.015 per point, while the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card gives you $0.0125 per point.
If you had 20,000 points on the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you would have $300 to spend when booking a hotel or airline directly through the Chase Rewards portal.
Ratings Methodology
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Reserve®
OnChase'sSecure Website.
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor
Credit Score:Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Poor
Fair
Good
Excellent
300-579
580-669
670-739
740-850
Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Reserve®
OnChase'sSecure Website.
Credit ScoreFalling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APR
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
22.49%-29.49% Variable
RewardsEarn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
5x points on flights and 10x points on hotels and car rentals through Chase Travel℠.
Annual FeeN/A
$550
Welcome OfferEarn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
60,000 bonus points
All the perks we've come to expect from a top travel card, including a $300 annual travel credit, airport lounge access, and big bonuses on travel and dining. Points are transferable to airline and hotel partners or worth 50% more if you book through Chase Travel. The annual fee is hefty, but if you can use all its features, this card could be well worth the cost.Read Full Review
- Travel credits
- Airport lounge access
- Travel and dining rewards
- Welcome offer
- Flexible travel points
- Annual fee
- Limited-time benefits
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
- $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursem*nt for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Member FDIC
4. Transfer them to a travel partner
One of the best ways to redeem your Chase rewards points is to transfer them to one of Chase's travel partners. Transferring your points will help you maximize their value (it's also fun to use them to book vacations!).
Here's a quick breakdown of each Chase card's travel points value:
- Chase Freedom® Cards: $0.01 per 1 point
- Ink® Cards: Most Ink cards get $0.01 for 1 point
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: $0.0125 per 1 point
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: $0.0125 per 1 point
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®: $0.015 per 1 point
In this case, you could transfer 20,000 points from your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to an airline or hotel partner and receive $250 in value.
Ratings Methodology
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
OnChase'sSecure Website.
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor
Credit Score:Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Poor
Fair
Good
Excellent
300-579
580-669
670-739
740-850
Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
OnChase'sSecure Website.
Credit ScoreFalling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Good/Excellent (670-850)
Intro APRN/A
Purchases: N/A
Balance Transfers: N/A
Regular APR
21.49%-28.49% Variable
RewardsEnjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 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, plus more.
5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases
Annual FeeN/A
$95
Welcome OfferEarn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
60,000 bonus points
The enormous welcome bonus (worth $750), bonus travel and dining rewards, and $50 annual hotel credit alone make this card well worth the annual fee. This card’s points are valuable and easy to use, as you can redeem them at 25% more value for Chase Travel bookings, giving it less of a learning curve than other travel cards. It also has a strong list of travel protections you don't see often from such an affordable card, including primary rental car insurance, trip delay reimbursem*nt, lost luggage reimbursem*nt, and trip cancellation/interruption insurance.Read Full Review
- Big sign-up bonus
- Travel rewards
- Dining rewards
- Flexible travel points
- Consumer and travel protections
- Annual fee
- Limited-time perks
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 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, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- 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, 2024.
- Member FDIC
It's worth noting that your points need to be transferred in increments of 1,000, transfers are final, and it takes about a week to process the points transfer.
No matter how you spend your rewards points, they're a great perk of many Chase credit cards. Since travel is one of the best ways to spend them, booking a trip through the Chase Rewards portal or transferring points to an airline or hotel could be one of the best ways to book your summer vacation.
Alert: our top-rated cash back card now has 0% intro APR until 2025
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