The Chase trifecta: How to earn more travel rewards with your credit card

When you’re booking travel, it’s easy to get caught up in the chase for an amazing deal – but why not target your precious earning potential? There are a wide range of ways that one can earn bonuses with their credit card. In this article, we’ll explore three different methods of maximizing these rewards and how they can help make even the most mundane trips feel like a break from reality.,

The “chase freedom unlimited” is a credit card that offers three unique benefits to its users. These include the ability to earn more travel rewards, access to airport lounges, and no foreign transaction fees. The Chase Freedom Unlimited is one of the best credit cards available for 2018.

The Chase trifecta: How to earn more travel rewards with your credit card

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You may have heard that having six or seven credit cards in your purse or wallet at any one moment is the greatest method to earn the most credit card rewards. However, this is a difficult process. Most individuals don’t want to carry a stack of credit cards about with them, nor do they want to have to remember which card to use at every business.

But what if we told you that all you truly need are three credit cards to earn all the travel points and miles you’ll ever need? And that the annual fees for these three credit cards combined can be as low as $95 per year?

The “Chase trifecta” is what we’re talking about. All three of these credit cards yield Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which is one of the greatest rewards schemes on the market. Even better, Chase lets you pool your points from all of your Ultimate Rewards credit cards, so you can put all of your points into one huge pot even if you’re collecting points on three separate cards.

Intrigued? Let’s take a look at each of these cards, as well as the Chase Ultimate Rewards program as a whole, to see how you can easily rack up points for that much-needed next trip.

Chase Ultimate Rewards is the only loyalty program offered by Chase, and it is used to reward customers who use its cash back and travel credit cards. You may easily move Ultimate Rewards points across all of your Chase Ultimate Rewards cards, and your points will never expire if you maintain at least one Ultimate Rewards card active and use all of your points on that card.

Within its Ultimate Rewards program, the bank effectively provides two sorts of credit cards: basic and premium. The Chase Freedom FlexSM and Chase Freedom Unlimited® for personal use, as well as the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card and Ink Business Cash® Credit Card for small enterprises, are the basic cards with no annual charge.

These basic cards are marketed as “cash back” cards by Chase, although they really collect Ultimate Rewards points, which most customers swap for cash back at a rate of 1 cent per point. However, you are not required to redeem your points for cash. Other alternatives are available to you.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®, as well as the Ink Business PreferredSM Credit Card for companies, have annual fees ranging from $95 to $550, depending on the card. These premium cards have extra benefits including the option to transfer points to any of Chase’s 14 travel partners, which include 11 airlines and three hotel chains.

Airlines
Aer Lingus AerClub is a service provided by Aer Lingus. Aeroplane Air Canada Flying Blue Air France-KLM
Executive Club of British Airways Emirates Skywards is a loyalty program offered by Emirates. Plus Iberia
TrueBlue JetBlue Singapore Airlines is a Singapore-based airline. KrisFlyer Rapid Rewards from Southwest
MileagePlus is a program offered by United Airlines. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is a membership program offered by Virgin Atlantic.  
Hotels
Hyatt’s World IHG Reward Program Marriott Bonvoy is a loyalty program offered by Marriott.

Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio to these 14 partners, meaning 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points equal 1,000 points in your chosen program.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points may be quite valuable when transferred to partner programs for redemption. To redeem your points this way, you’ll need to put in some effort and be flexible with your travel plans, but it’s by far the best option to secure first- or business-class tickets, particularly when flying overseas. Due to this ability, frequent flyer website The Points Guy values Chase points as high as 2 cents each point.

Now, here’s one of the strategies we can use while putting up the Chase trifecta. While you can’t transfer points straight to one of these 14 travel partners with the basic Ultimate Rewards credit cards, you may transfer any points you earn from your basic cards to any of the premium cards at any time. So long as you have a premium Chase card, you may transfer your points to it and then transfer them to a partner airline or hotel program.

Putting the Chase trifecta together

Let’s put our Chase trifecta together now that we know the regulations. Although there are a variety of combinations you may utilize to create your own personal Chase trifecta, the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Freedom Flex, and Chase Freedom Unlimited are the three most popular cards to keep in your bag or wallet at the lowest possible annual fees.

One of Chase’s oldest travel credit cards is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. This $95 a year credit card gives you three points for every dollar you spend on meals, some streaming services, and online grocery shopping. It also gets 2 points per dollar on travel (or 5 points per dollar if booked via Chase Ultimate Rewards), 5 points per dollar on Lyft rides until March 2022, and 1 point per dollar on everything else.

You’ll get access to Chase’s whole list of transfer partners if you have this one premium Ultimate Rewards credit card. You may also use your rewards to book travel straight via the Chase travel site if you don’t want to deal with the inconvenience of transferring points. When you book this way, you may book whatever flight or hotel stay you choose, just as you would if you paid cash – no award availability or ban dates to worry about. You’ll also earn a 25% bonus on any points you redeem while you hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred, making each point worth 1.25 cents. As a result, if you want to book a $450 ticket, you’ll just need to redeem 36,000 points.

The greatest news is that new Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders may presently receive 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 within the first three months of account activation, allowing you to obtain the card and swiftly rack up Ultimate Rewards points.

To apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, go here.

If you plan to use your points mainly for travel via the Chase travel portal rather than transferring them to Chase’s partners, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is a better option than the Sapphire Preferred. At $550 a year, it’s a lot more costly, but you’ll receive a 50% bonus when redeeming your points through the Chase travel site instead of just 25%. As a result, instead of 36,000 points, the $450 flight would only cost 30,000 points.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve also comes with a $300 yearly travel credit, Priority Pass Select membership, which gives you free access to over 1,300 airport lounges around the globe, greater travel insurance, and other advantages. If you travel often and expect to utilize all of the advantages on a regular basis, it may be worth the additional money.

To apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, go here.

Next on our Chase trifecta list is the Chase Freedom Flex. Its claim to fame is its rotating quarterly bonus categories, which provide 5% cash back on purchases up to $1,500 per quarter. The cash back is given in the form of Ultimate Rewards points, which can be transferred to your Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve account and used for travel.

If you truly want to utilize the Chase Freedom Flex, you’ll have to pay attention to the changing categories, but the additional benefits might be well worth it. For example, on purchases purchased at Walmart and using PayPal from October to December 2021, the Freedom Flex receives 5% cash back (or 5x Ultimate Rewards points). Because you may receive this extra on up to $1,500 in purchases every quarter, you might earn up to 7,500 bonus points per quarter, or 30,000 bonus points per year. That’s a significant number of bonus points.

With the Chase Freedom Flex, you’ll also get 3 points per dollar spent on pharmacy goods, 3 points per dollar spent on eating, and 5 points per dollar spent on Chase-booked travel. Those latter two categories are identical to the Sapphire Preferred, so if you already have that card, they’re redundant.

The Chase Freedom Flex also comes with a few other perks that you won’t find on the Chase Sapphire Preferred, one of which being mobile phone insurance. If you pay your monthly mobile phone bill with your Freedom Flex, you’re insured up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year if your phone is stolen or destroyed, with a $50 deductible per claim and a limit of two claims per 12-month period.

New Chase Freedom Flex cardholders may now get $200 in cash back (or 20,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after spending $500 during the first three months after account creation. Plus, on up to $12,000 spent in the first year on the card, you’ll receive 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart purchases). And yes, if you choose to utilize your rewards as points instead of cash back, that’s comparable to 5 points every dollar, which is a fantastic offer.

To apply for the Chase Freedom Flex card, go here.

While the rotating categories might be a bit confusing, there’s no reason not to carry the Chase Freedom Flex since it has no annual fee. If you don’t want to put in the extra work, you may skip it and go straight to the Chase trifecta’s final card…

Our Chase trifecta is completed with the Chase Freedom Unlimited. It’s a no-fee credit card that gives you cash back, but it’s in the form of Ultimate Rewards points that you can transfer to any other Ultimate Rewards credit card.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited is unique in that it earns at least 1.5 percent cash back (or 1.5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar) on all purchases. Like a result, instead of earning 1 point per dollar as with the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve, you’ll get a 50% bonus on daily expenditures.

As a result, the Chase Freedom Unlimited becomes your “go-to” card for any transactions that don’t qualify for a bonus on your other two Chase trifecta cards. That way, you’ll know when to take it out of your handbag or wallet. The Freedom Unlimited also features the same bonus categories as the Chase Freedom Flex, so if you don’t want to deal with the Freedom Flex’s rotating categories and just want two credit cards instead of three, the Freedom Unlimited might be a good fit with the Sapphire Preferred.

Finally, while the card doesn’t come with many extra perks (the Freedom Unlimited doesn’t include cell phone protection), the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve card will provide you with the essential travel benefits you require, such as trip insurance and waived foreign transaction fees. Of course, if you have the Sapphire Preferred or Reserve in your wallet, you’ll already have access to the Chase travel portal bonus and Chase transfer partners.

The Chase Freedom Unlimited offers the same sign-up bonus as the Freedom Flex, with new cardholders earning $200 in cash back (or 20,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after spending $500 in the first three months, plus 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year. If you wish to utilize your rewards for travel, that 5% cash back is equal to 5 points every dollar.

To apply for the Chase Freedom Unlimited card, go here.

If you operate a small company, you may want to include your business spending into your credit card rewards plan. In such situation, the Ink Business Preferred may be added as a “bonus” fourth credit card to the mix.

The Ink Business Preferred has a $95 annual cost, but it comes with a good collection of bonus categories for businesses. They include 3 points every dollar spent on travel, shipping, internet, cable, and phone services, as well as advertising on social media sites and search engines. Remember that you may only get this 3x incentive on up to $150,000 in total purchases across these categories each account year. Following that, you’ll receive 1 point every dollar spent in each category, plus 1 point per dollar spent on anything else.

Best of all, the Ink Business Preferred presently offers a whopping 100,000 extra points to new cardholders who spend $15,000 on purchases during the first three months of receiving the card. That’s a lot of money to spend in three months, but it’s not unusual for many firms to have that much in recurring monthly spending.

Cell phone protection is also available with the Ink Business Preferred. Simply pay your full mobile phone bill with the card, and everyone mentioned on your monthly bill is insured for up to $600 in compensation per event, with a $100 deductible each claim, and up to three claims per year.

Purchase protection, trip insurance, trip delay protection, and main automobile rental insurance are among the other Ink Business Preferred perks. If you acquire the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you’ll gain these advantages automatically, but if the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a better match, the Ink Business Preferred might be an excellent alternative for those purchases that need protection.

Keep in mind that business credit cards aren’t only for big enterprises; the Ink Business Preferred is specifically created for small firms. You may not even be aware that you have a company when you really do. Selling items on eBay, driving for Uber, or buying and selling real estate are all examples of operations that might qualify you as a single owner with a small company.

To apply for the Ink Business Preferred card, go here.

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One of our favorite tactics for earning as many travel points as possible is to carry three — or even four — Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards in your handbag or pocket. You’ll be able to pool your points from all of your cards and utilize them to their full potential by booking travel with Chase and receiving a bonus, or transferring them to Chase’s valued airline and hotel partner programs.

You’ll also score more points than if you just used one card. You earn all of these additional categories if you have the Chase trifecta:

  • Dining earns you 3 points every dollar spent (Sapphire Preferred, Reserve, Flex, Freedom)
  • On certain streaming services and online food delivery, you may get 3 points each dollar spent (Sapphire Preferred)
  • On travel, you may earn 3 points per dollar (Sapphire Reserve) or 2 points per dollar (Sapphire Preferred).
  • At drugstores, you get 3 points for every dollar spent (Freedom Flex, Freedom Unlimited)
  • 3 points every dollar spent on internet, cable, phone, advertising, and shipping expenditures totaling up to $150,000 each year (Ink Business Preferred)
  • On quarterly rotating categories, 5 points per dollar are awarded (Freedom Flex)
  • On anything else, you get 1.5 points per dollar (Freedom Unlimited)

That’s a formidable list. You’ll also receive a slew of great perks with your cards, like travel insurance, main vehicle rental insurance, mobile phone insurance, and no foreign transaction fees.

So, if you’re ready to start earning a lot more travel points, check out the Chase trifecta and make sure you have at least one or two of these cards in your purse or wallet to help you on your way to your next dream trip.

More information about the Chase Sapphire Preferred card may be found here. More information about the Chase Sapphire Reserve card may be found here. More information about the Chase Freedom Flex card may be found here. More information about the Chase Freedom Unlimited card may be found here. More information about the Ink Business Preferred card may be found here.

Are you looking for more Chase credit cards? Find out which Chase credit cards CNN Underscored selected as the best in 2021.

CNN Underscored Money has the most up-to-date personal financial offers, news, and advice.

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The “chase freedom unlimited sign in” is a credit card that offers a lot of travel rewards. This card has a lot of perks, but unfortunately it does not come with an annual fee. The Chase Freedom Unlimited comes with no foreign transaction fees and 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I maximize my Chase trifecta?

A: There are a few ways to increase your chances of winning. The first is to use the Chase card, which has an extra zero in front of it for more value at the casino; ensure that you dont have any other cards playing with this one (such as T&Cs or rewards cards); and make sure you play when theres no jackpot up on offer because theyre likely to be generous then.

How do I maximize my credit card points for travel?

A: You need to find the right credit card company. Some companies provide a sign up bonus, so you can often earn points back even if you have not yet used your card for anything. However, it is important to look into how many points are earned and what the spending requirements are in order to make sure that they will be worth using on travel expenses like flights or hotels.

How do I get more rewards on my credit card?

A: You are not able to add additional rewards or cash back on your credit card.

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