Despite the high credit score requirement, Chase credit cards can offer some of the best benefits, including flexible redemption options and incredible sign-up bonuses and rewards programs. These perks apply to all the Chase credit cards, making its portfolio one of the most flexible in the industry.
To help our readers decide which card is the best for them, our MyBasic Financial Expert Team gathered the top 5 best Chase credit cards and assessed the benefits you can get from them. Here are topnotch suggestions this December 2021:
1 Chase Sapphire Reserve
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Intro Bonus: 50,000 points
Regular APR: 16.99% to 23.99% (Variable)
Credit Score: 750 – 850 (Excellent)
Annual Fee: $550
Highlights:
- The card features a 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs.
- It offers excellent travel insurance.
- The rewards can reach up to 10x per dollar spent whenever you use the Chase Ultimate Reward.
- The value of the points can be boosted up to 50% when you redeem the rewards through Chase Ultimate Rewards and Pay Yourself Back.
- New benefits are added, such as access to Chase Sapphire by The Club airport lounges and Reserved by Sapphire.
Best Premium Chase Credit Card for Travelers
Chase Sapphire Reserve is undoubtedly a luxury CC that will be enjoyed by frequent vacation flyers and those who frequently dine out. Its annual comes at a rather steep price of $550, but it offers a generous reward structure to allow users to get more than what they would pay for.
One of the first things you will get is the 50,000 bonus points you can get right away after reaching $4000 for your purchases during the first three months of account opening. You can boost the value of the points up to 50% by redeeming them through Chase Ultimate Rewards or the Pay Yourself Back program, translating to 1.5 cents for each Ultimate Reward point or $750 towards travel.
To further compensate for its annual fee, you will receive a $300 annual travel credit that serves as a travel purchase reimbursement when you use your card. The credit can be handy for travel purchases such as airlines, car rentals, hotels, taxis, and tours. After that, you can earn 10x points on hotels and car rentals and 5x points on air travel when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Reward. On the other hand, there are 3x points on other travel purchases and dining and 1 point on all other purchases.
You’ll also love the flexibility of the points since Chase Sapphire Reserve will let you transfer them to various Chase airline and hotel partners such as United Airlines and Hyatt Hotels. Moreover, travelers will enjoy other additional luxurious benefits. Some of them include trip delay coverage, access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide (via the Priority Pass network), primary car rental insurance, purchase protection, and up to $100 credit for the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee.
2 Chase Freedom Flex
Chase Freedom Flex
Intro Bonus: $200
Regular APR: 14.99% to 24.74% (Variable)
Credit Score: 700 to 749 (Good to Excellent)
Annual fee: $0
Highlights:
- There is a $0 annual fee.
- The reward structure is generous, allowing you to earn up to 5% cashback.
- The 0% intro APR for 15 months right after opening the account applies for balance transfers and purchases.
- Users can earn a $200 bonus after spending $500 in the first three months from account opening.
Best Chase Credit Card for Zero Annual Fee:
Chase Freedom Flex is the best free credit card that Chase can offer. Without paying even a cent for its approval, you will be able to start earning your rewards. You can also get an instant $200 bonus reward once you have reached the $500 spending requirement within the first three months of opening the account.
Besides being a good option for those unwilling to pay annual fees, Chase Freedom Flex will impress those looking for a generous earnings structure. You can earn 5% cashback on up to $12,000 grocery store purchases spent in the first year (except Walmart or Target purchases) of the card and 5% cashback on up to $1,500 combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. The latter will then give you a total of $75 per quarter. Other cashbacks include 5% on travel purchases using Chase Ultimate Rewards, 5% cashback on Lyft purchases through March 2022, 3% on drugstore purchases, 3% on resto dinings and takeout/delivery, and 1% on all other purchases. On the other hand, thanks to the Chase Ultimate Rewards points the card can collect, you also have the option to redeem other rewards such as gift cards, travel, merchandise, and experiences.
Users will love the 0% intro APR for the first 15 months of opening the account. It covers both the purchases and balance transfers. After the indicated period, a variable APR of 14.99 – 24.74% will start. Also, Chase Freedom Flex offers purchase protection and extended warranties on specific purchases with a manufacturer’s warranty.
3 Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Intro Bonus: 60,000 points
Regular APR: 15.99% to 22.99% (Variable)
Credit Score: 700 to 749 (Good to Excellent)
Annual fee: $95
Highlights:
- It comes with shopping and travel protections.
- Users annually receive $50 in statement credits for hotels booked through Chase.
- The annual fee is easier to earn back.
- The card is a practical choice for travelers who do not want to deal with pricey annual fees.
- You can earn up to 5x points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Most Practical Chase Credit Card for Travellers
The $550 annual fee of Sapphire Reserve can put pressure on some travelers who are trying to get the best out of the money they paid. If you are a traveler and find the said fee overwhelming, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a good alternative. It only comes with a reasonable $95 annual fee and offers a charming set of benefits and a good reward structure.
Chase Sapphire Preferred doesn’t have the luxurious rewards and perks of Sapphire Reserve, but it can be very beneficial for lots of regular flyers. There are some tradeoffs made (such as the removal of free checked bags, lounge access, and other travel perks), but it can be charming for those who are just looking for a practical Chase credit card.
Right after spending $4,000 on your purchases within the first three months of opening the account, you’ll get an astounding 60,000 bonus points. Like in Sapphire Reserve, the value of the points will be maximized better when they are redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards or Pay Yourself Back. Nonetheless, it is essential to mention that Sapphire Reserve offers a 50% point boost in the said programs, while Sapphire Preferred only provides 25% more value to your points or 1.25 cents for each point. With this, your 60K bonus points just amount to $750 in total.
On the other hand, reward distribution is also decent. Users can earn 5x points by purchasing travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3x on dining, 3x points on select streaming services, 3x points on online grocery purchases (except Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs, 2x points on all other travel purchases, and 1x point on everything else. The points are also flexible as you can transfer them to Chase’s frequent flyer and hotel loyalty program partners at a 1:1 rate.
Travelers will also get the best deal from this Chase credit card due to its annual $50 Ultimate Rewards Hote Credit and other benefits such as trip cancellation/interruption insurance, primary car rental insurance coverage, lost luggage insurance, and more. Plus, you can get your orders over $12 delivered without delivery charges and have some reduction on some service fees of specific orders for a minimum of one year with DashPass, DoorDash’s subscription service (activate by 03/31/22).
4 Ink Business Preferred
Ink Business Preferred
Intro Bonus: 100,000 points
Regular APR: 15.99% to 20.99% (Variable)
Credit Score: 700 to 749 (Good to Excellent)
Annual fee: $95
Highlights:
- The value of the points can be increased up to 25% when they are redeemed using the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.
- A real-time fraud monitoring system observes your card transactions as protection against fraudulent activities. In case of unauthorized charges, the owner also has zero liability.
- The welcome bonus is impressive and can help you redeem rewards 10x the value of your annual fee.
- The points do not expire as long as the account stays open.
Best Chase Travel Credit Card for Small Businesses
The $15,000 requirement needed to spend within the first three months of account opening can be tough to meet for regular card owners, but for business owners who often spend on travel, using the Ink Business Preferred is an excellent move to help their businesses. After reaching the indicated price, you will receive 100,000 reward points convertible to $1,000 cashback. For better value for your points (up to 25% bump), you can redeem them via the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, and this will provide you up to $1,250 toward travel. This is an attractive deal since Ink Business Preferred only comes with a cheap $95 annual fee. With this, business owners can earn 13x the value of the annual fee they are paying every year.
You can earn 3x points per dollar on your first collective $150,000 purchases in select categories (internet, cable, phone, travel, shipping, and advertising) each account anniversary year. On the other hand, you have 1x point on all other categories. These points are allowed to be transferred to the airline and hotel partners of Chase. Nonetheless, Ink Business Preferred users will also benefit a lot by pooling them to their existing high-tier card like Sapphire Reserve to get a 50% bump.
This Chase credit card is also specifically tailored to provide other benefits to small businesses. Some include substantial travel protections, fraud protection, zero liability feature, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, primary car rental coverage, cellphone insurance (up to $600 per covered claim), and damage/theft purchase protection (up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account).
5 Chase Freedom Unlimited
Chase Freedom Unlimited
Intro Bonus: $200
Regular APR: 14.99% to 24.74% (Variable)
Credit Score: 670 to 850 (Good to Excellent)
Annual fee: $0
Highlights:
- There are no rotating categories to track.
- You can earn 1.5% on any purchase using the card.
- The card also offers trip cancellation and interruption insurance.
- The value of the points can be improved by pairing the card to higher-tier Chase credit cards.
Best Free Credit Card for Simple Rewards:
Freedom Unlimited is another Chase credit card that can impress any CC user. The reason for this is its straightforward reward structure and $0 annual fee. Moreover, unlike Freedom Flex, it has no rotating categories. This makes it much more specific as there is no need to track your spending activities. Nonetheless, it can provide decent earnings for you each time you use it.
This Chase credit card offers 5% cashback on travel purchased via Chase Ultimate Rewards, 5% cashback on Lyft purchases through March 2022, 3% cashback on drugstore products, and 3% cashback on dining. And while Chase Freedom Flex only provides 1% back on purchases outside its bonus category, Chase Freedom Unlimited offers a higher 1.5% back on general purchases. This gives you the assurance that every dollar spent amounts to a decent reward. To elevate the value of the collected points, you can also pair the card to your current Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Furthermore, users will receive a sign-up bonus of $200 that you can get by spending $500 in its first three months. On the other hand, you’ll receive a 5% cashback on grocery store purchases (except Target or Walmart purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year.
You will also love that there is also a 0% intro APR upon the account opening that you can enjoy for up to 15 months, both for purchases and balance transfers. However, an introductory balance transfer of 3 percent or $5 applies for the latter, whichever is greater in the first 60 days. After the said period, the fee increases to 5% ($5 minimum).
Lastly, Chase Freedom Unlimited comes with trip cancellation and interruption insurance that travelers might find handy. Nonetheless, users must be aware of its 3% foreign transaction fee.
