Best Cards for Earning Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

Chase Ultimate Rewards points are a traveler’s best friend, offering flexibility and unbeatable value when redeemed for travel through the Chase portal or transferred to partners like United, Hyatt, and more. These points can take your miles and points game to the next level, whether you're booking flights, upgrading hotel stays, or earning cash back. Below, you’ll find the best cards for earning Chase Ultimate Rewards, ranked by the offers and perks that can make every trip a little sweeter.

Personal Cards

🏆 Our Most Popular Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Annual Fee: $95

100,000Bonus Points

LIMITED TIME OFFER

Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is a popular travel rewards credit card known for its excellent earning potential—we love it at Daily Drop! Cardholders can redeem their points for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal or transfer them to various airline and hotel loyalty programs for added flexibility.

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🏆 Best for Travel Credits

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Annual Fee: $795

100,000Bonus Points

Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a premium travel credit card tailored for frequent travelers seeking luxury perks and rewards. With a focus on travel benefits, this card offers a generous welcome offer, airport lounge access, travel statement credits, and valuable rewards through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, making it an excellent choice for travelers.

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Business Cards

🏆 Best Chase Welcome Offer

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Annual Fee: $95

100,000Bonus Points

Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is a premier choice for small business owners seeking rewards and travel benefits. This card offers generous points on business expenses, including travel and advertising, and provides other valuable perks such as flexible redemption options, making it a top pick for those looking to maximize their business spending.

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Which Card is Right for You?

Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards cater to both everyday spenders and frequent travelers. The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve are top picks here at Daily Drop, with bonus rewards on travel, dining, and awesome perks like travel credits and lounge access. If you’re a business owner, the Ink Business Preferred offers excellent rewards on key business categories, while the Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited are perfect for those seeking no-annual-fee cards with solid cashback. Whatever your spending style, there’s a Chase Ultimate Rewards card to help you earn and redeem some of the most valuable points on the market.

Other Ways to Earn

Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards offer plenty of ways to rack up points. Travel, dining, and online purchases through Chase’s shopping portal can earn you serious rewards, and you can boost your points with limited-time offers on the Chase website. You can also combine points across different Ultimate Rewards cards to maximize your balance, making it easier to make travel redemptions or utilize cash-back.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Points are transferable to popular airline and hotel partners like United, Southwest, and Hyatt

Travel redemptions through the Chase Travel Portal get a boost with certain cards

Pairing cards like the Freedom Flex or Freedom Unlimited with a Sapphire card lets you stretch points further

Flexible redemption options across all cards

Cons

Some cards with better perks come with higher fees

Points can lose value if you redeem them for certain categories other than travel

Chase's 5/24 rule limits approvals if you've opened fiver or more cards in the last 24 months

FAQs

Can I transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to airlines and hotels?

Yes! Chase has an impressive list of travel partners, including United, Southwest, and World of Hyatt, allowing you to transfer points for free flights and hotel stays.

Do Chase Ultimate Rewards points expire?

No, your points don’t expire as long as your account is open and in good standing. If you close a Chase card, make sure to use or transfer the points to avoid losing them.

Can I combine points across different Chase Ultimate Rewards cards?

Yes! You can pool points from multiple Chase cards, like the Freedom Flex and Sapphire Preferred, to unlock more redemption options and maximize your rewards.

Is it better to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for travel or cash-back?

Generally, travel redemptions offer more value. Points are worth 1.25-1.5 cents each when redeemed for travel through Chase’s portal, compared to a flat 1 cent per point for cash-back.

Why Trust Daily Drop?

At Daily Drop, our editorial team is made up of seasoned travel and credit card experts who have spent years mastering travel rewards and testing the best strategies firsthand. Founder Nate Buchanan, of Kara and Nate, has personally earned and redeemed millions of points and miles over the past 10+ years, saving tens of thousands of dollars on travel. Our team shares similar hands-on experience, ensuring our recommendations are practical, tested, and built on real-world knowledge. After all, we wouldn’t be Daily Drop if we weren’t practicing what we preach.

Our independent reviews break down rewards, perks, fees, and overall value to help you make informed decisions. We also analyze audience data, considering reader engagement and trends, so our recommendations reflect what actually matters to you.

While we may earn a commission if you apply for a card through our site, our opinions are our own — based solely on expert analysis and firsthand experience, not influenced by any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. Our goal is simple: helping you maximize your rewards and travel smarter.

Read our full methodology for more information.

Authors

Written by: McKay Moffitt

Writer

Edited by: Tiffany Eastham

Writer & Editor

Updated:Oct 9, 2025