Best Chase Credit Cards Of August 2026

Premium Chase personal cards

The two personal hub cards are what unlock the full value of Ultimate Rewards. Points earned on no-annual-fee companion cards are worth only 1 cent each in isolation, but pooled into a hub card account they become transferable to airline and hotel partners and eligible for elevated portal redemptions. You need at least one hub card for the ecosystem to work.

Top Pick: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best starter card in the miles and points world, and it remains a fixture in experienced travelers’ wallets too. The card earns 5x on Chase Travel℠ bookings, 3x on dining, streaming services, gas & EV charging, select vacation rentals (through Airbnb, VRBO, and more), and online grocery purchases, 2x on all other travel, and 1x on everything else. That is an excellent spread of bonus categories that aligns with how most people spend.

The welcome bonus is currently 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $5,000 within the first three months. At my valuation of 1.7 cents per point, that is worth $1,275, which is a strong return on a $95 annual fee card. The $100 annual hotel credit through Chase Travel brings the effective annual fee of -$5 in the first year and every year after.

A few things make the Sapphire Preferred genuinely better than the Chase Sapphire Reserve® for many people. Authorized users can be added without an additional annual fee on the Preferred versus $195 per authorized user on the Reserve. And, the card earns 3x on streaming, gas, and online groceries, categories the Reserve does not bonus. Also, the Preferred earns 2x on all travel, not just airfare and hotels booked direct.

The travel protections are also seriously underrated. Primary rental car collision damage waiver coverage is included, meaning you can decline the rental company’s CDW entirely and rely on the card. That benefit alone saves money every time you rent a car. Trip cancellation and interruption insurance covers up to $10,000 per traveler and $20,000 per trip. Baggage delay and lost luggage coverage round out a protection package that beats most cards at this price point, and compares favorably to many premium cards.

The Preferred redeems points through Chase Travel℠ with Points Boost at up to 1.75 cents per point, which is solid but below the Reserve’s 2 cents. For most people, that gap is less important than the $700 annual fee difference between the two cards.

Verdict: The best $95 annual fee travel card on the market, full stop. Ideal for someone getting started with Ultimate Rewards and equally compelling as an ongoing companion to the Reserve for those who want both. The welcome bonus justifies the fee many times over in year one, and the primary car rental coverage make it easy to justify keeping long-term.

Link: Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is the premium personal hub card for Ultimate Rewards. It earns 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly and 3x on dining, with 1x on everything else. The card’s $300 annual travel credit is the most important benefit to understand: it reimburses any purchase coded as travel automatically, with no registration required, and covers everything from flights to rideshares to taxis. That credit helps with the effective cost of the $795 annual fee for anyone who spends at least $300 on travel annually, which is most cardholders.

The welcome bonus is 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points after $6,000 in spending within the first three months. At 1.7 cents per point, that is worth $1,700. Lounge access includes a Priority Pass Select membership with 2 guests per visit and access to Chase Sapphire Lounges, which are among the best credit card lounges in the United States, particularly the locations at New York LaGuardia and Boston Logan. Authorized users cost $195 each and receive their own lounge access.

Points Boost through Chase Travel allows Reserve cardmembers to redeem at up to 2 cents per point, the highest fixed-value redemption rate available in the program. The Reserve also includes a Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck credit every four years, and unlike most cards, it covers NEXUS, which is by far the best deal of the three programs at $50 for five years and includes Global Entry benefits for travel between the US and Canada.

Where the Reserve falls short relative to the Preferred: Authorized users are expensive. And the $795 gross annual fee is a high bar to clear even after the travel credit.

Verdict: Worth it if you will maximize the $300 travel credit, use the lounge access regularly, and value the 2-cent Points Boost redemption rate. If you are not checking those boxes consistently, the Sapphire Preferred delivers better per-dollar value at a fraction of the cost.

Link: Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card

Personal companion card

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

The Chase Freedom Unlimited is the essential personal companion card for any Chase ecosystem. It earns 5x on Chase Travel℠ bookings, 3x on dining and at drugstores, and 1.5x on all other purchases. The 1.5x flat rate on non-bonused spending is the key feature: paired with the Sapphire Reserve, that 1.5x turns into transferable points worth 2.55 cents per dollar at my valuation, which is hard to beat on everyday spending with no annual fee. The welcome bonus is $200 after $500 in spending within the first three months, one of the easiest earning thresholds among any card in this series.

The Freedom Unlimited also includes an introductory APR offer on purchases and balance transfers, making it useful for large planned purchases. Foreign transaction fees apply to this card, so keep your purchases limited to the US.

Verdict: Should be in every Chase ecosystem. The 1.5x on all spending is the strongest non-bonused earn rate available on a no-fee card, and the 3x on dining adds a useful redundancy to the Sapphire cards’ dining categories.

Link: Learn more about the Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Premium Chase business rewards cards

Chase has two business hub cards at very different price points. Both unlock transfer partner access and elevated portal redemptions for all points pooled into the account, including from no-fee companion cards. Business card eligibility is more accessible than most people realize: a sole proprietorship, freelance work, or small side business qualifies, and you can use your name as the business name and your SSN as the tax ID.

Top Pick: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

The Ink Business Preferred is the best $95 annual fee business card in the market, and one of the strongest value propositions in the entire Chase portfolio. The welcome bonus of 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points after $8,000 in spending within the first three months is worth $1,700 at my valuation, making it one of the most valuable welcome offers available at this fee level.

The card earns 3x points on travel, shipping, internet, cable, phone services, and advertising on social media and search engines, all on the first $150,000 in combined annual spending across those categories. That $150,000 cap is high enough that most businesses will never hit it. For a company spending meaningfully on any combination of those categories, the 3x earn is exceptional. The card has no foreign transaction fees and includes trip cancellation and interruption insurance, primary rental car coverage, and cell phone protection when the monthly bill is paid with the card.

Verdict: The best business card at this price point, and an essential part of any Chase ecosystem build. Apply for this alongside or after a personal Sapphire card to maximize welcome bonus earning and unlock full-value redemptions on all business card spending.

Link: Learn more about the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Sapphire Reserve for Business℠

The Sapphire Reserve for Business is Chase’s newest premium business card, built on the framework of the personal Reserve. It carries the same $795 annual fee and the same $300 annual travel credit structure, but with a business-specific bonus category set and an expanded credits stack. The limited-time welcome bonus of 200,000 Ultimate Rewards points is offered after $30,000 in spending within the first six months.

The earn structure is the strongest in the program: 8x on Chase Travel portal bookings, 5x on Lyft through September 2027, 4x on direct flights and hotel bookings, 3x on social media and search engine advertising, and 1x on everything else. For a business that spends heavily on travel booked through Chase Travel, the 8x rate at 1.7 cents per point equals a 13.6% return on that spending, which is difficult to match anywhere.

Lounge access mirrors the personal Reserve: Priority Pass Select with 2 guests, and access to Chase Sapphire Lounges with the same unlimited visit policy. Authorized users are free, though they do not receive lounge access. The credits stack includes up to $500 in annual hotel credits through The Edit by Chase Travel (in two $250 semi-annual credits with a two-night minimum stay), up to $400 in ZipRecruiter credits, up to $300 in DoorDash credits, up to $200 in Google Workspace credits, up to $120 in Lyft credits, and up to $100 in giftcards.com credits. In practice, the $300 travel credit and the $100 giftcards.com credit are the easiest to use; the ZipRecruiter and Google Workspace credits are highly situational.

At $120,000 in annual spending, the card unlocks IHG Diamond status, Southwest A-List status, a $500 Southwest credit, and a $500 Shops at Chase credit. That spending threshold is significant, but the status benefits are genuinely valuable for someone operating at that level.

Verdict: Compelling primarily for the 150,000-point welcome bonus and the lounge access benefits. The earn structure is the best in the program for travel-heavy businesses. The credits stack requires active management to extract full value, and many cardmembers will find the $300 travel credit and giftcards.com credit to be the only reliably useful ones. A strong candidate to hold alongside the Ink Business Preferred for businesses that can justify both.

Link: Learn more about the Sapphire Reserve for Business℠

Business companion cards

The two no-annual-fee companion cards are what make the Chase ecosystem genuinely powerful. On their own, the points they earn are worth only 1 cent each. Combined with any premium card in the same Chase account, those points unlock full transfer partner access and Points Boost redemptions. The companion cards are not substitutes for a premium card, but they significantly amplify the total points you can accumulate.

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

The Ink Business Unlimited is the business equivalent of the Freedom Unlimited, earning 1.5x on all business purchases with no annual fee. The limited-time welcome bonus is $1,000 after $8,000 in spending within the first four months. Like the Freedom Unlimited, the 1.5x flat rate is what matters: pooled into an Ink Business Preferred or Sapphire hub card, every dollar of business spending at 1.5x becomes transferable points. For businesses with a lot of non-bonused spending, this card captures value that would otherwise be left at 1x on a premium card.

Verdict: The default business companion for non-bonused spending. Apply for this once the Ink Business Preferred welcome bonus is earned, as it is fully independent in terms of eligibility.

Link: Learn more about the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

The Ink Business Cash earns 5x on the first $25,000 spent annually at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services, and 2x on the first $25,000 spent at restaurants and gas stations, with 1x on everything else. The $25,000 cap on each 5x category means the card can generate up to 125,000 points per year just from office supply and telecom spending, before counting any other categories. For a business spending meaningfully on those categories, pairing the Ink Business Cash with the Ink Business Preferred makes the combined earn rate on telecom and office spending exceptionally strong. The limited-time welcome bonus matches the Ink Business Unlimited at $1,000 after $8,000 in spend in four months.

Verdict: The category booster in the business ecosystem. Most valuable for businesses with significant internet, phone, or office supply spending. Can be held simultaneously with the Ink Business Unlimited and Ink Business Preferred, each with their own welcome bonus.

Link: Learn more about the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card 

Building your Ultimate Rewards ecosystem

How to pool points

All Chase cards with the same online login can pool their Ultimate Rewards points into a single account. The value of the combined points is determined by the highest-tier hub card in the account. That means the 1.5x earned on a Freedom Unlimited becomes transferable to airline and hotel partners as soon as you have a Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred in the same account. To pool points, log into your Ultimate Rewards account, select the card you want to transfer from, click Combine Points, and choose the destination card. You can also transfer points to a household member or business owner linked to your account.

Suggested build order

For someone starting from scratch, the Sapphire Preferred is the right first card. The welcome bonus is strong, the annual fee is low, and the card unlocks full transfer partner access immediately. Once that bonus is earned, the Ink Business Preferred is the natural next card if you have any qualifying business activity, as its welcome bonus is fully independent and does not affect Sapphire card eligibility. From there, the Freedom Unlimited covers non-bonused personal spending at 1.5x with no fee. If business spending in telecom or office supply categories is meaningful, the Ink Business Cash adds another layer. The Sapphire Reserve makes sense as an upgrade from the Preferred once lounge access and the $300 travel credit become genuinely valuable to your travel frequency.

What about Shop through Chase?

Shop through Chase is an online shopping portal accessible through your Ultimate Rewards account that partners with hundreds of retailers to offer bonus points on purchases you would make anyway. Partner retailers include major brands across virtually every category. The bonus points stack on top of your card’s standard earn rate, meaning a 5x category plus a 5x portal bonus equals 10x on that purchase. This feature is underused and can meaningfully accelerate points accumulation for regular online shoppers.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners

The partner lineup

Chase transfers to 14 partners: eleven airlines and three hotels. The airline lineup covers all three major alliances plus several independent carriers. The hotel lineup of IHG, Marriott Bonvoy, and World of Hyatt covers the three major hotel programs. At 14 partners, Chase’s lineup is smaller than Amex’s 21 or Capital One’s 20, but the quality of the partners available and the breadth of alliance coverage make the program highly flexible for almost any redemption goal.

World of Hyatt

World of Hyatt is the most valuable hotel partner in the program and one of the primary reasons to earn Ultimate Rewards. Award nights at luxury Hyatt properties, including Park Hyatt, Alila, and Andaz locations, are available at rates that frequently deliver 2 to 3 cents per point of value. A free night at the Park Hyatt Maldives starts at 25,000 to 35,000 points for a room that retails well above $1,000. 

United MileagePlus

United MileagePlus is the most accessible Star Alliance currency for most US-based travelers, given United’s extensive domestic network and hub presence. Transferring Ultimate Rewards to United is particularly useful for Star Alliance premium cabin redemptions on carriers like Lufthansa, ANA, and Swiss, as well as domestic economy redemptions on United’s saver award chart. Chase’s relationship with United is long-standing, and transfers post quickly.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Aeroplan is one of the most versatile programs available, covering all Star Alliance carriers plus several partners outside the alliance, with a favorable redemption chart and free stopovers on one-way awards. For anyone targeting premium cabin redemptions on Star Alliance carriers, Aeroplan frequently offers better pricing than the airlines’ own programs. Transfers from Chase post instantly.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Singapore KrisFlyer is the primary vehicle for booking Singapore Airlines awards, including one of the most sought-after first class products in the world aboard the A380. Award availability in Singapore Suites is limited but does exist, and a one-way redemption from the US West Coast to Tokyo in business class runs 67,500 KrisFlyer miles. Transfers typically take 24 to 48 hours.

British Airways Executive Club and Iberia Plus

Both British Airways Avios and Iberia Avios transfer from Chase at 1:1 and are interchangeable within the IAG Avios ecosystem. Avios are most valuable for short-haul redemptions on American Airlines and British Airways, where the distance-based pricing can produce exceptional value on flights under 1,000 miles. The ability to book American Airlines domestic flights at 7,500 Avios one-way makes this partnership particularly useful for US-based travelers.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is a key partner for booking ANA first and business class, which is otherwise difficult to access through US-based programs. A one-way redemption in ANA first class from the US to Japan runs 110,000 to 120,000 Virgin Atlantic miles depending on routing. Flying Club also prices Delta One business class at competitive rates not available through any other transfer partner.

Southwest Rapid Rewards

Southwest transfers from Chase at 1:1. 

Hotel partners: IHG and Marriott

IHG One Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy both transfer from Chase at 1:1. IHG points are generally worth less than half a cent each in cash redemptions, and Chase points are worth significantly more, so transferring to either hotel program directly is rarely optimal compared to a transfer to Hyatt. The primary use case for these partners is topping up a balance that is close to a specific award threshold, rather than as a primary redemption strategy.

Application rules & 5/24

The 5/24 rule

Chase’s 5/24 guideline means that applicants who have opened five or more new credit card accounts across any issuer in the past 24 months are typically not approved for most Chase cards. All seven Ultimate Rewards cards are subject to this rule. Anecdotal reports suggest Chase has been less consistent about enforcing 5/24 since around April 2023, but the safest approach is to prioritize Chase cards early in your credit card strategy before other issuers. Most non-Chase business cards do not count toward the five-card limit, meaning Amex, Citi, and Capital One business cards generally do not add to your 5/24 count. Chase business cards do not add to your personal 5/24 count but are still subject to it.

Sapphire card eligibility

The Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve are mutually exclusive in terms of holding both simultaneously, though you can product change between them after one year. Historically, Chase enforced a 48-month rule restricting you from receiving a new cardmember bonus on a Sapphire product within 48 months of a prior Sapphire bonus. The current policy uses effectively lifetime bonus language: you may not be eligible for the welcome bonus if you have ever received a bonus on that specific card. In practice, Chase applies a pop-up notification during the application process if you are not eligible for the bonus. If you received a bonus on the Sapphire Preferred, you may still be eligible for the Sapphire Reserve bonus, and vice versa, as long as you have never received a bonus on that specific card.

Ink card eligibility

The three Ink business cards are each fully independent in terms of bonus eligibility. You can hold all three simultaneously and have received a welcome bonus on each. There is no restriction linking Ink card eligibility to personal Sapphire cards or to other Ink cards. The Sapphire Reserve for Business is similarly independent of all other Chase cards. The practical implication is that a full Chase ecosystem build could include the Sapphire Preferred, Ink Business Preferred, Freedom Unlimited, Ink Business Unlimited, and Ink Business Cash, each with their own welcome bonus collected at different points in time.

Applying for Chase business cards

Eligibility for a Chase business card is more accessible than many people realize. You do not need an incorporated entity or separate business revenue. Freelance work, selling on eBay or Etsy, consulting, or any other side activity qualifies. For a sole proprietorship, you can use your legal name as the business name, your home address as the business address, your SSN as the tax ID, and report revenue honestly including $0 for a new venture. Chase will ask for the number of employees, years in business, and annual revenue, and there is no penalty for reporting a new or small operation.

Things to Consider

You need a premium card for full value

The Freedom Unlimited, Ink Business Unlimited, and Ink Business Cash earn points worth only 1 cent each without a hub card. Opening a companion card before a hub card means your points sit at reduced value until you add a Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred. The right order is hub card first, companion cards after.

The Sapphire Preferred outperforms the Reserve for many spenders

Add in the free authorized users, 3x on streaming, gas & EV charging, and online groceries, and 2x on all travel, and the Preferred has a meaningfully broader and more rewarding category structure for most consumers. The Reserve makes sense when lounge access and the $300 travel credit are regularly used. It does not make sense purely on earn rate.

Chase Travel portal bookings have an opportunity cost

Earning 5x on Chase Travel℠ (Preferred) or 8x on Chase Travel℠ (Sapphire Reserve for Business) requires booking through Chase’s portal rather than directly with the airline or hotel. Portal bookings typically do not earn airline miles or hotel points and do not receive elite status benefits. For someone with valuable airline or hotel status, the opportunity cost of portal bookings can exceed the value of the bonus earn. Direct bookings at 3x or 4x on the hub cards are usually the better path for status-chasing travelers.

Hyatt is the transfer partner with the most outsized potential

World of Hyatt is the unique advantage of the Chase ecosystem over nearly every other program (Bilt aside).  For anyone who wants to use points for luxury hotel stays, building a Chase Ultimate Rewards balance with the intention of transferring to Hyatt is one of the highest-value strategies. The Park Hyatt Maldives, Park Hyatt Tokyo, and similar properties regularly deliver 3 to 5 cents per point of value on award nights.

Bottom line

Chase Ultimate Rewards is the most versatile and well-rounded transferable points program available. The combination of seven cards at multiple price points, a full no-fee companion card tier that feeds into the same currency, and a partner lineup anchored by World of Hyatt and strong airline programs makes it the most defensible single-program strategy for most travelers.

The core of any Chase build is the Sapphire Preferred: strong welcome bonus, excellent category coverage, free authorized users, and primary rental car coverage make it the best $95 annual fee card on the market. The Ink Business Preferred adds a 100,000-point welcome bonus with independent eligibility for anyone with qualifying business activity. The Freedom Unlimited handles non-bonused personal spending at 1.5x with no fee. Together, those three cards represent a points-earning machine that is accessible, low-maintenance, and highly rewarding.

Upgrade to the Sapphire Reserve when lounge access and the $300 travel credit align with your travel habits. Add the Ink Business Cash for telecom and office supply category spend. Consider the Sapphire Reserve for Business if you are a heavy business traveler who can justify the fee and will use the lounge access. At every level of spending and every stage of engagement, Chase has a card that fits.

Frequently asked questions