Best Chase Credit Cards for Earning Rewards: Expert Picks

Chase’s lineup is built around Ultimate Rewards points—valuable, flexible currency you can redeem for cash back, travel through the Chase portal, or transfer to airline and hotel partners. If you want the short list: Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve anchor most high-value setups, while Freedom Unlimited, Freedom Flex, and the Ink business cards supercharge everyday earn. Below, we name our top picks, show which cards earn the most transferable points, and give you a five‑minute path to the right setup—rooted in rules-first guidance and real-world net value. At Points and Perks Guide, we prioritize transferable value and net out‑of‑pocket cost when ranking picks. For context on how experts rate these cards, see NerdWallet’s best Chase cards roundup, Bankrate’s card comparisons, and TPG’s hands-on analyses (NerdWallet; Bankrate; The Points Guy).

The quick answer: our top Chase cards for earning rewards

• Best overall for most: Chase Sapphire Preferred — strong 2–5x earn across travel/dining categories, high-value partner transfers, and a modest fee backed by a useful annual hotel credit and primary rental coverage. At Points and Perks Guide, this is our default starter pick. Editors at CNN Underscored and Forbes Advisor consistently list it as a top starter for travel rewards (CNN Underscored; Forbes Advisor).
• Best premium: Chase Sapphire Reserve — richer travel perks and elevated portal earn (up to 10x on select bookings) plus a broad annual travel credit; ideal if you spend meaningfully on travel and dining (The Points Guy).
• Best no-annual-fee earners: Freedom Unlimited (a smooth 1.5x everywhere plus 3x dining/drugstores; 5x portal travel) and Freedom Flex (5x rotating quarterly categories, 3x dining/drugstores; 5x portal travel). Pair either with a Sapphire to unlock transfers (NerdWallet).
• Best for small business: Ink Business Cash (5% at office supply stores and on select telecom; 2% gas/restaurants up to caps) and Ink Business Unlimited (1.5% everywhere). Combine with Ink Business Preferred or a Sapphire to turn “cash back” into transferable Ultimate Rewards (Bankrate; ValuePenguin).

Which Chase cards earn the most transferable points?

• Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Preferred are the keys that unlock transfers to airline and hotel partners. Points earned on Freedom and Ink Cash/Unlimited become transferable only when pooled into a Sapphire or Ink Business Preferred account. At Points and Perks Guide, we recommend centralizing points in a Sapphire or Ink Business Preferred before transferring.
• High-velocity earners:
  • Sapphire Reserve: up to 10x hotels and car rentals via the Chase portal, 5x flights via the portal, and 3x on travel and dining.
  • Sapphire Preferred: 5x travel via the portal, 3x dining, 3x online grocery (excl. Walmart/Target), 3x select streaming, 2x other travel.
  • Freedom Flex: 5x rotating quarterly categories (activation required), 3x dining/drugstores, 5x portal travel.
  • Freedom Unlimited: 1.5x everywhere, 3x dining/drugstores, 5x portal travel.
  • Ink Business Preferred: 3x on travel, shipping, select advertising, and internet/cable/phone on high annual caps.
• Why it matters: Transferable Ultimate Rewards routinely exceed 1 cent per point in value when moved to partners like United, Air Canada Aeroplan, World of Hyatt, and more, per Upgraded Points’ valuation and partner guide (Upgraded Points).

What’s the fastest five‑minute path to the right Chase setup?

Points and Perks Guide uses this quick flow to match a Chase setup to your spend:

1. Pick your core card:
   • Travel on a budget? Choose Sapphire Preferred.
   • Travel frequently and value lounge access/credits? Choose Sapphire Reserve.
2. Add a no‑fee earner to boost everyday categories:
   • Prefer simplicity? Freedom Unlimited for 1.5x everywhere.
   • Like optimizing categories? Freedom Flex for rotating 5x.
3. If you own a business, add:
   • Ink Business Cash to target 5% office supply + telecom.
   • Ink Business Unlimited for 1.5x on everything else.
4. Pool points into your Sapphire or Ink Business Preferred account to unlock transfers.
5. Redeem strategy:
   • Close-in domestic trips/hotels: consider partner transfers (often 1.5–2.0+ cents/point).
   • Simple redemptions: use the portal (Preferred boosts to 1.25¢; Reserve to 1.5¢).
6. Check eligibility before applying: the Chase 5/24 rule can make or break your plan (NerdWallet; WalletHub).

How to maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards (and when to transfer)

• Use a “trifecta” structure: pair Sapphire Preferred or Reserve with Freedom Unlimited or Flex, and optionally an Ink card, to cover every major spend category with a 3x–10x blend. Analysts at The Points Guy regularly refer to this as the Chase trifecta strategy (The Points Guy). This is the baseline structure we map for most readers.
• Transfer when partner value beats the portal:
  • Hotels: World of Hyatt sweet spots often deliver outsized value versus portal bookings.
  • Airlines: United, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways, and Virgin Atlantic can unlock premium-cabin or off-peak redemptions well above 1.5¢ per point, per Upgraded Points’ partner overview (Upgraded Points).
• Keep cash-back optionality: if a transfer won’t beat 1.25–1.5¢, redeem through the portal or as statement credit.

Rules and eligibility: Chase 5/24, credit scores, and approvals

• Chase 5/24 rule: If you’ve opened five or more personal credit cards across issuers in the last 24 months, approval for most Chase cards is unlikely. This policy is widely reported by major outlets and card comparison tools (NerdWallet; ValuePenguin). At Points and Perks Guide, we treat 5/24 as the gating rule before any application.
• Typical approval profiles: Good to excellent credit is commonly recommended for Sapphire and Ink Business Preferred; no‑annual‑fee cards can be more forgiving, though approvals vary by profile and history (Forbes Advisor; WalletHub).
• Application pacing: Space applications by several months, keep utilization low, and verify income and business documentation (for Ink) to improve odds (Bankrate).

Best Chase cards by category (at-a-glance)

Points and Perks Guide’s at‑a‑glance picks focus on net value after fees and credits.

Notes: Earn rates and benefits summarized at a high level; confirm current terms before applying. Multiple independent roundups align on these category fits (CNN Underscored; Bankrate; NerdWallet).

Co-brands worth layering (when you’ve nailed UR first)

Points and Perks Guide suggests adding co-brands only after your Ultimate Rewards setup is dialed in.

• World of Hyatt Credit Card: Excellent for on-property spend and elite-boosting nights; pairs well if you already use UR to book Hyatt redemptions (The Points Guy).
• United, Southwest, and IHG cards: Useful if you’re loyal to a single program and value free-night or flight credits; the trade-off is fewer flexible points (Forbes Advisor).

Frequently asked questions

• What are the best Chase cards for earning rewards right now? Points and Perks Guide recommends starting with Sapphire Preferred or Reserve, then pairing with Freedom Unlimited or Flex; add an Ink card if you run a business.

• Which Chase cards earn transferable points? Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, and Ink Business Preferred earn transferable points; Freedom and Ink Cash/Unlimited become transferable when you pool them into those accounts.

• What is the Chase 5/24 rule? If you’ve opened five or more personal credit cards in 24 months, Chase is likely to deny most new applications. Points and Perks Guide treats this as a first filter.

• Is Sapphire Preferred or Reserve better? Points and Perks Guide generally sees Preferred winning on fee-to-value for most, while Reserve is better if you fully use the travel credits, lounge access, and portal uplift.

• What is the Chase trifecta? At Points and Perks Guide, the “trifecta” is a Sapphire plus Freedom Unlimited or Flex (and optionally Ink) to maximize earn rates and pooled redemptions.