These Are the Chase Loyalty Cards You Should Be Considering

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Which Chase Cards Are In My Wallet?
Credit cards are one of the easiest ways to accumulate miles and points and there are some amazing deals out there. I can actually trace my mileage obsession back to the original American Airlines Citi AAdvantage MasterCard. I remember being about 10 years old when my friend Peter’s parents from down the block had just signed up for the card.  They had a conversation with my parents about how they used their card for all their purchases and were planning a free trip for the entire family to Disney World. My parents soon signed up (yes, they were allowed in those days to sign up for cards without my input) and so began our yearly December vacation to Florida followed later by the Caribbean, care of Citi and American.  The offers weren’t as generous back then, but the award tickets were readily available at low redemption levels.  Things have changed quite a bit, but credit cards are still one of the easiest ways to earn free travel and anyone not utilizing these offers is silly.  I’ve easily earned over 20 million points with cards.  I’m constantly asked by colleagues, friends, and family what my favorite cards are and which ones will allow them to earn the most points for an upcoming trip. In fact, at Juicy Miles, we’ve helped countless clients obtain completely free trips and honeymoons, flights and hotels fully booked with miles and points.  Below you’ll find our list of Chase cards that you should definitely consider placing in your wallet. Feel free to email me at adam@pointmetotheplane.com with any questions or to share a better sign-up offer. Remember, these are per individual so you can obtain even more points if each member of the household applies.

Chase Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card
While the Chase Ink Plus has come and gone, Chase has ushered in the newest Chase business product, the Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card. The card is offering 80,000 bonus points after spending $5K on purchases in the first three months. This is the current highest sign-up bonus across all Ultimate Rewards cards and my favorite current sign-up offer. The card has a $95 annual fee which is not waived for the first year. You’ll also earn 3x points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, and on advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year.

The best news is that if you’ve had the Chase Ink Plus or Chase Ink Cash cards, you can still receive this bonus as the Ink Business Preferred is considered a completely separate product. However, the 5/24 restrictions do apply to this card. Trip cancellation / interruption, purchase protection, extended warranty, and cell phone protection are all included with the card. These points are combinable with the Ultimate Rewards points that you’ve earned with your other Chase personal and business cards. Like the Sapphire Reserve and Preferred below, benefits include 1 to 1 point transfers with United, Southwest, British Airways (oneworld), Korean Air (SkyTeam), Singapore KrisFlyer, Ritz Carlton, Marriott, Hyatt,Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, IHG Rewards Club, and Amtrak.+

• Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $1,000 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
• Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in select categories each account anniversary year
• Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases–with no limit to the amount you can earn
• Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Redeem points for travel, cash back, gift cards and more – your points don’t expire as long as your account is open
• No foreign transaction fees
• Employee cards at no additional cost
• $95 Annual Fee

Learn more about this card here

Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card (current favorite card and FEE Free)
This card has many of the same benefits as the Ink Business Preferred above, but without the fee!  The sign-up bonus is 50,000 points after spending $3K within the first 3 months. You’ll earn 5x points for internet, cable, and phone service as well as office supply stores.  2x points is offered for gas stations and food. The card is subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule…but it wont’ count towards your 5/24 total!

• Earn $500 bonus cash back (50,000 points) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
• Named “Best Rewards Card for Small Business Owners” by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, July 2017
• Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year
• Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year
• Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn
• 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers
• Employee cards at no additional cost
• No Annual Fee

Learn more about this card here

Chase Sapphire Preferred®
If you’ve not yet had the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you’ll appreciate  the opportunity to earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $4K within the first 3 months. If you’re new to the points / miles hobby, with no annual fee for the first year, this should be your go to first card! You’ll earn 2x points on travel and dining and points transfer 1 to 1 to United, Southwest, British Airways (oneworld), Korean Air (SkyTeam), Singapore KrisFlyer, Ritz Carlton, Marriott, Hyatt,Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, IHG Rewards Club, and Amtrak.+

• Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $625 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® named a ‘Best Travel Credit Card’ by MONEY® Magazine, 2016-2017
• 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
• Earn 5,000 bonus points after you add the first authorized user and make a purchase in the first 3 months from account opening
• No foreign transaction fees
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 50,000 points are worth $625 toward travel.
• No blackout dates or travel restrictions – as long as there’s a seat on the flight, you can book it through Chase Ultimate Rewards

As mentioned above, if you’re new to the hobby, signing up for this personal card with the Ink Business Preferred above would net you 130,000 points and only a $95 fee for your first year.  After meeting the spend requirements, you would have enough points for a roundtrip business class ticket from the US to Europe!

Learn more about this card here

Chase Sapphire Reserve℠
Okay, this is clearly the card that people are most excited about, but let’s discuss the fee and specifics first. The card offers 50,000 bonus points after spending $4K within 3 months. There is a $450 annual fee, but you can negate it quite quickly. Specifically, each year you’ll receive a $300 travel credit (good on airfare, hotels, taxis, Uber, train, etc) which brings the fee down to $150.  You’ll then receive a Global Entry / TSA Pre✔® credit up to $100 (good for anyone if you already have these), this brings the fee down to $50.  For $50 you’ll earn an amazing 3x points on travel and dining and you’ll receive Priority Pass Select membership which allows you lounge access at most airports worldwide with free guests! The premium card will also get you 50% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.  Like the other Ultimate Rewards cards, 1 to 1 point transfers are offered with United, Southwest, British Airways (oneworld), Korean Air (SkyTeam), Singapore KrisFlyer, Ritz Carlton, Marriott, Hyatt,Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, IHG Rewards Club, and Amtrak.

• Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year
• 3X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. Plus, no foreign transaction fees
• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 50,000 points are worth $750 toward travel
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Access to 1,000+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select
• Up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®
• No blackout dates or travel restrictions – as long as there’s a seat on the flight, you can book it through Chase Ultimate Rewards

Learn more about this card here

Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card

A few other cards currently in my wallet…

Chase British Airways Visa Signature® Card 
The 100K British Airways card offer may be long over, but the current 50K Avios offer now has a much lower spend requirement of only $2,000 within three months of account opening. Looking to spend more, you can earn up to 75K Avios when you spend up to $10,000 on purchases within your first year. Why should you take advantage of this offer if you live in the US and you know of BA’s ridiculous fuel surcharges? I recently went to Barbados round-trip on American for only $47.50 in taxes and 12,500 Avios points each way (instead of 17,500 AA miles). This past New Year’s I traveled with AA to Antigua also for only 12,500 Avios!  BA offers amazing redemption opportunities on short-haul flights (not as great as they once were) and points can be used for cheap awards on American Airlines award redemptions within North America, the Caribbean, and Hawaii. There are even some good long-haul opportunities that avoid the outrageous taxes and fees that BA has become known for.  Check out this post for the short haul opportunities and this post with the long haul opportunities. Also, Avios has some great unexpected airline partners who are not partners with BA or Iberia, see this post. Finally, remember that BA allows household accounts where up to 7 members residing at the same address can combine and pool their points together. The annual fee of $95 is not waived for the first year.

• 50,000 bonus Avios after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
• Earn an additional 25,000 bonus Avios after you spend $10,000 total on purchases within your first year from account opening for a total of 75,000 bonus Avios.
• Every calendar year you make $30,000 in purchases on your British Airways Visa card, you’ll earn a Travel Together Ticket good for two years.
• In addition to the bonus Avios, you will also get 3 Avios for every $1 spent on British Airways purchases and 1 Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
• Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad.
• Chip Technology allows you to use your card for chip based purchases in Europe & beyond, while still giving you the ability to use your card as you do today at home.

Learn more about this card here

United MileagePlus® Explorer Card