Luckily for Chase credit card holders, there are many ways to rack up Chase Ultimate Reward Points. Two Chase cards might have different bonus offerings or point rates for certain spending categories, but all Chase Ultimate Reward points can be redeemed for statement credit, gift cards, and travel arrangements.
Typically, 10,000 points are valued at $100, but savvy cardholders can tap into Chase’s extensive travel partner list and unlock a new world of rewards. Thanks to partners like United Airlines and Marriott Bonvoy hotels, Chase card holders can leverage their points across multiple travel platforms to hunt down the best possible deals. While some transfer partners give cardholders the average one cent per point value, some of the partners offer up to 1.8 and even 2.2 cents per point.
If you’re interested in earning the most points possible with one of your Chase credit cards, read on to discover the 15 Best Ways to Earn Lots of Chase Ultimate Rewards Points!
1. Earn the Welcome Offer!
The best way to quickly earn many Chase Points with your new card is by earning the welcome reward. Different cards have different parameters regarding how much you have to spend and how much time to earn the bonuses, but these welcome offers are the easiest and most lucrative way to quickly rack up tens of thousands of points.
New holders of either the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Preferred cards earn 60,000 points if they spend $4,000 on the card within the first three months of opening the account. While the spending limits and rewards might vary from card to card, I recommend people looking for a new card search for bonus offers that include at least 10X points for every dollar spent.
2. Anniversary Point Bonus
If your card offers one, receiving an anniversary bonus is just as easy and sweet as receiving the welcome offer. Holders of the Chase Sapphire Preferred earn a 10% point bonus on their card anniversary every year. Essentially, this means that cardholders will receive an extra point for every dollar they spend throughout the year.
The Sapphire Preferred isn’t the only card that rewards users every year. Holders of the Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus and Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority cards also receive an annual point bonus. Instead of earning points based on their total earning, these cards offer a fixed bonus of 3,000 and 7,500 points, respectively.
3. Utilize the travel portal
A key benefit of having a Chase credit card is access to the Chase Travel portal. If cardholders purchase airfare, hotels, or car rentals in the portal, they will receive significantly more points than if they booked directly with the vendor or on a third-party site.
Similar to the welcome offers, different Chase credit cards offer cardholders slightly different reward rates. Holders of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card earn 5X points for travel expenses placed via Chase Travel. Reserve card holders, on the other hand, earn 5X points on flights and 10X points on hotels and car rentals placed with Chase Travel.
4. Hit the road, Jack!
Even if you don’t utilize Chase Travel for every trip, cardholders can still rack up a lot of reward points using their cards to book various travel expenses. The Chase Sapphire Preferred gives holders 2X points for all travel purchases placed outside of the Chase portal, while the Reserve card gives its holders 3X points on travel expenses.
5. Try “Shop Through Chase”
Chase cardholders can access “Shop Through Chase,” a shopping portal that includes 1X-15X point reward deals on certain purchases. Featuring vendors like Best Buy and Backcountry, Shop Through Chase often gives cardholders more points for their purchases compared to if they bought the same items directly at the merchants' retail location or website.
If cardholders are patient with the right deal, they can receive huge bonus rewards by buying things in the “Shop Through Chase” portal. Since “Shop Through Chase” features over 500 merchants, a deal with one of your favorite brands could be right around the corner!
6. Ditch Cash
In addition to using your card for expenses in the most lucrative spending categories, a great way to maximize your Chase Ultimate Rewards Points is to shift your everyday spending onto a Chase card. Rather than reaching into your wallet for cash at places like the pharmacy or bar, use your Chase card to ensure you constantly earn points on every dollar you spend.
7. Consider Eating Out
If you find yourself craving a late-night delivery or are preparing for a hot date at the new trendy restaurant in your area, use your Chase card to cover those dinner charges. The Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve card holders earn 3X points at restaurants and on food delivery services.
8. Chase Dining
In addition to regular dining rewards, you can earn 10X points for spending on the Chase Dining platform if you have the Sapphire Reserve card. Chase Dining includes access to prepaid restaurant reservations, takeout options, and virtual cooking events, so Reserve cardholders have a lot of room to earn extra points for their dining expenses.
9. Lyft > Uber
Until March 2025, Chase Sapphire cardholders can earn bonus points for every dollar spent on Lyft. Gift card purchases are not eligible for this point bonus, but ride services, scooters, and even subscription fees all count for the extra points.
Chase Sapphire Reserve holders get 10X points, and Preferred holders get 5X points for their Lyft purchases.
10. Hit the Gas Station
Chase cards like the United Gateway Card and the Amazon Prime Visa offer cardholders 2X points and 2% cash back, respectively, on gas station spending. So, next time you need to fill up, even if it’s just a few gallons to make it through the week, pull out your Chase card and let the Ultimate Rewards points add up.
11. Get a Peloton!
If you’re in the market for some new exercise equipment, consider getting something from Peloton. Until March 31, 2025, Chase Sapphire cardholders will earn bonus points on equipment and accessory purchases above $150 placed directly with Peloton.
If you make the purchase with the Sapphire Reserve card, you can earn 10 points for every dollar spent and five points for every dollar with the Preferred card!
12. Stream Everything
If you have many streaming subscriptions, it might be worth moving those expenses over to your Chase Sapphire Preferred card. Cardholders earn 3X points for subscriptions or other purchases from streamers like Netflix, Disney+, and Max. This point boost also covers music services like Spotify, Apple Music, and SiriusXM. A list of all the eligible streaming services can be found here.
13. Refer-A-Friend Bonus
Like many credit card providers, Chase hopes its cardholders will act as marketing surrogates in the real world and convince others to sign up for a card. Right now, if a current cardholder refers someone to apply for either a Sapphire Reserve or Preferred card, they can earn 10,000 points per successful referral. Currently, cardholders can earn 75,000 referral bonus points per year.
14. Buy Some Online Groceries
Sapphire Preferred cardholders earn 3X points for all online grocery purchases not placed with Target, Walmart, or other wholesale clubs. This means people who regularly use or are interested in trying out online grocery services provided by companies like Kroger or Amazon have an extra reason to place an order.
15. Consider a Business Card
If you are a small business owner and already know you enjoy the Chase ecosystem, you should consider getting a Chase Ink Business Preferred card. In addition to earning one point per dollar for most purchases, cardholders earn 3X points on essential business expenses like shipping services, social media ads, internet and phone services, and travel expenses.
If you travel for work often, using the Chase Travel platform is a great way to get more value from your Chase Ink Business Preferred card. When using your points to book a trip through the Chase Travel platform, Business Preferred cardholders’ points are worth 25% more compared to being redeemed for other purposes.
Final Thoughts
One of the best things about the Chase Ultimate Rewards program is that it’s always changing. Thanks to new travel bonuses and merchants being added to the “Shop Through Us” platform, Chase card holders are constantly being treated to new ways to earn and spend points. So, if you have a big trip you need to book flights for or simply want to sign up for a new streaming service to make sure you don’t miss any big games, your Chase card and the Ultimate Rewards program have you covered.
Chase Ultimate Reward Points are a great incentive for people who regularly use their cards and for those looking to start using their cards more. Chasing down every last point might prompt a cardholder to spend a little bit more than they usually do, but if you know how to maximize your points’ values, it can be a very worthwhile search.
Now that you know the best ways to earn lots of Chase Ultimate Rewards Points, spend responsibly and save those points for something good!
