8 Ways to Earn and Maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards® Points

Chase offers a huge selection of personal and business credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards® points. By being strategic about which card you open and how you use it, you may be able to earn hundreds or thousands of dollars in rewards.

To help you earn the most Ultimate Rewards® points possible, we’ll break down exactly how the Chase rewards system works and share insider tips to help you squeeze more out of your credit card.

How Chase Ultimate Rewards® points work

Many people consider Chase Ultimate Rewards® to be one of the best credit card rewards programs out there.

Ultimate Rewards® points are easy to earn, and you can redeem them in a lot of different ways—for instance, by directly converting them into cash back or by using them to buy gift cards or make travel purchases.

Here’s a quick overview of the Chase Ultimate Rewards® program:

• Point value: Each Ultimate Rewards® point is worth 1 cent ($0.01) when redeemed as cash back, but the value may differ when you redeem your points through other methods (e.g., 1.5 cents when you book hotels, flights, and make other travel purchases). 1
• Expiration: Points never expire as long as your account is open.
• Loss of points: You can lose all your points if you’re 60 days late on payments or file for bankruptcy.
• Redemption: There’s no time limit on when you can redeem points, and there’s no minimum or maximum redemption amount per transaction.
• Transfer: Points can be transferred to loyalty programs with Chase’s travel partners or transferred to another Chase credit card with Ultimate Rewards® capability (must belong to you or a member of your household).
• Number of accounts: There’s no limit on how many credit cards you can have, but you can’t open more than 5 accounts within 24 months (known as the Chase 5/24 rule).
• Trading or selling: You aren’t allowed to buy or sell Ultimate Rewards® points.

Which credit cards can earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® points?

Not every Chase credit card is part of the Ultimate Rewards® program. You’ll need to get one of their personal or business credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards® points.

Chase Credit Cards That Earn Ultimate Rewards® Points

Once you have an eligible card, then your purchases will automatically begin earning you points.

How to maximize your Chase Ultimate Rewards® earnings

Here are some tips to help you make the most of your purchases on your Chase credit card and earn more points.

1. Get a welcome bonus

Welcome bonuses (also known as sign-up bonuses) are a great way to quickly earn lots of Ultimate Rewards® points. Many Chase credit cards offer bonuses when you spend a certain amount within the first 3 months after opening your account.

The table below shows the welcome bonuses on Chase’s Ultimate Rewards® credit cards.*

Chase Ultimate Rewards Welcome Bonuses

* These bonuses reflect information collected in November 2022. Sign-up bonuses change over time.

Note that you should never spend more than you can afford just to meet the minimum rewards threshold. Getting rewards is great, but using your credit card responsibly is more important.

2. Refer a friend for a Chase credit card

Chase has a Refer-A-Friend rewards scheme that allows you to earn cashback rewards and bonus points on select credit cards when you refer a friend to sign up.

Not all cards are part of this rewards scheme, and some only allow you to earn cash back, not Ultimate Rewards® points. (You can sometimes convert cash back into points by transferring it from one Chase credit card to another, but this is complicated and tricky to pull off.)

Referral Bonuses for Different Credit Cards

How to use the Chase Refer-A-Friend program

Before you can participate in the Refer-A-Friend program, you need to register your credit card at the appropriate Chase Refer-A-Friend page (listed in the table above).

You’ll get a URL link, which your friends will need to use to apply for a card. Once their application is approved and they make a purchase, you’ll both receive the bonus.

While this is a great way to earn Ultimate Rewards® points without spending any money, there’s a limit to how many points you can earn each year. The bonus amount also depends on the card, and the terms may change at any time.

3. Use your Chase card for travel bookings

Many Chase Ultimate Rewards® credit cards earn additional points for travel purchases.

Chase has a broad definition for what counts as a “travel purchase,” but it’s based on the merchant code assigned to the company you make a booking or purchase with.

Below are all examples of travel purchases according to Chase: 2

• Train tickets
• Airline bookings
• Taxi, bus, limo, and ferry fare
• Cruise bookings
• Car rentals
• Bridge and highway tolls
• Campground bookings
• Hotel and motel bookings
• Timeshares
• Bookings with travel agencies
• Parking fees

In addition to earning points from general travel purchases, you can earn additional points by making these purchases through the Chase travel portal (available through your online account).

You may be able to earn up to 10x points on car rentals and hotels booked via the portal and 5x points on flights.

Chase Ultimate Rewards® Credit Cards with Travel Rewards

4. Dine out

Many Chase personal and business credit cards offer rewards for every dollar spent on purchases at restaurants. This is a good way to take advantage of all the times you dine out, either with friends and family or as part of a business trip or meeting.

Chase Ultimate Rewards® Credit Cards with Dining Rewards

5. Use your credit card to pay for drug prescriptions

Using your Chase credit card at drugstores can help you gain a few extra Ultimate Rewards® points, whether you’re using it to pay for prescriptions, beauty products, or other essentials. In order to gain points this way, you’ll need to use one of the following credit cards:

• Chase Freedom Unlimited®: 3% cash back (3 points for each $1 spent)
• Chase Freedom Flex℠: 3% cash back (3 points for each $1 spent)

6. Use the Chase Ultimate Rewards® Shopping Portal

Shopping in the Chase Ultimate Rewards® Shopping Portal (also known as “Shop Through Chase”) may allow you to earn extra Ultimate Rewards® points.

To do this, just log in to your Chase account and visit ultimaterewardsearn.chase.com. You’ll be taken to a page that lists the companies that partner with Chase.

It will lay out how many extra bonus points you’ll get for shopping with them and provide links for you to start shopping

7. Add an authorized user

You may be able to earn bonus points by adding a credit card authorized user to your Chase account. This is because purchases made by an authorized user will also allow you to earn Ultimate Rewards® points. 3

Just make sure you can afford to cover your credit card bills. Your card issuer will expect you (as the primary cardholder) to pay for everything, so it’s down to you to hold your authorized user accountable for paying you back for their purchases.

8. Use Chase Ink cards to cover business expenses

We’ve mentioned how you can earn rewards by dining out at restaurants during business meetings, filling the tank when you’re on a business trip, or booking tickets and hotels when you attend conferences. However, you can also gain points on purchases that don’t fall into a specific category.

Chase Ultimate Rewards® Credit Cards with Business Rewards

Although you’ll get 1.5% cash back on all purchases with the Ink Business Unlimited® card, this card doesn’t currently come with any extra rewards for making business-related purchases. 4