If I had to pick only one points or miles program to earn points for free travel it would be Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Why I Love Chase Ultimate Rewards
There are a few reasons I love Chase Ultimate Rewards points so much:
1) Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to a wide variety of frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programs.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be directly or indirectly transferred to frequent flyer or hotel loyalty programs. Chase transfer partners include United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Southwest, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, IHG Rewards Club, Ritz Carlton. (Here is a guide on how to transfer your Ultimate Rewards points to a travel partner.)
While American Express Membership Rewards and Citi Thank you points have a lot of transfer partners I prefer the ones that Ultimate Rewards has.
For me, the best use of Ultimate Rewards is Hyatt, United Airlines and Singapore Airlines. I have not used my Ultimate Rewards points for Hyatt yet but have booked several first class and business class awards with United and an award in Singapore Suites.
2) Ultimate Rewards are very easy to earn.
There are many ways to earn Ultimate Rewards points such as online shopping, applying for credit cards, making referrals and every day spending. Chase Ultimate Rewards cards are not only great for the initial sign up bonus but are great for everyday spending since they offer extra points for certain categories. There are not as many ways to earn Membership Rewards.
How I Keep Earning Ultimate Rewards
Making Sure I Apply for New Credit Cards when the Sign Up Bonus is Higher than Usual
One strategy I use when applying for credit cards is to wait till the sign up bonus is higher than normal. That way I earn more points for applying for credit cards.
Taking Advantage of Category Bonuses
All the Chase credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points offer good category bonuses.
The Ink Plus and Ink Business Cash earn 5X points per $1 at office supply stores and on cell phone, landline, internet and cable TV services. I pay my cell phone, internet and cable bills with my Ink Business Cash on autopay so I earn over 12,000 Ultimate Rewards points a year just for paying those bills. Occasionally I will also purchase gift cards at office supply stores.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns 2X points per $1 on travel and dining so I make sure to use it whenever I spend money in those categories.
I also take advantage of the Chase Freedom rotating 5% category bonuses by trying to maximize my spending in that category for that quarter.
Taking Advantage of Chase’s Refer a Friend Program
Chase periodically offers the opportunity to earn points for referring its credit cards through chasereferafriend.com. Basically the way Chase Refer a Friend works is that if you send a referral link to a friend (or family member) and they apply and are approved for that card you can earn 5,000 or 10,000 points. You can make referrals for up to 10 people and earn a maximum of 50,000 bonus points per calendar year.
I use Chase Refer a Friend to earn points when a close family member applies for a Chase card and we try to time our applications to take advantage of the referral bonus. Here is a list of current Chase Refer-a-Friend opportunities.
Online Shopping
Unlike other flexible points programs, Chase has an online shopping portal (Shop through Chase) meaning you can earn Ultimate Reward points for online shopping which most people do anyway. I used to earn Ultimate Rewards points for booking hotels through hotels.com but unfortunately this is no longer an option.
Using these methods I have earned tons of Ultimate Rewards points and I hope I can continue to do so.
I’ve read conflicting info about the 24 months. Is it 24 months after the last bonus was issued or after the last application date?
It is 24 months from the date you earn the bonus. For example, the Sapphire Preferred says:
“bonus offer is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of this consumer credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of this consumer credit card who received a new cardmember bonus for this consumer credit card within the last 24 months.”
I like to use the date my statement closes on the statement that reflects my bonus to be on the safe side.
I’m with you – I think Chase Ultimate Rewards are the best miles out there for several reasons. Transfer partners, ease of earning, the UR mall and more
I have personally not tried ultimate rewards but after reading this the urge to save these rewards has been initiated. Thanks a bunch
You’re welcome Sam. Hope Ultimate Rewards will be as useful to you as they have been to me.
How does one apply for another card 24 months after the bonus, if one’s card is still active…Are you suggesting to cancel it early?? I am confused…
Bruce,
You would have to cancel that card at some point before you reapply again.
I usually cancel my card right before the first year’s annual fee is due or if you like the card you can wait another year.
Then after your card has been cancelled for a couple of months you can reapply (but must be 24 months after the date you receive the sign up bonus which ends up being around 27 months after your application date).
I never cancel my cards before the 8 month mark.
Hope this helps. Let me know if this is still not clear.
Very clear…Thanks!!
If i cancel the Chase Sapphire after month 9 , What credit card can i open until the 24 months comes back?
There have been some developments since I wrote this post. Chase is not approving people who have more than 5 cards in 2 years. See this post in flyertalk for more info:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chase-ultimate-rewards/1191535-applying-chase-credit-cards-read-wiki-first-consolidated-247.html
If you have more than 5 cards in 2 years it might not be a good idea to close the Sapphire Preferred because you cannot transfer the points to travel partners.
Nice strategy getting points. I currently have Chase Sapphire but it seems the Chase Ink plus requires a lot information before is approved. What strategy did you use to get approved?. Thanks.. J.F
I got approved for 2 Inks in 2013 and 1 in 2014 with zero business income but don’t think would be as easy today. I heard Chase is making it much more difficult to be approved for business cards without business income and is being tough during reconsideration calls.
If you don’t have substantial business income maybe consider the United Explorer and Chase Freedom card.