The power of the Chase Trifecta: Sapphire Reserve, Ink Preferred and Freedom Unlimited

Since we started covering the points-and-miles game here at The Points Guy, there’s been a trend: Airlines and hotels have consistently devalued their programs and increased the number of points and miles needed for flights or award stays.

One product family that credit card experts continue to remain loyal to year after year, however, is Chase. There are two main reasons: Chase Ultimate Rewards points are incredibly flexible and valuable, and Chase offers a very pair-able lineup that allows you to maximize both your earning and redemption strategies.

While all have stand-alone value, combining three complementary Chase credit cards can unlock a ton of value across spending categories: the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card and Chase Freedom Unlimited®.

Let’s walk through these cards and how they work together to create a great credit card strategy.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Annual fee: $550

Welcome offer: Earn 75,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

Rewards rate: Earn 10 points per dollar on Lyft rides (through March 2025) plus 10 points per dollar on hotels and car rentals and 5 points per dollar on flights when purchasing through Chase Travel℠. Earn 3 points per dollar on travel and dining purchases and 1 point per dollar on everything else.

This card’s hefty $550 annual fee is offset by the $300 annual travel credit, effectively making the fee $250 per year. You’ll also get a Priority Pass Select membership, up to $100 in reimbursement* for your application fee to Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus and other perks such as primary rental car coverage, trip cancellation and delay coverage, lost luggage reimbursement, concierge service, access to Chase’s luxury hotel collection and more.

To give cardholders further incentive to carry the card, Chase has consistently added (or extended) benefits on the Sapphire Reserve in recent years. This includes:

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Complimentary DashPass (now through Dec. 31) plus $10 in monthly credits through DoorDash.
10 points per dollar spent on Lyft purchases (now through March 2025).
Up to $15 per month in statement credits on purchases from Instacart and a year of complimentary Instacart+ (through July 31).

With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can redeem your points for 50% more value through the Chase travel portal (redeem at 1.5 cents per point rather than the standard 1 cent per point).

Of course, you can also transfer your points to one of 12 airline and three hotel partners to get potentially even more value from your points. With its flexibility and earning power, the Sapphire Reserve headlines Chase’s strong selection of cards and is a great addition to any points-chaser’s wallet.

For more details, check out our full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

*This reimbursement will increase to up to $120 when the Global Entry fee increases in October.

Apply here: Chase Sapphire Reserve

Ink Business Preferred

Annual fee: $95

Welcome offer: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening.

Rewards rate: Earn 3 points per dollar on travel, shipping, internet services, cable services, phone services and advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines (on up to $150,000 in combined spending each account anniversary year, then 1 point per dollar) and 1 point per dollar on everything else.

Along with primary rental car insurance on car rentals for business purposes, the Ink Preferred also offers a cellphone protection benefit. The card will pay to replace a damaged cellphone up to three times per year with just a $100 deductible so long as you pay your monthly cellphone bill with your card. You can even protect your employees’ cellphones if their service lines are included on the same bill. Just note that there is a limit of $600 per claim and a limit of $1,800 or three claims in a 12-month period.

For more details, check out our full review of the Ink Business Preferred.

Apply here: Ink Business Preferred

Chase Freedom Unlimited

Annual fee: $0

Welcome offer: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year), worth up to $300 cash back.

Rewards rate: Earn 5% on travel booked through the Chase travel portal, 3% on dining (including takeout and delivery) and drugstores and an unlimited 1.5% on all other purchases.

Rounding out the trifecta is the Chase Freedom Unlimited. This card is consistently an excellent option for anyone who wants a catch-all card for purchases that don’t fall into bonus-earning categories with other credit cards. And because you can transfer your points into an Ultimate Rewards account, the points earned with the Chase Freedom Unlimited are worth 2.05 cents each if you link the card to a normal Ultimate Rewards-earning card like the Sapphire Reserve, Ink Business Preferred or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.

For more details, check out our full review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited.

Apply here: Chase Freedom Unlimited

How these cards work together

Each of these cards covers a distinct area of spending and offers its unique perks as part of a well-rounded credit card strategy.

Use your Chase Sapphire Reserve for travel and dining purchases, the Ink Business Preferred for any business expenses and the Freedom Unlimited for purchases that won’t earn bonus rewards with your other cards.

All of the points you earn with these three cards can be pooled, allowing you to transfer them to one of Chase’s travel partners or redeem them for 1.5 cents each through the Chase travel portal. When booking economy-class award flights or award stays at hotels not listed as Chase transfer partners, you’ll likely get the most value by taking advantage of the redemption bonus in the travel portal.

However, if you’re booking a premium-cabin award flight or redeeming nights at one of Chase’s hotel partners, you might want to transfer your points. Just make sure you’re comparing both options so that you’re getting the best value out of your Ultimate Rewards points and not missing out on any exclusive transfer bonuses.

Other trifecta card options

Chase has a flexible credit card lineup, and it might make sense to replace one of the cards listed above with another Chase card based on your spending habits.

Chase Freedom Flex℠ vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited

For example, if you already have the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or the Citi Double Cash® Card (see rates and fees) — both of which earn at a higher rate on non-bonus spending — it might make more sense for you to have the Chase Freedom Flex℠ instead of the Chase Freedom Unlimited.

Another card with no annual fee, the Chase Freedom Flex offers 5% cash back on rotating quarterly spending categories (activation required). Your bonus spending is capped at $1,500 a quarter, and categories range from gas stations to grocery stores and even Amazon and Walmart, making it easy to maximize the card’s bonus earnings. Like the Freedom Unlimited, you’ll also earn 5% back on travel booked through the Chase travel portal and 3% on dining and drugstores.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve

Beginners who are wary of the $550 annual fee on the Sapphire Reserve can replace it with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Along with a lower annual fee of just $95, the Sapphire Preferred comes with a solid earning structure:

5 points per dollar on all travel purchased through the Chase travel portal
3 points per dollar on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out
3 points per dollar on select streaming services
3 points per dollar on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
2 points per dollar on all other travel
1 point per dollar on all other purchases

The Sapphire Preferred only comes with a 25% redemption bonus and doesn’t have lounge access. However, the Preferred does come with the same sign-up bonus as the Reserve (75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening), and you’ll also enjoy a $50 annual statement credit for hotels booked through Chase Travel plus a 10% points bonus on your anniversary based on your previous year’s spending.

If you don’t travel enough to take full advantage of the Chase Sapphire Reserve, the Sapphire Preferred is a solid replacement option.

Bottom line

The ultimate goal is to maximize every dollar you spend by putting your purchases on the right credit cards. Getting value out of the points-and-miles game isn’t exclusive to frequent flyers; you just need to be smart about how you spend your money.

Just remember that all of these cards are subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule. If you don’t currently have these cards in your wallet, you’ll want to be strategic about when you apply for them versus other cards to make sure you won’t be denied due to too many account openings within the past two years. For more details on how to increase your approval odds, check out our guide to credit card application rules and restrictions.

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