Pairing the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and Chase Freedom Unlimited to Level Up Your Rewards - CNET

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Like peanut butter and jelly or macaroni and cheese, some things become better than the sum of their parts when paired together. In the credit card world, two such things are the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card.

While both cards are excellent in their own right -- the Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the best travel cards and the Chase Freedom Unlimited is a solid cash-back pick -- pairing them can supercharge your rewards and unlock greater benefits. These two cards offer different bonus categories that pair well together and the ability to pool your points opens the door to better redemptions for travel specifically.

If you’re considering one or both of these cards for your wallet, read on to learn why pairing the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Freedom Unlimited can help you maximize both cards’ potential.

9/10 CNET Rating

Quick Look

Intro Offer: 60,000 bonus points Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

Annual fee

$95

APR

21.24% – 28.24% Variable

Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.: 670 – 850
Good – Excellent

Rewards rate: 2x – 5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®; 3x on dining.; 2x on all other travel purchases, plus more.

CNET Rating

Intro Offer

60,000 bonus points

Annual Fee

$95

Rewards Rate

2x – 5x

Rec. Credit Recommended Credit: A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.

670 – 850 Good – Excellent

APR

21.24% – 28.24% Variable

Intro Balance Transfer APR: N/A
Intro Purchase APR: N/A
Regular APR: 21.24% – 28.24% Variable
Balance Transfer Fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®

3x on dining.

2x on all other travel purchases, plus more.

Intro Balance Transfer APR: N/A
Intro Purchase APR: N/A
Regular APR: 21.24% – 28.24% Variable
Balance Transfer Fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®

3x on dining.

2x on all other travel purchases, plus more.

8/10 CNET Rating

Quick Look

Intro Offer: Earn an Additional 1.5% Cash Back Intro 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!

Annual fee

APR

20.24% – 28.99% Variable

Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.: 670 – 850
Good – Excellent

Rewards rate: 1.5% – 5% Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service; 1.5% on all other purchases

CNET Rating

Intro Offer

Earn an Additional 1.5% Cash Back

Annual Fee

Rewards Rate

1.5% – 5%

670 – 850 Good – Excellent

APR

20.24% – 28.99% Variable

Intro Balance Transfer APR: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 months
Intro Purchase APR: 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 15 months
Regular APR: 20.24% – 28.99% Variable
Balance Transfer Fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more

3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service

1.5%

1.5% on all other purchases

Intro Balance Transfer APR: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 months
Intro Purchase APR: 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 15 months
Regular APR: 20.24% – 28.99% Variable
Balance Transfer Fee: Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more

3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service

1.5%

1.5% on all other purchases

Why you should pair the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Freedom Unlimited

Welcome bonuses

Welcome bonuses are the best way to rack up lots of points quickly, and two welcome bonuses are better than one. The Chase Sapphire Preferred gives you 60,000 points worth $750 in travel when you spend $4,000 on purchases within three months of account opening. The Chase Freedom Unlimited’s welcome bonus takes a slightly different form. Instead of a lump sum bonus, you get an extra 1.5% cash back (in the form of 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points) on everything you buy in the first year (up to $20,000 spent). Fully maximized, the bonus will give you $300 in cash back in the form of 30,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

Combined, that’s up to 90,000 points, which you can redeem for $900 in cash back or $1,125 in travel booked through the Ultimate Rewards portal when you pool your points onto the Chase Sapphire Preferred and take advantage of its 25% portal redemption bonus.

Just remember that you have to sign up for each of these cards separately and you may want to wait a few months between applications to maximize your chances of approval. You’ll also want to keep in mind Chase’s unofficial 5/24 rule, where Chase won’t approve you for a credit card if you’ve opened more than five cards from any issuer in the past 24 months. If you plan to get multiple credit cards, make sure you apply for all the Chase cards you want before applying for cards from other issuers.

Earning and redeeming rewards

Pairing the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Freedom Unlimited cards can also help you earn more rewards over time when you use each card strategically in their respective bonus categories. Because the cards offer different rewards rates in different categories (though there is some overlap), you have more opportunities to earn elevated rewards on your everyday spending compared to if you only held one card.

On the redemption end, Chase lets cardholders pool all their rewards in a single account for seamless and convenient redemptions. Though most of the cards in Chase’s ecosystem earn the same rewards currency, Ultimate Rewards Points, different cards have different redemption options.

As a premium (read: annual fee-charging) travel card, Chase Sapphire Preferred has two advantages over the Chase Freedom in this respect: a 25% redemption bonus when you redeem your rewards for travel booked through the Ultimate Rewards portal, and the option to transfer points to Chase airline and hotel partners at 1:1 ratio. By transferring points earned on your Chase Freedom Unlimited to your Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can access the Preferred’s redemption options and get more value out of your points.

How to use your credit cards together

So, how do you use these cards together to boost your rewards? For the most part, you’ll use whichever card yields the most rewards for every purchase you make. Here’s a rundown of how you could use these cards together:

Use the Chase Sapphire Preferred for dining, online grocery purchases, select streaming services, travel and Lyft rides through March 31, 2025. This will net you 5x points on travel booked through Chase, 2x points on other travel and 3x points on dining, online grocery purchases and select streaming services. Through March 31, 2025, you can also earn 5x points on Lyft rides.
Use the Chase Freedom Unlimited for drugstore purchases and all other spending. While the Chase Freedom Unlimited® has some overlapping bonus categories with the Chase Sapphire Preferred®, it really shines in the fact it offers 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and 1.5% cash back on everything else you buy.

By using these two cards for the purchases they earn the most rewards in, you can ultimately earn 5x points on travel booked through Chase and Lyft rides, 3x points on dining, online grocery purchases and select streaming services and 2x points on travel purchases not booked through Chase. You would also earn 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and 1.5% cash back on everything else, which would ultimately be converted to 3x points and 1.5x points per dollar spent in these categories, respectively.

Maximizing and transferring points

The main reason to have both of these cards is the fact you can pool rewards in your Chase Sapphire Preferred account for better travel redemptions. The Chase Sapphire Preferred gives you 25% more value when you use points to book travel through Chase, and it lets you transfer points to the program’s airline and hotel partners.

Chase Ultimate Rewards partners all allow transfers at a 1:1 point ratio (with occasional transfer bonuses that may give you more value for your points), and they include the following:

Hotel partners

IHG® Rewards Club
Marriott Bonvoy®
World of Hyatt®

Unlike redemptions directly through Chase, which give you a flat value for your points, the value of your points can vary widely when you transfer them to travel partners. Once you transfer your points to a hotel or airline, they become the rewards currency of that hotel or airline’s own loyalty program, subject to their own rules and redemption rates. You can then book your travel directly through the airline or hotel.

According to The Points Guy’s valuations, Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth around 2 cents apiece on average when transferred to travel partners, and sometimes much more. Although redeeming your points in this manner takes some additional legwork to find a good deal, it gives you a lot more bang for your buck compared to the one cent/point you’d get from cash back or statement credit if you redeemed your rewards via the Chase Freedom Unlimited’s redemption options.

Other cards that pair well with the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Freedom Unlimited

There are several other rewards credit cards that pair well with these two cards, either due to the fact they also earn Ultimate Rewards points or for their superior rewards rates in other categories. If you want more than two credit cards, consider the following options:

Within the Chase ecosystem:

Chase Freedom Flex: The Chase Freedom Flex* offers 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent in rotating bonus categories that change each quarter (then 1% back), plus 3% cash back on dining and drugstore purchases and 1% back on everything else. Like with the Chase Freedom Unlimited, you can pool all your rewards in your Chase Sapphire Preferred account for superior travel redemptions. There’s no annual fee, either.
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card: If you’re a small business owner, the no-annual-fee Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is a great option to earn Ultimate Rewards points on your business spending. It offers 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each year (then 1% back), 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each year (then 1% back) and 1% back on other purchases. As with the Chase Freedom Unlimited and Chase Freedom Flex, you can pool your points onto a Sapphire card (or the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, if you prefer a business travel card) to access the Ultimate Rewards portal redemption bonus and 1:1 transfers to travel partners.

Outside the Chase ecosystem:

Citi Premier® Card: The Citi Premier® Card offers a different, but no less useful, rewards ecosystem than Chase cards. Citi ThankYou points can be used for flexible options like gift cards, cash back, merchandise, travel through Citi or point transfers to Citi’s 17 airline and hotel partners. This card also comes with a generous welcome offer and 3x points at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels. All other purchases earn 1x points per dollar spent.
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: Finally, consider the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express if you want to earn cash back on everyday purchases with no annual fee. This card offers 3% cash back on up to $6,000 spent in three categories each year -- U.S. supermarkets, U.S. online retailers and U.S. gas stations -- after which you earn 1% cash back. You also earn 1% cash back on all other purchases. Unlike the previous cards, the Blue Cash Everyday earns cash back, not flexible rewards points. As such, you can’t transfer your points to travel partners, but the card’s high rewards rates in common everyday spending categories make it a good option if you want a simple way to earn a return on your spending.

Bottom line

While having one solid rewards credit card can help you get something back on most or all of your spending, using a few really good cards strategically can be an even better deal. This is especially true when you’re pairing Chase credit cards that let you pool your points in a travel card account for better redemptions.

That said, it’s important to remember that having more than one credit card means juggling multiple bills and payments each month. Also be aware that credit cards charge high interest rates that can make carrying debt very costly in a hurry, so focus on building good habits like paying your bill on time and in full every month before worrying about maximizing points.

Our advice? Try out a single rewards card for several months until you’re sure you can rack up points without accruing debt. Once you’re sure you’re ready to add new cards, you can pair a few different options to level up your rewards.

FAQs

There are no specific limits on the total number of Chase credit cards you can have. However, you can only hold one Sapphire card at a time: either the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

The Chase 5/24 rule is an unpublished rule from Chase that says you cannot get approved for a new Chase credit card if you have had five or more new credit cards from any issuer over the previous 24 months.

*All information about the Chase Freedom Flex has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.

The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.

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