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About Chase Credit Cards
I often get asked by readers who are new to credit cards: “I don’t have any Chase credit cards yet—which one should I apply for first?” That’s actually a hard question to answer, because it depends on your credit history, spending patterns, whether you need miles for award flights, and more. So in this article, I’ll give beginners a general introduction to the different Chase credit cards. Once you have an overall framework in mind, you can pick the one that fits you best.
Chase is probably the credit card issuer I trust and admire the most. Almost every card has a well-defined purpose, without a ton of flashy gimmicks, but with enough stability and long-term value to make them easy to keep. I strongly recommend that most people hold at least one or more Chase cards—they’re genuinely excellent. I personally have 7 Chase cards, and my partner has 8. Altogether, we’ve been using Chase for nearly ten years, so we’ve really seen how Chase has evolved over the past decade.
Chase Core Cards
Chase currently has five core cards that you can apply for directly. The lineup covers everything from no-annual-fee cards to mid-tier cards to premium cards. The no-annual-fee cards are geared toward everyday spending, while the annual-fee cards are more travel-focused, so the division of roles is pretty clear.
No Annual Fee
Among the no-annual-fee cards, the Chase Freedom Flex is centered around rotating 5x categories each quarter, and those categories are usually very relevant to everyday spending. On top of that, it also earns a permanent 3x on dining and drugstores, which gives it broad coverage. The Chase Freedom Unlimited takes a simpler approach with 1.5x on all purchases, plus the same 3x on dining and drugstores. Both cards are very solid long-term keepers for everyday use. If you’re a beginner, you can choose one based on your own spending habits. In addition, both of these cards can also be obtained by downgrading from a Sapphire card with an annual fee. So if you already have some credit history, you could consider applying for an annual-fee card with a higher welcome bonus first, then downgrading to one of these two later.
Chase Freedom Flex Credit Card
Quarterly 5x rewards, great for everyday spending; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: 20,000 Ultimate Rewards (UR) (Spend $500 in 3 months)
- Rewards: 5x through the Chase Travel Portal; 3x at restaurants and drugstores; an additional 5x in rotating quarterly categories each quarter (such as groceries, dining, Amazon, gas, PayPal, etc.)
- Redemption: Redeem for cash back at 100 UR = $1; if you also hold a premium card, points can be transferred 1:1 to airline miles or hotel points, or redeemed toward travel at 1:1.25; estimated value 1.6 cent/point
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Chase Freedom Unlimited Credit Card
Extra 1.5x on all purchases in the first year; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: 25,000 Ultimate Rewards (UR) (spend $500 in 3 months)
- Rewards: 5x on travel booked through Chase; 3x at restaurants and drugstores; 1.5x on all other purchases, with no limit
- Redemption: Redeem for cash back at 100 UR = $1; if you also hold a premium card, points can be transferred 1:1 to airline miles or hotel points, or redeemed toward travel at 1:1.25; value 1.6 cent/points
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
This next card deserves to be discussed separately because, aside from the welcome bonus, it doesn’t offer much long-term value. If you need short-term financing flexibility, though, it may be worth considering, since it has neither fees nor interest, which can be very attractive.
No annual fee, plus 21 months of 0% intro APR!
- Welcome bonus: Open an account and get 21 months of 0 APR (Purchases and Balance Transfers)
- Rewards: No cash back
- Redemption: No redemption required
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Annual-Fee Cards
These two annual-fee cards not only come with upgraded benefits, but also shift their rewards structure toward travel. They include travel statement credits and airport lounge benefits that can meaningfully improve your overall travel experience. In addition, these two cards unlock the full value of Chase points, since cardholders can transfer points to hotel programs or airline miles for potentially greater redemption value. If you’re new to credit cards, it’s best to wait until you’ve had about a year of credit history before applying. If you already have some credit history, then you can choose between the two based on how much annual fee you’re comfortable paying and which benefits you’ll actually use.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card
Chase mid-tier travel credit card; includes a $50 annual hotel credit and free rental car insurance!
- Welcome bonus: 100,000 points (spend $5,000 in three months)
- Rewards: 5x on select travel; 3x on dining and streaming; 2x on other travel; 1x on all other purchases; 10% annual bonus
- Redemption: Can be redeemed for cash back; 1:1 transfers to airline and hotel loyalty programs; redeem at 1:1.25 toward travel purchases; value 1.6 cent/points
- Annual fee: $95
- Apply now>>
Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card
Premium perks included! Up to $2,300 in annual statement credits!
- Welcome bonus: 100,000 points (spend $6,000 in the first 3 months)
- Rewards: 8x on flights, hotels, car rentals, and activities booked through Chase Travel; 4x on flights and hotels booked directly; 1x on other purchases
- Redemption: Can be redeemed for cash back; can be transferred 1:1 to airline and hotel partners; up to 1:2 redemption for premium hotels and flights; value 1.6 cents/point
- Annual fee: $795
- Apply now>>
Airline Co-Branded Cards
Chase also partners with quite a few airlines on co-branded cards, especially United and Southwest, both of which have multiple card options. If you fly either airline often, benefits like priority boarding and free checked bags can be genuinely useful. For most of the other airline cards, though, they’re basically more of a “grab the welcome bonus and move on” type of play.
UA
The United card lineup also runs from entry-level to premium, so there’s something for different types of users. The UA Explorer and Quest are the cards that will make the most sense for most people, and they often come with strong welcome offers. That said, if you don’t really fly United very much, you may want to close the card after earning the welcome bonus, or downgrade it to a no-annual-fee version like the travel bank option.
Chase United Gateway Credit Card
No annual fee UA card!
- Welcome bonus: 30,000 UA miles ($1,000 spend in three months) + 10,000 (add one additional card within three months)
- Rewards: 2X on local transit, dining, gas, and tickets purchased on the UA official website; 1X on all other purchases
- Redemption: Can be redeemed for domestic and international flights on UA and Star Alliance partners, with a value of 1.6 cent/points
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Chase United Explorer Credit Card
Annual Club Passes; free checked bags; plus plenty of statement credits!
- Welcome bonus: 50,000 UA miles (spend $3,000 in the first 3 months) + 10,000 (add a supplementary card within 3 months)
- Rewards: 5x on hotels booked through UA channels; 2x on airfare booked on the UA website, dining, and hotel purchases; 1x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Redeemable for domestic and international flights on UA and Star Alliance members, valued at 1.6 cents/point
- Annual fee: $150（Annual fee waived for the first year）
- Apply now>>
Chase United Quest Credit Card
Get $200 in annual flight credits, plus lots of reimbursements and perks~
- Welcome bonus: 60,000 UA miles + 500 PQP (spend $4,000 in 3 months) + 10,000 (add one authorized user within 3 months)
- Rewards: 3X on UA purchases; 2x on dining, streaming, and travel purchases (hotels, car rentals, airlines, cruises, etc.); 1x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Redeemable for domestic and international flights on UA and Star Alliance partners, with a value of 1.6 cent/point
- Annual fee: $350
- Apply now>>
Chase United Club Infinite United Airlines Credit Card
Free United Club access; 2 free checked bags! Tons of credits every year!
- Welcome bonus: 80,000 UA miles (spend $5,000 in the first 3 months) + 10,000 (add one supplementary card within 3 months)
- Rewards: 4X on UA purchases; 2x on dining and travel; 1x on everything else
- Redemption: Can be redeemed for domestic and international flights on UA and Star Alliance partners, with a value of 1.6 cent/point
- Annual fee: $695
- Apply now>>
Southwest
These Southwest cards offer excellent value for people who fly Southwest frequently. Once you factor in the reimbursements and bonus points they provide, they can effectively offset their annual fees. My suggestion is to apply when there’s an offer with a Companion Pass, or when you can earn a Companion Pass quickly. Being able to get buy-one-get-one value on both award tickets and paid tickets is extremely powerful. These three cards go from lower tier to higher tier, but the difference in benefits is not actually that dramatic. Which one you should choose depends mainly on whether you can fully use the points and reimbursements; if you can, then the highest-tier version is worth considering.
Chase Southwest Plus Credit Card
Earn 3,000 points every year!
- Welcome bonus: 50,000 Southwest miles (spend $1,000 in the first 3 months)
- Rewards: 2x on Southwest purchases, hotel and car rental purchases through Southwest; 2x at gas stations and restaurants on up to $5k per year; 1x on all other purchases,
- Redemption: Redeem for Southwest flights, with points worth about 1.5 cpp
- Annual fee: $99
- Apply now>>
Chase Southwest Premier Credit Card
6,000 bonus points every year!
- Welcome bonus: 55,000 Southwest miles (spend $1,500 in first 3 months)
- Rewards: 2x on Southwest flights purchased on the Southwest website; 2x at restaurants and gas stations (on the first $8k each year); 1x on all other purchases,
- Redemption: Redeemable for Southwest flights, with points worth about 1.5 cpp
- Annual fee: $149
- Apply now>>
Chase Southwest Priority Credit Card
Southwest Airlines premium card, with 7,500 bonus points every year!
- Welcome bonus: 60,000 Southwest miles (spend $2,000 in the first 3 months)
- Rewards: 2x on Southwest purchases on the official website, hotel stays, car rentals, gas, and dining; 1x on all other purchases,
- Redemption: Points can be redeemed for Southwest flights, with an approximate value of 1.5 cpp
- Annual fee: $229
- Apply now>>
Air Canada
After its revamp, this card lets you use AC points to offset travel purchases, which is a good way to cash out that value. Beyond that, the welcome bonus is probably the biggest draw.
Chase Aeroplan Air Canada Co-Branded Credit Card
3x on groceries, dining, and airfare!
- Welcome bonus: 75,000 miles (spend $4,000 in 3 months) + 25,000 (spend $20,000 in 12 months)
- Rewards: 3x on groceries, dining, and Air Canada website ticket purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Points can be redeemed for domestic and international flights on Air Canada and other Star Alliance member airlines, with a value of 1.6 cent/point
- Annual fee: $95
- Apply now>>
Others
For Chase’s other airline co-branded cards, I’d generally only recommend applying for the welcome bonus and then moving on—they’re not especially well-suited for long-term holding in North America. The following three Avios cards are pretty decent, though, and they may be worth a run if you can make good use of British Airways miles.
Hotel Co-Branded Cards
Chase’s hotel co-branded cards are all very strong products, and the annual free night certificates alone can often justify the annual fee. That’s why both my partner and I carry several of them. These three all have solid welcome bonuses and annual certificates, so they’re easy keepers.
Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card
Free night award every year; 4x at Hyatt hotels!
- Welcome bonus: 45,000 Hyatt points (spend $5,000 within 3 months) + 2x bonus points (within 6 months, up to $15,000 in spending)
- Rewards: 4x at Hyatt hotels; 2x on airfare, car rentals, dining, transit, and fitness clubs; 1x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Redeem for stays at Hyatt hotels, valued at 1.6 cents/point
- Annual fee: $95
- Apply now>>
Annual free night certificate + $50 flight credit!
- Welcome bonus: 140,000 IHG points (spend $3,000 in 3 months)
- Rewards: 10x on IHG purchases; 5x on travel, gas, and dining; 3x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Redeem at IHG hotels, worth 0.6 cpp
- Annual fee: $99
- Apply now>>
One special note here: if you want more out of Marriott, you can upgrade this card to the Ritz-Carlton version to get a more valuable free night certificate and better benefits.
Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Marriott Credit Card
Comes with 1 free night certificate every year; a standout card
- Welcome bonus: 4 Marriott free night awards at the 50,000-point tier (spend $3,000 in the first 3 months) + $100 airline credit
- Rewards: 6x at Marriott hotels; 3x on gas, groceries, and dining; 2x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Can be redeemed at Marriott/Ritz-Carlton properties, or transferred to airline miles at up to a 3:1.25 ratio
- Annual fee: $95
- Apply now>>
Other Co-Branded Cards
Chase also partners with other merchants on retail co-branded cards, but there aren’t many that are especially worth applying for. The Chase Amazon card is probably the main one still worth a look. If you spend a lot at Amazon or Whole Foods, it may make sense.
Chase Amazon Rewards Credit Card
5% cash back at Amazon and Whole Foods; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: Prime sign-up bonus: $150 gift card (issued upon card opening)
- Rewards: 5% at Amazon, Whole Foods, and Chase Travel; 2% at restaurants, public transit, and rideshare, 2% on gas; 1% on all other purchases
- Redemption: Cash back
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
The more niche Disney card is really only for die-hard fans.
Chase Disney Premier Credit Card
Earn a $300 welcome bonus; choose your card design and get Disney discounts!
- Welcome bonus: $200 Disney eGift Card (upon approval) + $200 (spend $500 in three months)
- Rewards: 2% on supermarkets, gas, restaurants, and Disney purchases; 1% Disney Dollars on all other purchases
- Redemption: Redeem for Disney tickets, in-park purchases, movies, online shopping, cruises, and flights to Disney destinations
- Annual fee: $49
- Apply now>>
Business Credit Cards
Core Cards
Chase’s own INK series of business credit cards is also outstanding. Each card has a distinct role, and the welcome bonuses are consistently quite good.
Chase Ink Cash Business Credit Card
5x at office supply stores, internet, cell phone, landline, and cable TV; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: 100,000 Ultimate Rewards (UR) (spend $8,000 in 4 months)
- Rewards: 5x at office supply stores and on internet, cell phone, landline, and cable TV bills (on up to the first $25k in purchases); 2x at gas stations and restaurants (on up to the first $25k in purchases); 1x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Redeem for cash back at 100 UR = $1; if you also hold a premium card, points can be transferred 1:1 to airline miles or hotel points, or redeemed toward travel at 1:1.25/1.5; point value: 1.6 cent/point
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Chase Ink Unlimited Business Credit Card
1.5x points on all business purchases; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: 100,000 Ultimate Rewards (UR) (spend $8,000 in four months)
- Rewards: 1.5x on all purchases, unlimited
- Redemption: Redeem for cash back at 100 UR = $1; if you also hold a premium card, points can be transferred 1:1 to airline miles or hotel points, or redeemed for travel at 1:1.25/1.5; point value: 1.6 cents/point
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Chase Ink Preferred Business Credit Card
A strong choice for people with heavy spending in specific categories, Chase business card
- Welcome bonus: 90,000 Ultimate Rewards (Spend $8,000 in the first 3 months after opening)
- Rewards: 3x on travel, shipping, internet/cable/phone services, and advertising (Travel, Shipping purchases, Internet, Cable and Phone services, Advertising), on up to the first $150k; all other purchases 1x
- Redemption: Redeem for cash at 100 UR = $1; can transfer 1:1 to airline miles or hotel points; can redeem at 1:1.25 toward travel purchases; value 1.6 cent/points
- Annual fee: $95
- Apply now>>
One thing to note here: the welcome bonus earned on the Ink Premier is cash back, and it cannot be combined with Chase points, so keep that in mind.
Chase Ink Premier Business Credit Card
2.5% cash back on large purchases
- Welcome bonus: $1000 (Spend $10,000 in the first three months after card activation)
- Rewards: 5% on Chase Travel purchases; 2.5% on purchases of $5,000 or more; 2% on all other purchases
- Redemption: Redeem for cash back directly
- Annual fee: $195
- Apply now>>
Co-Branded Cards
The co-branded business cards that are more worth considering include:
This one comes with a free night certificate, so it can be worth holding.
Chase IHG Business Credit Card
One free night certificate every year + $50 in United TravelBank cash!
- Welcome bonus: 140,000 IHG points (spend $4,000 in three months)
- Rewards: 10x on IHG purchases; 5x on travel, gas stations, dining, and business purchases (office supplies, advertising); 3x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Redeem for IHG hotels, worth about 0.6 cpp
- Annual fee: $99
- Apply now>>
These are mainly useful for helping you earn the Southwest Companion Pass.
Chase Southwest Performance Business Credit Card
Southwest business premium card with 9,000 bonus points every year!
- Welcome bonus: 80,000 Southwest miles (spend $5,000 in the first 3 months)
- Rewards: 3x on Southwest purchases; 2x on advertising purchases, internet, cable TV, phone services, gas, and dining; 1x on all other purchases
- Redemption: Redeemable for Southwest flights, with points worth about 1.5 cents each
- Annual fee: $299
- Apply now>>
Chase Southwest Premier Business Credit Card
Southwest business card with 6,000 bonus points every year!
- Welcome bonus: 60,000 Southwest miles (spend $3,000 in the first three months)
- Rewards: 2x on Southwest flights, hotel stays, and rental cars booked through Southwest; 2x at restaurants and gas stations (on the first $8k each year); 1x on all other purchases,
- Redemption: Redeem for Southwest flights, with points worth about 1.5¢/point
- Annual fee: $149
- Apply now>>
Applying
One more important note on applying for Chase credit cards: I generally suggest starting with Chase no-annual-fee cards after about six months of credit history. For mid-tier and premium cards with annual fees, around one year of credit history is a more appropriate time to start applying. For a premium card like the Sapphire Reserve, it’s better to wait until you have a certain level of income. Also, Chase has the 5/24 application rule, so it often makes sense to prioritize filling out your Chase lineup before moving on to other issuers.
- Understanding Chase’s 5/24 Rule for Credit Card Applications（It seems that co-branded cards and ink cards may not be restricted right now.）
- 21 Things You Need to Know About Chase Credit Cards