Small Business credit cards are a bit of a special animal in the credit card world.  Unlike what we call “personal” cards, some cards like the Chase Ink Business Unlimited that are tagged as “business” cards do require you to have a business to apply.  You’ll be asked for business identifier (SSN or EIN), business income, years in business and other things about your business on your Chase Ink Business Unlimited application.  I’m lucky to have a couple of businesses, but you might have a business too, even if you don’t think you do. You can often apply just as a sole proprietorship with your own SSN if you don’t have a separate business EIN.

card_name

Chase Ultimate Rewards are one of the best types of miles and points currencies out there – because it’s a transferrable currency, it’s able to be transferred to a variety of miles and points partners, which helps insulate it from devaluations.

Plus it’s easier than others to get a lot of – including the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, Ink Preferred, Ink Unlimited, Ink Cash, Freedom Flex, Freedom Unlimited.

The Chase Ink Business Unlimited has 3 main things going for it

• First, a welcome offer that allows you to bonus_miles_full (it’s advertised as a cash bonus, but see the section below)
• 1.5 Ultimate Rewards per dollar spent
• No annual fee

And that’s…. pretty much it.  No frills, no category bonuses.  Just a solid welcome offer, a solid earn for your everyday spend, and no annual fee. This is very similar to the Chase Freedom Unlimited card, but with a much bigger welcome offer. This card does fall under the Chase 5/24 rule, so you’ll likely not be approved if you’ve applied for 5 or more cards in the past 24 months.

Combining Chase Ultimate Rewards from your Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

Since the Chase Ink Business Unlimited card is not considered a “premium” card, its points are only worth 1 cent when considered by themselves.  However, if you already HAVE a premium card (like the Sapphire Reserve or Ink Preferred for example), then you are able to (at least for now!) combine all your Chase Ultimate Rewards into one account.

So your 1.5x for every dollar spent, if transferred to an account with the Sapphire Reserve (where you can REDEEM for 1.5 times), would give you 2.25% back on purchases through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.  And of course if you transfer them to travel partners, you can often get even MORE value.

To me, this makes the Chase Ink Business Unlimited possibly the best business credit card to put everyday spending on, if you’re not meeting a minimum spending requirement or getting a category bonus.

Primary Rental Car Coverage and Travel Protections

One of the best Chase Ink Business Unlimited benefits is that it offers primary car rental coverage in most countries around the world, as long as you are renting the car for business purposes. Renting a car using a credit card that has primary car rental coverage can be a big time and money saver if you happen to get into an accident or cause damage while renting.

(SEE ALSO: How a Chase car insurance claim saved my mom nearly $900)

(SEE ALSO: Why you’re foolish to rent a “standard” car)

The Chase Ink Unlimited card also offers travel and emergency assistance services.

Is the Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card the best business card out there?

I think the Chase Ink Business Unlimited card has a case for the best business card out there.  Here’s a quick look at some of the other contenders

• card_name – welcome offer lets you bonus_miles_full. You’ll earn 3x category bonuses but only 1x on every day spend and a $95 fee
• card_name – welcome offer lets you bonus_miles_full. You’ll earn only 1x on everyday spend and 5x on certain categories and no annual fee. Comparing the Ink Cash to the Ink Business Unlimited will depend on how much of your regular spend is in these bonus categories
• American Express Blue Business Card – no annual fee, 2x Membership Rewards on every purchase and a 15,000 Membership Rewards bonus (though I’ve seen the bonus vary over time)
• American Express Business Platinum card – this card has a $695 annual fee but comes with a variety of premium benefits (but only 1x on everyday spend, though there are bonuses in some categories and for large purchases). Currently it has a bonus of 120,000 Membership Rewards bonus but there are often targeted offers for more.

KEY LINK: card_name – bonus_miles_full annual_fees

If you’re looking for links to apply to the American Express business credit cards instead, you can find it on our top credit card offers page, under small business cards. If you’re interested in signing up, we may receive a commission if you sign up through our link – we appreciate the support!

What do you think? Where does the Chase Ink Business Unlimited card fall in the list of best business cards out there?  Leave your thoughts in the comments

I generally believe there are three reasons to apply for and keep a credit card.

• First is any welcome offer on the card.
• The second reason is if the card has attractive spending categories.
• The final reason is any ongoing benefits you receive for having the card.

Most credit cards check at least one of these boxes, but it’s rare that a card will check all three. The card_name, with its current welcome offer allowing you to bonus_miles, checks maybe 2 and a half. It has a great welcome offer and excellent ongoing benefits. The rewards you get from ongoing spending are okay but not extraordinary, though Chase has made some nice updates like adding 5x on travel booked through the Ultimate Rewards portal and a $50 annual hotel credit. Still, the welcome offer alone makes it worth considering.

Outstanding Welcome Offer

The biggest reason to get the Chase Sapphire Preferred card right now is that its welcome offer is at an increased level. The Chase Sapphire Preferred was one of the first credit cards I ever got, and the signup bonus was 40,000 Ultimate Rewards points. That was 6 or 7 years ago, and over time, the welcome offer on the Sapphire Preferred has gradually continued to go up and up. First we saw 50,000 points, then 60,000 and then 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points. We have seen it go as high as 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points but I don’t know if or when that offer will ever come back.

Now you can bonus_miles_full And if you have a spouse with a Chase Sapphire Reserve card, it could be worth even more. And even better, you can often get even more value by transferring to Chase’s travel partners. Like the time I turned 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points into a $6,500 train trip.

Earning Ultimate Rewards points

Here is the earning potential while using the card_name

• 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 Annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit.
• 2x on other travel purchases
• 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out.
• 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).
• 3x points on select streaming services.
• 1x points on all other purchases

Combining Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

Another great reason to consider signing up for the card_name is the ability to combine Chase Ultimate Rewards points. You can combine your Ultimate Rewards points that you’ve earned on different cards, and you can also combine points with authorized users on your account. That makes it fairly straightforward to combine points between spouses / partners as well.

The reason this is so important and valuable is that the value of your Ultimate Rewards points depends on the card that you earn them on. If you only have a no-fee Chase card like the card_name or card_name, then your points are only worth 1 cent each. But if you have a premium card like the card_name or card_name, then your points become worth 1.25 cents per point. So if you already have a lot of Ultimate Rewards that you’ve earned with a Freedom Flex or other no-fee Chase card, then applying for the Sapphire Preferred not only lets you bonus_miles, but it makes all of your EXISTING points worth 25% more. Having a premium Chase card like the Sapphire Preferred also unlocks the ability to transfer your Ultimate Rewards points to Chase’s hotel and airline transfer partners.

Points for those who have the card_name are worth 1.5 cents per point. Unfortunately, you can’t hold both the Sapphire Reserve and the Sapphire Preferred at the same time. But if you have a spouse or partner who does have the Sapphire Reserve, then you should be able to combine points with them. That might make the welcome bonus worth $1,000 or more.

Primary Car Rental Insurance

Another great reason to have the card_name is for the car rental insurance. Like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, the Sapphire Preferred has outstanding car rental insurance. Paying for a rental car with the Sapphire Reserve saved my parents nearly $1000 when they ran into problems with their rental car. The best part about the rental insurance with the Sapphire Preferred is that it’s primary, unlike the insurance with many other credit cards. That means that it comes into play before you would be required to make a claim with your own auto insurer.

Other card_name Benefits

Besides primary car rental insurance, some of the other benefits that come with the card are:

• Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Unlock 1:1 point transfers to Chase’s hotel and airline travel partners
• Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
• Baggage Delay Insurance
• Earn 5x points on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025
• Complimentary access to DashPass
• $10 monthly statement credit from Gopuff.
• 6 months of complimentary Instacart+ if you activate by July 31, 2024. Plus, Instacart+ members earn up to $15 in statement credits each quarter through July 2024
• No foreign transaction fees
• annual_fees

If you use the $50 hotel credit, that more than cuts the annual fee in half

The Bottom Line

If you’re eligible to get the welcome bonus on the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you should highly consider it. This is one of the best offers that we’ve ever seen, on any card. In order to be eligible for the bonus you must:

• Be under Chase 5/24
• Not be a current cardholder of any Chase Sapphire card – aka the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve
• Not have received a new member bonus for any Sapphire card in the past 48 months

KEY LINK: card_name – bonus_miles_full annual_fees

If you have any questions about this offer or want to talk over how it might work for you, please email me at dan at pointswithacrew dot com. I am more than happy to talk to anyone about this or any other offer and how it might work for you.

Are you planning on applying for the Chase Sapphire Preferred with its outstanding welcome offer? Leave a note in the comments.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card gets a bit of a bad rap in the miles and points community.  I get the sense that it’s widely panned by some, because it’s very (VERY) widely mentioned by many travel bloggers.  It gets to the point where sometimes it feels like every post by some folks, no matter what the question or topic, ends up with the answer being APPLY FOR THE CHASE SAPPHIRE PREFERRED CARD!

But, there are valid reasons to talk about the card_name card – if you’re just starting out in the miles and points world and wanting to use your good credit to help you travel more, the Chase Sapphire Preferred can make a lot of sense as your first card.

Getting the Chase Sapphire Preferred card as a first card

Amongst my family and friends, I am known as the “credit card guy”.  I suspect if you’re reading this blog, that probably applies to many of you as well. It is not uncommon that friends or co-workers will ask me my opinion of what credit card to get.

Typically, this is someone who is not really interested into getting into MY lifestyle and signing up for multiple credit cards at a time, but is just looking for 1 or maybe 2 cards to take a specific trip, and even that’s only after I make them decide on where they want to go FIRST. And of course making sure that they are already in solid financial health where they have the  ability and financial discipline to pay off their bills in full EVERY month.

I’d say that in over 75% of the cases, the card_name is the card (or one of the cards) I recommend they get

Why Chase Sapphire Preferred?

What are some of the reasons I find myself generally recommending the Chase Sapphire Preferred as a “first” card?

1. Usually gives a very good signup bonus (currently you can bonus_miles after meeting the minimum spending requirement)
2. Reasonable annual fee (currently annual_fees )
3. Many folks I talk to already have a Chase Freedom Flex or card_name as their “go to” card.  So signing up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card lets you use those Ultimate Rewards you might ALREADY have with your Chase Freedom Flex or Chase Freedom Unlimited by transferring them to travel partners (instead of only using them for statement credits at 1 cent per point)
4. It allows you to get a valuable signup bonus without locking you in to a particular hotel or airline.  You can use your Chase Ultimate Rewards to transfer to British Airways (for my friend who is always flying to New York) or United or Southwest or Hyatt (or some combination of the above!)
5. Plus if you ARE later going to get into multiple credit cards, the Chase 5/24 rule might make it more difficult to get the Chase Sapphire Preferred card later on

Comparing Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Chase Sapphire Reserve

I originally wrote this post right after the card_name came out a few years ago.  It seemed like the entire miles and points world had their head asplode.  I do agree that the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is a very good card, and for people with a basic understanding of miles and points, it definitely makes sense.

(SEE ALSO: I just got a Chase Sapphire Reserve (and didn’t even get the signup bonus))

(SEE ALSO: Chase Sapphire Reserve vs Chase Sapphire Preferred card)

But I’m not sure I feel comfortable recommending the Chase Sapphire Reserve card as someone’s first miles and points card to get.  I think that the annual_fees annual fee (although possibly offset by annual $300 travel credits) has a high chance to be wasted, either from forgetting about the $300 travel credits, or by not redeeming them correctly.  Remember that annual_fees comes due right off the top on your first statement.  So while I do think the Chase Sapphire Reserve card is a good one, it’s not one I’d recommend for beginners or other people starting out.

The CSR is a little bit less attractive now than it was last summer as the $300 travel credit is now by cardmember year instead of calendar year (preventing you from double dipping the first year) and also the signup bonus is down.

The Bottom Line

KEY LINK: card_name – bonus_miles_full annual_fees

So why does the Chase Sapphire Preferred card get so much press? Undoubtedly at least part of it is due to affiliate relationships, where people receive a commission for people that sign up through the card.  If you want to apply for this or any other top travel cards and support PWaC, you can find apply for the card_name here.  And just because people like to talk about it doesn’t mean that it’s not a good card.

As always, please understand the risks of credit cards before you apply for one, and DO NOT SIGN UP FOR A CREDIT CARD JUST BECAUSE SOME GUY ON THE INTERNET SAID SO.

The Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card is one of the best cards in the market currently for businesses. If you are under the dreaded 5/24, I highly recommend you grab this card at its current bonus. Here are 3 reasons why you should add the Chase Ink Business Preferred to your wallet.

If you are already interested, we would be extremely appreciative if you use our link. We may receive a commission if you’re approved for the card through our link

card_name

Reason #1 – High Sign Up Bonus

The Chase Ink Business Preferred allows you to bonus_miles_full. Those Ultimate Rewards points can easily be worth over $1,000.

These Ultimate Rewards can be transferred to partners such as United Airlines, Southwest Rapid Rewards, Hyatt Hotels, Marriott Bonvoy, Singapore KrisFlyer, and British Airways Avios just to name a few.

Reason #2  – Earning Categories

Many credit cards in the market currently have very robust earning charts. However, the Chase Ink Business Preferred keeps it simple and to the point.

• 3 points per dollar on travel
• 3 points per dollar on business expenses (shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, and on advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines)
• Note that the 3 points per dollar bonus amount is only on the first $150,000 spent each account anniversary year in combined purchases on travel and business expenses
• 1 point per dollar on all other expenses

Reason #3 – Protection Of Valuables

I find this to be some of the highest coverage offered currently.

• Cell Phone Protection. If something happens to your phone and you are paying the bill with your Chase Ink Business Preferred, it is eligible for protection.
• Primary Car Rental Insurance. If your rental car is damage and you have declined the insurance from the rental car company, you are eligible for this. My parents saved over $900 with a Chase rental car claim when they ran into problems with their car in Scotland.

• Trip Delay & Cancellation Insurance. Travel can sometimes go awry. If you have fallen sick or weather gets in the way, this insurance could prove to be helpful.
• Travel Accident Insurance. Hopefully you never have to use this. But if you do, the coverage is quite large. It is listed as up to $500,000 for accident death or dismemberment on a common carrier.

Final Thoughts on the card_name

If you are a small business owner, this card could serve your business well! Not only is the card a great addition to your wallet, but small promotions like bonus stars at Starbucks make it that much better. And if you are already collecting Chase Ultimate Rewards, you can combine them!

If you are interested in earning these points & perks, you can learn more here –

card_name – bonus_miles_full annual_fees

• • card_name – bonus_miles_full annual_fees
  • card_name – bonus_miles_full. annual_fees

“What credit card should I get?” Lots of people wonder which card to sign up for when starting the pursuit of points and miles. The Capital One Venture and Chase Sapphire Preferred have long been frontrunners in this discussion. We first compared the two cards in 2019. Then we updated the scorecard last year as the value proposition for each card had changed. With some recent changes, it’s time to revisit the standoff between the Venture and Preferred yet again.

I’ve had both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture cards and so has my wife. The Preferred was one of the first credit cards I ever signed up for. I signed up for the Sapphire Preferred as well as two Southwest cards and used those to get my first ever Southwest Companion Pass. Then used 170,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points to fly our family of 8 to Reno – our very first use of miles and points back in 2014.

In 2019, Capital One made some enhancements to the Venture card offering that gave the CSP a run for its money. In 2020, it was pretty clear that the CSP had the upper hand. However, as I recently pointed out, the Venture has made some positive changes. So I thought that it was time to revisit these two mid-range cards to see if one is better.  Let’s review the details.

card_name vs. card_name: Annual fee

• The Capital One Venture is $95 for the first year.
• The Chase Sapphire Preferred is $95 for the first year.

Winner: This is a tie obviously. At one point, the Venture card waived the annual fee for the first year, but that is no longer the case.

Comparing the welcome offers

The current Capital One Venture welcome offer is 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of opening your account. The Venture has had a sweeter offer of 100,000 bonus miles after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months of opening an account, but unfortunately that offer is no longer available.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred allows you to bonus_miles_full.

Winner: Tie. Obviously the welcome offers on the cards change over time, so you can argue a slight edge to one card vs. the other depending on where the welcome offers currently sit. Remember too that Ultimate Rewards can be redeemed for 1.25 cents per point with the Sapphire Preferred as compared to 1 cents per mile for Venture Rewards miles. Capital One has massively increased the value of miles by adding transfer partners and increasing the transfer rate for some current partners. Which transfer partners are better will depend on how and with whom you want to travel – I’ve gotten outstanding value from transferring Venture miles to Wyndham for Vacasa vacations.

Rewards

The Venture card earns 2 miles per dollar spent. This applies to every purchase, every day.

The CSP card has a tiered earning structure. You’ll earn:

• 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 Annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit.
• 2x on other travel purchases
• 3x points on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out.
• 3x points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).
• 3x points on select streaming services.
• 1x points on all other purchases

Winner: Edge to Venture.  If you use your card for dining, online grocery purchases or travel, then the earnings on the CSP may be better. However, the Venture provides 2x miles on all purchases and is great for those who want to simplify their award earnings. It’s certainly EASIER to maximize your points and value with the Venture. All points earn the 2x miles and can be redeemed for most any travel if you decide to do that instead of transferring the miles.

Redemptions and transfers

The Venture allows you to use miles to “erase” travel purchases from your activity at a 1 cent per mile ratio.  There is a lot of flexibility for redemptions. Most types of travel will qualify.  You can also transfer to 19 Capital One travel partners. While this was previously at a 2:1.5 ratio (or worse), Capital One did recently up the transfer ratio to 1:1 for most partner programs. This update offers a lot more potential value for Venture card holders. In addition, the simplicity of the program when redeeming for travel purchases is good for newbies. It’s also great for those who are heavy into the miles game already but need a card that has added flexibility. In 2019, we used AA miles to book flights to Europe and used the Venture card to absorb the taxes and fees.  If you redeem for cash the miles are worth 0.5 cents each…don’t do this.

CSP gives you a redemption value of 1.25 cents per point when booking through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal.  This is now run by Expedia. You can also transfer UR points to 13 travel partners.  If you decide to redeem for cash the value is 1 cent each.

Winner: Too Close to Call. With the addition of travel partners, improved transfer rates and the simplicity of erasing the travel purchases, the Venture card gives the CSP run for its money. Previously, more experienced travel hackers may have found better opportunities for transfers or redemptions with the CSP. The Venture card has certainly stepped up their offering for those looking to maximize redemption sweet spots. The CSP does offer the flexibility of the Pay Yourself Back option which provides a lot of value for redemptions. This makes it easier for less frequent travelers to benefit. It was also a valuable benefit during the pandemic for those who were traveling less often.

Other benefits of the cards

My favorite ancillary benefit to the Venture card is the statement credit of up to $100 for a Global Entry or TSA Precheck application. Besides this, it offers benefits such as a “Credit Wise” credit score tracker, secondary auto rental coverage, travel accident insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, no foreign transaction fees and extended warranty protection. They will also be opening airport lounges in Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington Dulles in the near future. One downside is that Capital One pulls credit reports from all 3 bureaus. You’ll also get two complimentary visits per year to Plaza Premium Lounges or Capital One Lounges, including the outstanding Capital One lounge in DFW (pictured below).

The Preferred has a ton of travel benefits for its $95 annual fee. These include primary CDW on car rentals, $10,000 in trip cancellation insurance, baggage delay insurance, trip delay reimbursement, travel accident insurance, lost luggage insurance, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, and extended warranty protection among others. In addition, cardholders can get a $60 credit on an eligible Peleton Digital or All-Access Membership. Lastly, the CSP provides one-year DoorDash DashPass subscription when activated through the end of 2021.

Winner: Depends. If you need Global Entry or TSA Precheck, the Venture is pretty compelling here. Otherwise, if you are looking for top tier ongoing benefits at the $95 annual fee charge, the Preferred has a leg up.

And the winner is…

The Chase Sapphire Preferred! When we first wrote this post back a few years ago, the Sapphire Preferred came out on top. Then when the bonus on the Sapphire Preferred went down, it was back to the Venture card. But with the current bonus levels, I think we are back to the Sapphire Preferred. The Venture card has drastically improved the value proposition compared to last year. For years, I recommended the CSP card due to its great benefits and low annual fee. In 2019, Capital One made some adjustments that led to the Venture card offering a great value. These changes gave the CSP a run for its money.

KEY LINKS

• card_name – bonus_miles_full annual_fees
• card_name – bonus_miles_full. annual_fees

The Chase Sapphire Preferred certainly offers and it is also a great card to hold over the long run due to the slightly better benefits. It could make sense to get both cards if you utilize the Global Entry/TSA Pre benefit of the Venture. However, the caveat is that you need to get approved for both, hit both sign up bonuses, and make sure to avoid carrying a balance.  This will give you the maximum flexibility when it comes to redemptions, transfer partners, and earning options. With that being said both cards offer a ton of value for the $95 annual fee and would be a great addition to your wallet.

Which card would you pick between the Capital One Venture and Chase Sapphire Preferred? Is there another card that is better than both of these? Leave a comment below and let us know why!

• card_name – bonus_miles_full annual_fees
• card_name – bonus_miles_full. annual_fees

There are two Chase personal credit cards that Chase Sapphire Reserve card.  It is certainly a premium card, and not one that I would recommend most beginners signing up for.  I thought it might be a good idea to do a comparison of the Chase Sapphire Reserve vs Chase Sapphire Preferred card, so if you’re looking to get one of these 2 cards, this comparison of the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred card might help

Chase Sapphire Reserve® vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Signup bonus

The signup bonuses for the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve cards vary over time.

Currently, the welcome offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card allows you to bonus_miles, while the welcome offer on the Chase Sapphire Reserve card allows you to bonus_miles.

ADVANTAGE: Chase Sapphire Preferred (though that may change over time depending on the current bonuses above)

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card vs Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Ultimate Rewards redemptions

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card gives you 1.25 cents per point when redeeming travel at the Ultimate Rewards portal

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card gives you a value of 1.5 cents per point

(SEE ALSO: Why it pays to check the Chase Ultimate Rewards mall before transferring points)

Both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred card have the advantage over just having a card_name card, which only gives a value of 1 cent per point, whether it’s on travel purchases through the Ultimate Rewards mall or just as statement credits.

ADVANTAGE: Chase Sapphire Reserve card

Chase Sapphire Reserve® vs Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Transfer partners

Although the Chase Sapphire Reserve has an advantage over the Chase Sapphire Preferred card when redeeming through the Ultimate Rewards mall, the real value of both cards is their ability to transfer Ultimate Rewards to partners, such as United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Hyatt Hotels and more.

ADVANTAGE: Even (both cards have the same transfer partners)

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card vs Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Category spending bonuses

Comparing the Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Reserve in terms of their category spending bonuses, they share some of the same category bonuses.

For the Sapphire Preferred:

• 5 points per $1 spent on all travel purchased through the Ultimate Rewards portal
• 3 points per $1 spent on dining (including eligible delivery services and takeout).
• 3 points per $1 spent on select streaming services.
• 3 points per $1 spent on online grocery purchases (not including Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).
• 2 points per $1 spent on travel not purchased through the Ultimate Rewards portal
• 1 point per $1 spent on other purchases.

The Sapphire Reserve offers:

• 10 points per $1 spent on Chase Dining purchased through the Ultimate Rewards portal
• 10 points per $1 spent on hotel stays and car rentals purchased through the Ultimate Rewards portal
• 5 points per $1 spent on air travel purchased through the Ultimate Rewards portal
• 3 points per $1 spent on travel and dining not booked with Chase.
• 1 point per $1 spent on other purchases.

WEAK ADVANTAGE: Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card

Chase Sapphire Reserve® vs Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Other benefits

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card offers primary rental car insurance, no foreign transaction fees, trip cancellation insurance, trip delay reimbursement and baggage delay coverage

The Chase Sapphire Reserve has all of the above PLUS

• $300 annual travel credit, applied automatically to anything in the travel category
• $100 reimbursement for Global Entry
• Priority Pass airport lounge access

BIG ADVANTAGE: Chase Sapphire Reserve 

Chase Sapphire Reserve® vs Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Annual Fee

I saved the big one for last, of course.  With all those additional benefits, the Chase Sapphire Reserve also comes with a hefty annual_fees annual fee, and an additional fee for additional authorized users (who don’t end up with many of the benefits).  In contrast, the Chase Sapphire Preferred has a annual_fees annual fee.  No additional fee for authorized users.

Yes, some of the extra fee can be covered by the $300 annual travel credit (above under other benefits), but $300 in travel credits is NOT the same as $300 in cash.

HUGE advantage to the Chase Sapphire Preferred card

The Bottom Line: Comparing the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

KEY LINKS:

• card_name – bonus_miles_full annual_fees
• card_name – bonus_miles_full. annual_fees

Deciding whether to get the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve card comes down to what you’re looking for in a card.  I always recommend that you first figure out WHAT TO DO with your miles and points BEFORE applying for a card.

To me, if you were just starting out, or relatively new to miles and points, I would recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred card

(SEE ALSO: Why I keep recommending the Chase Sapphire Preferred for people starting out)

If you’re more experienced, and feel confident in the system you have in place that the annual_fees annual fee will not be wasted, then the Chase Sapphire Reserve card becomes more attractive. Certainly, other than the annual fee, there’s no arguing with the benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve benefits.

What is your take? Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve? Leave your vote in the comments below

We all like flying here at Points With a Crew.  And we like saving money.  That’s why you’re here.  If you’re in the market for a new business card, the 75,000 mile welcome offer from Chase’s United Business card is a great option!

card_name Review – The Details

Here’s a link to the 75,000 welcome offer on the card_name card!

• 75,000 MileagePlus miles after spending $5,000 in the first 90 days
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases, dining including eligible delivery services, at gas stations, office supply stores, and on local transit and commuting.
• Priority boarding for the cardholder and their companions on the same reservation
• Free first checked bag for the cardholder and one companion on the same reservation (when you use this card to book the fare)
• No foreign transaction fees
• Two United Club Passes annually
• Get one-year complimentary DashPass, a membership for both DoorDash and Caviar that provides unlimited deliveries with $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders. After that, you are automatically enrolled in DashPass at the current monthly rate. Activate by 12/31/24.
• Purchase protection, auto rental insurance, trip cancellation insurance, lost luggage insurance, and bag delay insurance
• annual_fees

What can you get for 75,000 miles?

A lot!

United has a great mileage program.  While it won’t always provide astronomical value, it’s a great currency and consistently ranks near the top for airline loyalty.  There are a few things I love about the MileagePlus, but the best part is the United Excursionist Perk.  Although not quite as good as United’s old routing rules, the Excursionist Perk still allows you to get and extra one-way/open jaw flight in the middle of your roundtrip.  So if you book a roundtrip from Newark to Brussels, for example, you can put an extra city in your itinerary at no cost.  A roundtrip from Newark to Brussels costs the same as a trip from Newark to Brussels, then Brussels to Paris, then Paris to Newark.

Although United no longer has an official award chart, you can still get one way flights in within the continental US for as low as 10,000 or 12,500 miles (or sometimes even lower).  That’ sup to 7 one-way flights with this bonus!  Or if you’d rather go big…book a one-way business fare to Asia or Europe with these miles!  United also shines as a Star Alliance partner.  There are some fantastic uses of United miles for partner awards all over the globe.

Maybe you’ll burn your United miles on partner airline Lufthansa!

The Real Benefit of the card_name – better award availability

I signed up for this card a few months ago and I have been enjoying one particular perk – the increased award availability. United gives better award availability to elite members and people who hold one of their cobranded credit cards, like the United Business card. It’s not common to see things like this when searching for award availability on United.

The crossed out price is the “regular” price while the lower price is only shown to elite members and people who have a United credit card. Just make sure that you’re logged into your MileagePlus account when searching. This has already saved me a few times. I got the card initially because of the waived annual fee the first year, and I’m considering keeping it when the annual fee is charged on my anniversary.

(SEE ALSO: 13 cards I’ll consider paying the annual fee on)

Ok, what’s the catch?

Let’s be real, there’s always a catch…

1. Remember, the United Business card will be subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule!
2. You might not be able to (or might not want to) open a business card.

If either of those conditions apply to you, you are likely to be out of luck on this particular offer.

KEY LINK: card_name – bonus_miles_full

Will you be applying for the United Business card?  Let us know in the comments!

The Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless currently has a solid welcome offer that you may want to take advantage of.

Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Review – welcome offer

The welcome offer on the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless is currently 100,000 Bonvoy points after $3,000 spending in your first 3 months of card ownership. The card does come with a $95 annual fee the first year, and it is not waived. If you value Marriott Bonvoy points at around 0.7 cents per point, that’s a value of at least $700 just from the welcome bonus.

Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Review – earnings

Here are the details of the earnings that you’ll get Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card

• 6x Marriott Rewards points on Marriott stays
• 3X Marriott Rewards points for every $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining
• 2X Marriott Rewards points on all other purchases

This isn’t the best card to put everyday spending on, but it’s not the worst either. Even for stays at Marriott hotels, you could potentially get more value from putting it on a travel card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Capital One Venture card.

(SEE ALSO: Should you sign up for the Capital One Venture or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card?)

Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Review – perks

The biggest perk that comes with the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card is the anniversary free night, which is good for one free night up to 35,000 points each year. Note that you do not get this anniversary free night when you first sign up, but instead each successive year on your anniversary. You will also get:

• Free in-room internet
• 15 Elite night credit annually as long as you hold the card
• Earn 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend.
• Silver Elite status
• Earn Gold Elite status with $35,000 or more in purchases in a calendar year

Should you sign up for the Chase Bonvoy Boundless Card?

I like to say that there are three main reasons to consider applying for a new credit card.

• The welcome bonus
• The earning potential for everyday spending
• The perks for having the card.

The Bonvoy Boundless ticks 2 out of the 3 boxes. It has a solid welcome offer worth hundreds of dollars, and it has real benefits for having the card. This is mostly the value of the anniversary night, which is probably worth at least the $95 annual fee each year.

(SEE ALSO: Why do people think free hotel nights are a good idea?)

The welcome bonus on the card changes all the time and has in the past offered a number (3 to 5) of free nights as the introductory signup bonus in lieu of points, so if that’s something that’s more valuable to you, you might consider holding off and waiting for that offer to come back. You will also need to be under Chase 5/24 to be approved for the Bonvoy Boundless card. Still, if you’re looking to get a bunch of Marriott points, the Bonvoy Boundless is a solid option.

Are you planning on signing up for the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card? Do you think there’s a better card out there? Leave your thoughts in the comments

What Are Chase Offers and How Do I Access Them on the App?

• Chase Offers allow you to earn a statement credit when you make purchases from selected retailers
• These offers can be found and added online or on the Chase Mobile App (I’ll describe the app process below)
• To check if you have Chase Offers, go to the details of your credit card account
• Scroll ALL the way down until you see Chase Offers; sometimes it may take a second to load
• Click “See all offers” and then choose “Add to card” when you find one you will use
• Once you make a purchase the statement credit will show in 1-2 weeks (I was credited back after 3 or 4 days)

How Do Flash Deals Work?

It seems like these offers are a case of YMMV.

• As of this writing and for my personal offers, I could earn 20% back at Walgreens, McDonald’s, Exxon Mobil and Bed, Bath and Beyond
• My max offer was 20% back up to $14
• Latest expiration date was 10/28/2021
• Make sure to click the body of the offer and read the Offer Details and Disclaimer
• Each offer will give you the savings discount and the expiration date

Earn Points on Top of Cash Back

The other benefit of the Chase Offers is that you will still earn points on your purchases. These offers are definitely worth taking advantage of if you are going to be making a purchase at one of these retailers anyway. Even if you don’t use these Flash Deals, there will most likely be a few other options to earn a little cash back!

Have you used Flash Deals or any of the other Chase Offers?  Let us know in the comments and good luck!

My Current IHG Rewards Credit Card

Chase has been trying to lure me into closing the IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card for a while now. I have held the card since 2015.  With only a $49 annual fee and an anniversary free night at an IHG property, it has been one of the cards that I believe makes sense to hold long term. Every year I have been able to get a free night that would cost $250 or more at the cash prices.

This free night offer used to be amazing. Several years ago, we were able to stay at the Intercontinental in Paris for a weekend using each of our free nights. At that time the cash price of the room was almost $500 per night. Unfortunately, that superb value ended when IHG capped the free night at hotels that cost 40,000 points or less.  Even with this change, I think the benefits including the anniversary night and 10% rebate on points redemptions helps to justify the $49 annual fee.

IHG’s Upgrade Offer

Here is the letter inviting me to upgrade to the IHG Reward Club Premier Card.  Is this a worthwhile move?  Thankfully IHG included a handy chart to help weigh out the added benefits of an upgrade.

What New Benefits Would I Get in Exchange for the Annual Fee Increase?

• 5k bonus points: This is available after an upgrade and one purchase. It’s always nice to get free points but as I’ll discuss below there is a way to get 125k points PLUS a Reward night with the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card as long as you are under 5/24.
• 10x points over 5x points on IHG purchases: If you stay at IHG properties frequently this may make a difference, but for me IHG points aren’t overly valuable.
• Earn 10k bonus points each year after spending $20,000 on purchases and making one additional purchase: Frankly, there are better ways to earn points with that much spend.
• 4^th Reward Night Free: This is a great benefit if you are flush with IHG points. If you are not, it may be tough to take advantage. This is where the 125k points I mentioned above may come in handy.
• TSA PreCheck or Global Entry Credit: Everyone should have TSA PreCheck and/or Global Entry.  If you have children, it’s even more valuable. With that being said, the odds are that most travelers have another card that offers this credit as well. I have a few cards that offer this credit so for me this benefit would have no additional value. For travelers who need a card to cover TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, this does offer a value.

What Are the Downsides of Upgrading?

• Annual fee would increase from $49 to $89
• Lose the 10% points booking rebate that the Select card gives on every redemption
• The Anniversary Rewards Night shifts to your account upgrade date. If your free night is coming up in 2 months, you will forfeit that night.

Conclusion

After reviewing the updated offer to “upgrade” (and close out the IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card), I doubt most people should make the switch. There is one possible exception: If you are a frequent traveler who prefers IHG properties and are over 5/24. With that being said I could also make an argument to add the IHG Rewards Club Premier Card to your wallet while ALSO keeping the IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card. That is exactly what my wife did last year.

The current offer for the Premier card is for 125k bonus points + 1 Reward night after $3,000 in spend in the first three months. You can compare that card to the IHG Rewards Club Traveler card here (click through to Apply Now to the Traveler card and it will compare the two).

By keeping the Select Card, you will receive a rebate of 8k points when you spend the 80k points earned from the Premier. By keeping both cards, you will also have 2 anniversary nights that you can book for a cost of $138 yearly. While the value at $89 for a free night is not as attractive with the Premier, it will not be difficult for most people to find a hotel that has a higher price point than that. Overall, while the IHG Rewards Club Premier Card has some decent benefits, I don’t believe it is worth upgrading from the IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card if you are lucky enough to still have it.

Have you received this offer?  Did you upgrade?  Is it worth it?  Or do you plan to hold both cards…or neither?  Let us know in the comments below!