Putting it All Together
Application Walkthrough
Sometimes it is overwhelming to think of all the possibilities up front. That's why I usually recommend people start with cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the most popular card to start with. You can find my complete guide to this card on my website.
We have seen elevated offers on occasion reaching between 80,000 and 100,000 points. The reason it is a great card to start with is that the points are flexible enough that you can use them to book domestic flights, international flights, hotels, or rental cars.
It also allows you to refer a friend (or spouse) to the card after you have it. You get a bonus of 10,000+ points for referring them and they earn their own bonus. You can then pool all the points from your household together. If you have this card and you have added your spouse as an authorized user, you can still refer them for their own card and they can earn their own bonus.
Some of My Favorite Redemptions
- Transfer points to Hyatt and redeem 5,000 points per night at a Category 1 Hyatt (sometimes as low as 3,500 for off-peak nights).
- Transfer to United or Southwest for domestic travel.
- Book flights or hotels directly through Chase TravelSM.
- See more redemption options on my website.
