Million Mile Secret Agents love earning Big Travel with Small Money!
And right now, these are the 2 credit cards that are most popular with our readers:
Card Name | Sign-Up Bonus | |
---|---|---|
Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card | 80,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points (worth $800 in cash back or $1,000 in travel) after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening | |
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points (worth $500 in cash back or $625 in travel) after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening |
It makes sense that folks love Chase Ultimate Rewards points (I do too!). Earning transferable points is one of the best ways to ensure you’ll have the flexibility you need to book the travel you want.
Let’s look at why so many of ya’ll have them.
Why Do Folks Love the Chase Sapphire Preferred & Chase Ink Business Preferred Cards?
Link: My Review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Link: My Review of the Chase Ink Business Preferred Card
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are my favorite transferable points. And they are some of the easiest to earn, because of great bonuses on cards like the Chase Ink Business Preferred and the Chase Sapphire Preferred, my favorite card for beginners!
Here are some of the things y’all love about these cards.
1. Great Sign-Up Bonuses
Sign-up bonuses are usually the best way to make the most of your spending. Some cards have rotating category bonuses offering 5 points per $1 spent. But with a sign-up bonus you can get much better earning rates.
The Chase Ink Business Preferred card currently comes with an 80,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards point bonus after spending $5,000 on purchases within 3 months of account opening. And with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you’ll earn 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
So the purchases you make towards the minimum spending requirements on these cards would earn you between 12.5 to 16 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1 spent (50,000/$4,000 or 80,000/$5,000)!
2. The Perks Make Them Worth Keeping
For a lot of folks, the perks on these 2 cards make them worth keeping.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card has a $95 annual fee (waived the first year), but its perks can more than offset the fee. You get 2 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1 spent on travel and dining purchases. And other benefits like primary rental car insurance and trip cancellation protection can save you more than the annual fee after only 1 trip!
The Chase Ink Business Preferred card also has a $95 annual fee. And you’ll earn 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in the following categories each account anniversary year:
- Travel
- Shipping purchases
- Internet, cable, and phone services
- Advertising purchases on social media and search engine optimization
So small business owners are able to earn lots of bonus points. Plus, you’ll also get other great perks like primary rental car insurance when renting for business purposes and cell phone insurance!
3. Chase Ultimate Rewards Has Great Transfer Partners
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are great because you can transfer them to so many amazing travel partners, including these airlines:
Chase Ultimate Rewards Airline Transfer Partners | ||
---|---|---|
Aer Lingus | British Airways | Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) |
Iberia | JetBlue | Singapore Airlines |
Southwest | United Airlines | Virgin Atlantic |
And these hotels:
Chase Ultimate Rewards Hotel Transfer Partners | ||
---|---|---|
Hyatt | IHG | Marriott |
Ritz-Carlton |
Lots of folks love transferring their Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt to use for luxury hotels they wouldn’t otherwise pay for. And it’s easy to transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United Airlines to book partner award flights on airlines like Lufthansa or Air New Zealand.
You can transfer your points to book flights on all 3 of the major airline alliances:
- SkyTeam (Flying Blue, Korean Air)
- oneworld (British Airways, Iberia)
- Star Alliance (United Airlines, Singapore Airlines)
This makes it easier to the find the flight you want.
But make sure you do NOT transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to a partner before you confirm an award night or flight is available.
4. The Chase Travel Portal Can Save You Even More
With both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Ink Business Preferred, your Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1.25 cents each towards travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal.
By using the Chase Travel Portal to pay with Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you’ll be able to book airfare with most airlines and hotel stays with no blackout dates. And you might be able to save points in the process, while earning frequent flyer miles!
But there are situations where it will cost fewer points to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to a partner for an award flight or stay. For example, if you wanted to stay at the Hyatt Andaz West Hollywood , it would cost 20,000 Hyatt points a night, because it is a Category 5 hotel.
So in this case, if the hotel rate is more than $250 a night, you’ll pay fewer points if you transfer to Hyatt first and book the award ($250/1.25 cents per point = 20,000 points). So it’s always good to check the Chase Travel Portal and the transfer partner’s award rates before you book.
You can use the same process for booking airfare to make sure you’re getting the best deal. Again, make sure the award you want to book is available before transferring any points.
Bottom Line
The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Ink Business Preferred are the 2 most popular cards with Million Mile Secret Agents this month!
Folks love the great sign-up bonuses and perks that come with the cards. And Chase Ultimate Rewards points are easy to use for Big Travel with Small Money, because you can transfer them to so many great partners like Hyatt, United Airlines, and British Airways.
What is your favorite way to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points?