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Chase has made the Freedom Unlimited + Sapphire Reserve combo tough to beat these days.
- Sapphire Reserve’s $300 travel credit can also be used to buy groceries and gas through 12/31/20.
- Sapphire Reserve’s points can normally be used at a value of 1.5 cents each towards airfare, hotels, car rentals, and other travel. Through 9/30 they can also be used for statement credits that will reimburse your grocery, dining, and home improvement purchases that were made in the past 90 days at a value of 1.5 cents each. You can click here to redeem your points for statement credits against dining, grocery store, or home improvement purchases.
- Grocery purchases (including Instacart) made this month earn 5 points per dollar on up to $1,500 in spending, plus they qualify for the $300 credit, and you can use points to offset them at a value of 1.5 cents each. You can stack all 3 of these together!
Freedom Unlimited + Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is also a good combo, but with that card your points are worth 1.25 cents each and you earn 3 points per dollar on groceries.
Freedom Unlimited earns 1.5 points per dollar everywhere. By transferring points from that card to Sapphire Reserve you can normally get a value of 2.25% towards paid travel, but now you will get 2.25% back as statement credits to offset for grocery, dining, and home improvement purchases. And that’s on top of earning up to 5 points per dollar and getting $300 back.
Freedom Unlimited also has 0% APR on purchases for 15 months.
That’s quite a combo! When redeeming your points for a statement credit, you’ll effectively earn 2.25% cash back on everything (1.5 points per dollar on Freedom Unlimited), 4.5% cash back on dining and travel (3 points per dollar on Sapphire Reserve), 7.5% cash back on groceries (5 points per dollar on Sapphire Reserve), and 15% cash back on Lyft (10 points per dollar on Sapphire Reserve).
If you don’t have enough grocery, dining, and home improvement purchases to cash out your points you can always buy gift cards for those stores, Visa gift cards good everywhere, or gift cards for hundreds of other stores like Amazon. Plus many grocery stores even give rewards for buying gift cards, on top of the 5 points per dollar, the $300 in credit, and cashing out your points at 1.5 cents each to pay for the gift cards!
You can also upgrade a card to Sapphire Reserve to take advantage of cashing out your points at 1.5 cents each for previous purchases.
Of course this all comes on top of other Sapphire Reserve benefits:
- Ability to transfer all Chase points into airline miles and hotel points, where they can be worth even more than 1.5 cents each.
- Reimbursement of Global Entry/Pre-Check fees.
- $60 Doordash credit in 2020 and 2021, plus you can use points at a value of 1.5 cents each for statement credits even if the purchase was reimbursed.
- Doordash Dashpass membership through 12/31/21, a $9.99/month value.
- Priority Pass lounge membership with 2 free guests and restaurant/food/drink credit.
- Lyft Pink 1 year free membership, a $19.99/month value.
- Free roadside assistance.
- Primary rental car insurance worldwide.
- $10K/item Purchase Protection for for items damaged or stolen within 120 days.
- $10K/item Extended Warranty Protection
- $500/item Return Protection
- Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance
- Lost Luggage Insurance
- Baggage Delay Reimbursement
- Travel Accident Insurance
- Emergency Evacuation and Transportation due to injury or illness on a trip
- Repatriation of Remains Insurance
- Emergency Medical and Dental Benefit while traveling
Do you have a Freedom Unlimited + Sapphire Reserve combo?
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137 Comments On "Chase Freedom Unlimited® And Sapphire Reserve Is The Best Card Combo Around For Now"
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Ah..a post to make my day! Cards that I actually have
Dan we have chase sapherie, Chase inc, and Chase business inc, what’s my next card for miles for Israel?
Classic Question! Glad it came as the 2nd question.
There are 3 flavors of Sapphire and 6 flavors of Ink, you need to be more specific.
Maybe include the link for redeeming points?
Added, thanks.
Thank you!
If you don’t have enough grocery, dining, and home improvement purchases to cash out your points you can always buy gift cards FROM those stores,
FTFY
Nope, that’s later in the sentence.
Just reread it. Sorry. My bad
Which stores can I buy gift cards at?
Shoprite is one.
Would it work to buy visa gift cards from staples with the ink cash card earning 5 points then transferring them to the reserve effectively earring 7.5% cash back on all purchases?
For sure
How do you share points to a family member that has the sapphire reserve?
It’s under combine points on the Chase UR site.
reserve has hefty AF so even with $300 credit you come out at a loss?
https://www.dansdeals.com/credit-cards/battle-sapphire-cards-preferred-reserve/
Anyone else having errors when trying to redeem the groceries with points?
Was getting one. You just need to go to the top left of the screen and bring down the options, and press “pay yourself back”. It will reload the same page, and should work. I think it’s just an issue with the link being used.
Chase ink cash +reserve is a better combo for those who buy visa/mastercard gc’s amongst others from Staples for our everyday spend. 5 points per dollar 1.5 cents per point = %7.5 back on all spending!
1.5 cents per point for all spending? or certain categories?
Sure, but then you need to put everything on a gift card and lose out on credit card protections.
Pros and cons to be sure.
True! But most but purchased don’t need protections ie groceries gas etc. At least for me.
Correct, though I feel bad using Visa cards for that, knowing that with some effort I can get cash for them 🙂
And how you could get cash for your gc ?
How do get 2.25% for ALL purchases?
1.5 times 1.5
yes but 1.5 Reserve redemption rate is only for certain categories
1.5 on everything on the Freedom Unlimited and then transferred to the Reserve
Hey Dan,
I know the Amazon Chase card is not part of the Ultimate Rewards program and you advise to make purchases using amazon gift cards bought through ink business cards, however before I got those ink cards I still attained some points on the amazon prime chase card .. what would be the best use/value of these points?
Not familiar with the card. Can you not cash out?
https://www.chase.com/personal/credit-cards/amazon
you can cash the points out, i was just wondering if there was better value available.
Not sure if this is the best thing, but I use my Amazon card for purchases on Amazon and whole foods. I use the rewards to pay the card.
Thats a Canadian card and was discontinued
not a canadian card and not discontinued, see comment above
Can I apply for both in 1 time?
Yes.
Will Walmart count as a grocery
It was eligible for reimbursement by me
Really? they usually come up as discount store
I redeemed points for a walmart purchase .. Dont know about earning points
Walmart stores qualify for earning 5 points, but not Walmart.com. You can buy walmart GC’s in store and use them online.
If I pay for groceries on a different chase card, can I still apply my reserve points to pay myself back?
No, but you can upgrade that card to Preferred or Reserve for the time being.
In the following post you mentioned you are torn between whether to cash out or not. Has that point changed or is it the same question here?
https://www.dansdeals.com/credit-cards/now-live-will-pay-back-twice-dining-grocery-home-improvement-purchases-sapphire-preferred-sapphire-reserve-points/
Also, I don’t see the 50% redemption savings point mentioned here?
If you were redeeming for 1.5 cents towards travel it’s a no-brainer.
If you strive for more, then it’s still an open question.
by no brainer do you mean that you would surely cash out the points via grocery spending or that you would hold onto them for the 1.5 cents for chase travel portal?
Via grocery spending.
Dan, what’s the best card for a small business I’m starting?
I know I’m not Dan but if you could spend $15,000 in 3 months then the chase ink preferred is great, 100k point bonus and 3 points per dollar on travel, shipping and some other categories $95 annual fee, plus 1.25 cents per point when redeeming for travel plus you transfer to partner hotels and airlines. If your doing a lot of spending in office supplies stores chase ink cash is great, 5 points per dollar at office supplies and 50,000 point bonus, no annual fee, but you cannot transfer points and only 1 cent per point, unless you already have a sapphire card.
It’s very difficult to get approved for an Ink cards in the COVID-19 era.
I guess I was lucky, I was approved in mid May for an ink cash card.
So what card would you recommend, that is practical. I will probably be swiping 50-60k over the next 3 months. I would also want primary credit card coverage for rentals including transit and sprinter vans.
Thank you so much
I got approved for an ink card around a month ago…
“that were made in the past 90 days” up to 9/30 I imagine?
Yes.
I have an old ink business plus. Does anyone know which card that is in today’s world (I think there is an annual fee and my limit (for something) is capped at $50k, as opposed to $25k…)?
It’s still an Ink Plus. No longer available to new customers.
Thanks Dan. Just wondering which card it is most analogous to the current card offerings as posts don’t typically refer to this card. Is it the Ink Cash?
Assuming it is the Ink Cash, aside for the increase in office supply stores cap from 25k (which I don’t reach) to 50k, are there any other tangible benefits to the Ink Business Plus over the Ink Cash? Trying to decide if the annual fee is worth it or if it is time to downgrade.
The other benefit is that it allows you to transfer points to travel partners and use your points for 1.25 for travel. IF you another Chase UR card with an annual fee, you would get these benefits from that card, and I think it would be worthwhile to downgrade this one.
i have reserve and freedom cards, should i just swap to freedom unlimited, or should i open a new one ?
Try for a new one if you want the bonus.
Open new one for sure.
Freedom is a great card too and doesn’t cost anything to keep + you can get a bonus if you sign up for a new Freedom Unlimited.
Sapphire reserve is 5x points for groceries is this new?
https://www.dansdeals.com/credit-cards/earn-bonus-points-spending-groceries-chase-consumer-cards/
Any chance Chase will increase the signup bonus later this year given the COVID-19 lack of travel happening everywhere?
Unlikely. Banks are cutting back on how many cards they want to open due to economic uncertainty.
I assume there’s absolutely no way to sign up and get the bonus for Reserve if I got the Preferred abt 2 years ago?
Right, but you can upgrade or downgrade the Preferred.
Could you please clarify? I currently have both reserve & freedom cards. Which one am i better off putting charges on? Can i only maximize if i apply for a brand new additional freesom freedom card? Tia
Freedom for bonus category purchases, Freedom Unlimited for regular purchases, and Sapphire Reserve for bonus category purchases.
Hey Dan thanks for your help! Thinking about opening a reserve,how long after I got my preferred can I get the bonus for the reserve? Can I get the bonus if my preferredastill open
Need to wait 48 months between Sapphire bonuses.
Dan, you have many, many followers out of the USA, including Israel, who are US citizens and run most of their banking via U.S. bank accounts, etc. Can you please run a post on best cash back credit cards (in light of “cash is king” now) that have zero percent foreign transaction fee and preferably low, if not $0 yearly fee? Thank you very much!
If I got the bonus for the ink preferred how long do I need to wait before I can get the reserve bonus?
0 days.
Dan (or if anyone else knows)
if I dont have any of these cards atm (just a chase ink unlimited buisness), can I still try apply now for the preffered to get the higher bonus and then upgrade right away to the reserve to use this grocery cashback option?
Or is this only for existing card members now to apply the 1.5 cents for groceries and home improvements too…?
And what are the chances of being approved for a new chase card now in the Covid-19 era?
Appreciate any input here.
Thanks
1. Officially, Chase doesn’t allow upgrades or downgrades within the first year of opening.
2. The 1.5 redemption is for new and existing cardholders.
3. I got approved for a sapphire preferred 3 weeks ago.
I have Chase Ink Business Cash, Chase Ink Business Preferred, Freedom Unlimited, and Sapphire Preferred; what’s the best card to use for everyday purchases (i.e., not things with specific benefits like groceries, travel, etc)? I am past the point of having sign-up bonuses and double points promotions. Thanks!
Freedom Unlimited
thank you!!
Is walmart, target. costco, or Bingo coming up as grocery for 1.5 points Reserve redemption value?
“That’s quite a combo! When redeeming your points for a statement credit, you’ll effectively earn 2.25% cash back on everything (1.5 points per dollar on Freedom Unlimited)”
2.25% on everything? or this: grocery, dining and home improvement?
1.5 points per dollar everywhere x 1.5 cents per points = 2.25% back everywhere.
Normally you need to redeem that on travel, but through 9/30 you can redeem that on grocery, dining and home improvement as well.
So the effective 2.25 percent you get is only if you redeem for grocery, dining and home improvement as the 1.5 cents per points is only for these 3 categories not all purchases?
Or travel.
Also, those stores sell gift cards to thousands of other stores, so you can cash out for any gift cards at 1.5 cents per point.
Yes very true but remember visa/mastercard cards have fees so I guess minus a little from those fees
There are promos for waived fees.
Or just buy gift cards for stores like Amazon.
promos for waived fees for visa/master card at grocery stores haven’t seen may for a while.
Mostly office stores have those promos
Great post, just a little typo.
You can also upgrade a card to Sapphire Reserve to take advantage of cashing our your points at 1.5 cents each for previous purchases.
It should say “cashing out”
Thanks
Would the Ink Preferred and Sapphire Reserve combo offer the same benefits?
Ink Preferred does not earn 1.5 points per dollar everywhere.
i haven’t seen this discussed,how does the $300 credit work? is it like the previous travel credit where it was automatically applied to your purchases as a credit (without your choice)? Also,would you get the 5% back on groceries? & can you double dip and use that purchase to cash out your points?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Can I switch a Chase Freedom card to a Freedom Unlimited?
Yes.
Chase site says the grocery benefit is good until June 30, not 9/30.
5x is 6/30.
1.5% is 9/30.
I applied for the Freedom Unlimited 2 months ago and made about 5K purchases on home improvement and grocery. I called today to upgrade to Reserve in order to cash out my points to pay for the 5K using points. However, the representative told me I cannot upgrade since you Freedom is on a 15 Month interest free plan. Is there any other way to use my points a 1.5 cents per points to pay for my 5K purchases?
A little of topic.
Besides for the signup bonus’s, Is there a point in having both the sapphire reserve and amex business platinum and you them both as spending cards?
Or is it best to choose one and focus on it?
ty
And even better when you add the chase freedom as well. They just announced Q3 categories that includes amazon and Whole Foods
Why is that better then buying amazon gift cards at grocery stores with Sapphire Reserve?
Will the Reserve earn 5% if it is part of the $300 statement credit on grocery stores. I thought you couldn’t double dip on travel wouldn’t it be the same?
Yes!
I have Chase unlimited and chase Sapphire
How do I make the most of my points?
I don’t fully understand
Dan– I have a Chase United MileagePlus Awards cards. Can I upgrade this to one of the 2 cards you are recommending here and get the reward points? I live in Israel but do much of my banking in the U.S. Is this a good idea for me? I’m pretty much a beginner at this and trying to follow all of your advice but it’s a challenge!
No, that has to remain a United card.
Can I transfer points from the Ink Business Preferred to the Reserve?
Yes.
anybody know if you upgrade from freedom to reserve or preferred how quickly AF hits and can you always just downgrade back eight away?
when redeeming for a statement credit for groceries, will that negate the points i earned on those purchases?
No.
When I transfer points from Chase unlimited to sapphire. Do I gain anything?
Yes, as the post says.
Dan, are these charge cards similar to the Amex business platinum card? The reason I ask is that with the charge card, I can pre-pay as much as I want on the card and make much larger purchases than my credit limit allows. Regular cards usually don’t allow that. Any experience in this regard?
Chase does not have charge cards.
Repost not on telegram, @Dan still a feature?
Regular bumps aren’t shared.
Would this benefit apply to Ink Unlimited and Sapphire Reserve card combo?
Sure.
If I buy groceries today On my reserve, can I cash out my points on it at 1.5 or is this ONLY for previous purchases?
Sure
Sure to option A, you can cash out any Chase points
I have the Chase Freedom card and really like the quarterly 5% bonus categories. If I want a Chase Freedom Unlimited, do I have to switch or can you have both?
You can have both.
Not getting 5 points on groceries with my chase freedom unlimited only on saffire reserve, am I missing something?
Who said anything about grocery spending on Freedom Unlimited?
Hey Dan, hope you get a chance to answer this- would it make sense to transfer my existing freedom card into a reserve in order to get the $300 shopping credit and be able to redeem my points for 1.5 cents each, and then downgrade again after 9/30?? Thanx soooooo much Dan!!!
Please????? Jst wanted to make sure it makes sense b4 I do it!
Thanx so so much Dan!!!!!
Gotchya my bad!
how do i sign up for this combo?
Click on the links in the post?
Could I get both the freedom unlimited and freedom, and use the freedom for the 5points on the bonus of that quarter and use freedom unlimited for the rest of my purchases and use them all as chase sapphire preferred points?
Sure.
can i get the statement credit with my sapphire reserve on a purchase made with my wifes card?