Chase is very a popular credit card issuer, especially among rewards seekers. From travel, cash-back, and business cards to co-branded airline, hotel, and store cards, there are many options to choose from.
We’ve done the research and crunched the numbers: If you’re interested in opening a Chase card, these are the ones worth your time.
Editors' Picks
- Best Overall
Chase Freedom Unlimited - Best for Cost-Conscious Travelers
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card - Best for Luxury Travelers
Chase Sapphire Reserve - Best for Hotel Loyalty
World of Hyatt Credit Card - Best for Airline Loyalty
Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus - Best for Balance Transfers
Chase Slate
Best Overall
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
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| Regular APR (%) | 16.99% - 25.74% variable |
| Annual Fee | No Annual Fee |
| Rewards Earning Rate | Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase. |
| Intro Purchase APR | 0% |
| Intro Purchase APR Length (number of months) | 15 |
| Foreign transaction fee | 3% |
Why We Chose This Card
Earning cash back is simple and fruitful with this card. You don’t have to worry about spending within purchase categories to earn extra rewards. Plus, your first year you’ll earn 3% cash back—double the normal rate—on up to $20,000 of purchases. We love that the cash back is easy to use and doesn’t expire, too.
Best for Cost-Conscious Travelers
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
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| Regular APR (%) | 17.99% - 24.99% variable |
| Annual Fee | $95 |
| Rewards Earning Rate | 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases worldwide |
| Foreign transaction fee | 0% |
Why We Chose This Card
We consider this the best travel card for its price point. Its hefty sign-up bonus and travel insurance perks make it a great value for its annual fee. Use points for travel, and their value soars. You can make 1:1 point transfers to travel partner loyalty programs, too, which further sets it apart.
Best for Luxury Travelers
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
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| Regular APR (%) | 18.99% - 25.99% variable |
| Annual Fee | $450 |
| Rewards Earning Rate | Earn 3x points on travel immediately after earning your $300 travel credit, 3X points on dining at restaurants, and 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. |
| Foreign transaction fee | 0% |
Why We Chose This Card
The attainable sign-up bonus is worth at least $750 when used for travel, thanks to the high-value rewards points and travel transfer partners. Pair that with the annual travel-expense reimbursement, and new cardholders can earn around $1,000 toward travel, which is an exceptional value for a premium card.
Best for Hotel Loyalty
World of Hyatt Credit Card
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| Regular APR (%) | 17.99% - 24.99% variable |
| Annual Fee | $95 |
| Rewards Earning Rate | Earn 4X points for Hyatt stays, 2x for eligible transit, restaurants, gym memberships, and airfare purchased directly from the airline. 1x on other purchases. |
| Foreign transaction fee | 0% |
Why We Chose This Card
This is one of the best co-branded hotel cards on the market right now. You’ll earn valuable points fast when you stay at Hyatt hotels, and you can also earn extra points on more routine expenses like dining out and gym memberships. You can easily recoup the small annual fee cost if you enjoy the extra Hyatt perks and annual hotel stay.
Best for Airline Loyalty
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
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| Regular APR (%) | 17.99% - 24.99% variable |
| Annual Fee | $69 |
| Rewards Earning Rate | 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest purchases and Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases. 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases. |
This is card is well worth its annual fee for frequent Southwest flyers. In addition to perks like free checked bags and no award-seat blackout dates, you’ll earn 2 miles per $1 spent on Southwest purchases and get 3,000 extra points each year for being a cardholder. Plus, you only have to spend $1,000 in three months to earn a sign-up bonus worth about $600, based on our calculations. Earn an additional 20,000 points after you spend $12,000 total on purchases within the first year.
Best for Balance Transfers
Chase Slate®
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| Regular APR (%) | 16.99% - 25.74% variable |
| Annual Fee | No Annual Fee |
| Ongoing Balance Transfer APR (%) | 16.99% - 25.74% |
| Balance Transfer Fee | Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater. |
| Intro Balance Transfer APR (%) | 0% |
| Intro Balance Transfer Fee | There is an introductory fee of $0 during the first 60 days your account is open. |
| Intro Balance Transfer APR Length (number of months) | 15 |
Why We Chose This Card
Cost savings define this card. The gracious duo of a long 0% balance transfer APR period and a limited-time offer with no balance transfer fee make it standout even compared to balance transfer cards from other issuers.
What Is Chase?
Chase is the largest commercial bank in the U.S. It issues credit cards under its own brand, and with merchants like Amazon, Southwest, Marriott, and Disney.
Chase grabs headlines for its travel rewards cards, but the bank also offers good cards for small businesses, earning cash back, and making balance transfers.
Nearly all Chase credit cards are Visa cards, with one Mastercard exception: the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card. Since Mastercard and Visa are both globally accepted card networks, you can use Chase cards easily when traveling internationally.
Note
You’ll need at least a good credit score (670 or higher, by FICO standards) to qualify for most of this bank’s cards. Chase doesn’t offer any secured or student credit cards.
How Chase Ultimate Rewards Work
Ultimate Rewards is Chase’s primary rewards program. It’s available with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Unlimited, Ink Business Preferred, Ink Business Unlimited, and Ink Business Cash.
Depending on the card, you’ll earn points for each dollar spent, extra points on select purchase categories, flat-rate cash back, or up to 5% back on rotating categories. Chase Ultimate Rewards program points are usually worth 1 cent each, but when the points are redeemed for travel in the Ultimate Rewards portal, they may be worth 1.25 or 1.50 cents each, depending on the card. Chase Ultimate Rewards never expire as long as your card account is open and in good standing.
Ultimate Rewards points are flexible rewards that can be redeemed in many ways, including but not limited to:
- Travel
- Gift cards
- Cash back
- Apple merchandise
- Amazon.com shopping
- Event tickets
With some cards, points can be transferred at a 1:1 ratio with Chase’s travel partners, which include major airlines and hotel brands like Marriott, United, Southwest Airlines, and Hyatt.
Note
These aren’t the only rewards associated with Chase cards. Co-branded Chase cards will have other rewards programs, like Southwest Rapid Rewards or Starbucks Rewards, based on the retailer brand.
Chase 5/24 Rule
Chase follows an unofficial card application approval process that’s been dubbed the 5/24 rule. If you’ve opened five new credit cards with any issuer in the past 24 months, it’s unlikely you’ll qualify for most Chase cards—even if you have a stellar credit score.
Tip
If you want a Chase card but think you’ll fall afoul of the 5/24 rule, wait for that two-year mark to pass to increase your approval odds and avoid the ding to your credit score of a hard inquiry.
Chase Customer Service
Chase receives fairly good ratings for its customer service and was ranked No. 4 out of 11 major card issuers in the 2019 J.D. Power U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study. The bank’s online credit card services and app are ranked just below average in two other 2019 J.D. Power studies.
The Chase customer service phone line is open 24/7, 365 days a year. Chase also offers secure messaging via email and even a designated support account on Twitter.
If you open a Chase credit card, you’ll also have a number of self-service resources at your disposal. View your FICO Score online and via the Chase mobile app for free. You can also track your credit health via Credit Journey, a credit dashboard that summarizes your credit report and credit score, and offers tips on managing credit.
Methodology
At The Balance, it's our mission to give you unbiased, comprehensive credit card reviews. To do this, we collect data on hundreds of cards and score more than 55 features that affect your finances.
Our reviews are always impartial: No one can influence which cards we review, the way we present them to you, or the ratings they receive.
About This List
The Balance editorial team compiled this best card list using the same factors used to evaluate our best overall card rankings, but focused just on cards issued by Chase.
What We Score
Rewards, annual fee, and regular APR are the most important things people consider when choosing a credit card, so we weigh those features most heavily. Beyond limiting this list to cards issued by Chase, we applied the same methodology we use to determine our best overall credit cards. For full details on how we evaluate credit card attributes, check out our full methodology.
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