The Best Credit Card Combo We've Seen Just Got Better

For years, Chase has offered arguably the best credit card combo for earning rewards. With a Chase Freedom card and a Chase Sapphire card, you can earn bonuses across a variety of spending categories. Then, you can move all the rewards you earn onto your Chase Sapphire card since it offers more valuable ways to redeem your points.

That combo is now even better, thanks to a big change made to the Chase Freedom Unlimited®: A limited-time double cash back welcome offer. After your first 12 months of spending, Chase will match all the cash back you've earned. If you earned $500, Chase will match it with another $500. If you want to earn some serious rewards, it's worth jumping on this offer while it lasts.

Click here to apply for the Chase Freedom Unlimited®.

Why the Chase Freedom and Chase Sapphire cards are a winning combination

The reason Chase credit cards work so well together is that you can pool the rewards you've earned. Even though the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a cash back card, it technically earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Each $1 in cash back is equal to 100 Chase points.

This opens up a lot of possibilities if you have multiple Chase cards. Let's say you have the Chase Freedom Unlimited® and you've accumulated a rewards balance of 50,000 points. You also have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

You could redeem those 50,000 points as $500 in cash back. But you could also move them to your Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to unlock better ways to use those points. Because it's a travel card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a couple of advantages over the Chase Freedom Unlimited® when redeeming rewards:

• Points are worth 25% more when redeemed through the Chase Travel portal. For example, 50,000 points with the Chase Freedom Unlimited® are worth $500 when redeemed for travel. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, they're worth $625 for travel.
• Points are transferable to Chase travel partners. Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to over a dozen airline and hotel loyalty programs. This is sometimes a good way to get even more value for your points. But you can only transfer points if you have a Chase Sapphire card. It's not an option with the Chase Freedom Unlimited®.

The other advantage of using both of these credit cards is that they have their own unique bonus categories. You can decide which card you'll use for each purchase based on which one will earn you the most points.

Maximizing rewards with the new Chase Freedom Unlimited® welcome offer

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® normally earns:

• 5% (5x points) on travel purchased through Chase Travel
• 5% (5x points) on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025
• 3% (3x points) on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
• 3% (3x points) on drugstore purchases
• 1.5% (1.5x points) on other purchases

With the new welcome offer, Chase matches your cash back after the first 12 months. You effectively earn 10% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards and Lyft rides, 6% on dining and drugstore purchases, and 3% on other purchases once the cash back match is deposited.

Rates like that are nearly unheard of, even from the top rewards credit cards. The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is also a no annual fee card, so it doesn't cost you a thing to get it.

There are a couple of rules to this welcome offer. It's only available if you don't already have the card, and if you haven't received a welcome bonus for the card within the last 24 months.

How to build a Chase credit card combo

If you don't have a Chase Freedom or Chase Sapphire card yet, start with the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. The double cash back offer is available for a limited time, so it makes sense to get approved for that card first. There's no telling how long the welcome offer will be around.

After you've done that and you're ready to apply for a new card, it's a good idea to pick up one of the Chase Sapphire cards. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a fantastic travel card at a reasonable price, with a $95 annual fee.

Another option is the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. It's much more expensive, with a $550 annual fee, but it has lots of premium travel benefits. One of the big perks of this card is that points are worth 50% more when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. The Chase Freedom Unlimited® and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a combo I've used for years to earn more points and redeem them for maximum value.

With the new welcome offer, it's the perfect time to get the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. And you can get even more value out of it as part of a Chase combo.