The 5 Best Chase Credit Cards of 2022 (2023)

Do you travel often? You earn 5 points for every dollar you charge with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. You also earn 2 points for every dollar you spend on other travel purchases. Eat out several times a week? You earn 3 points for every dollar you spend on dining, including eligible delivery services and takeout. And if your grocery bill is high each month, every dollar you spend on groceries online -- excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs -- also earns you 3 points. Finally, if you love TV shows and movies, the Sapphire Preferred gives you 3 points for every dollar you spend on certain streaming services. You also earn 1 point per dollar charged on all other purchases.

If you deposit $4,000 in the first three months after opening your account, you'll earn a welcome bonus of 60,000 points. And on each anniversary when you open your account, you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases from the previous year. If you spent $30,000 on purchases, you'll earn 3,000 bonus points on your anniversary.

You also earn $50 each year in statement credits to spend on hotel stays purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards. And when you redeem your points through this rewards portal, they're worth 25% more. For example, if you earn 60,000 points, they are worth $750 in travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

There are also benefits. For frequent travelers, Sapphire Preferred offers baggage delay insurance, travel delay compensation, travel and emergency assistance services, and trip cancellation insurance. You can also transfer your points 1-to-1 to 11 air travel partners and three hotel travel partners. The card offers purchase protection and extended warranty protection.

You get all this for a relatively modest annual fee of $95.

Advantages

• High welcome bonus
• Generous rewards program
  
• Credit report and bonus points every anniversary

against

• Annual contribution
• You need good credit to qualify

It comes at a high price, with an annual fee of $550. But the Chase Sapphire Reserve card also has great reward potential. How big? You earn 10 reward points for every dollar you spend on hotels and car rentals through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. You earn the same 10 points for every dollar you spend on Chase Dining purchases through the Ultimate Rewards portal.

You also earn 5 points on air travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3 on other travel and dining purchases, and 1 point on all other purchases.

As you can see, there is potential to earn a lot of rewards every month. You also get 60,000 bonus rewards points if you spend at least $4,000 with your card in the first three months after opening your account. By redeeming these rewards through Chase Ultimate Rewards, you'll receive up to $900 to use toward travel purchases.

If you're a frequent traveler, the Sapphire Reserve also offers travel benefits. This includes credit to pay for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck at airports, free access to airport lounges in more than 500 cities worldwide, and savings at several hotels and resorts. As an added treat, you'll automatically receive up to a $300 statement credit on the anniversary of your account opening toward travel purchases you've made with your card.

Advantages

• A powerful rewards program
• Numerous travel benefits
  
• Generous welcome bonus

against

• High annual fee
• You need high credit to qualify

If you're a frequent traveler on Southwest Airlines, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus credit card is a good choice.

Earn 2 points for every dollar you spend on Southwest purchases and for every dollar you spend at Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners. The card also awards 2 points for every dollar you spend on local transportation and commuting, including ride-sharing services, and for every dollar you spend on internet, cable, phone and select streaming services. You also earn 1 point for all other purchases you make with this card.

The card offers a solid introductory offer: Earn 60,000 points plus a 30% promo code after you spend $3,000 in purchases in the first three months of account opening. On your anniversary date, you'll earn 3,000 bonus points.

Frequent flyers also get additional benefits. Cardholders receive two Southwest Airlines early check-ins each year and 25% back on in-flight purchases. This card isn't free, but the $69 annual fee isn't excessive for a card that offers these benefits.

Advantages

• A solid rewards program
• Generous welcome offer
  
• There is no limit on rewards

against

• This card charges an annual fee
• 1 point on daily purchases is not overly generous
  

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is the best thanks to its generous rewards program. Being able to earn 5 points on Chase Ultimate Rewards purchases and 3 points on restaurant and supermarket purchases means you can earn big rewards points fast.

There is also an attractive bonus offer of 60,000 points, and you only need to deposit $4,000 in the first three months of account opening to get it.

The card's benefits, such as baggage delay insurance, travel delay protection and trip cancellation insurance, also make this card a winner.

When looking for a credit card, it's important to consider your purchasing behavior. Do you spend a lot in one category each month, such as supermarkets or restaurants? Or are your costs spread out? Your spending habits are the most important factor to consider when looking for the right rewards card for you.

If you spend most of your money in stores and eating out, look for the card that offers the most rewards for those purchases. If you're constantly charging for gas purchases, look for a card that offers the highest cash back or rewards pumps for fuel costs.

And if you spend in different categories every month? You can look for a card that offers higher cashback bonuses in certain categories that rotate.

Do you have a lot of credit card debt? If you're struggling with credit card debt, consider a credit card that offers 0% balance transfer interest for a limited time. Many cards allow you to transfer debts from other cards at 0% interest for 12 to 18 months. If you pay off this debt during this period, you can pay it off without paying high interest rates. Just make sure you pay off that debt before the 0% offer expires.

Are you a frequent traveler? If you're a frequent flyer, look for a credit card that rewards miles instead of cash. You can then use those miles to book free flights around the world.

Want more flexibility? If you want the ability to use your rewards the way you want, a cash back card could be a good choice. You can usually deposit that money directly into your bank accounts, use it to pay off your credit card balance, turn it into gift cards, or even send it to charity.

How strong is your credit score? The higher your credit score, the more likely you are to qualify for credit cards with strong rewards programs and valuable welcome bonuses. However, if your score is low, you may have to settle for an easier card. Use that card and pay off your purchases in full every month. Over time, this record of on-time payments will help improve your credit score.

When searching for the best Chase credit cards, we considered several factors:

• Prizes:We looked for cards that offer generous rewards programs, in the form of points, miles or cash back. We've only selected cards that offer consumers enough opportunities to earn rewards.
• welcome bonuses:The best credit cards offer solid welcome bonuses, such as extra points or cash back if you use your card for a certain number of purchases in a certain period of time. We only selected cards with welcome bonuses that were not only valuable, but also quite achievable.
• Annual fees:Many of the more valuable rewards cards charge an annual fee. By researching this list, we've made sure the annual fees are commensurate with the benefits and rewards cardholders receive. Some cards on this list may charge a high annual fee. What matters is whether the rewards they offer are high enough to justify the fees.
• Advantages:When evaluating a credit card, the benefits it offers are also important. We looked for cards that offer benefits such as travel cancellation insurance, discounts on hotel stays and airport lounge access.
• Simply use your points and get your money back:We also looked for cards that consumers can use to easily redeem cash back, miles or points. This meant cards where points and cash back do not expire and cards where cardholders do not require a minimum amount for redemption.

While Chase offers many solid credit cards, you can also choose good options from other providers.

• Discover it® Cashback:This card has no annual fees and offers 5% cash back on the first $1,500 in a number of quarterly categories that change throughout the year, such as purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and fitness clubs (activation required). You earn 1% back on all other purchases.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card:This Capital One credit card gives you 10 miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, five miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel, and two miles on all other purchases. You can also earn 75,000 welcome miles if you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening. However, the Venture X Rewards card is not free: the annual fee is $395.
• Wells Fargo Active Cash® karta:The big draw of this card? Its simplicity. You earn unlimited cash rewards of 2% on the purchases you make. You can also earn $200 in cash back if you make $500 in the first three months after opening your account. The card does not charge an annual fee.