Why I Have Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Freedom Unlimited — and You Should, Too
My husband and I are planning a trip to Germany later this year, and we’re booking our flights entirely with points. I’ve wanted to go for years, but between moving across the country and saving for a down payment, it never felt financially doable.
We’ve recently discovered that pairing the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) with the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (see rates and fees) is one of the easiest ways to rack up travel rewards without changing our spending habits. And spoiler alert: Strategically using both cards for the purchases we already make is allowing us to turn everyday expenses into a bucket-list trip.
Chase Sapphire Preferred: Our go-to for travel and dining
We put nearly all of our travel and dining purchases on the Chase Sapphire Preferred. It earns 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠ and 3X on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries, so it’s our default card when we’re out and about.
But the real reason we use it? Those points are worth 25% more when you redeem them through Chase Travel. That means 10,000 points = $125 in flights. We’ve already booked hotel nights with points this way, and we’re now stacking up rewards for our flights abroad.
Even better, Chase is currently offering one of the highest welcome bonuses I’ve ever seen: 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months. That alone is worth up to $1,250 in Chase Travel℠ value.
Chase Freedom Unlimited: Easy earnings on everything else
We use the Chase Freedom Unlimited for almost everything else. Here’s a look at our typical monthly spending:
- Groceries: $500
- Phone bills and streaming: $150
- Gym membership: $50
- Random life stuff (Home Depot, Target runs, etc.): ~$300
That’s about $1,000 a month on our Chase Freedom Unlimited, which earns 1.5% cash back (or 1.5x points per dollar). That’s 1,500 points a month — and 18,000 points a year — just from normal life.
To be sure, 1.5% cash back is great, but there are credit cards out there that offer even higher cash back rates. Check out our list of the best cash back credit cards to review other options.
The real magic is combining the points
Here’s where things get fun. Every month, we transfer the points we earn on the Chase Freedom Unlimited to our Chase Sapphire Preferred account. That instantly upgrades the value of points by 25% when redeemed for travel through Chase.
So those 18,000 points from everyday spending? They’re not worth $180 — they’re worth $225 toward travel. Combine that with the points we earn from travel and dining, and we’ve already covered a good chunk of our flights to Germany.
When it makes sense to have both cards
This Chase card combo works great if you:
- Spend regularly on travel and dining
- Want a better return on everyday purchases
- Prefer redeeming points for travel
- Don’t want to manage a dozen different cards
The Chase Freedom Unlimited has a $0 annual fee, and the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s $95 fee is easy to justify if you travel even once or twice a year, especially with the current bonus offer.
Want to fly to Europe on points?
This card duo is how we’re doing it. And with the 100,000 bonus points from the Chase Sapphire Preferred, now’s the time to jump in. This offer won’t last, so if you’re thinking about applying, don’t wait.
Apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card now (see rates and fees) and start turning everyday spending into your next international trip.
