How 2 Chase Cards Can Quickly Earn You 105K Points (Or More!)

If you're in the market for a new travel card, the *chase sapphire preferred* is a tried and true favorite. With its current sign-up bonus, you can bonus_miles_full

But that doesn't mean you should stop there – just the opposite.

Once you've earned that big welcome bonus on the Sapphire Preferred, you're generally much better off putting your everyday expenses on a different credit card that earns you more points. And that's where the *freedom unlimited* comes in. With its current limited-time offer, you can earn a $300 bonus after spending $500 in the first three months. 

Together, these two cards form a powerful combination that can help you earn even more rewards on your everyday spending. Best of all, that $300 cash bonus on the Freedom Unlimited can be turned into ultra-valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, allowing you to transfer them to the bank's slew of travel partners for even greater value. 

We'll walk you through why you may want to pair these two cards together – and how you can earn 105,000 (or more!) Chase Ultimate Rewards points in the process.

A Brief Overview of Both Cards

What's the difference between these two Chase credit cards? Well … a lot, really. And that's exactly why they work so well together. 

With the Sapphire Preferred, you'll earn 2x points on all travel purchases, get an annual $50 hotel credit that can be redeemed through Chase Travel℠, and most importantly, have the option to transfer points to Chase's outstanding list of travel partners like Hyatt, United, Air Canada, and many more … all for a reasonable $95 annual fee. 

Plus, other benefits like travel and rental car insurance, as well as trip delay and cancellation protection, can easily make the Sapphire Preferred a mainstay in any traveler's wallet for the long run.

Meanwhile, the no-annual-fee Freedom Unlimited earns 1.5% cashback (in the form of Ultimate Rewards) on all purchases, making it the perfect catch-all card for your everyday purchases. It also earns 3% cashback on dining and drugstore purchases, and 5% back on travel booked through Chase's travel portal. You'll do better with the Freedom Unlimited on drug store purchases, but the dining and travel portal bonus is identical to what you'll get with the Sapphire Preferred. 

Here's a closer a look at what each card offers.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

• Welcome Offer Bonus: bonus_miles_full 
• Earn 5x total points on travel purchased through the Chase Travel℠ portal, excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 Anniversary Hotel Credit.
• Earn 3x points per dollar spent on dining (including eligible delivery services), online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), and select streaming services
• Earn 2x points per dollar spent on travel purchases
• Earn 1x points on all other purchases
• Earn up to $50 in statement credits each year for hotel stays booked through Chase Travel℠
• 10% Annual Points Bonus: Receive a 10% points bonus on your total spending during the account anniversary year – 1 point for every $10 spent.
• Travel Protections: Trip Cancelation & Interruption Coverage, Baggage Delay and Lost Luggage Coverage, Primary Rental Car Insurance
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None
• Annual Fee: $95

Learn more about the *csp*

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

• Welcome Offer: *freedom bonus*
• Earn 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Travel℠.
• Earn 3% cash back on dining
• Earn 3% cash back at drugstores
• Earn an unlimited 1.5% cashback on all other purchases.
• No annual fee!

Learn more about the *freedom unlimited*.

Why You Should Pair These Two Together

The one-two punch of holding a Chase Sapphire Preferred and Freedom Unlimited is undeniable.

When you've got the Chase Sapphire Preferred, the cashback your Freedom Unlimited card earns can be turned into Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Every cent you earn equals 1 Chase point. Therefore, earning 1.5% cashback means you're really earning 1.5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on all your non-bonus spending.

Just for spending $500 in the first three months of card membership on the Freedom Unlimited, you'll earn a $300 cash bonus. But if you also hold the Sapphire Preferred, that $300 can be turned into 30,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to use towards travel.

The Freedom Unlimited also earns more points in certain categories than you would earn with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card on its own. Holding the Freedom Unlimited is a great way to make sure you squeeze the most value out of your everyday spending to keep racking up points over the long run … without adding another annual fee.

When paired with the Sapphire Preferred, the 105,000 points earned from both sign-up bonuses work out to at least $1,050 in free travel when redeemed through Chase Travel. Not bad for two cards and only $95 in annual fees.

Related Reading: How to Transfer Cash Back & Points Between Your Chase Credit Cards

The Best Redemption Options

There's a reason we consider Chase points so valuable. There are a lot of sweet spots here to highlight.

• Want to fly to Europe? Transferring your Chase points to Iberia opens up one of the cheapest ways to get to Europe – in either economy or business class. For just 32,000 miles, you can get to Madrid (MAD) and back almost any time of the year. Iberia's business class starts at only 81,000 miles roundtrip from the East Coast or Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) – less than what some airlines charge to fly economy!
• British Airways is now one of the best ways to book the world's best business class seats, Qatar Qsuites, starting at just 70,000 Avios each way. But you can also transfer your British Airways miles with all the other airlines that use Avios, including Qatar Airways, Finnair, Iberia, and Aer Lingus. That means you can send Chase points to Finnair via British Airways and book some dirt-cheap American Airlines flights to Hawaii or the Caribbean; fly Finnair business class to northern Europe; or even book Cathay Pacific business class to Hong Kong for less.
• Air France/KLM's joint program, Flying Blue, has become absolutely invaluable. Through Flying Blue, you could redeem 60,000 points for a one-way trip to Europe in business class! Though finding the award availability to actually book those lie-flat seats has gotten much harder … despite Flying Blue's assertion that more award space would be coming. 
• Virgin Atlantic allows you to book business class from the U.S. to London for as low as 29,000 points! Unfortunately, this deal recently took a big hit: Virgin now tacks on close to $600 in taxes and fees on a one-way business class ticket to London-Heathrow (LHR). But Virgin also offers some excellent partner bookings like Air New Zealand business class to Auckland (AKL) and ANA business or first class to Japan. 

• With cheap domestic flights starting at 5,000 miles each way, roundtrip to Europe for as little as 60,000 miles, and 40,000 round-trip to the Caribbean, United can be a competitive option. Just keep in mind that United has switched to an unpredictable dynamic award system, so prices can vary wildly.
• Air Canada Aeroplan is one of Chase's strongest airline partners. You can use Air Canada's Aeroplan points to book business class to Europe for as low as 60,000 points each way, or book partners like Singapore business class – even when seats aren't available through other Star Alliance partners.
• Hyatt is far and away one of the best transfer partners, period – not just for Chase, but among all points programs. That's largely because the hotel chain's low award rates make it easy to get an outsized value on amazing hotels worldwide. 

Need some ideas on how to use these transfer options? Check out our guide on the best ways to redeem a big stash of Chase points!

How to Responsibly Earn the Bonus on Chase Credit Cards

Let's be clear about something: Spending $5,500 (or more) in three months to earn these bonuses is no small task. If you don't think you can do it responsibly, you shouldn't try. 

Credit cards are serious business, and debt is a major problem in this country. If you charge expenses you can't pay off immediately, paying back high-interest rates will negate the value of whatever points you earn and also harm your credit score.

But if you've already got a Sapphire Card in your wallet (and earned the bonus), picking up the Freedom Unlimited and spending just $500 to earn a $300 bonus (30,000 points) shouldn't be too much trouble at all. 

Pairing these two cards together is a fantastic strategy to earn two big bonuses – and then keep earning even more Chase points on your everyday spending. 

Related reading: How to Hit the Minimum Spend (& Earn That Bonus) Responsibly on Credit Cards

Bottom Line

Pairing the *freedom unlimited* with the *chase sapphire preferred* makes for a powerful points-earning duo. You'll unlock 105,000 points (or more) with both bonuses, and also maximize your everyday spending from there on out.