Best Chase Credit Cards of 2020
This article was last updated Sep 15, 2020. Terms and conditions may have changed. For the most accurate information, please consult the issuer website.
In addition to lucrative sign-up bonuses and generous rewards rates, Chase credit cards are known for a number of perks, including access to Chase Ultimate Rewards®, zero-liability protection, extended warranty protection, purchase protection, fraud alerts and much more.
If you’re in the market for a Chase credit card, there are certainly plenty to choose from — which can make selecting the right one difficult. Depending on whether you want a credit card that offers a generous amount of rewards, one that offers an introductory APR on balance transfers, or one that offers travel perks, there’s a Chase card for you.
In this post, we break down several Chase credit cards to help you determine which Chase card can best meet your needs.
CompareCard’s picks for best Chase credit card:
- Best for bonus cash back rewards – Chase Freedom Flex℠
- Best for cash back on general purchases – Chase Freedom Unlimited®
- Best for travel – Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Best for balance transfers – Chase Slate®
- Best for hotel rewards – Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card
- Best for business owners – Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
- Best for students – Chase Freedom® Student credit card
- The bottom line
Best for bonus cash back rewards – Chase Freedom Flex℠
In addition to offering a generous amount of cash back in categories that rotate quarterly, such as gas stations and phone services, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ provides up to 5% cash back in ongoing categories throughout the year.
Earn 5% cash back on eligible purchases in rotating categories, 5% on travel purchased through Chase, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases.
Note, the 5% cashback rate on rotating categories can be earned on the first $1,500 in combined purchases each quarter upon activation. See Chase’s 5% cashback categories for 2021 below.
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Chase cashback calendar 2021 |
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| January – March | April – June | July – September | October – December |
| Wholesale clubs, select streaming services*, internet, cable and phone services | Gas stations and home improvement stores | To be announced | To be announced |
* Eligible streaming services are Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Netflix, Sling, Vudu, Fubo TV, Apple Music, SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify and YouTube TV.
What else we like
Sign-up bonus. Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. And earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (not including Target® or Walmart® purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year.
Intro APR on purchases. The Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers a 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 15 months, then a 14.99% - 23.74% variable APR applies.
No annual fee. The Chase Freedom Flex℠ comes with a $0 annual fee.
What to look out for
Activation required each quarter. To earn the 5% cashback rate on rotating categories, you must activate the bonus category each quarter. Otherwise, those purchases will only earn 1% cash back.
Foreign transaction fees. If you plan to use your Chase Freedom Flex℠ card outside of the U.S., you will be subject to foreign transaction fees of 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars.
Best for cash back on general purchases – Chase Freedom Unlimited®
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a great option if you want to earn an elevated rewards rate on dining, drugstore and Chase travel purchase, while also earning a solid cashback rate on general purchases. Earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1.5% on all other purchases.
What else we like
Sign-up bonus – Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. And earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (not including Target® or Walmart® purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year.
No annual fee – The Chase Freedom Unlimited® comes with a $0 annual fee.
Intro APR on purchases – Cardholders can enjoy a 0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases, then a 14.99% - 23.74% variable APR applies.
What to look out for
Foreign transaction fee. The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is not ideal if you plan to use your card outside of the U.S., since you will be charged 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars.
Balance transfer fee. If you transfer a balance to the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, you will be subject to foreign transaction fees of either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Best card for travel – Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers points on travel as well as a generous sign-up bonus:
- Cardholders earn 2X points on dining at restaurants including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out and travel & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases worldwide.
- For the sign-up bonus: Our best offer ever! Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,250 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
What else we like
25% more value on rewards. You get 25% more value from your rewards when you redeem them for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
1:1 point transfer. You can transfer your points to 10 airline travel partners, including JetBlue TrueBlue, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards and United MileagePlus, and three hotel travel partners, including Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt, at a 1:1 value.
No foreign transaction fees. This card’s foreign transaction fee is $0, so you can have peace of mind when using it outside of the U.S.
What to look out for
Annual fee. You will be charged $95 per year.
No intro APR on purchases. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card does not offer a 0% intro APR on purchases, so it’s not the best card to use if you plan to carry a balance on your card.
Best if you want to transfer a balance – Chase Slate®
If you have a large amount of high-interest card debt that you want to transfer to a balance transfer card, the Chase Slate® is a good option. In addition to offering a 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 months (then 16.49% - 25.24% variable), the card offers an intro balance transfer fee of $0 for the first 60 days that your Account is open, after that, either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
What else we like
Intro APR on purchases. The Chase Slate® also offers a 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 15 months, then 16.49% - 25.24% Variable.
No annual fee. You will not be charged an annual fee with the Chase Slate®.
What to look out for
No reward rate. The Chase Slate® card does not offer a sign-up bonus or rewards program.
Foreign transaction fees. If you’re planning a trip abroad in the near future, the Chase Slate® may not be the best option since it charges a foreign transaction fee of 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars.
Best for hotel rewards – Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card
If you are a Marriott Bonvoy loyalist, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card has the current sign-up bonus: Earn 3 Free Nights after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening + 10X total points per $1 spent on up to $2,500 in combined purchases at gas stations, restaurants, and grocery stores within 6 months from account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy BoundlessTM Credit Card! Plus, cardholders Earn up to 17X total points for every $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy™ and 2X points on all other purchases.
What else we like
Free night award. Receive a free night award every year after your account anniversary, which is valid for a one night hotel stay at a property with a redemption level up to 35,000 points.
Automatic Silver Elite status. You automatically receive Silver Elite status, which includes a 10% bonus points on hotel stays, priority late checkout, free Wi-Fi and much more.
15 Elite Night credits. Receive 15 Elite Night credits each calendar year, which gets you that much closer to upgrading your Elite status. You can earn Gold Elite status after 25 qualifying nights per year and Platinum Elite status after 50 qualifying nights per year.
What to look out for
Annual fee. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card comes with a $95 annual fee. That said, the fee is much lower than the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card’s $450 annual fee.
Does not include certain perks. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card doesn’t offer all the perks that the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card offers, such as complimentary Gold Elite status and up to $300 in statement credits each year. But, again, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card charges a $450 annual fee for those perks.
Best for business owners – Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
If you are a small business owner, the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card is a great option. In addition to an intro APR on purchases and balance transfers of 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 12 months (then 13.24% - 19.24% variable), the card offers a generous cash back rate in popular business categories.
What else we like
Sign-up bonus. Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Rewards rate. Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year. Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn.
Employee cards at no additional cost. You will not be charged additional fees for employee credit cards.
What to look out for
Rewards yearly maximum. If your company spends more than $25,000 per year in combined office supply store, internet, cable and phone service purchases, as well as more than $25,000 in combined gas station and restaurant purchases, you may be better off with a card that doesn’t place a quarterly or yearly maximum on your rewards earning potential.
Foreign transaction fees. The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card charges 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars for purchases made outside of the U.S.
Best for students – Chase Freedom® Student credit card
The Chase Freedom® Student credit card is ideal for students who want to build their credit and earn cash back on every purchase. In addition to free and unlimited access to your credit score through Credit Journey (which is also available with most other Chase cards), the Chase Freedom® Student credit card offers 2,000 points (redeemable for $20) after each account anniversary for up to five years as long as our account is in good standing and not in default.
Plus, cardholders earn 1% cash back on all purchases plus $20 good standing rewards after each account anniversary for up to 5 years.
What else we like
Sign-up bonus. $50 Bonus after first purchase made within the first 3 months from account opening
Credit limit increase. You can earn a credit limit increase when you make five monthly payments on time within 10 months from account opening and meet credit criteria.
Annual fee. The Chase Freedom® Student credit card has a $0 annual fee.
What to look out for
No intro APR. Because the Chase Freedom® Student credit card doesn’t come with an introductory APR on purchases or balance transfers, it’s not the best option if you plan to carry a balance or transfer a balance from a different credit card.
The regular APR for the Chase Freedom® Student credit card is 14.99% variable.
No bonus categories. Although the Chase Freedom® Student credit card lets you earn 1% cash back on all purchases plus $20 good standing rewards after each account anniversary for up to 5 years it does not offer bonus cash back categories.
The bottom line
Ultimately, the best Chase card for you depends on how you plan to use the card. For example, if you want to transfer a balance from a different credit card, the Chase Slate® card will be the best option. But if you want the opportunity to earn a solid cashback rate on general purchases, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card is the better option.
The information related to the Chase Freedom® Student credit card, the Chase Freedom®, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card, the Chase Slate® and the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card has been independently collected by CompareCards and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuers of these cards prior to publication. Terms apply to American Express credit card offers. See americanexpress.com for more information.
