Explaining the Chase Trifecta and Why It's So Dang Good

The Chase Trifecta is one of the best methods to earn valuable points that can be redeemed for many amazing rewards. The reason the Trifecta is so popular among credit card enthusiasts and newbies alike is because of how seamless it is to maximize your points earnings with only 3 credit cards. And Chase offers many different rewards, so you don't have to worry about being stuck with redeeming only a select few rewards. Let's go through the most important aspects of this card combination!

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Maximizing Points on Multiple Categories

If you are able to get 3 Chase cards, you should do it. Each card will give you a different number of points per dollar spent, depending on the purchasing category. The most common purchasing categories are Travel, Dining, Grocery, Streaming, Internet, and Gas. There are many more categories, but these will be the majority of your spending. And Chase cards cover these categories really well!

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Chase Freedom Flex

The Chase Freedom Flex currently offers 5% cash back on rotating categories. Essentially, the Freedom Flex offers 5% cash back on 3 categories per quarter (every 3 months) and those categories change every quarter. The categories for Q1 2021 are Wholesale Clubs, Internet Cable and Phone services, and select streaming services. So, you'll get 5% cash back on those categories if you pay for them using the Freedom Flex (up to $1500).

Check out our Freedom Flex approval stats to see if you might qualify.

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Chase Freedom Unlimited

This card offers 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase's travel portal, 3% on dining (includes takeout & drugstores), and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. This card has recently increased its perks, so this card is extremely valuable now even though it was a great card before. If you transfer your points from this card to a higher tier card (more on this later), like the Sapphire Preferred or Reserve, you are guaranteeing at least 2.25% cash back on every purchase, which is a fantastic proposition!

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Chase Sapphire Reserve

The Sapphire Reserve sounds like an overpriced piece of metal that only comes with bragging rights. And while you can brag and slap the metal card on a table (which is quite fun), the card comes with a ton of benefits that most people don't realize. For the average person, it seems out of reach, but once you do the math, it can be tempting to get. Here are the best perks (in my opinion):

• 60,000 point intro bonus, sometimes this can be as high as 100,000 points
• $300 annual travel credit - nothing fishy here, you actually spend this credit without realizing it, because it can be used for gas as well. Chase automatically credits your account up to the credit amount. Super neat!
• Earn 5x total points on flights when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Earn 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Earn 10x total points on Chase Dining purchases with Ultimate Rewards
• Earn 3x points on other dining at restaurants, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out
• 50% more redemption value in Chase points when you transfer your points from other Ultimate Rewards cards (This one is awesome)
• And then you get a bunch of warranty protection, flight protection, etc. benefits

I highly encourage people with at least a few credit cards to their name (especially if you own any other Ultimate Rewards cards) to consider the Sapphire Reserve. It can make more sense than you think.

Another card I didn't mention which is also an option is the Ink Business Preferred card. Check that one out too. Personally, the three cards I wrote about here are more than enough to collect a ton of points.

Let me know if you have any questions about this credit card strategy!