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Many Chase credit cards are known for being some of the best rewards credit cards, as you can earn Chase Ultimate Rewards that can be redeemed for travel, cash back, or merchandise. The Chase Ultimate Rewards program can provide you with a lot of value, so it’s beneficial to earn the maximum rewards you can as a cardholder.
Thankfully, there’s a simple way to boost the points you earn with your Chase card: Use the Chase shopping portal whenever you shop online.
You can access this portal by visiting Shop through Chase and signing in with your Chase credit card account. Once you do, you’ll have access to partner offers that give you bonus Ultimate Rewards points for shopping with select brands.
If you’re a Chase cardholder, it’s important to understand how the Chase shopping portal works to take advantage of these bonus points. Here’s everything you need to know.
How the Chase shopping portal works
The Shop through Chase program is basically a site that allows you to earn bonus points for using shopping online at partner stores. Visit Shop through Chase before you buy something online, click the correct link to go to the store you’re shopping with, and you can earn extra Ultimate Rewards points for every dollar you spend.
You can use Shop through Chase to gain these bonus points if you have a participating Chase card. Some of the best credit cards for doing this include:
- Chase Freedom Flex℠: 5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories you activate (on up to $1,500 spent) and travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery service); and 1% cash back on all other purchases
- Chase Freedom Unlimited®: 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 5X points on flights and 10X points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually; 3X points on other travel and dining & 1X points per dollar on all other purchases
If you have an eligible credit card, you’ll simply need to sign into your online account when visiting Shop through Chase. However, the specific amount of Ultimate Rewards points you earn can vary by card, so if you have more than one, you’ll have to choose which Chase card you want to use to sign in.
When you sign in, you’ll find there are many popular stores that offer the chance to earn rewards bonuses. As of May 2019, some of the stores you can earn bonus points with include:
- Sears
- Macy’s
- Home Depot
- Groupon
- Walgreens
- Apple
Usually, you can earn anywhere from one to 10 extra points per dollar you spend with partner brands. However, you could find deals that offer 20 bonus points or more per dollar spent, though those deals typically apply to smaller, niche brands.
7 tips to maximize your points with the Chase shopping portal
While using the Shop through Chase portal is as easy as visiting the site, signing in, and clicking the link to the store of your choice, there are some things you can do to supercharge your bonus points even further.
1. Shop with the right Chase credit card
You should be strategic about which rewards credit card you use when you visit Shop through Chase to get the most bang for your buck.
First and foremost, sign in with each of your Chase credit cards to check which one offers the most points from partner stores for each purchase.
You should also consider whether a particular Chase card you own gives you extra bonus points for the type of purchase you’re making. For example, if you have the Chase Freedom Flex and department stores are your quarterly bonus category, you’d probably want to use the Freedom Flex when shopping at Macy’s. That way, you’d earn the special quarterly bonus for department store shopping and the added points that you become eligible for by clicking through Shop through Chase.
2. Sort by earn rate
After signing into Shop through Chase, you have the option to see offers from featured stores or the option to see offers from all stores. Once you’re on this menu, you also have the option to filter stores by category, name, and earn rate.
Sorting by the earn rate is an easy way to make sure you’re scoring the maximum points, as you may have a choice of where to buy your desired item. You can make sure you shop with the store that offers the most points possible by going down the list.
3. Enable cookies
Chase uses cookies to track whether you visited a store after clicking through the Chase online shopping portal. If you don’t have cookies enabled, Chase won’t know to give you the extra bonus points. The process of enabling cookies varies by browser, but generally you can find the enable option under Preferences, Tools, or Options.
4. Reconsider coupon codes or discounts
Stores offering bonus points may prevent you from using outside coupons or discount codes when you’re earning bonus points with Chase. You don’t want to put in a promo code and end up losing out on all of the potential bonus points you could earn just to save a small amount.
Consider the dollar value of the bonus points you could earn and compare that to the value of the discount or coupon you have. This will help you decide which one offers a better deal.
5. Read the fine print
Most individual stores have other restrictions in the fine print, in addition to not using coupons or discount codes. You should read this fine print very carefully as different rules will apply to various partner stores.
However, it’s common to find that you can’t earn bonus points by buying gift cards or cash equivalents. There may also be specific items excluded from the bonus offer.
6. Don’t multitask
It’s important that Chase is able to track your movement from Shop through Chase to the site you’re buying the item from. Opening other browser windows or tabs could interfere with this tracking process, so avoid doing this until you’ve completed the transaction and made your purchase.
7. Rethink your returns
You can’t trick the system by racking up bonus points, then returning the items to get your cash back. If you return any items you bought from a partner store, you’ll have the points you earned subtracted from your Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Of course, if you genuinely don’t need the item anymore, go ahead and return it. But just be aware that the points you earned will likely be revoked.
FAQs about the Chase shopping portal
Do Chase points expire?
Your points never expire as long as your Chase credit card account is open.
What can you use Chase points for?
Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be used to purchase travel, merchandise, Chase Experiences, gift cards, and more. It’s also possible to redeem them for simple cash back. You can also transfer points to one of Chase's many travel partners. Chase has a number of hotel partners, as well as relationships with airline loyalty programs. So if you're a frequent flyer with an airline, your rewards through Chase Travel might come in handy.
How many Chase points equal $1?
The value of your Chase Ultimate Rewards depends on what you’re redeeming your points for and which Chase credit card you have. For example, when you use Shop with Points at Amazon, each Chase point is worth $0.008, which means it takes 125 points to equal $1. However, if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card and you book travel through the Chase travel portal, each point is worth 1.5 cents. So, you can use about 67 points to equal a dollar in that scenario.
What stores are in the Chase shopping portal?
There are hundreds of stores in the Chase shopping portal. The participating retailers range from Ace Hardware to Wine.com, and Dick’s Sporting Goods to Sur La Table, with just about any other product provider you can think of in between.
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Can you use a different credit card when using the Chase shopping portal?
You can use a credit card from a different card issuer when shopping in the Chase shopping portal, but you might not get the enhanced earnings rewards when you do. If you want to ensure that you get all of the Chase Ultimate Rewards points possible, using a card compatible with Chase Ultimate Rewards is your best bet.
If you buy something through the Chase shopping portal, how long will it take to get your points?
How long it takes varies according to the retailer. Some shops might take longer to report your purchase. In general, though, it’s reasonable to expect to see your points within 30 to 60 days.
Bottom line: visit the Chase shopping portal first
No matter which Chase card you have — whether it's a no-annual fee Freedom card or one of the Sapphire travel credit cards — visiting the Chase shopping portal is a quick and easy way to maximize your rewards points whenever you shop online. It takes just a few seconds to sign into your online account, check if the store you want to buy from is eligible, and click the link before you make a purchase. The online shopping portal is an amazing feature of the Chase rewards program.
You could earn rewards much faster — whether you're wanting to earn cash back or travel rewards — and get the most possible benefit from your Chase card with minimal effort on your part. All that means this is definitely a strategy definitely worth doing.
Seriously Powerful Cashback Card
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Chase Freedom Flex℠
Current Offer
Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee
$0
Rewards Rate
5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories you activate (on up to $1,500 spent) and travel purchased through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery service); and 1% cash back on all other purchases