Good Day, The Chase Trifecta is what you get with Sapphire (Preferred or Reserve), Freedom Flex, and Freedom Unlimited all at the same time which in turn will do your Ultimate Rewards points and travel value via transfer partners the best it can. The biggest advantage is optimizing purchases for the best points accumulation, and then transferring them to travel partners for even better value, often exceeding standard cash back rewards. Yes what makes the most sense is transferring points to Chase partners which in turn will turn your everyday spend into high value flights or hotel stays which may be 2 5 times better then cash back. The primary cards are Sapphire Preferred which is also Reserve, Freedom Flex, and Freedom Unlimited. They in total earn you the best rewards on all spend and also give you point transfers for the best travel value. Since Points Boost is now restricted to certain bookings, focus is shifted back on transferring points to Chase partners. With the Pay Yourself Back option, points have lower to mid value, so as to maximize value, focus on earning with Flex and Unlimited, pool under Sapphire, and transfer for optimal value for flights or hotels. Utilize Flex for the 5% categories, and use Unlimited for 1.5% on everything else. Sapphire will work best for travel and dining expenses. Under Sapphire, combine points, then transfer them to Hyatt for maximum value. Chase Offers and portal deals help to boost. Pros: Improved earning on all spending, 1:1 point transfers, and more valuable travel options. Cons: Need to track category spending, paying annual fees, and knowing the right time to transfer points. If you travel and optimize redemptions, it's worth it—if not, it may be more trouble than it's worth. Skip the annual fee by using Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited they have strong earn rates with no cost. You do lose out on point transfers but you do still get solid cash back or travel portal value. Into simple flat rate? Try Citi Double Cash or Wells Fargo Active Cash. Open your Sapphire Preferred or Reserve card first for point transfer, then add on Freedom Flex and Unlimited. Space out your applications for each to avoid denials. Chase's 5/24 rule which is if you open 5 or more cards from any bank in 24 months your applications may be denied stay under that limit to get all three. If you decide to use this quote, I'd love to stay connected! Feel free to reach me at marketing@docva.com and nathanbarz@docva.com
I've helped countless investors leverage the Chase Trifecta Strategy, and the transfer partners are really where the magic happens - I recently got 3x value on my points by transferring to United for a business class ticket. The main catch with annual fees is that you need to spend enough to offset them, which I learned the hard way when I first started. When advising my website readers, I always suggest starting with the Sapphire Preferred due to the lower annual fee, then adding the Freedom cards once you're comfortable with the rewards system.
As a real estate investor, I've found the Chase Trifecta combines the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Freedom Unlimited, and Freedom Flex cards to maximize rewards across different spending categories. I personally use the Sapphire Reserve for travel expenses (3x points), Freedom Unlimited for everyday purchases (1.5x points), and Freedom Flex for rotating quarterly categories (5x points), which helps me rack up points faster when purchasing supplies for my properties.