New categories for sapphire and ink

This article contains links to products of our advertisers, and we may be compensated when you click on those links. Our recommendations and advice are binding on us and have not been reviewed by any of the listed issuers. The conditions apply to the offers listed on this page. Read our editorial standards.

• Chase has extended its popular Pay Yourself Back program on certain cards – some until March 2022.
• Sapphire cardholders can now redeem points for Airbnb and Away baggage purchases.
• Some previous categories, including grocery stores and home improvement stores, are no longer an option.
• Read the Insider Guide to the Best Chase Credit Cards.

Chase’s Pay Yourself Back feature was introduced near the start of the pandemic to give cardholders another great value option to redeem points when travel was at a standstill. It has since grown in popularity with Chase adding new categories and expanding the program in recent months.

The last expansion, through September 30, has just expired – and now Chase has updated Pay Yourself Back again. This time around, new categories have been added to the Chase Sapphire Preferred®, Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Ink Business Preferred® card, some until March 2022, but many cardholders will find the new categories much less useful.

Read more: How Chase Pay Yourself Back Works

Plus, some of the more flexible categories, like grocery stores, are no longer a buy-back option. Here’s a breakdown of the changes.

Chase Pay Yourself Back Extension

Chase Pay Yourself Back allows cardholders to redeem Ultimate Rewards points at a fixed value of over 1 cent per point (the standard cash back rate) for qualifying purchases. Categories and redemption rates vary by card, with bonus values ​​ranging from 1.1 cents per point to 1.5 cents per point.

Read more: It’s time for Chase to make his popular Pay Yourself Back feature permanent

New reimbursement categories

As of October 1, 2021, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® Cardholders have the option to redeem Ultimate Rewards points at increased value for Airbnb and Awaytravel.com (baggage) purchases up to ” as of March 31, 2022.

Additionally, Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardholders can still use points for qualifying meal purchases up to the same date. This was a previous category on both Sapphire maps, but it was only extended for the Chase Sapphire Reserve® – not the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card.

Read more: Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Sapphire Reserve: How to Choose the Best Travel Rewards Credit Card for You

During this time, Ink Business Preferred® credit card and Ink Business Plus® credit card holders (no longer available to new applicants) can use their points for certain advertising purchases (social media advertising and search engines) until December 31, 2021. Certain previous categories, including shipping, internet, cable and telephone services, have been extended until the same date.

Categories that have not been extended

In addition to losing catering as a category on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card, both Sapphire cards no longer offer grocery or home improvement stores as an exchange option (the Ink Business Preferred® credit card has also lost home improvement stores as a category). These categories were some of the easiest to work with, so removing them makes the Pay Yourself Back program much less appealing to many cardholders.

Read more: Why I don’t regret redeeming Chase Points this year to save over $ 3,500 on my bills, even though I usually keep them for travel

On the Chase Freedom card front, the Pay Yourself Back promotion for meal purchases has also expired. No new categories have been added to the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Chase Freedom Flex℠, Chase Freedom® Student, or the old Chase Chase Freedom® credit card (no longer available to new applicants).

Current Chase Pay Yourself Back Categories

Here’s a summary of the updated Chase Pay Yourself Back categories on each card and the value you’ll get per point when you redeem.

Keep in mind that your Chase Ultimate Rewards points will not expire as long as your account is open and in good standing, so if the current categories don’t make sense to you, there is no harm in keeping your points. for a better exchange.

Read more: How to Earn, Redeem & Maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

There is no right or wrong way to redeem your points, but you’ll generally get the best value for your money if you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred®, or Ink Business Preferred® credit card. When you own one of these cards, you’ll unlock the ability to transfer points to Chase’s airline and hotel partners and potentially get a lot more value when you redeem them for award travel.