Guide to Chase’s Pay Yourself Back

If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you probably already know that you can increase the value of your Chase Ultimate Rewards points by redeeming them for travel booked through Ultimate Rewards. But many Chase cardholders are unaware that they can also increase the value of their rewards through Chase’s Pay Yourself Back program.

Chase’s Pay Yourself Back feature allows cardholders to increase the value of their Ultimate Rewards by redeeming points or cash back for statement credits toward popular spending categories, including groceries, gas, dining and charitable donations.

Want to know more about Chase’s Pay Yourself Back program? We’ve put together a guide to help you navigate Chase’s bonus categories and maximize your savings.

What is Chase’s Pay Yourself Back feature?

Chase’s Pay Yourself Back program allows consumer and business cardholders to increase the value of their Chase Ultimate Rewards by redeeming points or cash back for statement credits in select spending categories.

To qualify for Pay Yourself Back, purchases must have been made within the past 90 days, and bonus categories are subject to change — which gives cardholders an incentive to maximize their rewards through frequent redemptions.

Many bonus category promotions have been extended over the past few years, and we’ll note the current expiration dates further below.

Which cards allow Pay Yourself Back?

If you have one or more of the following Chase credit cards, you can use Pay Yourself Back to increase the value of your rewards:

• Chase Freedom Flex℠*
• Chase Freedom Unlimited®*
• Chase Freedom®* (not open to new applicants)
• Chase Freedom® Student credit card*
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
• Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
• Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
• Ink Business Plus® Credit Card* (not open to new applicants)
• Aeroplan® Credit Card*
• All co-branded Chase Southwest Airlines credit cards

Which purchases can you pay yourself back on?

Chase’s Pay Yourself Back categories differ depending on what type of Chase credit card is in your wallet. Here’s a breakdown of how each family of Chase cards rewards Pay Yourself Back purchases, plus their varying expiration dates.

Chase Sapphire cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred

With the Chase Sapphire Preferred, get a 25 percent boost on eligible Pay Yourself Back charity redemptions through Dec. 31, 2023. You can also redeem toward gas station and grocery redemptions at a rate of 1 cent per point through March 31, 2023.

H4: Chase Sapphire Reserve

As for the Chase Sapphire Reserve, get a 50 percent boost on eligible Pay Yourself Back charity redemptions (also through Dec. 31, 2023). Further, you can get a 25 percent boost on gas station and grocery redemptions, as well as annual membership fees, through March 31, 2023.

Chase Freedom cards

If you have the Chase Freedom, Freedom Flex, Freedom Unlimited or Freedom Student credit card, your points are worth 25 percent more when you redeem them for donations at select charitable organizations. This offer is available through Dec. 31, 2023.

Chase Ink Business cards

Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited

If you have the Ink Business Cash or Business Unlimited, you can get a 10 percent rewards boost on past internet, cable, phone and shipping purchases through March 31, 2023.

Ink Business Preferred and Ink Business Plus

Ink Business Preferred and Business Plus credit card holders get a 25 percent boost on past internet, cable, phone and shipping purchases, also through March 31, 2023.

Co-branded Southwest Airlines credit cards

If you own one or more of the following co-branded Southwest credit cards, you can earn .8 cents per point toward past dining purchases through March 31, 2023, plus 1 cent per point on your annual membership fee:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

Aeroplan card

Aeroplan® Credit Card holders get a 25 percent boost on past eligible travel purchases through Dec. 31, 2023.

How does Pay Yourself Back work?

If you want to increase the value of your Ultimate Rewards points through Pay Yourself Back, start by logging in to your Chase account or opening the Chase mobile app. From there, go to Chase Ultimate Rewards and select the Pay Yourself Back redemption option.

If you made any purchases in the past 90 days that are eligible for Pay Yourself Back, Chase will give you the opportunity to redeem your Ultimate Rewards points for statement credits against those purchases.

Remember, your points increase in value when redeemed through Pay Yourself Back. So if you made an eligible $1,000 purchase with your Chase Sapphire Preferred, the 25 percent value boost means you’ll be able to redeem those points for $125 in qualifying statement credits.

The bottom line

Chase’s Pay Yourself Back program allows select Chase cardholders to increase the value of their rewards when redeeming them for purchases in popular categories (while simultaneously lowering their credit card bill).

If you have an eligible Chase card in your wallet, try and take advantage of Pay Yourself Back before the categories expire.

*The information about the Chase Freedom® Student credit card, Chase Freedom Flex, Chase Freedom Unlimited, Chase Freedom, Ink Business Plus Credit Card and Aeroplan Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.