The Best Chase Credit Cards of 2011

It seems that every time we talk about a big signup bonus, it’s from one of the Chase credit cards: 2011 brought us the Southwest 2 free flights deal, British Airways’ 100k miles, and the Chase Sapphire’s 50,000 points. So if you’re looking for a killer rewards deal, a Chase card is probably your best bet. Whether you want to earn some travel rewards, rack up airline miles, or just avoid annual and foreign transaction fees, our list of the best Chase credit cards will help you find what you’re looking for.

Best Card for Travel: Chase Sapphire Preferred

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the top travel credit cards, mostly for its killer 50,000-point signup bonus, worth up to $600. It also offers 2 points per dollar on travel and dining purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. The travel category includes airfare, hotels, cruises, taxis, rental cars and train tickets. As is the case with all Chase rewards cards, there’s no point cap and the points never expire. You’ll also get a 7% annual point dividend on all new points earned, even if you’ve already redeemed them. Redeem your points through the Ultimate Rewards website and they’ll be worth 20% more. There’s no foreign transaction fee, which is always an important perk for world travelers. Plus, the $95 annual fee is waived for the first year, and there’s no penalty for transferring points to other frequent traveler programs.

Best No-Fee Card: Chase Freedom

The Chase Freedom credit card seems to up its signing bonus every five minutes, and it always offers decent rewards for a card with no annual fee. As of September, they’re offering $100 cash back when you spend $500 or more in the first three months. You also get 5% back on up to $1,500 spent in rotating bonus categories that change each quarter. Through September, it’s gas, hotels and airlines. For October through December, it’s movie theaters, dining, department stores and charities. You’ll get an unlimited 1% back on all other purchases, and up to 10% back when you shop through the Chase website. The 0% intro APR for the first six months is a nice touch too. After that, it varies from 11.99% to 22.99%. That’s a crazy-wide range, so it may or may not be a good deal depending on your credit score. However, if you’re paying off your balance in full each month anyway, it won’t matter.

Best Business Card: Ink Classic and Ink Cash

The Chase Ink credit cards are some of the best business credit cards around. They’re more or less the same, except for two slight differences. The Ink Cash pays out in, you guessed it, cash, while the Ink Classic pays Ultimate Rewards points, which we think have the same value as cash.

And while both cards give 5% back for first $25,000 you spend annually on office supplies, wireless services, landline communications, and cable services as well as 2% back on gas, the Classic also gives 2% back on lodging while the Cash gives 2% back on dining out. The 2% rewards are also subject to a $25,000 cap. We recommend the Ink Cash for entertainers and the Ink Classic for travelers.

Both offer the equivalent of $150 back after your first purchase, and an additional $100 back when you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months. The 0% intro APR for the first 6 months is great for brand new businesses that need to make a lot of large purchases upfront.

Best Hotel Card: Ritz-Carlton

The Ritz-Carlton credit card is definitely worth your while if you spend a lot of time in their hotels, even with its hefty $395 annual fee. When you use the card for the first time, you’ll get 50,000 rewards points – that’s enough for one complimentary night’s stay. Even better, you’ll always get a $100 hotel credit for dining and recreational services for every two nights or longer you stay at the hotel. The card also comes with cool travel perks like complimentary airport lounge access and a $200 annual credit toward “airline incidentals” (baggage fees, in-flight meals and the like). But we haven’t even mentioned the snazzy rewards program yet: 5% back for each $1 of net purchases charged to your guest room, 2% points for each $1 of net purchases from airlines, car rentals, and dining, and 1% per $1 spent elsewhere. 5% back is much better than most hotel credit cards. Typically, these cards give at most 3-4%.