Making the Most of the Chase Freedom Unlimited

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a chameleon in the credit card world: Adaptability is its superpower.

Depending on how you redeem your rewards, it can be a cash-back card or a travel card. And based on how you use it, it can be an "everything" card or a lively complement to the other cards in your wallet.

You don't need to change your spending habits to make the most of the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. You just need to earn more rewards, and redeem your rewards for a good value. Here's how.

Take advantage of the sign-up perks

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® earns 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase; 3% back at restaurants; 3% back on drugstore purchases; and 1.5% on all other purchases. For a $0-annual-fee cash back card, that's a rich offer. And the rewards are even more lucrative with the card's welcome offer available via NerdWallet: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

Note: When you apply for the Chase Freedom Unlimited® directly through Chase, you’ll get a different sign-up bonus.

And if you’re planning to make a large purchase or pay down debt, use the card's long 0% APR period on purchases and balance transfers to do so without interest. You'll get an introductory APR of 0% intro APR on purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months, and then the ongoing APR of 20.49%-29.24% Variable APR.

» MORE: Benefits of the Chase Freedom Unlimited

Shop through Chase’s bonus mall

The rewards you earn on the Chase Freedom Unlimited® come in the form of Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, which are worth 1 cent apiece when redeemed for cash back.

Before you buy something online, check out Chase’s bonus mall. A good deal could effectively triple your rewards rate. (Here's how bonus malls work.)

Generally, Chase will add the points you earn through its bonus mall to the points you earn on your card.

Typically, bonus mall merchants don't let you earn extra points on shipping or gift cards, and the deals can't be combined with other coupons. Other times, you can earn extra points only on select products. Make sure you know exactly what's being offered before you click "Buy Now."

Transfer points to a Sapphire card

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a good stand-alone card, but it's even better as a sidekick — especially if it's a sidekick to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Chase lets you transfer points among Ultimate Rewards® accounts, effectively allowing you to take advantage of the Sapphire cards' superior redemption options, even if you made your original purchases on the Chase Freedom Unlimited®.

Here’s how you move points:

1. Log in to your account at Chase.com and click on the arrow in the "Rewards" panel on the right-hand side of the page. This gets you to the Ultimate Rewards® home page. If you have multiple Chase cards, you'll be asked to choose the specific card account.

2. Click the 'Earn/Use' tab in the upper left of the Ultimate Rewards® page. A drop-down menu should appear.

3. Click “Combine points” from the drop-down menu. This takes you to a form for transferring your points. According to Chase's terms, you can move points only to a card that you own, or one that belongs to “one member of your household."

4. Tell Chase where you want to transfer your points, and how many points you’re transferring, and submit the online form. Afterward, you’ll get a confirmation notice, and your points will appear in your other account right away.

Ultimate Rewards® points are usually worth 1 cent apiece, including when you redeem for cash back on the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. But if you transfer them and redeem them for travel booked through Chase, they're worth 1.25 cents each with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and 1.5 cents with the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

You can also boost your redemption value by moving your points again to one of the Sapphire cards' many loyalty program partners at a 1:1 ratio. Partners include United, Southwest, British Airways, Marriott, Hyatt and many others.

» MORE: What is the 'Chase trifecta'?

How to redeem rewards on the Chase Freedom Unlimited®

To redeem rewards on the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, hover over "Earn/Use" tab on the Ultimate Rewards® home page. You'll see that same drop-down menu listing several options. Here are some of the best choices:

• “Cash Back”: You can opt for statement credit (that is, a credit that covers part of your bill) or direct deposit into a bank account.

• “Gift Cards”: Select a gift card for the store of your choice, and get 1 cent for each point. Gift cards start at 500 points for $5.

• “Travel”: Book a trip through Chase's travel portal and get 1 cent per point. (You'd get more if you transferred your points to one of the Sapphire cards.)

Avoid the "Pay With Points" option, which lets you use your points to shop on Amazon.com or through PayPal. While convenient, it gets you only 0.8 cents per point. You'd be better off going for an Amazon.com gift card instead.