How to Use the Chase Credit Card Trifecta to Earn Free Travel

Figuring out how to maximize your credit card rewards can be a ginormous headache. 

But what if you could create a winning team of cards that work together to essentially put your rewards-earning on steroids…while also keeping things as simple and hassle-free as possible?

Enter the Chase Credit Card Trifecta (or the alternative “Power Duo”).

Prepare to have your mind blown.

Key Takeaways

• Credit card trifectas and duos boost rewards by pairing complementary cards.
• The right combination depends on your spending habits and travel goals.
• The Chase Trifecta is the most logical option for most types of travelers. 

What is a Credit Card Trifecta or Power Duo?

Think of it like building your own Avengers squad, but for your wallet. 

You pick two or three cards from the same company, and each card brings its own superpowers to the table. 

When combined, they form an unstoppable force for earning points and miles. 

Whether you’re dreaming of a free beach vacation or just want some extra cash back, the right card combo can help you reach your goals at hyperspeed.

It’s all about mixing and matching to get the best perks possible.

One card might be a superhero for travel, another for dining out, and a third for everyday purchases. 

When used individually, you’re leaving a lot of points and miles on the table. But together, it’s a point-earning machine. 

But earning points faster isn’t the only reason why trifectas are awesome. 

When you have the right combination of cards from the same company, the extra benefits also stack together and your points are way easier to manage all in one place. 

The Chase Credit Card Trifecta

Let me start by saying that there is no one right way to do this. 

That’s because everyone’s goals and spending patterns are unique, and there are A LOT of Chase cards to choose from these days. 

However, there is one common Chase Trifecta that is kinda the one-size-fits-all best option for most travelers. 

It includes these three glorious cards:

1. Chase Sapphire Reserve® OR Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
2. Chase Freedom Flex® Card
3. Chase Freedom Unlimited® Card

Here’s why this combo is so powerful…

Card #1 – Pick your Sapphire

For travel lovers, the Sapphire Reserve and Preferred cards are heaven…but you can only choose one. 

The Sapphire Reserve comes with a $550 annual fee, which can be tough to swallow, but it also includes an annual $300 travel credit, free lounge access, insurance coverage, and a bunch of other perks and credits. 

If you actually use all those perks and credits, then the Reserve is kind of a no-brainer. But if you don’t use all the credits, then the Sapphire Preferred makes more sense with a much more manageable $95 fee.

(Note: Whichever you choose, the welcome offer you can earn when opening either card FAR outweighs the annual fee for the first year).

The Reserve offers 3x points per dollar on travel and dining. And the Preferred offers 3x points on dining and 2x on travel. I don’t know about you, but I spend a LOT on travel and dining, so these points add up fast. 

Also, neither of these cards have foreign transaction fees, so you can use them abroad without getting charged pesky fees. 

Lastly, one of the most important reasons why one of these two Sapphire cards should be in your trifecta is because it opens up the option of transferring your Chase Ultimate Rewards point to their airline and hotel partners.

When you do this, you get even MORE bang for each point.

Card #2 – Chase Freedom Flex

The superpower of the Freedom Flex is that you can earn 5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories like grocery stores, gas, Walmart, and even Amazon (on up to $1,500 in combined purchases).

I don’t wanna state the obvious here, but that means you’ll be racking up points FIVE TIMES AS FAST with a card that has zero annual fee.

In this strategy, the only time you’d ever use this card is when you’re buying something in one of these rotating categories. 

Card #3 – Chase Freedom Unlimited

So far in our master plan, we’re using our Sapphire Preferred (or Reserve) card to earn extra points on travel and dining, and we’re using our Freedom Flex card to get 5x points on rotating categories. 

But what about everything else?

That’s what the Freedom Unlimited is for. 

Without the Freedom Unlimited, you’d be stuck with a boring 1x point per dollar on all other purchases. But once you add the Freedom Unlimited to your trifecta, you’ll start getting 1.5x points per dollar on all those other random purchases. 

This might not sound like a big difference, but let me tell you…it adds up fast.

Plus, this card also has no annual fee, so…why not?

How to set up your trifecta

Ok, now that we know why the trifecta is so powerful, here’s how to set it up for yourself.

Step 1: Pick three Chase cards that fit your spending and travel habits — the ones I mentioned will be best for most people, but feel free to browse all Chase cards to create your own magical combo.

Step 2: Apply for them (not all at once – space it out!). I would start with the Sapphire family (Reserve or Preferred), especially if you want to use it for travel perks. The Sapphire Preferred is considered by many to be the best travel credit card for beginners.

Step 3: Use each card strategically to rack up those sweet, sweet points. If you use the trifecta above, you just have to remember:

• Sapphire Reserve/Preferred for dining and travel (including ride-share)
• Freedom Flex for rotating categories
• Freedom Unlimited for everything else

Bringing Your Points Together

Now for the fun part – pooling those points! 

Each card will earn points separately, but you can combine them all together in the Chase Travel℠ portal.

I recommend pooling everything under your Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Preferred account. 

There’s two advantages to pooling them there:

1. You’ll be able to redeem them for extra value when booking flights, hotels, and car rentals through the Chase Travel℠ portal (1.5 cents per point if you have the Reserve card, and 1.25 cents per point with the Preferred card).
2. You’ll be able to transfer those points to Chase’s travel partners, which allows you to squeeze even more value out of each point. 

This Chase Trifecta isn’t right for everyone

Like I said, you can’t really go wrong with this trifecta. It has all your bases covered to earn mega points, and it allows you to take advantage of airline and hotel partners for juicy redemption deals.

But if you have a really weird life situation (like me), it might not make sense.

For example, I spend 99% of my time outside of the US, and the Chase Freedom cards (Card #2 and #3) both have foreign transaction fees. So this setup doesn’t work for me because all the points I’d earn with the Freedom cards would essentially be canceled out by these fees.

If you’re interested in my go to strategy as someone who lives abroad, check out my guide on the best two credit card strategy for travelers. (Btw, this is also a solid strategy even if you live in the US, but their are pros and cons compared to the trifecta, which I cover in the article).

The strategy I use isn’t a trifecta because it involves two different banks. 

But if you want a simple-yet-insanely-powerful two-card strategy that does use the same bank, keep reading.

The Capital One Dynamic Duo (A Chase Trifecta alternative)

If the idea of juggling three credit cards sounds like too much for you, here’s a simpler option…

It follows the same idea as the trifecta, but with just two cards:

1. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
2. Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Card #1 – Venture X Card

The Venture X is somewhat comparable to the Sapphire Reserve above. 

Both are premium travel cards, with premium perks, with high annual fees. 

That said, the Venture X’s $395 is really easy to justify. 

That’s because every year, you get a free $300 travel credit plus 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100+) — so it immediately wipes out that annual fee. 

Then everything else is like the cherry on top, like insurance protection and lounge access worldwide (this is a gamechanger for travel days).

The Venture X also has a super simple miles-earning structure — you basically earn 2x miles per dollar on everything. 

Card #2 – SavorOne Cash Rewards Card

Now, meet its perfect match – the SavorOne Cash Rewards Card. 

This little gem has no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.

Plus, it’s offer 3x earning rates in different spending areas, like dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and grocery stores.

Normally, this is a cash-back card. But if you pair it with the Venture X, you can convert your SavorOne cash back into Capital One miles for even more value. 

How to Set Up Your Capital One Duo

Similar to the trifecta, but simpler.

Step 1: Apply for both cards (again…space them out!). I recommend the Venture X first to start using the travel benefits ASAP.

Step 2: Use the SavorOne card for dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and grocery stores. Use the Venture X for everything else (and for epic travel perks).

With this duo, you are earning a MINIMUM of 2 miles on every dollar you spend. 

And when you factor in the annual credits and bonus miles on the Venture X, you’re essentially paying nothing for these two cards. 

So there you have it, two beastly strategies to rack up points and miles ASAP to earn your next free vacation 🙂

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by products. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.