Chase Credit Card Points Are Worth up to 50% More on Apple Purchases Right Now
Chase credit cardholders can get great deals on Apple products when using their rewards points, now through Nov. 30.
Whether you were thinking about new AirPods or a new MacBook or iPad for the holidays, your points can be worth from 1.1x to 1.5x on Apple products bought through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® service.
Normally, Chase points can be redeemed for Apple purchases at a value of 1:1, which is the same ratio available when you swap your points for cash or as a statement credit to pay back the card. In other words, 100 points usually equals $1.00.
However, during this special promotional period, in effect from Oct. 15 to Nov. 30, 2022, 100 points can be worth up to $1.50 when used to purchase Apple products. The new MacBook Air M2, for example, could cost around 80,000 points before taxes and shipping (otherwise equivalent to $800) instead of 120,000 points (worth $1,200 in cash back). That’s a potential $400 in savings.
You don’t need to pay for the entire purchase with points, though; you can use however many points you have toward your new Apple device and pay the rest out of your own pocket. For instance, if you have 40,000 points valued at 1.5x, it would be equivalent to $600 when spent at Apple, an additional $200. This means you only need to add $600 for that MacBook Air.
What Chase cards have point bonuses on Apple purchases?
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® and JP Morgan Reserve® cards will have the highest redemption rate, at 1.5x. The redemption rate on Apple products for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® — one of Money's best credit cards overall — and the Chase Ink Plus® and Chase Ink Business Preferred® is 1.25x. These cards are Chase’s more premium offerings, which have hefty annual fees ranging from $95 to $550.
Special Apple bonuses are available for Chase cards with no annual fees too, though they’re not quite as generous with the redemption rate. Cards that usually don’t offer higher redemption rates (but still rank among Money's best cash back cards) have a 1.1x boost — a 10% increase in point value. Customers with the Chase Freedom®, Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Chase Freedom Flex℠, Chase Freedom® Student, Chase Ink Business Cash® or Chase Ink Business Unlimited® will be able to redeem points for 1.1x value.
These high redemption rates are usually reserved for travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, one of the better-known perks of cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® and Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® has a 1.25x redemption rate — 1.25 cents per point — for airline tickets and hotels booked through Ultimate Rewards®. That means each 100 points can be worth $1.25 instead of $1.00. The Chase Sapphire Reserve®, on the other hand, has a 1.5x redemption rate (100 points = $1.50).
And now through the end of November, these special redemption rates for Chase points also apply to Apple products purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.