Chase Pay Yourself Back Program Guide
If you have a Chase rewards credit card, you may have access to one of the card issuer’s popular redemption options — Chase Pay Yourself Back. Chase introduced the feature in spring 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of lockdowns, cardholders were unable to redeem rewards for travel, so the move gave select Chase cardholders another way to use their points. Chase Pay Yourself Back allows you to use points to pay for all or a portion of qualifying card purchases.
What is Chase Pay Yourself Back?
Chase Pay Yourself Back is another way to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points. You can use points to pay for eligible purchases made with your card within the past 90 days. You don’t need to use points to pay for the entire purchase — you can redeem points and use them to cover part of the purchase cost. The redemption is a statement credit applied to your Chase bill.
The benefit was initially a limited-time offer with select Chase credit cards. Since then, the program has been extended and is considered an ongoing option. Chase continues to tweak the program, which means certain offers have expired or will be expiring soon. The points value for Chase Pay Yourself Back redemptions varies based on the specific Chase card.
Chase Pay Yourself Back categories
Chase Pay Yourself Back categories vary depending on which Chase credit card you have. Eligible categories may include purchases at grocery stores and gas stations, travel purchases, Disney purchases, donations to select charities and to cover your card’s annual fee.
How does Chase Pay Yourself Back work?
Chase Pay Yourself Back is a redemption option within the Chase Ultimate Rewards Program. Cardholders can log into their online account and redeem available Ultimate Rewards points to cover eligible purchases listed under the Chase Pay Yourself Back option. Eligible purchase categories and point values vary between cards and may have different expiration dates.
| Chase Card | Redeem Points For | Point Value | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® | Grocery stores, gas stations, annual fee, donations to select charities | 1.25 - 1.5 cents each | March 31, 2024 |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | Donations to select charities | 1.25 cent each | March 31, 2024 |
| Chase Freedom®, Chase Freedom Flex℠, Chase Freedom Rise℠ Credit Card, Chase Freedom Unlimited® | Donations to select charities | 1.25 cent each | March 31, 2024 |
| Aeroplan® Card | Travel purchases, annual fee | 1.25 cents each | June 30, 2024 |
| Southwest credit cards (personal and business) | Grocery stores (up to $300), annual fee | 0.8 - 1 cent each | Grocery stores: March 31, 2024Annual fee: Ongoing |
| United credit cards (personal and business) | Annual fee | 1.5 - 1.75 cents each | Ongoing |
| Disney® Visa® Credit Card | Disney purchases | 1 cent each | Ongoing |
| Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card,Ink Business Premier® Credit Card,Ink Business Cash® Credit Card,Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card,Ink Plus® Business Credit Card | Donations to select charities | 1.25 cents each | March 31, 2024 |
Charities for Pay Yourself Back
Right now, select Chase cards allow you to use Pay Yourself Back to receive statement credits for donations to select charities. The current promotion runs through March 31, 2024, although Chase could extend it, which it has done in the past. Qualifying donations to the following charities are eligible for Chase’s Pay Yourself Back program:
- American Red Cross
- Equal Justice Initiative
- Feeding America
- GLSEN
- Habitat for Humanity
- International Medical Corps*
- International Rescue Committee*
- Leadership Conference Education Fund
- NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund
- National Urban League
- Out & Equal Workplace Advocates
- SAGE
- Thurgood Marshall College Fund
- United Negro College Fund
- UNICEF USA*
- United Way
- World Central Kitchen*
*Donations to support relief efforts in the Ukraine through these charities are included in the program.
One thing to note is that donations to local chapters of these charities may not qualify as eligible purchases through the Pay Yourself Back program. Donate to the charity’s parent organization to ensure your donations are eligible for Chase statement credits through Pay Yourself Back.
What is the Chase Pay Yourself Back end date?
Chase recently extended most of its Pay Yourself Back promotions through March 31, 2024. This applies primarily to cards that offer Pay Yourself Back statement credits for donations to select charities but also includes all Chase Sapphire Reserve categories and grocery store purchases (up to $300) with Southwest credit cards.
The Aeroplan Credit Card offers Pay Yourself Back statement credits towards travel purchases and annual fees through June 30, 2024. Pay Yourself Back promotions through United and Disney Visa cards appear to be ongoing, but Chase can change the promotion end date at any time.
How to use Pay Yourself Back
Redeeming Ultimate Rewards and other eligible points is a straightforward process.
- Log into your Chase online account or through the Chase mobile app.
- Navigate to the Ultimate Rewards program
- Select your card from your list of card accounts
- Click the “Convert to cash” dropdown menu and select “Pay Yourself Back.”
- Any purchases eligible for Pay Yourself Back from the last 90 days are listed on this page, along with the purchase cost and the amount of points required to cover the full purchase.
- Choose up to 12 eligible purchases per transaction, depending on your points balance.
- Verify your redemption to complete the transaction.
The process is similar for Pay Yourself Back redemptions with Disney Visa, Aeroplan, Southwest and United credit cards. Statement credits should appear on your account within three business days.
If you don’t have enough points, you can redeem credit card points to partially cover eligible purchases. Keep in mind you can only use Pay Yourself Back once per purchase, so you won’t be able to redeem points to cover the rest of the purchase cost later.
Chase Pay Yourself Back vs Cash Back: Which is best?
Chase credit card points are worth one cent per point if you redeem them for cash back. Depending on your Chase card and eligible purchases, you could get up to 1.75 cents per point with Pay Yourself Back.
If you’re able to redeem your points at an elevated rate, Pay Yourself Back is a more lucrative redemption option compared to receiving cash back. The following cards offer Pay Yourself Back redemptions on eligible purchases at a rate higher than the one cent per point received on cash back redemptions.
| Chase Card | Pay Yourself Back Point Value |
|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® | 1.25 - 1.5 cents each |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | 1.25 cents each |
| Chase Freedom®, Chase Freedom Flex℠,Chase Freedom Rise℠ Credit Card,Chase Freedom Unlimited® | 1.25 cents each |
| Aeroplan® Card | 1.25 cents each |
| United credit cards (personal and business) | 1.5 - 1.75 cents each |
| Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card,Ink Business Premier® Credit Card,Ink Business Cash® Credit Card,Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card,Ink Plus® Business Credit Card | 1.25 cents each |
One thing to keep in mind is that only select purchases are eligible for Pay Yourself Back. Some cards are more restrictive than others. If you have purchases outside of the eligible Pay Yourself Back categories, you’re limited to other redemption choices.
Is Chase Pay Yourself Back worth it?
Determining if Chase’s Pay Yourself Back is worth it depends on how you prefer to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Pay Yourself Back points have a value that ranges from 0.8 cents to 1.75 cents, depending on your card.
If you’re eligible for an elevated rate, Pay Yourself Back is a valuable option to consider. Points earned with cards like Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred are worth more when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. They also allow you to transfer points to travel partner programs. Generally, travel redemptions offer more value than statement credits through Pay Yourself Back.