Quick summary
Chase’s Pay Yourself Back is a flexible Ultimate Rewards redemption option that can increase the value of points for specific purchases. Quarterly categories change, and for Q3 many eligible categories and cards are returning through Sept. 30. Whether it’s a good use of points depends on the card you have, the categories you spend in, and whether you can get more value by transferring points to travel partners instead.
What Pay Yourself Back is
Pay Yourself Back lets eligible Chase cardholders redeem Ultimate Rewards points for statement credits that offset recent purchases. For many cards and categories the redemption rate is higher than Chase’s standard 1¢/point cash-back option and can approach the value you’d get booking travel through Chase or transferring to partners. It’s not usually the absolute maximum value available from transfers, but it’s simple and can be very compelling if the quarter’s categories match your spending.
Which cards and categories are eligible (Q3 highlights)
Most of the current offers listed below are available through Sept. 30. Exact values and eligible purchases vary by card; check your account for live details and any merchant restrictions.
– Chase Sapphire Reserve and J.P. Morgan Reserve Card
– Charitable donations (eligible charities): 1.5 cents per point
– Card annual fee reimbursements: 1.25 cents per point
– Gas stations and public transit: 1.2 cents per point
– Chase Sapphire Preferred
– Charitable donations: 1.25 cents per point
– Pet supply stores, veterinary services and card annual fee: 1.1 cents per point
– Public transit: 1.05 cents per point
– Chase Freedom Flex, Chase Freedom Unlimited, Chase Freedom, Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business
– Charitable donations: 1.25 cents per point
– Ink Business Preferred
– Charitable donations: 1.25 cents per point
– Shipping, internet, cable and phone services: 1.1 cents per point
– Ink Business Cash, Ink Business Premier, Ink Business Unlimited
– Charitable donations: 1.25 cents per point
– Aeroplan Credit Card (persistent categories for 2026)
– Travel purchases (up to 200,000 points or $2,500 annually) and card annual fee (only purchases made at select merchants within 90 days before the redemption request): 1.25 cents per point
– Dining, gas stations, grocery stores (excludes Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs): 0.8 cents per point
– Promotional categories (when available): 0.8 cents per point
– United personal and business credit cards
– Card annual fee reimbursements: about 1.35–1.5 cents per mile (varies by card)
– United airfare purchases of at least $50 made directly with the airline: 1 cent per mile
– Southwest personal and business cards
– Card annual fee reimbursements within 90 days of the transaction date (ongoing perk)
– Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card
– Travel purchases made directly with airlines or Marriott Bonvoy hotels (up to $750 total per year)
– Disney credit cards
– Eligible U.S. Disney locations and certain streaming purchases made in the prior 90 days: 1 Disney Rewards Dollar per $1
– Some Disney Visa cards allow Redemption of Disney Rewards Dollars toward airline purchases in the prior 90 days at a $1 per point rate
Note: Issuer wording and eligibility rules vary across cards. Some cobrand cards limit eligible purchases based on merchant or time window (for example, purchases must be within 90 days). Always review the Pay Yourself Back interface inside your Chase account to see the precise options available to you.
Charities eligible for boosted redemptions
When charities are an eligible Pay Yourself Back category, donations to participating organizations often get a higher cents-per-point value. Examples of included charities (not exhaustive) are:
– Alzheimer’s Association
– American Heart Association
– American Red Cross
– Equal Justice Initiative
– Feeding America
– GLSEN
– Habitat for Humanity
– International Medical Corps
– International Rescue Committee
– Leadership Conference Education Fund
– Make‑A‑Wish America
– 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
How much more value can you get?
Example: Redeeming 10,000 points on a Chase Sapphire Reserve for a regular purchase normally yields a $100 statement credit (1 cent per point when used as simple cash back). If those same 10,000 points are redeemed for an eligible charity donation via Pay Yourself Back at 1.5 cents per point, the credit equals $150. That’s a clear uplift versus a standard cash-out.
How to request a credit
1. Sign into your eligible Chase account in the mobile app or desktop.
2. Open the Ultimate Rewards or redemption menu and select “Pay Yourself Back.”
3. You’ll see eligible purchases from the past 90 days (if applicable) and the cents-per-point value for each option. The portal also indicates when enhanced value applies.
4. Choose the purchase(s) you want to offset, confirm the number of points required, and submit. Statement credits typically post within three business days.
Other statement credit options
Chase also offers a traditional cash-back statement credit option through Ultimate Rewards (“Cash Back”). That option is fixed at 1 cent per point for all accounts. While lower than many Pay Yourself Back rates, 1¢/pt is still better than some issuers’ cash-redemption values.
Where Pay Yourself Back fits in your strategy
– Use Pay Yourself Back when a quarter’s categories align with real spending you’d otherwise make and the redemption value exceeds what you’d get from simple cash back or booking travel through Chase.
– If you can transfer points to airline or hotel partners and extract significantly more value, transfers may still be superior. But transfers require availability and more effort; Pay Yourself Back is instant and predictable.
– If you have a stockpile of points you can’t immediately use for travel, Pay Yourself Back is a good interim option to extract solid value.
Bottom line
Pay Yourself Back is a valuable, flexible tool that can increase the cents-per-point value of Ultimate Rewards for many cardholders, especially when charity or specific merchant categories are offered at boosted rates. Whether it’s the best option for you depends on your card, your spending habits, and whether you can do better via transfers to travel partners. Check the Pay Yourself Back options in your Chase account now and again each quarter — if Q3 categories don’t suit you, new categories may appear in Q4.