Ultimate Question

29

When shopping through the Ultimate Rewards Mall, do you have to use your Chase credit card?

 

I get this question all of the time in response to my posts.  I frequently write about ways to leverage the Ultimate Rewards Mall to meet minimum spend (on any card), and to double-dip (by buying and then using gift cards).  These schemes are dependent on the answer to the above question.

The answer is NO.

You do not have to use a Chase credit card in order to earn points in the Ultimate Rewards Mall. 

I have used American Express credit cards and gift cards many times to purchase items when going through the Ultimate Rewards Mall and I’ve always received the points I expected. In fact, I’ve earned over 100,000 points from the Ultimate Rewards mall and very few of those points came from purchases made with Chase credit cards.

One point of confusion is that the Ultimate Rewards Mall suggests that you need to use your card. When you click through to a store, the mall shows a message saying “Check out with your Chase card and your extra points will automatically appear on your statement.” Note that it does not say that you must check out with your Chase card.

Another point of confusion comes from Chase itself. When people contact Chase with issues regarding the UR Mall, it is common for the Chase reps to say that using a Chase credit card is required. Not all reps have this understanding, however. Recently, for example, one reader succeeded in getting a Chase rep to award him bonus points for a purchase that wasn’t automatically posted. He had used a gift card, not a Chase card, for that purchase.

CAUTION: The risk with using a card other than your Chase card is in trying to get help when something goes wrong. If you are not awarded points or are awarded too few points you may be out of luck when contacting Chase for help.  In other words, shop at your own risk.

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