The best Chase credit cards for earning rewards and getting out of debt

Chase credit cards offer distinct rewards for cash-back enthusiasts and travelers, as well as buzzed-about card designs. When the Chase Sapphire Reserve® launched in 2016 with a metal card design, so many people applied that there was a shortage of the metal needed to make the card.

Many Chase cards regularly make headlines when new changes are made, such as when Chase added DoorDash benefits to select cards and made updates to the Chase Freedom® cash-back calendar.

Whether you're looking to earn rewards, pay off debt, travel or simplify business expenses, there's a Chase credit card for you.

Below, CNBC Select breaks down the best Chase credit cards into seven categories so you can open the best card based on your spending habits.

Who's this for? Consumers who want a simple rewards program that doesn't require much optimization should consider the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. If you want to maximize rewards within the first few months of account opening, there's a generous welcome bonus: earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back! Cardholders earn 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery service), and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on Chase travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

While the Chase Freedom Unlimited card has a different cash-back program from the Freedom Flex card, it also has no annual fee and special financing. You can benefit from a 0% intro APR for the first 15 months from account opening on new purchases and balance transfers (after, 20.49% - 29.24% variable APR). There's an intro balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, on transfers made within 60 days of account opening. After that, it's either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

Who's this for? Frequent travelers can benefit from a competitive rewards program and more value on travel redemptions with the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card. Cardholders earn 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3X points on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X on all other purchases for a reasonable $95 annual fee.

Plus, you can earn a welcome bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Points are worth 25% more when redeemed toward airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through the Chase Travel℠.

The Sapphire Preferred also allows you to transfer your Chase points to Chase's airline and hotel partners, including United, British Airways, World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy and more. If you transfer to the right partner and want to book luxury travel, you can get huge value from your points.

Aside from rewards, cardholders can benefit from a variety of travel perks, such as a $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, no foreign transaction fee, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver, baggage delay insurance and trip delay reimbursement.

If you're looking for a luxury travel card with enhanced rewards and benefits, check out the Chase Sapphire Reserve® below.

Who's this for? The Chase Sapphire Reserve is the beefed-up version of the Sapphire Preferred card, with more robust rewards and benefits programs that are suitable for people looking to travel in luxury. Cardholders earn 5X points on flights and 10X points on hotels and car rentals when purchased through Chase Travel℠. They also earn 3X points on other travel and dining and 1X point on all other purchases.

You'll also receive a $300 annual statement credit to apply to qualifying travel expenses, such as airfare, hotels, tolls and more. This credit can help you upgrade to an extra-space seat or offset the cost of staying another night at a hotel.

Another benefit for frequent fliers is a statement credit of up to $100 every four years for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees. And if you want to relax before a flight, the Sapphire Reserve's complimentary Priority Pass Select membership gives you access to more than 1,000 airport lounges worldwide with free amenities, such as Wi-Fi, snacks and beverages.

Points are worth 50% more when redeemed toward airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. When it comes to lodging, you can book through the Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection to take advantage of upgrades upon arrival, complimentary breakfast for two, flexible check-in times, extra amenities and special discounts (upon availability).

Keep in mind the Sapphire Reserve has a steep $550 annual fee, which is in line with other premium credit cards and can be offset by the numerous statement credit offers. Though that doesn't mean it makes sense for everyone. If you want a lower annual fee, consider the Sapphire Preferred ($95 a year).

Who's this for? If you're looking to maximize cash back in a variety of rotating categories, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ may be the card for you. (Learn more about how Chase classifies bonus category purchases.)

In addition to rotating rewards, you can earn 5% cash back on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal, 3% cash back on dining at restaurants and at drug stores and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Beyond rewards, you can take advantage of no annual fee and a competitive no-interest intro period for the first 15 months from account opening on new purchases and balance transfers (after, 20.49% - 29.24% variable APR). There's an intro balance transfer fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, on transfers made within 60 days of account opening. After that it's either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.

The Freedom card also provides select partner benefits, such as 5% cash back on Lyft purchases through March 2025 and complimentary three months of DashPass, plus 50% off for the next nine months when you activate by December 2024. This perk provides you with free delivery on DoorDash orders over $12 and lower service fees.

If you don't want to deal with rotating bonus categories and rewards activation, consider the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, our pick for best no-annual-fee Chase card.

Who's this for? Small business owners have a lot on their plate, but expenses can be simplified with a small business card, such as the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card. This card has no annual fee and allows you to open employee cards at no additional cost with the ability to set individual spending limits.

All purchases made by you and your employees earn cash back geared toward common business expenses: Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year (then 1%) as well as 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year (then 1%). All other purchases earn 1% cash back.

The Ink Business Cash Credit Card provides helpful travel perks, such as a 3% foreign transaction fee, auto rental collision damage waiver and trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance.

This card also comes with purchase protection and extended warranty protection.

Who's this for? The Ink Business Preferred Credit Card is ideal for business owners who want to earn valuable Ultimate Rewards points on common business expenses. Cardholders earn 3X points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in the following categories each account anniversary year: travel; shipping purchases; internet, cable and phone services; and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines. All other purchases earn 1X point per dollar.

This card comes with a generous welcome bonus of 100,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, points are worth 25% more when redeemed through the Chase Travel^SM, making the 100,000-point bonus worth at least $1,250 towards travel. You can also transfer points earned with the Ink Preferred to Chase's travel partners.

There is a $95 annual fee, but the card comes with helpful perks that can help offset it, such as zero foreign transaction fees, auto rental collision damage waiver, trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance and free employee cards. Cardholders also get cell phone protection, which covers up to $1,000 per claim against covered theft or damage for you and your employees listed on your monthly cell phone bill when you pay with your card.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit card products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best Chase credit cards

To determine which credit cards offer the best value for various categories, CNBC Select analyzed Chase credit cards available in the U.S. We compared each card on a range of features, including rewards, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR, balance transfer fee and foreign transaction fees, as well as factors such as required credit and customer reviews when available. We also considered additional perks, the application process and how easy it is for the consumer to redeem points.

Select teamed up with location intelligence firm Esri. The company's data development team provided the most up-to-date and comprehensive consumer spending data based on the 2019 Consumer Expenditure Surveys from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can read more about their methodology here.

Esri's data team created a sample annual budget of approximately $22,126 in retail spending. The budget includes six main categories: groceries ($5,174), gas ($2,218), dining out ($3,675), travel ($2,244), utilities ($4,862) and general purchases ($3,953). General purchases include items such as housekeeping supplies, clothing, personal care products, prescription drugs and vitamins, and other vehicle expenses.

Select used this budget to estimate how much the average consumer would save over the course of a year, two years and five years, assuming they would attempt to maximize their rewards potential by earning all welcome bonuses offered and using the card for all applicable purchases. All rewards total estimations are net the annual fee.

While the five-year estimates we've included are derived from a budget similar to the average American's spending, you may earn a higher or lower return depending on your shopping habits.

Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money, and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.