Chase Blueprint Review

Chase Blueprint is a program available to Chase credit card holders that’s designed to help customers pay off their credit card balances.  Ideally you wouldn’t carry a balance at all but the reality is that many people are in credit card debt. 

If you do pay off your balance each month then there really isn’t anything in the Chase Blueprint for you.  On the other hand, if you are carrying a balance on your Chase card you should checkout their Blueprint. Just be aware that simply enrolling in the free program won’t get you out of debt.  You have to follow the steps and stop adding new debt to make a dent in what you owe.

Chase Blueprint Details
The idea behind Chase Blueprint is to help you create a plan for better managing your money — and your debt. Of course everyone’s situation is different so the program has four different features to help you plan and track your debt payments and spending.

• Full Pay
• Split
• Finish It
• Track It

Here are some of the details on each of the Chase Blueprint features:

Full Pay – No interest on recurrent monthly expenses: You can divide your spending into categories. If you have recurring expenses, such as bills that you pay, groceries or gas, you can designate those specific areas as recurring. Then, each month, Chase will tote up those expenses separately from your total spending. As long as you make your Blueprint payment in full (Chase will tell you what that is), you won’t pay interest on those charges. You pay interest only on carried balances and one-time purchases that are not included in your recurring categories.

Split – Target specific purchases: Chase Blueprint also helps you target specific purchases for pay off. If you decide to buy a new TV, and you want to set up a specific plan to have that item paid off in three months, Chase will help you figure out the payment you need to make, and remind you to make it.

Finish It – Pay down a balance: It is also possible, with Blueprint, to create a plan for paying off your balance in a specific time period. You can work out a payment plan that can help you pay off your credit card balance within a year. Chase will figure what payment needs to be made, while at the same time helping you manage your other Blueprint payments for recurring expenses or targeted purchases.

Track It – Budget tracking: You can also use Chase Blueprint to track your budget. Different categories are available so that you can see exactly what you have been spending your money on. This can help you easily see where you might need to make adjustments to your habits, and Chase will even help you stay on track with your spending plan.

Bottom line

Although it’s best not to carry a balance, if you do have credit card debt Chase Blueprint can be a helpful management tool. Like any tool, it’s only effective if you actually use it so you have to stick with your plan.

Those who would benefit most from Chase Blueprint are those who want to pay off some of their recurring expenses each month, but who are not to the point where they can pay off the entire balance at once. The Chase Blueprint program is free but only available on certain Chase credit cards: 

• Chase Sapphire
• Chase Freedom
• Slate from Chase
• Chase Ink

Miranda writes about personal finance almost every day. An experienced freelance writer, she's covered your money online and in print from every angle and is always looking for new ones.

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