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How to use the chase travel portal.
One of the many perks of using a Chase branded credit card is the opportunity to earn and redeem points for travel-related purchases. What’s more, did you know that you could maximize your points value and reap even more rewards points by booking through the Chase Travel portal?
To make the most of your purchases for travel, you can book your flights, hotels and more through the Chase Travel portal.
To help you navigate the rewards program, we’ll go over:
How to earn and redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points
Accessing the chase travel portal.
- How to book flights through the Chase Travel portal
Booking hotels through the Chase Travel portal
How to book rental cars, cruises and other types of travel.
- The benefits of booking travel in the Chase Travel portal
- Additional tips and tricks for the Chase Travel portal
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are earned by using your Chase branded card on everyday purchases. When you use your Chase card(s), you can also earn points by making purchases on:
- Paid reservations
- Restaurant bookings
- Hotel reservations
Depending on the Chase credit card you use, you can be eligible for a wide range of perks and rewards. All Chase family cards, such as Freedom ® , Sapphire ® and Ink ® , earn points that can be redeemed on the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.
To access the portal, go to the booking platform at www.chasetravel.com or login to your Chase Ultimate Rewards account and go to your Chase credit card’s main dashboard.
Next, click on the “Earn/Use” button where the number of points you have is listed. Choose “Travel” from the options listed, and this will take you to the travel portal.
How to book flights through Chase Travel portal
Rather than making your flight purchases externally, book your flights using the Chase Travel portal so you can get rewards on airfare. To do this, access the travel portal and search for the flight you want. You can filter your search by cost, airline, departure/arrival time and departure airport.
Once you’ve found the flight of your choice, select your option and purchase your flight using your Chase card. If you have Ultimate Rewards points available, you can use them to pay for all or part of your flight, and/or other travel-related purchases.
Similar to flights, you can redeem your Ultimate Rewards for hotel reservations. To do this, search by destination to see available hotels. You can narrow your search by filtering for price/amenities/ratings, type of property, number of bedrooms, neighborhood and more.
Select your hotel option, then continue to confirm your booking using your Chase card or redeeming your Ultimate Rewards to help make your purchases.
You can use the portal to book rental cars, activities and other travel-related purchases. To book a cruise line, you need to call directly.
For car rentals, be sure to use the appropriate points connected to your specific card to get additional perks, such as car insurance.
The benefits of booking travel in Chase Travel portal
Travel costs can add up easily, but if you’re using the portal to redeem your points, you are giving your points good use with certain cards. On the other hand, using the portal could also help you earn more points on your purchases. For example, you can get even more points on flights if you book through portal. These points can later be redeemed on your future travels.
Chase Travel portal summary
No matter where your next adventure takes you, use the Chase Travel portal to book hotels, flights and more. Earning points through the portal can unlock future opportunities for you to take trips in one platform.
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Table of Contents
Who can use Chase's travel portal?
How to use chase's travel portal, other things you can do in chase's portal, chase travel contact options, chase's travel portal can be lucrative.
Chase Ultimate Rewards® points are among the most useful rewards you can earn. When it comes time to redeem them, you will be directed to Chase's travel portal. This is where you can book flights, hotels and rental cars with points, redeem them for merchandise and gift cards, or transfer points to other programs.
Should you redeem points to pay for a trip instead of using cash or transfer them to a loyalty program partner to get better value? You'll need to do a little homework to find the right answer as each situation is different.
Chase points are the currency you earn when using cards like Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® . They are superior in many ways to other point currencies because you earn more than one penny in value per point with these two cards. For example, when redeeming through Chase's travel portal, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® will net you 1.5 cents in value per point and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card will net you 1.25 cents in value per point. When you transfer to a partner, your per-point-value may be even greater.
With the travel portal, you can redeem points to pay for an entire trip or you can use a mix of points and cash to cover a travel booking. You can also pay all in cash, earning 5 to 10 points per $1 spent, depending on the card you have. Using points for travel is the most valuable way to extract value from Chase Ultimate Rewards® for most people.
It's an efficient website, but some irritants snag even savvy travelers. Let's dig into Chase's travel portal's good and bad. You'll find that it is mostly good, if not great.
Chase cards vary in earning and redemption benefits so you will want to pay attention to which one you use, especially if you have more than one card. The most valuable cards earn Ultimate Rewards® points, but some Chase cards, like the United℠ Explorer Card , earn miles or points in that co-branded program (in this example, United MileagePlus miles ).
Let’s review the cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards®, with the most rewarding cards first. Keep in mind that if you have more than one of these cards, you can move points between Chase Ultimate Rewards® accounts to redeem them from an account that delivers more cents per point in value.
These cards earn Chase Ultimate Rewards® and provide access to Chase's travel portal:
Chase Sapphire Reserve® .
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card .
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card .
Chase Freedom Unlimited® .
Chase Freedom Flex℠ .
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card .
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card .
Chase Freedom Rise Credit Card.
There is an important perk to remember if you have multiple cards. Since the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card offers 1.5 cents in value per point and the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offer 1.25 cents in value, it is best to redeem points from these accounts rather than any other Chase card. c
If you have one of those two premium cards and another Chase card (like Chase Freedom Unlimited® , for example), you can move your Ultimate Rewards® points from the Chase Freedom Unlimited® account to a premium card’s account (like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card).
This strategy allows you to unlock half a cent more in value in seconds. It’s one of the best benefits of Ultimate Rewards® when you have a premium card and one of its no-fee cards.
Want to earn a bunch of points quickly to make a redemption? The sign-up bonuses on these cards can rake in extra points if you meet the terms and conditions.
on Chase's website
• 5 points per $1 on travel booked through Chase.
• 3 points per $1 on dining (including eligible delivery services and takeout), select streaming services and online grocery purchases (not including Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs).
• 2 points per $1 on other travel.
• 1 point per $1 on other purchases.
Point value in Chase's travel portal: 1.25 cents apiece.
• 10 points per $1 on Chase Dining, hotel stays and car rentals purchased through Chase.
• 5 points per $1 on air travel purchased through Chase.
• 3 points per $1 on other travel and dining not booked with Chase.
Point value in Chase's travel portal: 1.5 cents apiece.
• In the first year, 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase, 4.5% cash back on drugstores and restaurants, and 3% on all other purchases on up to $20,000 in spending.
• After that, 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase, 3% cash back at drugstores and restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
Point value in Chase's travel portal: 1 cent apiece.
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
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!
Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now
Here’s a primer on what you can and cannot do with Ultimate Rewards® points.
Log in to your account, then navigate to the Chase Ultimate Rewards® tab on the right of the screen. If you have more than one card that earns this currency, you can see each balance and select the account from which you want to redeem points.
Once you select the card, you’ll be taken to a homepage that shows the points you have earned and how you can redeem them. We recommend sticking to travel redemptions rather than using points for merchandise as the value diminishes significantly with the latter.
Select the "Travel" tab at the top of the screen. From here, you can decide whether to transfer points to a partner or redeem them as cash for a trip.
One of the best perks of using this travel portal to make a points redemption is that you still earn frequent flyer miles on most airline tickets since these are booked as a revenue ticket (not as an award redemption like when using airline miles to book a flight).
How to book award flights in Chase's travel portal
This is one of the more popular features of using points, but keep in mind that Expedia operates Chase's portal on the back end. It doesn't feature all airlines, which can frustrate travelers searching for a flight. Even if you find a flight on an airline's website or third-party booking site, it doesn't mean it will be available at Chase.
Enter the relevant details in the search bar to find a flight. Results can be filtered by stops, airline or price. Another benefit of this portal is that you aren't subject to award seat availability in the same way you might be when redeeming miles through an airline's program.
If there is a seat that could be bought with cash, you can usually redeem points for it. Plain and simple.
Compare how many miles you would need if booking directly with the airline with what Chase is charging.
If it would cost fewer points to book directly with the airline, you’ll want to use miles instead. For example, Delta co-branded American Express cardholders can often redeem their miles like cash on Delta’s website (at 1 cent per mile’s value). That’s just average, but if it is cheaper than what Chase is charging, consider that the better option. But don’t forget that airlines will add on taxes and fees when redeeming miles . Airfare booked with Chase Ultimate Rewards® points don't have additional costs tacked on — these are already bundled into the fare.
Another important note is that some low-cost airlines like Allegiant don't appear in search results. If you want to travel on a budget airline, then you'll need to visit those websites to compare fares.
You can pay in cash, points or a combination. Chase will display particular details about your fare, like whether assigned seats or checked bags are included. This may not take into account any elite status perks you hold.
How to book hotels in Chase's travel portal
You can also redeem points for hotel stays using Ultimate Rewards® points. This is great news, especially when staying at hotels where you may not have elite status or don't care about elite perks or points earned.
Keep in mind that when making a reservation outside a hotel’s official reservation channels, you won’t earn points in its program or be able to take advantage of elite status benefits. So if you have status with a hotel chain, this isn't the best value unless you are willing to forgo those benefits.
Making a reservation is straightforward. Enter the city and travel dates to see a list of hotels available for redemption. Then, you can redeem points or pay in cash for your trip.
Like with flights, compare the cost of Chase Ultimate Rewards® points with the number of points a hotel’s program is charging. A particular favorite is World of Hyatt, which still uses an award chart and, as a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards®, can often deliver more favorable deals when using Hyatt’s points rather than Chase points.
For example, it would cost about 9,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points to redeem a night at Hyatt Place London Heathrow Airport. But, if you transfer points to World of Hyatt, you would need 5,000 points for the same night’s stay.
One of the booking tabs also leads to the Chase Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection . This subset of high-end hotels delivers bonus perks like free breakfast, a $100 hotel credit and room upgrades, depending on the property and other things.
You can book directly through Chase or redeem points and be eligible. It’s nice to have elite status-style perks at a hotel where you may not have status or that doesn't have a loyalty program.
How to book car rentals in Chase's travel portal
This is a great place to reserve rental cars using points, and Chase rental car insurance benefits apply when using the card and paying with points. But, for that to be the case, you will want to pay for part of the rental in cash so the insurance benefits are activated. To do that, pay with a combination of cash and points, and decline the rental company's insurance first.
How to book activities in Chase's travel portal
Activities available for booking through Chase's travel portal include tours and experiences at home or when traveling and airport transfers. Price comparison plays a role here, too, since many hotel brands have their own platforms like Marriott Bonvoy Moments or FIND Experiences from World of Hyatt. These allow you to redeem points for experiences.
Check which program is cheaper before redeeming Chase points if you find similar options in either program.
How to book cruises in Chase's travel portal
Since cruise bookings can be more complex, you will need to call Chase Ultimate Rewards® at 855-234-2542 to make a reservation. There are many ways to earn multiple points when booking a cruise that may be better than using Chase, but when redeeming points for a cruise , there can be a lot of value.
Using Chase's portal to make a travel reservation is also strategic, as depending on your card, you can earn a healthy stash of points this way. Just be sure to compare the benefits you can earn with the opportunity cost of booking elsewhere.
Benefits of booking travel in Chase's portal
Let’s say you have a premium card like Chase Sapphire Reserve® . It earns 5x points per $1 when booking flights through the portal. The sweet spot is when using this card for hotel stays and rental cars booked via the portal for 10x points per dollar spent. Consider what’s in your wallet, and decide which card will net the most points.
Another benefit is that you will earn miles from flights booked through the portal, even when redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards® points since these are viewed as a revenue ticket.
Remember, you will want to compare if it is cheaper to redeem airline miles directly through a carrier’s redemption program or if you can use fewer points by redeeming Chase points via the portal.
Sometimes it might make more sense to transfer points from Chase to an airline partner when redeeming a flight (or a hotel program when making a hotel stay). Be as vigilant with price comparison when redeeming miles and points as you would when using cash.
Does Chase's travel portal price match?
No. You cannot submit a lower fare elsewhere for a price guarantee here since this isn't a publicly available site. It is only available to those who have a Chase card.
What else you need to know
When booking through this reservation site, keep in mind that most airlines and hotels cannot assist directly with a reservation. They see this as a third-party booking through Expedia and will direct you to Chase's agents.
Many travelers report the experience can be frustrating when travel disruptions or cancellations occur. Agents are friendly but can sometimes be limited in their abilities, often reading prompts on their screens in international call centers.
It can be a hazard booking a reservation with a third party, but the trade-off in redeeming points is worth it for some travelers.
If you do need to contact a Chase portal agent for support on a reservation made through the site, whether flight, hotel, car rental or activity, you've got one option: a good, old-fashioned telephone call.
For support on flights, hotels, car rentals and activities — especially changes or cancellations — Chase lists one number: 866-331-0773.
Chase also lists different contact numbers based on the card you hold, so you may want to give one of these a try:
Chase Sapphire Reserve® : 855-234-2542.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card : 866-331-0773.
All other cards: 866-951-6592.
If you compare prices and consider the opportunity cost of using the portal instead of booking elsewhere, you can almost always come out ahead.
You can save money, earn bonus points and travel better with transferable loyalty points like Chase Ultimate Rewards®. They have the flexibility and versatility necessary to deliver excellent value on travel (rather than being locked into one airline or hotel loyalty program). With the right card (or suite of cards), you’ll be able to accumulate points and benefits.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
1.5%-6.5% Enjoy 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 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.
$300 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!
1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.
60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
1%-5% Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Earn 5% on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases.
$200 Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
The complete guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards
Chase Ultimate Rewards points give you access to some of the best hotel and airline transfer partners in the business, as well as the easy-to-use Chase travel portal that allows you to redeem points for a wide variety of travel bookings, including rental cars, hotels, flights, tours and activities.
Despite increasing competition from American Express Membership Rewards points , Citi ThankYou Rewards points and Capital One miles , Chase Ultimate Rewards points have maintained their place as one of the most valuable and useful points currencies .
If you're ready to get serious about traveling more for less, here's everything you need to know about how to earn and redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
What are Chase Ultimate Rewards points?
Ultimate Rewards points are the currency of most Chase-branded credit cards. You can earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points for everyday spending on these cards that you can then redeem for a wide range of rewards.
If you're just getting started in the world of travel credit cards, it's typically best to start with Chase products , thanks to the issuer's well-documented 5/24 rule . In short, you generally can't get approved for any Chase cards — including those that earn Ultimate Rewards points — if you've applied for five or more new credit cards across all banks in the past 24 months.
Keep this restriction in mind as you build a strategy to maximize your credit card rewards.
Related: The ultimate guide to credit card application restrictions
How do I earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points?
There are many ways to earn Chase points at rates of 1-10 points per dollar spent, depending on the specific Chase credit card you carry.
The first three cards below earn fully transferable Ultimate Rewards points all by themselves, while the remaining four are technically billed as cash-back credit cards .
However, if you have a full Ultimate Rewards points-earning card, you can combine your Chase cash-back rewards in a single account, effectively converting your cash-back rewards into fully transferable points. For this reason, having more than one Chase card can make sense to maximize your earning and redeeming potential.
Here are the seven cards that allow you to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Welcome bonus: 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Why you want it: This is a fantastic all-around travel credit card . It earns points at the following rates:
- 5 points per dollar on Lyft (through March 2025)
- 5 points per dollar on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3 points per dollar on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out
- 3 points per dollar on select streaming services
- 3 points per dollar on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- 2 points per dollar on all other travel
- 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
The Sapphire Preferred has no foreign transaction fees and comes with many travel perks , including delayed baggage insurance, trip interruption/cancellation insurance and primary car rental insurance .
Annual fee: $95.
Application link: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Welcome bonus: 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Why you want it: Put simply, for its earning power paired with travel perks that can easily cover the annual fee. It accrues the following earnings:
- 10 points per dollar on Lyft (through March 2025)
- 10 points per dollar on Chase Dining booked through Ultimate Rewards
- 10 points per dollar on hotel and car rental purchases through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal
- 5 points per dollar on airline travel booked through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal
- 3 points per dollar on travel not booked through Chase
- 3 points per dollar on other dining purchases
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases
Other perks include an easy-to-use $300 annual travel credit , a fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (up to $100 once every four years) and Priority Pass Select lounge access as well as the growing list of new Sapphire lounges . This is one of the few cards that allow you to use your Priority Pass membership for discounted meals in airport restaurants . Cardholders also get primary car rental coverage , trip interruption/cancellation insurance and other protections .
Annual fee: $550.
Application link: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
Welcome bonus: 100,000 points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Why you want it: This is one of the best credit cards for small-business owners , earning 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel; shipping; internet, cable and phone services; and advertising made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. You earn 1 point per dollar on all other purchases, and points don't expire as long as your account is open.
Application link: Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
Ink Business Cash Credit Card
Welcome bonus: Earn up to $750: $350 bonus cash back after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months, and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months from account opening.
Why you want it: Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year (then 1%). Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year (then 1%). You can convert these earnings to Ultimate Rewards points if you have one of the three cards above.
Annual fee: $0.
Application link: Ink Business Cash Credit Card
Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card
Welcome bonus: $750 cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening (which can become 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points).
Benefits: Earn unlimited 1.5% cash-back rewards on every purchase. These cash-back earnings can be converted to Ultimate Rewards points if you have one of the top three cards listed above, which means your small business can essentially earn 1.5 points per dollar on all charges made with this card.
Application link: Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card
Chase Freedom Flex
Welcome bonus: $200 after you spend $500 in the first three months of account opening (which can become 20,000 Ultimate Rewards points).
Benefits : The card earns 5% back on select bonus categories, which rotate every quarter and apply on up to $1,500 in combined spending (activation required). Past bonus categories include gas stations, supermarkets, restaurants, warehouse stores and department stores. You can convert these rewards to valuable Ultimate Rewards points if you have one of the top three cards listed above. Plus, earn 5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards , 3% on dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services) and 3% on drugstore purchases.
Application link: Chase Freedom Flex
Chase Freedom Unlimited
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.
Benefits : These earnings can be converted to valuable Ultimate Rewards points if you have one of the top three cards listed above. Plus, earn 5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards , 3% cash back on dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services) and 3% on drugstore purchases. Earn 1.5% on all other purchases. The card also offers 120-day purchase protection and extended warranty protection .
Application link: Chase Freedom Unlimited
Other Chase credit cards
Note that there are many other Chase-issued credit cards that aren't listed here, including:
- Those no longer available to new applicants, like the Ink Plus and Chase Freedom
- Those that don't fully participate in the Ultimate Rewards program, like the Ink Business Premier® Credit Card , which exclusively offers cash back and doesn't allow rewards to be combined with other cards
- Cobranded products with a partner's loyalty program, like United Airlines cards and Southwest Airlines cards , which don't participate in Ultimate Rewards
Read more: The best Chase credit cards
Do Chase Ultimate Rewards points expire?
Chase Ultimate Rewards points do not expire, provided you keep at least one card open that earns Ultimate Rewards points.
If you cancel all your Ultimate Rewards cards, you must redeem or transfer your points before closing the last card. Otherwise, you will forfeit the points.
What are Chase Ultimate Rewards points worth?
TPG values Ultimate Rewards points at 2 cents apiece . This is largely due to the array of valuable transfer partners like World of Hyatt and United Airlines MileagePlus , as this gives you valuable flexibility in your redemptions.
However, you'll get varying values for Chase points if you pursue other redemption opportunities. For example, Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1.5 cents apiece through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal for Sapphire Reserve cardholders, and 1.25 cents for those with the Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred. You'll also have access to Chase Pay Yourself Back as a cardholder of any of the above cards, and there are occasionally offers to use Chase points for Apple products or gift cards at an enhanced value.
Finally, Chase points are worth 1 cent apiece if used for simple cash back.
Who are Chase Ultimate Rewards' transfer partners?
You can transfer Ultimate Rewards points to 11 airline programs:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- British Airways Executive Club
- Emirates Skywards
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
- United Airlines MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Chase also partners with three hotel programs:
- IHG One Rewards
- Marriott Bonvoy
- World of Hyatt
All transfer ratios are 1:1 (though there are occasional transfer bonuses ), and you must transfer points in 1,000-point increments.
Options to redeem Ultimate Rewards
When redeeming Ultimate Rewards points, you have three basic options:
- Fixed-value, non-travel redemptions (e.g., cash back, gift cards, Apple products)
- Fixed-value Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal bookings
- Transfers to travel partners
The "best" option comes down to your travel needs. Points are here to save you money, and you should use them when it suits you.
That being said, you should aim for the highest value whenever possible. Here's a look at all of your options:
Transfer to travel partners
Transferring Ultimate Rewards to travel partners often can be the most valuable way to redeem your hard-earned points. With 14 different transfer partners, you have plenty of options, and you can keep your Chase points in your Ultimate Rewards account until you are ready to transfer them, which is excellent flexibility. Our favorite sweet spots include the following:
- Top-tier Hyatt hotels: The World of Hyatt award chart is incredibly cheap compared to some competitors. You can book some of the fanciest Park Hyatt properties in the entire portfolio, including the Park Hyatt New York and Park Hyatt Sydney , for 35,000 points per night during off-peak dates. TPG values Hyatt points at 1.7 cents each, so 35,000 points are worth $595. That's a great deal for hotels that routinely sell for close to $1,000, even when demand is low. There's also great value at the lower end of the Hyatt award chart. Category 1 hotels range from 3,500 to 6,500 points per night, depending on peak/standard/off-peak pricing.
- Iberia flights to Madrid: Round-trip flights from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Spain's capital will only set you back 34,000 Avios in economy, 51,000 in premium economy or 68,000 in business when you transfer your Chase points to Iberia Plus. Considering that most airlines charge at least 60,000 miles for a one-way business-class award to Europe, you're essentially getting a 50% discount.
- Flights to Hawaii with Alaska Airlines and American Airlines: By transferring your Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways, you can book awards with Oneworld partners American Airlines and Alaska Airlines . As long as your nonstop flight distance is under 3,000 miles each way, you can leverage British Airways' distance-based award chart to fly from any West Coast gateway to Hawaii for only 26,000 Avios round-trip.
- ANA flights booked through Virgin Atlantic: For just 145,000 miles, you can fly round-trip in first class between the West Coast and Tokyo. Flights from other U.S. gateways only cost an extra 25,000 miles (170,000 miles round-trip). Business-class redemptions are an even better deal, costing just 90,000-95,000 miles round-trip, depending on your U.S. departure airport. If possible, you'll want to route through New York-JFK and fly ANA's "The Room" business class , which is only available on select routes.
- Short-haul flights to Canada: Aeroplan stuck to an award chart for partner redemptions but added dynamic pricing for Air Canada flights. As a result, you can often find super-cheap short-haul tickets from the U.S. to Canada. For example, a flight from New York to Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) can be booked for under 6,000 miles one-way on many dates.
Book travel via the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal
You can book travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal and redeem points for your plane tickets, hotel stays, rental cars or experiences at a fixed cash value per point.
As a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Ink Business Preferred cardholder, each point is worth 1.25 cents. If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, your points are worth 1.5 cents each toward travel redemptions in the portal. If you have a Chase Freedom Flex, Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card, Ink Business Cash Credit Card or Chase Freedom Unlimited, all points are worth 1 cent each.
However, as noted previously, if you have multiple cards earning Ultimate Rewards points, you can combine your points into the account with the highest value for Ultimate Rewards bookings. For example, your points earned with the Chase Freedom Flex can be moved to your Sapphire Reserve account, thus increasing their value from 1 to 1.5 cents apiece. This is a generous offer from a credit card program.
If you can find inexpensive airfare in the Ultimate Rewards travel portal, using your points for these flights can make sense to save cash. In the eyes of the airline, tickets booked this way are essentially the same as paid fares. This means you'll earn elite status credits and redeemable miles. Be careful to avoid basic economy tickets , unless you are okay with their restrictions.
In the below case, spending 2,973 Ultimate Rewards points from a Sapphire Reserve account to fly from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) isn't too shabby.
You might also consider the travel portal option if you only have a handful of Ultimate Rewards points left, since Chase lets you redeem points to cover even just a portion of the trip cost. You then pay the remaining balance with cash.
Finally, this is a decent option for car rentals, non-chain lodging and when cash rates make spending points through transfer partners a bad value. The hotel options are quite varied, though be aware that if you book a hotel that participates in a major loyalty program through Chase, you likely won't earn hotel points, nor will you be able to take advantage of any elite status perks.
Fixed-value, non-travel redemptions
You can redeem Chase points for a statement credit or bank deposit at a flat rate of 1 cent each, and this rate also applies to gift cards and Apple products (outside of a limited-time special).
However, with Chase Pay Yourself Back , you can redeem points for cash back at a rate of 1.25-1.5 cents each, depending on your card. This redemption rate is valid on statement credits toward rotating purchase categories, such as dining.
Finally, you can also link your eligible Chase cards to your Amazon account and pay for purchases with the Shop With Points program. However, you will only receive a value of around 0.8 cents per Ultimate Rewards point.
As you can see, you'll generally get much better value with the program's transfer partners and Chase travel portal bookings. However, we know needs can change, so these non-travel redemptions remain fall-back options.
Bottom line
Chase Ultimate Rewards is one of our favorite credit card programs at TPG. It allows you to start with a credit card offering a large welcome bonus and then enjoy bonus points on many everyday spending categories — like airfare, hotels, dining and groceries. Then you can choose from a huge range of transfer partners, redeem points for travel directly with Chase or choose cash back.
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