Chase Travel Rewards: Guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards

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The Chase Ultimate Rewards program is among the most flexible rewards programs around, especially for people who are excited about free and discount travel. Ultimate Rewards points are regarded as being some of the most valuable out there, and because of their flexibility and transfer options, we regularly give these points high marks in our monthly point valuations.

They are best redeemed for travel either through Chase Travel℠ or by transferring to travel partners. Plus, Chase Ultimate Rewards points never expire as long as your account remains active and in good standing. When redeemed through the Chase Travel portal, you can use them for virtually any flight, hotel, rental car or other travel.

Chase Travel Rewards: Ultimate Rewards® Program Review

How Much Are Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Worth?

Ultimate Rewards points are valued at the top tier of rewards points; you can usually get more than double the stated value when redeeming them. However, how you use your points will influence this value. They can be worth less than a cent or more than 5 cents each, based on a range of factors including transfer partner award bookings.

When it comes to redeeming points, the value is dependent on the credit card you use. Some cards can be redeemed through the Chase Travel portal for 1.25 cents each, while another card can be redeemed for 1.5 cents a piece.

Premium award bookings on partner airlines tend to offer the biggest value per point. On some flights, you may be able to get over five cents per point. You can also transfer points to an airline or hotel partner at a 1:1 ratio. That means one Chase point is worth one United MileagePlus mile, one Marriott Bonvoy point or one point with other participating programs. At a minimum, you should only redeem points if you’ll get at least the rate offered by booking through Chase Travel directly with your card.

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Redemption and Transfer Options

When you're ready to redeem your points, the first place to go is your Chase account for details on redemptions. The value you'll get for your points depends on the Chase credit card that you're using to redeem them:

• Book travel through Chase Travel: The best way to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points is for travel. You can book just about any travel expense—flights, hotels, car rental and more—with your Chase points.
• Transfer points to Chase airline and hotel partners: When you carry eligible cards, you can transfer your Ultimate Rewards to Chase's travel partners. The best value for points usually comes from moving your Chase points to a transfer partner. However, don’t move points until you have a plan to use the resulting miles or points. Keeping them in the bank at Chase is the best strategy until you’re ready to book.
• Use Chase points for booking experiences: Chase offers unique and exclusive experiences for sporting events, concerts, highly rated restaurants and more.
• Buy gift cards with chase points: Gift cards give you a lower value per point than travel, usually around one cent per point. You can choose from hundreds of brands.
• Get cash back on Chase points: If you’re feeling uninspired by the other option or need extra money, you can redeem for cash at a value of 1 cent per point.
• Shop using points: Retail partners Amazon and Apple allow you to redeem points for purchases directly. Again, this tends to offer a lower value than travel.

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Chase Airlines Partners

Chase Travel gives you access to all of the three big airline alliances with Airline transfer partners. This means you can transfer Chase points to British Airways points, and then book flights on American Airlines.

Here is the list of Chase airline partners:

• Aer Lingus AerClub
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• British Airways Executive Club
• Emirates Skywards
• Flying Blue (Air France/KLM)
• Iberia Plus
• JetBlue
• Singapore Airlines
• Southwest Airlines
• United Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic

Chase Hotel Partners

Hotel partners include mega-brands Hyatt, IHG and Marriott. Marriott has the biggest list of properties of any hotel chain in the world. The Hyatt program has gained popularity, and IHG also offers a large list of popular and luxury brands.

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Earning Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

Here are the main ways to earn and accumulate points when using your card:

• Regular purchases: Chase cards typically give a bonus on categories such as travel and restaurants while offering one point per dollar on general purchases.
• Bonus rewards: If you meet minimum spending requirements within the published time frame, usually three months, you can earn often earn a valuable sign-up bonus.
• Shopping bonuses: If you shop through Chase Travel, you can earn additional rewards with a list of supported retailers.
• Converting cash back: If you pair an Ultimate Rewards card with a Chase cash-back rewards card, you can move cash back into Ultimate Rewards at a rate of one cent to one point.

Points earned on different Chase credit cards can be pooled into a single travel credit card account and redeemed together. These card-to-card point transfers allow you to move points earned from a Freedom card or an Ink card into one of the Sapphire cards to redeem for outsized value.

Pairing a Freedom card with either the Sapphire cards is a common and effective points-earning strategy, as both earn accelerated rewards for travel spending, while the Freedom cards offer accelerated points earning in other spending categories including gas, groceries and online spending.

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Bottom Line

Chase Ultimate Rewards is a popular credit card rewards program for a reason. It offers multiple ways to earn rewards points and provides even more avenues to redeem those points for outsized value. While you can use your Ultimate Rewards for cash back, shopping and gift cards, redeeming your points—either through the Chase Travel portal or transferring to a travel partner—will always be the best way to use your rewards.

However, if you're not convinced that it's the right program for you, consider other credit card rewards programs from issuers. Additionally, airlines like Southwest, Delta and United also offer valuable rewards programs and credit cards.

FAQs

• Does Airbnb count as travel for Chase?

  Yes, if you book an Airbnb reservation with a Chase travel rewards card, the purchases are included in the travel category.

• Does gas count as travel for Chase Sapphire?

  No, when using a Chase travel rewards card, gas station purchases get their own category. Unfortunately, that means you won’t earn travel category rewards for purchases at the gas station.

• What airlines does Chase partner with?

  Chase's airline partners include Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways Executive Club, Emirates Skywards, Flying Blue (Air France/KLM), Iberia Plus, JetBlue, Singapore Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.

  You can book flights using points through Chase Travel on nearly any major airline. Depending on which card you have, you’ll get 1-1.5 cents per point when redeeming for flights, hotels, rental cars and other travel through Chase. However, you can often get more value when transferring points to an airline partner.

• What are Chase Travel Rewards?

  Chase travel rewards are earned through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. When you use a card in the Ultimate Rewards program, you can earn points with every purchase. Depending on the card and the purchase, you’ll typically earn between 1x and 5x points per dollar.

  You can redeem Chase travel rewards points for cash back, but booking free and discounted travel is the best use of travel rewards points. Points are worth 1-1.5 cents when booking travel directly through Chase. You can also transfer points to an airline or hotel partner for potentially higher values per point.

  You can also redeem points for things like sporting events, concerts, gift cards and more. But for most people, the best way to redeem for the best value per point is travel.

• Do Chase Ultimate Rewards points expire?

  No, Chase Ultimate Rewards points don’t expire as long as your credit card account is open and in good standing. But if you cancel your Chase rewards cards—or Chase closes your account— your Ultimate Rewards points will be terminated.

• Can you convert Chase Ultimate Rewards points to cash?

  Yes, you can redeem your Ultimate Rewards points for cash or statement credits, but it will depend on which Chase card you used to earn them.

• How many Chase Ultimate Rewards points do I need to fly free on average?

  You’ll typically need between 10,000 and 40,000 points to book a free one-way economy flight through Chase Travel. You’ll need even more points to fly mixed class, premium economy or business class. The exact number of points you’ll need depends on the destination, time of day, date of travel, demand and other factors.

  Also, you can redeem points for outsized value by transferring your Ultimate Rewards to one of Chase’s airline partners, but the average number of points you’ll need varies widely depending on the transfer rate and a specific airline’s rewards schedule.