How to use Chase Ultimate Rewards® for travel
Whether you're a longtime cardholder or just starting your credit card journey with Chase, you may be wondering: What is the best way to use Chase points? The answer will be different for everyone, but if you like to travel, you may find that using your points on your trips is your favorite way to spend them. Learning how to use Chase Ultimate Rewards to make the most of your points could help you pack in a few extra adventures when planning your next getaway.
How to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are redeemable points you can earn through welcome bonus offers or when making purchases with your Chase-branded cards, such as:
You may also earn Ultimate Rewards at an accelerated rate on certain purchases or bonus categories — the typical rate is one point earned per dollar spent.
Redeeming Chase Ultimate Reward points
As a general rule of thumb, one point equates to $0.01 in redeemable value. This can fluctuate, however, depending on how you decide to redeem your points. When it comes to travel there are three main ways to redeem Ultimate Rewards points:
- Booking travel directly through the Chase travel portal.
- Transferring your points to Chase travel partners, such as airlines and hotels.
- Redeeming your points for gift cards or statement credits.
Using Ultimate Rewards points for travel
If you decide to redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards to book travel, you may want to know what your options are. The main way you can redeem your points is through the Chase travel portal. There, you can directly find, book and pay for travel expenses such as flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, tours and other activities or transfer points to hotel and airline partners.
When transferring your Ultimate Rewards to Chase travel partners, i.e. airlines and hotels, the transfer ratio is typically 1:1. That means that however many Ultimate Rewards points you have, you'll have the same amount in partner points with whichever Chase Ultimate Rewards travel partner you choose.
Why book through the Chase Travel portal?
Something to note when using the portal is that the value of your points can change depending on which card you have.
For instance, if you have the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card, your points are worth one cent each. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred® or Ink Business Preferred® cards, your points are each worth 1.25 cents. You'll get the highest value with the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, as points are worth 1.5 cents each in the travel portal with that card.
If you have multiple eligible cards, you can combine your points to get the most out of them.
One of the benefits of booking through the Chase Travel portal is that you can earn points on paid reservations. For instance, with Chase Sapphire Reserve® you can earn 5x points on airfare and 10x points on hotels and rental cars booked through the portal.
You can book flights, hotels and rental cars directly through the travel portal, but if you want to book a cruise using Ultimate Rewards points, you'll have to call Chase directly.
In summary
There's no right or wrong when it comes to how to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points. However, if you've been bitten by the travel bug, you may find the best way to use them is by transferring them to Chase partners or booking through the Chase Travel portal. Take some time to compare points transfers and the travel portal and see which one helps you make the most out of your points.
