You probably know by now that Chase Ultimate Rewards are the most valuable loyalty or reward point system of them all. The reason that they’re so valuable is that they’re the most flexible. When redeeming Ultimate Rewards, there are three options. The best redemption option is to convert points to the Chase transfer partners. There are 9 Chase airline partners and 3 Chase hotel partners. Ultimate Rewards can be redeemed for more than 2 cents per point with many of the Chase travel rewards partners.
Only 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards can use Chase Transfer Partners
Only three of the seven Ultimate Rewards credit cards come with the ability to use Chase transfer partners as a redemption option. While all seven of the Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards are valuable in their own right, they’re not all created equal. There are two different styles of Ultimate Rewards cards. We like to call them primary cards and secondary cards. The main difference between primary Chase cards and secondary cards is the redemption value of points.
Because the primary Chase cards have the distinct advantage of having Ultimate Rewards transfer partners, they’re much more valuable for redemptions. The good news is that if you have both a primary card and a secondary card, you can transfer your Ultimate Rewards between the two. That means you can earn Ultimate Rewards with your secondary Chase card and then transfer them to your primary card account to redeem the Ultimate Rewards. If you already have a secondary card, it pays off to also get a primary Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card.
Primary Chase Cards have Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners
- Chase Transfer Partners are Available
- Enhanced Redemption Values through the Chase Travel Portal (1.25-1.5 Cents per Point)
As mentioned above, primary Chase Ultimate Rewards cards have better redemption options. With a primary card, points can be redeemed in three ways. For cashback-like purchases including on Amazon, Apple, gift cards, or for experiences. These options get a points redemption value of 1 cent per point.
Ultimate Rewards can also be redeemed for travel in two ways. Through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal to book flights, hotels, cruises, and rental cars at a points redemption value of 1.25-1.5 cents per point.
The third way Ultimate Rewards can be redeemed with a primary Chase card is by transferring points to any of the 12 Ultimate Rewards travel partners. Redeeming points through the Chase travel partners gives a points redemption rate of up to 2 cents per point or more.
Secondary Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards Don’t have Chase Travel Partners
- Chase Transfer Partners are Not Available
- Points Can be Transferred to a Primary Ultimate Rewards Card Account
- 1 Cent per Point Redemption Value through the Chase Travel Portal
Secondary Ultimate Rewards credit cards aren’t quite as valuable when they’re by themselves. They only have the option to redeem points for the cashback-like purchases and through the Chase travel portal, both at a flat points redemption rate of just 1 cent per point.
They can, although, be paired with a primary card for redemptions at the elevated rates mentioned above by transferring points between cards. Remember that Ultimate Rewards can be transferred from your secondary card to your primary card account if you have both.
How About Chase Freedom Ultimate Rewards?
Any points you earn with a Chase Freedom card are secondary Ultimate Rewards. You’ll need to transfer them to a primary card account to be able to redeem with Chase transfer partners.
Let’s take a look at all of the Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards to see which ones have Chase transfer partners and which ones don’t.
| Transfer Partners Available? | |
|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Preferred | Yes |
| Ink Business Preferred | Yes |
| Sapphire Reserve | Yes |
| Freedom Flex | Only by transferring points to a primary card |
| Freedom Unlimited | Only by transferring points to a primary card |
| Ink Business Cash | Only by transferring points to a primary card |
| Ink Business Unlimited | Only by transferring points to a primary card |
The three primary Ultimate Rewards credit cards that have the ability to use Chase transfer partners are the Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, and Ink Business Preferred. They all have higher redemption rates in the travel portal as well. Again, if you have both a secondary card and a primary card, you should always transfer points to the primary card for a better redemption.
Chase Transfer Partners
(Redeem at up to 2 cents per point or more)
We’ve learned that the best way to redeem Ultimate Rewards for travel is by transferring your points to the Chase rewards partner airlines and hotels. As mentioned previously, there are 12 Chase transfer partners. 9 are airlines and 4 are hotels. All Chase transfer partners have an exchange rate of 1:1 with Ultimate Rewards and most of them transfer instantly.
With this redemption method, you can get the most bang for your buck. This is why most frequent travelers regularly transfer their Ultimate Rewards to partners like Hyatt, British Airways, and Southwest Airlines to redeem their points for well over 2 cents per point.
For instance, my sister and brother-in-law used 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points that they earned from the Chase Sapphire Preferred signup bonus (now offers 60k), to fly round trip to Hawaii for their honeymoon (saving them $1,254). Their points redemption value for those Ultimate Rewards was over 2.5 cents per point! That’s 2.5X the value of alternatively redeeming them for cash back or gift cards.
Now that you know that using Chase transfer partners is the best way to get the most value out of your Ultimate Rewards, let’s find out what airlines and hotels are Chase transfer partners.
Chase Ultimate Rewards Airline Partners
| Transfer Ratio | Transfer Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | 1:1 | Instant |
| British Airways | 1:1 | Instant |
| Air France | 1:1 | Instant |
| Iberia | 1:1 | Instant |
| JetBlue | 1:1 | Instant |
| Singapore Airlines | 1:1 | Up to 2 days |
| Southwest | 1:1 | Instant |
| United | 1:1 | Instant |
| Virgin Atlantic | 1:1 | Instant |
Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards: Aer Lingus – AerClub Avios
- Average Point Value: 1.5 cents per point
- Example Redemption: Boston, Chicago, Newark, or New York City to Dublin, Ireland round trip: 26,000 Avios
Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards: British Airways – Executive Club Avios
- Average Point Value: 1.5 cents per point
- Example Redemption: West Coast US to Hawaii round trip: 25,000 Avios
Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards: Air France – Flying Blue
- Average Point Value: 1.2 cents per point
- Example Redemption: Continental US to Mexico round trip: 25,000 Flying Blue miles
Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards: Iberia – Plus Avios
- Average Point Value: 1.5 cents per point
- Example Redemption: New York City to Casablanca, Morocco round trip: 46,000 Avios
Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards: JetBlue – TrueBlue
- Average Point Value: 1.3 cents per point
- Example Redemption: New York City to Havana, Cuba round trip: 11,000 TrueBlue miles
Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards: Singapore Airlines – Krisflyer
- Average Point Value: 1.4 cents per point
- Example Redemption: Continental US to Hawaii round trip: 35,000 KrisFlyer miles
Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards: Southwest – Rapid Rewards
- Average Point Value: 1.5 cents per point
- Example Redemption: Anywhere in the US, Carribean, Mexico, and Hawaii (soon): Variable miles
Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards: United – MileagePlus
- Average Point Value: 1.4 cents per point
- Example Redemption: Continental US to San Jose, Costa Rica round trip: 35,000 MileagePlus Miles
Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards: Virgin Atlantic – Flying Club
- Average Point Value: 1.5 cents per point
- Example Redemption: Miami, Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, or San Francisco to Europe round trip: 42,500 Flying Club miles
The Best Chase Airline Partners
- British Airways
- United
- Singapore Airlines
- Southwest
There are a few airlines that stand out as the best Chase airline partners. British Airways is excellent for short-haul flights as they have a distance based award chart. They’re also great for flights from the West Coast to Hawaii or from the East Coast to Europe. United Airline has a ton of options for flights using miles with good redemption rates. Singapore Airlines has great luxury class flight options or other airline partner flights with good redemption rates. Southwest is on the list because if you have a Southwest Companion Pass, your points will be worth double on Southwest flights with your companion.
Chase Ultimate Rewards Hotel Partners
| Transfer Ratio | Transfer Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Hyatt | 1:1 | Instant |
| IHG | 1:1 | 1 day |
| Marriott | 1:1 | 2 days |
| Ritz-Carlton | 1:1 | 2 days |
Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards: Hyatt – World of Hyatt
- Average Point Value: 1.7 cents per point
- Example Redemption: Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo: 15,000 points per night
Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards: IHG – Rewards Club
- Average Point Value: 0.6 cents per point
- Example Redemption: PointsBreaks hotel specials: 5,000, 10,000, or 15,000 points per night
Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards: Marriott – Bonvoy (Marriott, SPG, Ritz-Carlton)
- Average Point Value: 0.8 cents per point
- Example Redemption: JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi, Vietnam: 15,000 points per night (off-peak)
The Best Chase Hotel Partner
Hyatt is by far the best Chase hotel partner to transfer Ultimate Rewards into. Ultimate Rewards through Hyatt have an average points redemption rate more than double that of the other two hotel chains. They also have points + cash redemptions, suite redemptions, all-inclusive resort redemptions, and suite upgrades using points. Whenever we use points for a hotel, we try to use Hyatt because the points go much further.
Our go-to hotel brand is Hyatt Place, which can typically be found for 12,000 points per night. We like them because their properties are very clean, modern, comfortable, and most important – consistent.
How to Transfer Ultimate Rewards to Chase Travel Partners
It’s very simple to transfer your Ultimate Rewards points to any of the Chase travel partners. First, find your desired redemption flight or hotel with the travel partner, making sure it is available with points before transferring. Once you transfer Ultimate Rewards to a travel partner, they can’t be transferred back to Ultimate Rewards. Below is a step by step guide through transferring Ultimate Rewards to the Chase transfer partners.
- Sign in to your Ultimate Rewards account.
- Click “Transfer to Travel Partners” in the upper menu.
- Find your airline or hotel and click “Transfer Points”.
- Enter the recipient and membership number.
- Then select the number of Ultimate Rewards you’d like to transfer and click continue.
- Your transfer is complete! Most points transfer instantly but check the table above for each programs timeline.
Sapphire vs Ink vs Freedom: Which Chase Ultimate Rewards Cards are Best for What?
So, you want as many Ultimate Rewards as possible but aren’t sure which credit card is the best. Luckily for you, they’re all great cards in their own right. Each one has its own qualities that make it a good credit card. We’ve listed all seven Chase Ultimate Rewards cards and listed what each is best at. Surprisingly, all seven cards have features worthy of an award.
[earnist_link ref=”ink-business-preferred-credit-card” id=”6240″]Ink Business Preferred:[/earnist_link] Best introductory offer
[earnist_link ref=”chase-sapphire-preferred-card” id=”6313″]Chase Sapphire Preferred:[/earnist_link] Best first travel credit card
[earnist_link ref=”chase-sapphire-reserve-card” id=”6311″]Chase Sapphire Reserve:[/earnist_link] Best luxury travel card loaded with benefits for frequent travelers
[earnist_link ref=”ink-business-cash-credit-card” id=”6242″]Ink Business Cash:[/earnist_link] Best business card for earning bonus Ultimate Rewards on purchases
[earnist_link ref=”chase-freedom” id=”6315″]Chase Freedom:[/earnist_link] Best personal card for earning bonus Ultimate Rewards on purchases
[earnist_link ref=”ink-business-unlimited-credit-card” id=”6243″]Ink Business Unlimited:[/earnist_link] Best simple to use business credit card for spending with 1.5 points on all purchases
[earnist_link ref=”chase-freedom-unlimited-card” id=”6346″]Chase Freedom Unlimited:[/earnist_link] Best simple to use personal credit card for spending with 1.5 points on all purchases
Chase transfer partners are the way to maximize your Ultimate Rewards redemptions. Transferring can more than double the value of your points compared to cash back or the Chase travel portal. Once you get some Chase Ultimate Rewards, where will you redeem yours?
