Chase Ultimate Rewards: Ultimate Guide on How to Earn & Redeem Them

Chase Ultimate Rewards are the best travel points in all of the industry. They’re the most lucrative because they’re also the most flexible. There are four ways to earn Ultimate Rewards. It’s much easier than you might imagine.

Chase Ultimate Rewards can be earned through credit card signup bonuses, credit card spending, the online Chase shopping portal, and through referring friends to the credit cards. After you earn your Ultimate Rewards, there are three ways to redeem them. The best of the three ways is to transfer your points to airlines and hotels to save thousands of dollars on your bookings. You can also book travel through Chase directly, or use your points for cash back.

Let’s go ahead and find out all the details about Chase Ultimate Rewards. Because they’re so valuable, it literally pays to know as much as possible about them.

Important Things to Know about Ultimate Rewards

There are Two Types of Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards

While there are seven Ultimate Rewards credit cards in total, they’re not all equal. There are two types of Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards, including primary cards and secondary cards. The difference between the two types of cards is how their points can be redeemed. The primary Chase cards have distinct advantages over secondary cards.

Primary Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards

Primary Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards have the ability to be redeemed in three ways. They can be redeemed for cashback-like purchases including on Amazon, Apple, for gift cards, and for experiences valuing the points at 1 cent per point. They can also be used for travel in one of two ways. First, through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal to book flights, hotels, cruises, rental cars and more directly through Chase at a value of 1.25-1.5 cents per point. And the third way, by transferring points to any of the Ultimate Rewards travel partners to book directly through their programs at a value of up to 2 cents per point, or more.

Secondary Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards

Secondary Ultimate Rewards credit cards aren’t quite as valuable by themselves. They only have the option to redeem points for the cashback-like purchases and through the Chase travel portal, both at redemption rates of just 1 cent per point. I said they aren’t as valuable “by themselves” because if you also have a primary Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card, you can transfer your points from the secondary card account to get better redemptions.

Let’s see which are primary Ultimate Rewards cards and which cards are secondary.

As you can see, the three primary Ultimate Rewards credit cards are the Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, and Ink Business Preferred. They all have higher redemption rates in the travel portal, and have access to the Ultimate Rewards transfer partners. If you have both a secondary card and a primary card, you should always transfer points to the primary card for redemption.

The 5/24 Rule and What it Means

One thing to consider when applying for Chase credit cards is their “5/24 Rule”. This rule states that you can only be approved for a Chase-branded credit card if you are under the limit of five credit card approvals in the past 24 months. These five approvals don’t just count Chase cards. They count any and all personal credit card approvals. Yes, only personal credit card approvals count toward your tally.

When you’re approved for a business credit card, it does NOT count toward your five approvals. But, when you’re applying for one of the Chase business cards you still need to abide by the 5/24 rule to be approved for it.

Transfer Points Between Accounts

The Chase Ultimate Rewards program is the best points system in the travel business due to its extreme flexibility. The ability to transfer points to most of the best airlines and hotels is so valuable. There’s also a lot of value in the fact that Chase allows you to transfer Ultimate Rewards points between accounts.

You can transfer points between your own card accounts or between two accounts of household members. That means if you and your significant other are both earning points, you can eventually pool them together for a redemption. Be careful when pooling points from two peoples’ accounts and make sure your addresses match up. Also, don’t attempt to combine Ultimate Rewards with non-household members as it’s against Chase’s terms and could result in forfeiting your Ultimate Rewards.

“You can move your points, but only to another Chase card with Ultimate Rewards belonging to you or one member of your household.”

-Chase Terms & Conditions

Now that you know a few of the important things about Chase Ultimate Rewards, let’s learn how to earn and redeem Ultimate Rewards points.

How to Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards

There are four ways to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards. One way that can easily earn thousands and thousands of points and three ways that aren’t quite as lucrative, unless you spend a lot of money.

1. Chase Credit Card Signup Bonuses
2. Category Bonuses on Credit Card Purchases
3. Chase Ultimate Rewards Shopping Portal
4. Chase Refer a Friend Bonuses

By far, the signup bonuses from Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards will earn you the most points. Those points can turn into tens of thousands of dollars of travel!

1. Chase Credit Card Signup Bonuses

There are seven Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards in total. Chase offers four personal credit card options and three business cards. All seven cards have their own distinct features that make them valuable to the right person. These credit cards offer high signup bonuses, great earning potential from spending, excellent travel benefits, and much more. Remember that some of the cards are primary travel cards and some are secondary (better if used alongside a primary card).

Does It Make Sense to Have More than One Ultimate Rewards Credit Card?

It makes a lot of sense to have more than one Ultimate Rewards credit card working together. By pairing multiple Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards, you’ll be able to get the best features from multiple cards. Many travel bloggers speak of an “Ultimate Rewards Trifecta” of cards that go well together. There are many ways to mix and match the Chase credit cards, but my favorite “trifectas” are the following pairings.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Card Trifectas:

• Ink Business Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Ink Business Cash
• Ink Business Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Freedom

The Ultimate Rewards Quadfecta:

• Ink Business Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Ink Business Cash, Chase Freedom

With these four Chase credit cards working together (“Quadfecta”) you end up with the following features and benefits:

• 195,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards from signup bonuses.
• 5X earned on office supply stores, cell phone, cable, internet, and rotating quarterly bonuses. 3X on travel, dining, and some business expenses.
• $300 Travel credit
• Airport Lounge Access
• TSA PreCheck
• 1.5 Cents per point in the travel portal
• Ability to transfer points to partners
• All for $545 Annual fees

Now, let’s check out all seven of the Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card offers.

Personal Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards

	Sapphire Preferred	Sapphire Reserve	Freedom Flex	Freedom Unlimited
Signup Bonus	60,000	60,000	$200 (20,000 pts)	Extra 1.5% for 1 yr
Bonus Spending Categories	3X on dining, 2X on travel	3X on travel and dining, 10X on Lyft	5% on select rotating quarterly categories	1.5% on all purchases
Annual Fee	$95	$550	$0	$0
Extra Perks	Baggage insurance, trip insurance, rental car insurance	$300 annual travel credit, TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, Priority Pass Select, Lyft Pink, Door Dash statement credits	Purchase protection, extended warranty	Purchase protection, extended warranty
Best for People Who...	Want a large introductory bonus Like to Travel	Want a large introductory bonus Want luxury travel benefits Travel often	Want no annual fee Also have a Sapphire card Want to earn bonus points on spend	Want no annual fee Also have a Sapphire card Want simplicity in earning points
	[earnist_link ref="chase-sapphire-preferred-card" id="6313"]Learn More >>[/earnist_link]	[earnist_link ref="chase-sapphire-reserve-card" id="6311"]Learn More >>[/earnist_link]	[earnist_link ref="chase-freedom" id="6315"]Learn More >>[/earnist_link]	[earnist_link ref="chase-freedom-unlimited-card" id="6346"]Learn More >>[/earnist_link]

[earnist_link ref=”chase-sapphire-preferred-card” id=”6313″]Chase Sapphire Preferred[/earnist_link]

Chase Sapphire Preferred [earnist_link ref="chase-sapphire-preferred-card" id="6313"] [/earnist_link]
INTRODUCTORY OFFER You'll earn 60,000 points after spending $4000 in the first 3 months.
REWARDS You'll earn 2X points on travel and 3X on dining.
BENEFITS Points are worth 25% more when used in the Chase travel portal. No foreign transaction fees. 1:1 point transfer partner hotels and airlines.
FEES $95 No foreign transaction fees.
TRAVEL FREEDOM THOUGHTS This is the best first travel credit card to get. It has a valuable signup bonus with easy to redeem points. You also get a boost to your points value in the Chase travel portal.
[earnist_link ref="chase-sapphire-preferred-card" id="6313"]LEARN HOW TO APPLY NOW >>[/earnist_link]

[earnist_link ref=”chase-sapphire-reserve-card” id=”6311″]Chase Sapphire Reserve[/earnist_link]

Chase Sapphire Reserve [earnist_link ref="chase-sapphire-reserve-card" id="6311"] [/earnist_link]
INTRODUCTORY OFFER You'll earn 60,000 points after spending $4000 in the first 3 months.
REWARDS You'll earn 3X points on travel and dining. Also Earn a total of 10X points on Lyft rides.
BENEFITS $300 annual travel credit. Priority Pass Select airport lounge access. TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. Points are worth 50% more when used in the Chase travel portal. No foreign transaction fees. 1:1 point transfers to partner hotels and airlines. 1 year of Lyft Pink.
FEES $550 No foreign transaction fees.
TRAVEL FREEDOM THOUGHTS This is one of the best premium travel credit cards if you want some luxury. It has a valuable signup bonus with easy to redeem points. You also get a boost to your points value in the Chase travel portal. The biggest key to this card is the airport lounge access. If you travel a lot, it's extremely valuable.
[earnist_link ref="chase-sapphire-reserve-card" id="6311"]LEARN HOW TO APPLY NOW >>[/earnist_link]

[earnist_link ref=”chase-freedom” id=”6315″]Chase Freedom[/earnist_link]

Chase Freedom [earnist_link ref="chase-freedom" id="6315"] [/earnist_link]
INTRODUCTORY OFFER You'll earn $200 (in the form of 20,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after spending $500 in the first 3 months.
REWARDS You'll earn 5% on rotating quarterly categories. (up to $1500 in purchases per quarter)
BENEFITS Points can be transferred to primary Chase cards for better redemptions. Free credit score.
ANNUAL FEE No annual fee
TRAVEL FREEDOM THOUGHTS This is one of the best "cash back" cards for earning rewards. You can earn up to 5X per dollar and those points can be transferred to a primary Chase card for better redemptions. It's a perfect card to pair with either of the Sapphire cards or the Ink Business Preferred.
[earnist_link ref="chase-freedom" id="6315"]LEARN HOW TO APPLY NOW >>[/earnist_link]

[earnist_link ref=”chase-freedom-unlimited” id=”6346″]Freedom Unlimited[/earnist_link]

Chase Freedom Unlimited [earnist_link ref="chase-freedom-unlimited-card" id="6346"] [/earnist_link]
INTRODUCTORY OFFER You'll earn an additional 1.5% rewards on all purchases in the first year. (up to $20k purchases)
REWARDS You'll earn 1.5% back on all purchases. (after year 1) No limit.
BENEFITS Points can be transferred to primary Chase cards for better redemptions. Free credit score.
ANNUAL FEE No annual fee
TRAVEL FREEDOM THOUGHTS This is one of the best "cash back" cards for earning rewards. You earn 1.5% per dollar (3% year 1) and those points can be transferred to a primary Chase card for better redemptions. It's a perfect card to pair with either of the Sapphire cards or the Ink Business Preferred.
[earnist_link ref="chase-freedom-unlimited-card" id="6346"]LEARN HOW TO APPLY NOW >>[/earnist_link]

Business Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards

	Ink Bus. Preferred	Ink Business Cash	Ink Bus. Unlimited
Signup Bonus	100,000	$750 (75,000 pts)	$750 (75,000 pts)
Bonus Spending Categories	3X on travel, shipping, internet, cable, phone, and online ads	5X on office supply stores, phone, internet, and cable, 2X on gas and dining.	1.5X on all purchases
Annual Fee	$95	$0	$0
Extra Perks	Cell phone protection Primary Car Rental Insurance Travel Insurances	Strong 5X Rewards Categories	Purchase protection, extended warranty, free employee cards
Best for People Who...	Want a huge introductory bonus Spend money advertising online Want cell phone accident coverage	Want a large introductory bonus Want no annual fee Spend money at office supply stores	Want a large introductory bonus Want no annual fee Want simplicity in earning through spend
	[earnist_link ref="ink-business-preferred-credit-card" id="6240"]Learn More >>[/earnist_link]	[earnist_link ref="ink-business-cash-credit-card" id="6242"]Learn More >>[/earnist_link]	[earnist_link ref="ink-business-unlimited-credit-card" id="6243"]Learn More >>[/earnist_link]

[earnist_link ref=”ink-business-preferred-credit-card” id=”6240″]Chase Ink Business Preferred[/earnist_link]

Ink Business Preferred [earnist_link ref="ink-business-preferred-credit-card" id="6240"] [/earnist_link]
INTRODUCTORY OFFER You'll earn 100,000 points after spending $15000 in the first 3 months.
REWARDS You'll earn 3X points on travel and select business expenses (including online social media ads). *Limited to first $150k per year.
BENEFITS Points are worth 25% more when used in the Chase travel portal. No foreign transaction fees. Employee cards at no additional cost.
FEES $95 No foreign transaction fees.
TRAVEL FREEDOM THOUGHTS The signup bonus alone for this card is amazing. Pair that with some great rewards earning for your business and this card is great. If you have a business, we find the Ink Preferred to be the best offer available.
[earnist_link ref="ink-business-preferred-credit-card" id="6240"]LEARN HOW TO APPLY NOW >>[/earnist_link]

[earnist_link ref=”ink-business-cash-credit-card” id=”6242″]Chase Ink Business Cash[/earnist_link]

Ink Business Cash [earnist_link ref="ink-business-cash-credit-card" id="6242"] [/earnist_link]
INTRODUCTORY OFFER You'll earn $750 (in the form of 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after spending $6000 in the first 3 months.
REWARDS You'll earn 5X points on internet, cable, phone, and office supply stores. *Limited to first $25k per year. Earn 2X at gas stations and restaurants. *Limited to first $25k per year.
BENEFITS Points can be transferred to primary Chase card accounts for better redemption. Employee cards at no additional cost.
ANNUAL FEE No annual fee
TRAVEL FREEDOM THOUGHTS The signup bonus on this no-fee card is amazing. Pair that with some great 5X reward categories for your business and this card is great. This card pairs well with the Chase Sapphire cards and the Ink Preferred.
[earnist_link ref="ink-business-cash-credit-card" id="6242"]LEARN HOW TO APPLY NOW >>[/earnist_link]

[earnist_link ref=”ink-business-unlimited-credit-card” id=”6243″]Ink Business Unlimited[/earnist_link]

Ink Business Unlimited [earnist_link ref="ink-business-unlimited-credit-card" id="6243"] [/earnist_link]
INTRODUCTORY OFFER You'll earn $750 (in the form of 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points) after spending $6000 in the first 3 months.
REWARDS You'll earn 1.5X on all purchases. No limit.
BENEFITS Points can be transferred to primary Chase card accounts for better redemption. Employee cards at no additional cost.
ANNUAL FEE No annual fee
TRAVEL FREEDOM THOUGHTS The signup bonus on this no-fee card is amazing. Pair that with 1.5X rewards on every purchase for your business and this card is great. This card pairs well with the Chase Sapphire cards and the Ink Preferred.
[earnist_link ref="ink-business-unlimited-credit-card" id="6243"]LEARN HOW TO APPLY NOW >>[/earnist_link]

2. Category Bonuses on Credit Card Purchases

Certain spending categories will earn a bonus on purchases depending on what Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card you use. Some of the cards have bonuses on travel and dining, while other have bonuses at gas stations and on business expenses. We’ll go over some of the most popular spending categories and see which Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards earn bonuses on them.

Travel Purchases

All three primary Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards offer spending bonuses for travel purchases. According to Chase travel includes things like airfare, hotels, car rentals, cruises, travel agencies, train fares, taxi rides, rideshare services, and many more.

• Chase Sapphire Reserve: 3X Ultimate Rewards on every dollar spent on travel.
• Chase Ink Business Preferred: 3X Ultimate Rewards on every dollar spent on travel. ($150,000 limit)
• Chase Sapphire Preferred: 2X Ultimate Rewards on every dollar spent on travel.

Restaurants & Dining

There are also three Ultimate Rewards cards that offer spending bonuses for restaurants and dining. This category also includes things like bars, cafes, lounges, and fast food. Basically, most anywhere that serves food will be included.

• Chase Sapphire Reserve: 3X Ultimate Rewards on every dollar spent on dining.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred: 2X Ultimate Rewards on every dollar spent on dining.
• Ink Business Cash: 2X on restaurants and gas stations combined. ($25,000 limit)

Groceries

Unfortunately, grocery stores are not a spending bonus category for any of the Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards. That does NOT mean that you can’t earn more than one point per dollar spent on groceries though.

• Chase Freedom: The grocery category has been known to appear as a quarterly bonus on the Chase Freedom calendar, earning 5X points per dollar spent. ($750 quarterly limit)
• Chase Freedom Unlimited: 1.5X Ultimate Rewards on every dollar spent on EVERYTHING.
• Ink Business Unlimited: 1.5X Ultimate Rewards on every dollar spent on EVERYTHING.
• Ink Business Cash: This card technically doesn’t earn a bonus on groceries, but it does earn 5X at office supply stores who happen to sell grocery store gift cards. ($25,000 limit)

Gas Stations

Filling up your gas tank is no fun, but at least there are a couple ways to earn bonus points when you have to do it.

• Ink Business Cash: 2X Ultimate Rewards on every dollar spent on gas. Even better, get 5X at office supply stores while purchasing gas gift cards. ($25,000 limit)
• Chase Freedom: Occasionally, gas is a quarterly spending bonus that earns 5X on every dollar spent. ($750 quarterly bonus)

Office Supplies

If you own a business you’re likely going to end up spending money on office supplies. Stores like Office Depot and Staples are considered office supply stores. They sell things like pens, paper, computers, chairs, desks, printers, coffee, and more. They also sell gift cards to many other places you may shop regularly.

• Ink Business Cash: 5X Ultimate Rewards on every dollar spent at office supply stores. ($25,000 limit)

Other Business Expenses

Not everything you purchase for your business can be found at an office supply store. Things like cell phones, internet, and advertising also have spending bonuses.

• Ink Business Preferred: 3X Ultimate Rewards on every dollar spent on shipping, internet services, cable services, phone services, and online advertising on social media and search engines. ($150,000 limit)
• Ink Business Cash: 5X Ultimate Rewards on every dollar spent on internet services, cable services, and phone services.

Remember, that if you’re purchasing something that isn’t in a spending category bonus you can still earn 1.5X points on whatever it is by using either the Chase Freedom Unlimited or Ink Business Unlimited. They both earn 1.5X Ultimate Rewards on all purchases, no matter what they are.

3. Chase Ultimate Rewards Shopping Portal

Shopping online for most purchases is regular these days. Don’t miss out on extra points that you can earn by making online purchases through the Chase Ultimate Rewards shopping portal. Using the shopping portal is easy.

1. Sign in to your Ultimate Rewards account.
2. Click “Earn Bonus Points” in the menu on the upper left.
3. Find the retailer you want to shop at and click “Shop Now”.
4. Make your purchases.
5. Earn bonus points! Chase says they typically show up on your statement in 3-5 business days.

Almost every store you can imagine is available in the Ultimate Rewards shopping portal. As you can see from the image above, some retailers offer more bonus points than others. They typically also have special offers at a handful of retailers that offer extra bonus points for a limited time.

4. Chase Refer a Friend Bonuses

Chase often offers the opportunity to refer a friend for the credit cards that you have to earn extra Ultimate Rewards. The referral prize usually ranges from 5,000 points to 20,000 points, depending on the credit card. Here are some of the offers I’ve seen recently:

Chase Sapphire Preferred: 10,000 Ultimate Rewards per referral, up to 50,000 points per year.

Ink Business Preferred: 20,000 Ultimate Rewards per referral, up to 100,000 points per year.

Chase Freedom Unlimited: 10,000 Ultimate Rewards per referral, up to 50,000 points per year.

If you already have one of these cards, you can check your qualification status at the Chase Referral page.

How to Redeem Ultimate Rewards

Now that you know the four ways to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards, let’s learn how to redeem them. There are three ways to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards. Two ways that involve travel and will earn good point redemption rates, and one way that is essentially cash back and will give an average redemption rate. We recommend using your points for travel, considering we’re Travel Freedom.

1. Chase Travel Portal
2. Chase Transfer Partners
3. Cashback-Like Redemptions

If you’re interested in travel, you should redeem your Ultimate Rewards either in the Chase travel portal or by using the Chase transfer partners. Redeeming Ultimate Rewards for travel will get you much more value for your points.

1. Chase Travel Portal

(Redeem at 1-1.5 cents per point)

If you want to travel, but you don’t want to worry about transferring points, learning about airline and hotel award charts, or finding the most value for your points, the Chase travel portal is likely the right redemption method for you. It’s simple and depending on what Ultimate Rewards credit card you have, you may get a higher redemption rate. As mentioned before, the primary Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards get 25-50% more value on travel portal redemptions.

• Chase Sapphire Preferred: 1.25 cents per point in the Chase Travel Portal
• Ink Business Preferred: 1.25 cents per point in the Chase Travel Portal
• Chase Sapphire Reserve: 1.5 cents per point in the Chase Travel Portal

All secondary Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards have a redemption value of just 1 cent per point. But, remember that if you have both secondary and primary cards, you can transfer your points to the primary card before redeeming. This also allows you the ability to transfer your Ultimate Rewards to Chase transfer partners for an even better redemption.

2. Chase Transfer Partners

(Redeem at up to 2 cents per point or more)

The second way to redeem Ultimate Rewards for travel is by transferring your points to partner airlines and hotels. There are 13 Chase transfer partners, of which 9 are airlines and 4 are hotels. All of the Chase transfer partners’ points exchange at a ratio of 1:1 and most of them transfer instantly.

This is the redemption method that can get you the most bang for your buck. You can get a redemption rate of more than 2 cents per point by transferring to airlines and hotels. In fact, I regularly transfer to Hyatt, British Airways, and Southwest to earn redemptions well over 2 cents per point.

For instance, my wife and I used 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points that we earned from a signup bonus, to fly to Hawaii (saving us over $1300). Our redemption value for those Ultimate Rewards was 2.7 cents per point! That’s almost three times the value of redeeming for cash back.

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 partners.

Airline Transfer Partners

Hotel Transfer Partners

Chase Transfer Partner Redemption Ideas

• Transfer Ultimate Rewards to British Airways for a roundtrip transatlantic award flight on Aer Lingus for 26,000 Avios on off-peak dates from Boston to Shannon or Dublin, Ireland.
• By transferring 30,000 Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt and spending just $375, you can stay 3 nights at the Park Hyatt Dubai, which normally would cost over $1,500.
• Transfer 17,800 Ultimate Rewards to JetBlue to fly one way from Boston to St. Lucia in JetBlue Mint, the airline’s lay-flat premium class seats.
• By transferring 76,000 Ultimate Rewards to Singapore Airlines you can fly in their luxurious Suite Class, one way from New York City (JFK) to Frankfurt. A redemption that can be worth over 12 cents per point.
• Transfer Ultimate Rewards to British Airways for a roundtrip award flight from the west coast to Hawaii on Alaska Airlines for 25,000 Avios.

How Frequent Travelers Use their Ultimate Rewards with Transfer Partners

“118,000 points for Bali to Singapore in business and Singapore to LAX in first on Singapore Airlines. It would have cost about $8,500 but was a great deal with points, plus, I can’t wait to try Singapore Airlines!”

– Anthony M

“Transferred 8,000 UR points to Hyatt for a newly opened Hyatt Place near me. Rooms were going for $320 a night!”

– Marc L

“Used 90,000 to fly business class from Chicago to Taipei, then to Singapore with a large enough layover to go out and explore, and finally to Australia.”

– Stephy M

“Park Hyatt in NYC is fun for 30,000 points. Pay an extra $120, get a nice double upgrade and stay in a room that costs more than $1,500.”

– Jonathan F

Remember, all Chase transfer partners convert at a 1:1 ratio. So, 1,000 Ultimate Rewards will turn into 1,000 miles or points of your choice from the list of 13 transfer partners.

How to Transfer Points to a Travel Partner

It’s easy to transfer points to a Chase travel partner. Make sure that your desired redemption is available with points before transferring. Once you transfer Ultimate Rewards to a travel partner, they can’t be brought back.

1. Sign in to your Ultimate Rewards account.
2. Click “Transfer to Travel Partners” in the upper menu.
3. Find your airline or hotel and click “Transfer Points”.
4. Enter the recipient and membership number.
5. Then select the number of Ultimate Rewards you’d like to transfer and click continue.
6. Your transfer is complete! Most points transfer instantly but check the table above for each programs timeline.

3. Cashback-Like Redemptions

(Redeem at 1 cent per point)

Using your Ultimate Rewards on cashback-like purchases is the least valuable way to redeem them. It is not a recommended way to use your points, especially if you are interested in traveling. Travel can get you more than double the value for your Ultimate Rewards. If you are interested in using your points for purchases other than travel, you will be redeeming them for 1 cent per point or less. Here are your options.

• Amazon: Redeem your Ultimate Rewards for any Amazon purchases. You can link your accounts to get started. Using Ultimate Rewards to make purchases on Amazon gives the worst redemption rate value at just 0.8 cents per point.
• Apple: Redeem your Ultimate Rewards for Apple products. The redemption rate at Apple is currently 1 cent per point.
• Cash Back: Simply get cash back at a redemption value of 1 cent per point. Cash can go towards a statement credit or be deposited into your banking account.
• Experiences: Use your Ultimate Rewards for unique experiences. Redemptions rates for experiences are 1 cent per point. Be sure to purchase these quickly as they tend to sell out fast. Also, you can purchase these events with money instead of points.
• Gift Cards: Shop 196 gift card options with your Chase Ultimate Rewards. Ultimate Rewards are worth 1 cent per point when used for gift card purchases. Some gift cards are offered at a 10% discount, which will give you a redemption rate of 1.1 cents per point.

PS: Did I mention, “Don’t do this“? Use your points for travel, where they’re much more valuable!

Decision Time: Should You Start Earning Chase Ultimate Rewards?

Chase Ultimate Rewards are the most valuable points in the travel industry. They’re so valuable because they’re so flexible. As you’ve found out, there are four easy ways to earn Ultimate Rewards, and three ways to redeem them. By earning hundreds of thousands of Ultimate Rewards through signup bonuses and then transferring them to your favorite airlines and hotels, you can get thousands of dollars worth of travel for nothing.

Can You Afford Not to?

If you’re not using Chase Ultimate Rewards to travel for next to nothing, you’re missing out. Along with many frequent travelers, I, myself have saved tens of thousands of dollars on travel. I’ve taken trips that I never would have been able to if it weren’t for points. I’ve also made vacations more extravagant than I could otherwise afford by using points. Chase Ultimate Rewards are just what they say they are. They’re the ultimate travel points program.

Our Favorite Chase Cards and Why

The only question you’re left with is which credit card or cards should you get. Ultimately, that’s up to you. All seven Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards are excellent choices in their own right. My personal favorites for specific reasons are the following:

[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 benefits for a frequent traveler

[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 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 personal credit card for spending with 1.5 points on all purchases

Good luck! You really can’t go wrong with any of the Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards. Maybe we’ll see you on vacation!