Chase Ultimate Rewards

Transferable
Get a clear overview of this award program, including earning shortcuts, recommended cards, transfer options, sweet spots, and helpful booking tips.
Chase Ultimate Rewards

Chase Ultimate Rewards

#1 Among Transferable Points

Point Value

1.65 ¢

Program Score

8.7

View Ratings

Sweet Spots

Transfer to Hyatt
U.S. Domestic Airfare Transfers
International Airfare Transfers
See More Sweet Spots

Top Transfers

Special Offer
Up To
1:1.3
110% Value Retained
1:1
103% Value Retained
See More Transfers

Booking Tips For This Reward Program

Check the portal
Hyatt offers the best value
Avoid These Pitfalls

Key Takeaways

Chase Ultimate Rewards offers versatility, flexible redemption options, and a strong lineup of travel partners.

  • Transferring to Chase's airline and hotel partners is the option we most recommend to get the best value from your Ultimate Rewards points.
  • Hyatt, United, Southwest, and Air Canada are among Chase's most valuable transfer partners.
  • You can also book travel directly through Chase Travel, including flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises, and more.
  • If you have one of Chase's Sapphire Reserve cards, you can take advantage of Points Boost for better redemptions through the portal.
  • While Ultimate Rewards remain highly valuable, Chase now limits how often you can earn welcome bonuses on many of its most popular cards.

Reward Program Ratings

1.65¢
Point Value
No
Points Expire
No
Transfer Time
Yes Household
Sharing

Program Score

8.7
Broad Coverage 10
Everyday Usefulness 10
Earn/Redeem Efficiency 8
Policy Fairness 8
Ease Of Holding 8
Product/Transfer Quality 8

Travel Partner Transfers

Points Transfer Guide

5,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

Transferable Points

Transfer to
Spouse
5,219,403
19,000
74% Value Retained
No
125,000
45,000
85% Value Retained
Yes
34,950
2,000
12% Value Retained
Yes

How to Earn Points

Welcome Offers

Welcome offers are the easiest way to earn a large lump sum of points at once, and Chase offers many different credit card options to earn signup bonuses and points through spending.

  • The most valuable cards earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
  • Other cards instead offer cash back
  • Chase’s business card lineup also unlocks strong miles-earning potential.

Owning the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Chase Sapphire Reserve Business cards offers the best opportunity for maximizing the value of Chase Ultimate Rewards points. These cards allow you to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to all airline and hotel partners at 1:1 ratios, maximizing their value.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Ink Business Preferred also unlock transfers to all Chase partners. However, World of Hyatt transfers occur at a reduced 4:3 ratio, while all other Chase partners continue to transfer at 1:1. Hyatt is often one of Chase's most valuable transfer partners, so travelers who frequently redeem Ultimate Rewards points for Hyatt stays should strongly consider holding one of the Reserve cards.

If you own one of these four cards, you can also transfer rewards from other Chase cards, converting cash back earned from both personal and business cards into Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Eligibility Rules

With the addition of lifetime language on the Sapphire and Ink card families, hobbyists can no longer earn welcome bonuses on the same cards repeatedly. As a result, Ultimate Rewards points are more difficult to accumulate long-term than they were in the past, making ongoing earning strategies more important than ever.

Chase Trifecta

One of the most popular earning strategies is the Chase Trifecta, which combines multiple Chase cards to maximize rewards across different spending categories. By pairing a Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve with the Freedom Flex and/or Freedom Unlimited, you can earn more Ultimate Rewards points from everyday spending and combine those points into a single balance that can be transferred to Chase's airline and hotel partners.

Take advantage of co-branded cards

If there are specific partners you frequently transfer Ultimate Rewards points to, such as Hyatt, Southwest, or United, co-branded cards can also play an important role in your strategy. You can earn rewards directly with those programs and use Ultimate Rewards points to top off your balances when needed, helping stretch your Ultimate Rewards points further.

Our Favorite Chase Ultimate Rewards Cards

Personal Card
Chase Sapphire Reserve

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Signup Bonus
100,000
Minimum Spend
$6,000
Annual Fee
$795
First Year Value
$834

Other Chase Ultimate Rewards Cards

Annual Bonuses & Big Spend Bonuses

Chase Sapphire Preferred

  • Spend requirement: Earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total spend from the previous year.
  • Our take: A nice perk, but not worth spending extra solely to earn the bonus.
  • This benefit is ending on October 1, 2026. Spending before that date will still qualify for the 10% anniversary bonus, but purchases after October 1 will no longer earn it. If you applied for a Chase Sapphire Preferred after June 15, 2026, you will not get this 10% bonus.

Chase Ink Business Cash

  • Spend requirement:
    • 5% back on combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services on the first $25,000 spent
    • 2% back on combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants on the first $25,000 spent
    • 1% back on all other purchases (no limit)
  • Our take: Most people should view this as a nice bonus rather than a reason to change their spending habits. However, hobbyists who take advantage of office supply store gift card promotions can earn a substantial number of extra points each year.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • Spend requirement: If you spend $75,000 or more each year, you earn:
    • $500 credit for Southwest Airlines (booked through Chase) plus A-List status
    • World of Hyatt Explorist Status
    • IHG One Rewards Diamond Status
    • $250 credit for purchases through The Shops at Chase
    • A-List Status with Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
  • Our take: Your spending power goes further opening new cards and earning welcome bonuses, but there are some nice perks if you use the Chase Sapphire Reserve for all your spending and will meet this organically.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Business

  • Spend requirement: Spend $120,000 annually to receive:
    • $500 Southwest Airlines Chase Travel statement credit
    • World of Hyatt Explorist Status
    • IHG One Rewards Diamond Status
    • $500 credit for purchases through The Shops at Chase
    • A-List Status with Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
  • Our take: The required spend is too high to justify the return. New card welcome bonuses provide better value.

Breaking Points

How to Redeem Points

Chase remains one of the most popular rewards systems in the hobby thanks to its strong transfer partners and flexible redemption options, though maximizing value has become more dependent on which Chase cards you hold.

Transfer to Partners

You’ll get the best value by transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards to airline or hotel partners, especially when taking advantage of the sweet spots you can find on this page. There is a learning curve when transferring and redeeming with partners, but the payoff is worth it.

Only four Chase cards transfer to its partners, and only two transfer to all partners at 1:1 ratios. The two cards that offer full transfer capabilties to partners are the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Reserve Business cards, both of which come with hefty $795 annual fees.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Ink Business Preferred transfer to all but one partner at 1:1 ratios. The exception is World of Hyatt, which transfers at a reduced 4:3 ratio. Hyatt has historically been one of Chase's most valuable transfer partners, making the two Sapphire Reserve cards especially attractive for travelers who frequently redeem points for Hyatt stays. Even without a Reserve card, Chase's airline partners still offer many opportunities for high-value redemptions.

Chase Travel Portal

If you want a simpler redemption path, you can still get solid value by booking through Chase Travel, especially with a Sapphire card. You can use Chase Travel to book flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises, and more. Point values vary based on the card you hold:

  • Chase Sapphire Reserve: Up to 2¢ per point through Points Boost (there are a handful of 2.5¢/point redemptions, but they are few and far between)
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred: Up to 1.5¢ per point through Points Boost
  • No-annual-fee cards (Freedom, Ink Cash, etc.): 1¢ per point

Points Boost applies only to select airfare and hotel bookings when you hold a Sapphire card. When it is not available, all redemptions default to 1¢ per point.

Legacy Points Boost rules: If you held a Sapphire Reserve or Preferred before June 23, 2025, any points you earned before October 26, 2025 are eligible for:

  • 1.5¢ per point (Reserve)
  • 1.25¢ per point (Preferred)

These elevated values remain valid through October 26, 2027.

The Edit (Sapphire Reserve Cards Only)

If you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve (personal or business), you can redeem points through The Edit, Chase’s luxury hotel collection. While all Edit bookings initially redeemed at 2¢ per point through Points Boost, Chase later reduced many properties to 1.65¢ per point. Redemption values now generally range from 1.65¢-2¢ per point depending on the property.

Additional perks when booking The Edit with a Sapphire Reserve card:

  • Earn 8x points when paying with your Reserve card
  • You can use your $250 biannual travel credit
  • You can stack cash + points: pay up to $250 in cash to trigger the travel credit, then redeem points for the remainder at 1.65¢-2¢ per point

You'll also receive the following benefits on nearly every The Edit stay booked through Chase Travel, whether paying cash or redeeming points:

  • Breakfast for two
  • $100 property credit
  • Room upgrade when available
  • Early check-in and late check-out when available

Chase also rolled out a new Price Match Guarantee feature in 2026 for hotel bookings made through the Chase Travel portal. The feature is still in beta and not available to all cardholders, but eligible users can submit a claim within 24 hours of booking if they find a lower publicly available rate elsewhere on an identical stay. Importantly, this feature also works on The Edit bookings, even with the added perks and statement credits included with these stays.

To qualify for a price match, the competing booking must have the same:

  • Property
  • Dates
  • Room type
  • Bed type
  • Number of guests
  • Currency
  • Cancellation and refund policy

Pay Yourself Back

Pay Yourself Back allows cardholders to redeem points at an elevated rate on select, rotating categories.

  • Categories change quarterly and vary by card.
  • The maximum redemption rate is 1.5¢ per point.
  • Less valuable than transferring to partners, but better than the standard 1¢ per point rate

What You Shouldn’t Do

Some redemptions usually deliver less value for your Chase Ultimate Rewards points and are generally worth avoiding:

  • Gift cards: Redeem at only 1¢ per point
  • PayPal: Apply points at checkout for just 0.8¢ per point
  • Amazon: Apply points at checkout for just 0.8¢ per point
  • Experiences and dining: Redeem for events or meals, but you’ll get 1¢ per point at best

Sweet Spots Finder

Discover your points' highest-value redemption options. Use the filters to find the optimal sweet spot for your next trip.

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Booking Tips

If you have fixed travel dates, it’s worth checking the Chase Travel Portal, if you have a Sapphire Reserve or Preferred. Points Boost redemptions can often offer better value than partner transfers when you don't have date flexibility.

Who is it best for?

Chase Ultimate Rewards remains one of the best starting points for travelers entering the hobby. The ecosystem offers strong transfer partners, a broad card lineup, and a variety of redemption options.

Experts still get plenty of value from Chase Ultimate Rewards, with opportunities for outsized redemptions through many of its partners. Holding a Sapphire Reserve card, despite its hefty annual fee, offers the most flexibility when redeeming Ultimate Rewards points. Travelers who frequently redeem through Hyatt, United, or Southwest will likely find Chase particularly valuable.

Recent eligibility changes have made Ultimate Rewards more difficult to earn than in the past, so ongoing spending strategies become increasingly important once you've exhausted welcome offers, many of which now come with lifetime restrictions. Despite the recent changes, Chase Ultimate Rewards remains one of the most versatile points currencies available.

What to Know Before Canceling

You can generally downgrade or cancel a Chase card within 30 days of your annual fee posting and receive a full refund. Chase does not typically offer a prorated refund if you act after that 30-day window. Chase Ultimate Rewards points are tied to individual cards, though you can combine points between your own cards and with household members at the same address. If you want to retain the ability to transfer Ultimate Rewards points to airline and hotel partners, you must hold one of the following cards. The Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Reserve Business are the only cards that transfer to all Chase partners at 1:1 ratios. The Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred transfer to Hyatt at a reduced 4:3 ratio and all other Chase partners at 1:1.

FAQs

Is it better to use Chase points for travel or cash back?

Cash back redemptions return only 1¢ per point. Booking travel through the Chase Travel Portal can be worth up to 2¢ per point with the Chase Sapphire Reserve for points boost redemptions. Transferring points to airline or hotel partners can deliver even higher value in certain situations.

What is the most efficient way to redeem Chase points?

The most efficient way to redeem Chase points is to transfer them to travel partners. That is how you unlock outsized value, often well more than 2¢ per point. Booking through the Chase Travel Portal is easier, but learning partner awards maximizes long term value and flexibility.

Which Chase card is best for rewards?

The two Chase Sapphire Reserve cards, personal and business, offer the biggest signup bonuses and most perks, but they also carry higher annual fees. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is an excellent alternative for travelers who want strong value and transferable points with a lower fee, though it transfers to Hyatt at 4:3 instead of 1:1 like the two Reserve cards.

Can you book Airbnb through Chase Travel?

You cannot book Airbnb through Chase Travel, as Airbnb is not a direct transfer partner. Chase does offer vacation rentals in its portal for select cardholders. Log in to Chase Travel, and if your card is eligible you will see options to search hotels or vacation homes.

Who has more lounges, Chase or Amex?

American Express provides access to more lounges than Chase through the Global Lounge Collection, which includes Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs, and other partner lounges. Chase has a growing number of Sapphire Lounges, but the amount doesn't compete with Amex. The premium cards from both reward systems offer access to the most lounges.