How can I maximize my Chase Ultimate Rewards points value when redeeming for travel?

You can book travel with Chase travel rewards by visiting the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal through your online account. There, you can search for flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises, vacation rentals, and more. Plus, you can book your travel with your points, with cash, or a mixture of the two.… read full answer

How to book travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal

1. Navigate to the Chase Ultimate Rewards section of your Chase online account.
2. Choose “Travel” or “Redeem for Travel” from the menu at the top.
3. Find a flight, hotel, car rental, vacation rental, cruise, or event to book.
4. Enter your details on the next few pages. This may include your name/names of passengers, flight and luggage options, dates of events you’re booking, among other things.
5. Decide how to pay. You’ll be taken to a page that tells you how many points or dollars your travel choices will cost, and you can choose how many points you want to spend. The rest will be charged to your Chase credit card.

What your Chase points are worth in travel

Your Chase Ultimate Rewards points will redeem at different values depending on which Chase card you have. The Chase Sapphire Reserve® card and the J.P. Morgan Reserve Credit Card get 1.5 cents per point when redeemed for travel through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card points get 1.25 cents per point on travel redemptions. All other Chase cards’ points are worth 1 cent per point on Ultimate Rewards travel.

If you have Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can also transfer points to Chase’s hotel and airline partners at a 1:1 ratio. You may be able to find better deals that way, in some cases.

Chase’s travel rewards credit cards are some of the best on the market, particularly the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Sapphire Reserve cards. Plus, the Chase Ultimate Rewards program generally promotes travel. However, you can always spend your points on cash back or gift cards too if you’d like.

How to earn Chase travel rewards

You can earn Chase travel rewards by charging purchases to any Chase rewards credit card. All Chase Ultimate Rewards points are redeemable for travel. Plus, you can earn even more points via the Shop through Chase section of the Ultimate Rewards portal – up to 25% more points for your dollar, actually.

Some Chase travel rewards can take time to show up in your account. For example, it can take 6-8 weeks for points from an initial bonus to be delivered. Rewards earned through purchases should show up shortly after your statement closes.

To get the most out of Chase Sapphire Preferred, earn the card’s initial bonus and referral bonuses, take advantage of benefits, and redeem points for travel rather than cash back. Cardholders should also charge only what they can pay in full each month, because it’s not possible for someone to get the most out of Chase Sapphire Preferred if they have to pay interest.… read full answer

The first step to start maximizing the value of Chase Sapphire Preferred is to spend $4,000 in the first 3 months after account opening to earn the initial bonus of 60,000 points. Then, refer as many friends as possible to the card each year to get a bonus of 15,000 points for each of the first five who are approved.

Lastly, one of the keys to getting the most out of Chase Sapphire Preferred is redeeming your rewards points for travel. Points are worth 1.25 cents each when you redeem them for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, compared to just 1 cent each toward cash back or gift cards. You can also consider transferring your points to Chase’s airline and hotel loyalty program partners at a 1:1 ratio. This may give you more value for your points, depending on the program.

Chase points are worth 1 cent per point in most cases. The main exceptions are points earned with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve and Ink Business Preferred cards, which are worth 25% to 50% more when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Chase Points Value by Redemption Method

Popular Chase Credit Cards

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• Chase Freedom®
• Chase Freedom Unlimited®
• Chase Freedom Flex℠
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Tips for Maximizing the Value of Chase Points

Redeem Points for Ultimate Rewards Travel.

Chase points are worth the most when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, but you need the right Chase credit card.

Get a Chase Sapphire card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred points are worth 1.25 cents apiece when redeemed for Ultimate Rewards travel, or you could get 1.5 cents per $1 point in value from Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Redeem Chase points regularly.

Chase points do not expire due to account inactivity, but stockpiling points does put you at risk of rewards devaluation. Plus, you won’t get to enjoy the fruits of your spending if you don’t redeem.

Keep your account in good standing.

If Chase closes your account because of a failure to pay the bill or fraudulent activity, you’ll lose any unredeemed points you have saved.

Redeem before closing your account.

Any points you don’t redeem before closing your account will be lost.