Although Chase Ultimate Rewards® can be redeemed in a number of different ways, transferring your points to travel partners will likely lead to better redemption values. Most Chase redemptions are worth 1 to 1.5 cents per point, but by transferring points to book travel, it’s not unheard of to get values of 3 cents or more.
Admittedly, learning the ins and outs of travel programs takes a little effort. However, for anyone already familiar with their preferred program—or anyone willing to learn—transferring Ultimate Rewards is a great way to maximize your returns.
Before you can redeem points or miles directly with your preferred program, you’ll need to transfer your Ultimate Rewards. Here, we’ll walk you through this simple process.
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Chase Transfer Partners
Chase currently offers 11 airline partners and three hotel loyalty partners.
| Airlines | Hotels |
|---|---|
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AerClub, loyalty programme of Aer Lingus
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IHG® One Rewards
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Air Canada Aeroplan
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Marriott Bonvoy™
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British Airways Executive Club
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World of Hyatt®
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Emirates Skywards®
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Air France KLM Flying Blue
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Iberia Plus
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JetBlue TrueBlue
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Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
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Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®
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United MileagePlus®
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Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
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Airline Partners
AerClub, Loyalty Program of Aer Lingus
With AerClub, you earn rewards known as Avios. The airline has partnerships with British Airways and United for even more reward potential and flexibility.
Air Canada Aeroplan
Aeroplan is one of the newest Chase transfer partners. The loyalty program is a useful option for premium cabin awards on partner airlines.
British Airways Executive Club
British Airways is part of the Oneworld alliance and offers economy and business class fares between the U.S. and Europe and other destinations. Award ticket prices are distance-based, which can be both a blessing and a curse.
Emirates Skywards®
Emirates doesn’t belong to an airline alliance but is still a popular choice among frequent travelers. The airline’s fuel surcharges make it expensive for award travel, but sweet spots still exist where you can find deals.
Air France KLM Flying Blue
Flying Blue is the loyalty program for Air France KLM. The program typically offers redemption value for economy and business award fares between the U.S. and Europe, especially when you can utilize a promo flight reward.
Iberia Plus
Based in Madrid, Spain, Iberia is another Oneworld alliance member and earns Avios redeemable for flights and upgrades.
JetBlue TrueBlue
For domestic and short-haul international flights, JetBlue offers reasonable award fares in economy and business class.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer is part of the Star Alliance, which also includes airlines like United, TAP, Lufthansa, and Air Canada.
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®
Another top choice for domestic award fares is Southwest Airlines. Rapid Rewards members only pay $5.60 per one-way trip in charges and fees when booking award flights.
United MileagePlus®
United is a well-known U.S.-based airline, but one of the major benefits of the MileagePlus program is the ability to book award flights on Star Alliance partner airlines.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
U.K.-based Virgin Atlantic is part of the Skyteam airline alliance but also partners with select airlines including ANA and SAS.
Hotel Partners
IHG® One Rewards
IHG One Rewards comes with no blackout dates on reward nights. The popular hotel brand operates over 6,100 properties worldwide. You might not get the best value redeeming for IHG compared to other redemptions.
Marriott Bonvoy™
Another flexible choice for hotel redemptions, Marriott Bonvoy offers perks like free in-room WiFi and mobile check-in. Marriott is home to 30 brands and more than 8,000 properties around the world. As with IHG, you might not get the best value redeeming for Marriott compared to other redemptions.
World of Hyatt®
Hyatt has a smaller global footprint than Chase’s other two hotel partners with roughly 1,150 properties in 70 countries. Despite its size, it’s a popular choice among travelers, especially for its all-inclusive resorts. Points are redeemable for stays, dining and spa services. World of Hyatt is generally thought to be a good value exchange for Ultimate Rewards.
Featured Partner Offers
Chase Credit Cards Eligible for Point Transfers
There are three primary cards that allow you to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to a transfer partner:
Points transfer to participating airline or hotel partners at a rate of 1:1. That means that 1 Chase Ultimate Reward point is equivalent to 1 point or mile with any of its airline or hotel transfer partners.
Though other Chase cards may offer the ability to earn Ultimate Rewards, only these three cards (and a few now-discontinued cards) have the full functionality to transfer points to travel programs. If you have multiple Chase cards, such as the Chase Freedom Flex℠ or Chase Freedom Unlimited®, you may be able to combine rewards between cards first so you have the ability to transfer Ultimate Rewards from those cards to airline and hotel programs, too.
How To Earn Chase Rewards Points
You can earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points in several ways.
Welcome Bonus Offers
One of the quickest ways to earn rewards is through welcome bonus offers. If eligible, you can earn a welcome bonus by meeting a card’s spending requirements. You’re ineligible to receive a welcome bonus if you currently have one of the participating personal cards or have earned a the bonus on an eligible card in the past 48 months.
Credit Card Spending
Cardholders earn points for using their card for purchases. The number of points you earn depends on the specific card and its bonus spending categories.
Online Shopping
Online shoppers can use the Chase shopping portal to earn additional points at participating retailers. This is an easy way to build up rewards points and only requires one extra step for purchases.
Referrals
Current cardholders can earn large point bonuses for referring people to sign up for a card. Referral bonuses vary by card and you only earn a bonus if the individual signs up using your referral link and is approved for a card. If you earn referral bonuses, Chase may send you a 1099 form for the value of the points, which could carry tax implications.
Transferring Ultimate Rewards to Travel Partners: Step-By-Step
Editor’s Note: Chase recently updated their Chase TravelSM portal experience. Content that references the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal may be outdated. Please check back for the latest updates.
To transfer Ultimate Rewards to partner travel programs, you’ll need to log into your online account. If you have multiple Chase reward accounts, be sure you’ve selected a credit card that specifically allows point transfers. Once selected, you’ll be on the Chase Ultimate Rewards main page.
On the top of the website, you’ll see a blue button that states “Earn / Use” next to your current points balance. Click here. This will drop down another menu with multiple options on how to earn or redeem Ultimate Rewards points. You’re specifically looking for an arrow that says “Transfer to Travel Partners”.
Once you click on the option to transfer points, you’ll be taken to a list of all Chase travel partners. Each partner has a button on the right-hand side of the page to initiate a transfer.
Once you click on your intended transfer program, you’re taken to a simple form to complete the transfer. It will ask for the name on the travel loyalty account as well as your loyalty account number.
Keep in mind the name on your travel account must match the name of a primary cardholder or that of a household member and authorized user. Additionally, it’s important that your member number is correct. If not, your rewards could end up in limbo instead of being instantly transferred.
This will take you to a second page where you enter the number of points you’d like to transfer. All transfers are made in 1,000-point increments. Most often, transfers are at a 1:1 ratio, so for every 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points, you’ll receive 1,000 points in the partnering program. Occasionally, Chase may offer transfer bonuses which may net even greater returns.
The review page is your final opportunity to check for mistakes before submission. Point transfers are permanent and can’t be reversed, so be sure to confirm award availability with your travel partner before completing the transaction.
Once you click Confirm & Submit, you will receive notice that your points transfer is being processed. Most transfers are instant, which means you’ll have access to spend your travel rewards with their respective partner immediately. Occasionally, some transfers may take one or more days. You can confirm the transfer is complete by logging into your travel account to check the balance.
As soon as the points have been posted to your travel loyalty account, you’re able to book award travel.
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Bottom Line
Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards to partnering travel programs requires an extra step before redemption but the process is straightforward and easy to complete. For award travelers, transferring points is one of the best ways to extract value from your credit card points and is worth the extra effort.
