Chase Ultimate Rewards points are one of the most valuable transferable currencies you can earn.
With 11 airline and 3 hotel transfer partners to choose from, many people new to points and miles collecting start with the Ultimate Rewards earning card, in part due to Chase’s 5/24 rule and limitations on credit card applications.
Valuable beginner-friendly cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card and the rewards-packed Chase Sapphire Reserve® currently offer a generous welcome bonus of 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months after account opening. Now’s the perfect time to apply for the Chase Sapphire card and learn how to make the most of its rewards.
If you’re new to Ultimate Rewards, here’s an easy way to use your points without transferring them.
But if you’re looking for something more advanced, this guide will highlight some of Chase’s best sweet spots to help you make the most of your next redemption.
Luxury Hyatt Hotel Stay
Zach Griff/The Point Guy
Chase’s relationship with World of Hyatt is great news for anyone saving up Ultimate Rewards points.
World of Hyatt’s rewards chart is very generous compared to its competitors, and Ultimate Rewards points transfer at a 1:1 ratio, making it easy to book Hyatt’s top-end hotels at reasonable rates.
Hyatt has implemented peak and off-peak pricing, but you can still find good deals at many properties, especially if you’re able to travel outside of the holiday and spring break periods.
Even better, you can book some of the most luxurious hotels in the entire Park Hyatt portfolio, including the Park Hyatt New York and the Park Hyatt Sydney, for just 35,000 points per night on off-peak days. TPG values Ultimate Rewards points at 2.05 cents per point, so 35,000 points is worth just over $700. That’s a great deal for a hotel that sells for nearly $1,000 per night even when demand is low.
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There’s also great value at the bottom of Hyatt’s rewards chart, with Category 1 hotels ranging from 3,500 to 6,500 points per night.
Related: Category 1 airport hotels are the best way to spend Hyatt points
Iberia flights to Madrid
Ben Smithson/THE POINTS GUY
When most people think of the Avios currency, British Airways is what comes to mind. However, its sister airline, Iberia, also uses Avios and can be a better deal on some flights to Europe. Iberia’s award chart is also based on distance, so fares can be higher if you’re flying long-haul or have connections. Still, direct flights to Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) operated by Iberia are a good deal.
Round-trip tickets from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Madrid on off-peak days cost just 34,000 Avios in economy class, 51,000 Avios in premium economy class and 68,000 Avios in business class – effectively a 50% discount when you consider that most airlines charge at least 60,000 miles for a one-way business class award to Europe.
This offer is such a good deal that it might be worth paying for a positioning flight to one of these cities.
If you’re departing from Miami International Airport (MIA), you can still get great deals with round-trip award ticket prices:
Economy: 42,500 Avios Premium Economy: 63,500 Avios Business: 85,000 Avios
To get the lowest price on each route, you need to fly on an off-peak day. Check the calendar to see if there are dates that suit you and award availability. Dates in red are peak days, all others are off-peak days.
Alaska Airlines and American Airlines flights to Hawaii
Pierre Leclerc/Shutterstock
By transferring your Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways Executive Club at a 1:1 rate, you can get amazing savings on flights to Hawaii.
You can book award tickets with oneworld partners American Airlines and Alaska Airlines If your nonstop flight is less than 3,000 miles one way, you can use British Airways’ distance-based award ticket chart to fly from the following West Coast gateways to Hawaii for 32,000 Avios round-trip.
From these airports, you can fly to some of Hawaii’s most popular destinations, including Honolulu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island. Award tickets on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines can be booked on the British Airways website.
Combined, these two airlines offer more than 30 direct flights daily from the West Coast to Hawaii.
Related: Airlines you can book with Avios: How to make the most of your points
Virgin Atlantic and ANA flights
Eric Rosen/The Points Guy
If you’re looking to travel to Japan on one of the world’s best business or first class tickets, you should know about Virgin Atlantic, another transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Virgin Atlantic’s Japan airline All Nippon Airways award ticket chart is one of the best.
Virginia Atlantic
For just 145,000 miles you can fly first class round trip between the West Coast and Tokyo, and flights from other U.S. gateways cost just another 25,000 miles (170,000 round trip).
Business class flights are a great deal at 90,000-95,000 miles round trip, depending on your departure airport in the U.S. If possible, we recommend flying via New York (JFK) to take advantage of ANA’s industry-leading “The Room” business class, which is only available on select routes.
These flights can also be booked one-way for half the price of the round-trip fare.
Availability is severely limited, so your best chance of scoring one of these flights is if you book within 12 months of departure when sales first open, or within 14 days of departure when any unsold seats can be converted into rewards.
Or switch to Virgin Atlantic and book a Delta One flight to Europe.
Zach Griff/The Point Guy
You can also transfer your Chase points to Virgin Atlantic and book a Delta One business class seat to Europe for just 50,000 points one way, with minimal taxes and fees. This price is valid on all of Delta’s routes from the U.S. to Europe except for the U.K., although you’ll end up paying more points for a connecting ticket because Delta flights charge per segment.
Related: When and how to book Delta award tickets with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
So, to get the best value, you should fly direct whenever possible.
You can book these flights on the Virgin Atlantic website. Their search tools can be a little flaky, so you may need to call to book a flight. You can check the availability of reward tickets using handy tools like Seats.aero.
Below is an example of a 50,000 mile business class flight from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) to New York.
Virginia Atlantic
That’s far less than what Delta SkyMiles charges for many similar routes: Delta charges 280,000 SkyMiles one way, plus the same fees and taxes, for the same flight on the same day.
Delta.com
Short-haul flights to Canada
Zach Griff/The Point Guy
Air Canada’s Aeroplan loyalty program maintained its awards table for partner airline redemptions but added dynamic pricing for Air Canada flights.
As a result, you can often find cheap short-haul tickets from the U.S. to Canada. For example, a flight from New York to Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) can be booked for under 7,000 Aeroplan points one-way on many dates, which is much cheaper than the 15,000 miles that United Airlines charges for the same flight.
Air Canada
How to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card currently offers 75,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months after account opening, plus:
5 points per dollar spent on Lyft (through March 2025)5 points per dollar spent on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠3 points per dollar spent on eligible food and beverages, including delivery services, takeout and dining out3 points per dollar spent on select streaming services3 points per dollar spent on online grocery purchases (excludes Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)2 points per dollar spent on all other travel1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
Sapphire Preferred has no foreign transaction fees and comes with many travel benefits, including delayed baggage insurance, trip interruption/cancellation insurance and primary rental car insurance.
Meanwhile, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® currently offers 75,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months after account opening, plus:
10 points per dollar spent on Lyft (through March 2025)10 points per dollar spent on Chase Dining booked through Ultimate Rewards10 points per dollar spent on hotel and rental car purchases booked through Chase Travel5 points per dollar spent on air travel booked through Chase Travel3 points per dollar spent on travel not booked through Chase3 points per dollar spent on other dining purchases1 point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases
Other card benefits include an easy-to-use $300 annual travel credit, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck fee credit (up to $100 once every four years), access to Priority Pass Select lounges and entry to a growing number of Sapphire lounges. Cardholders also receive primary car rental coverage, trip interruption/cancellation insurance, and other protections.
Conclusion
Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed in a variety of ways, making them one of the most valuable and versatile points transfer currencies. Whether you’re looking to travel domestically or indulge in luxury abroad, our transfer partners can help you get to and (in some cases) stay at your destination.
If you’re looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Chase’s travel portal has a ton of unique activities.
While these redemptions are some of the best options available, they’re only the tip of the iceberg — there are plenty of other ways to get great value out of your Ultimate Rewards points if used well (pun intended).
