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One of the biggest advantages of the Chase Ultimate Rewards program is the ability to transfer points to travel partners, which can help you unlock incredible value on award flights and hotel stays. However, since there are so many Chase transfer partners (14!) and redemption options, knowing which partner to use and when can quickly become overwhelming.
If you're looking to use your hard-earned Chase points for a trip across the pond, these Ultimate Rewards sweet spots to Europe will help you stretch your points for maximum value.
Page Contents
- Fly to the U.K. From Just 6,000 Virgin Points
- Fly to Europe for 25K in Economy, 40K in Premium, or 60K in Business With Flying Blue
- Fly Business Class to Europe From 60,000 Aeroplan Points
- Book Flights to Europe From 17K Avios in Economy or 34K in Business
- Use United’s Excursionist Perk for Nearly Free Flights Within Europe
- Use JetBlue Points for Cheap Flights to Amsterdam — or Fly TAP to Portugal in Business Class
- Final Thoughts
Fly to the U.K. From Just 6,000 Virgin Points
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club offers some of the best-value redemptions for flights to the U.K. In late 2024, Virgin moved to a dynamic pricing model, which means award rates can fluctuate alongside the cash price of the ticket. But it's not all bad news, though, as some routes now cost even fewer points (and require less out-of-pocket) than before.
Transatlantic economy awards that previously started in the 10,000–15,000 range can now be as low as 6,000 points from the East Coast and 9,000 points from the West Coast. For instance, you can book a one-way flight from Seattle to London for just 9,000 points plus $79 in taxes, or fly Premium Economy for 20,000 points plus $105.
Business class is also an excellent deal depending on the day. A one-way flight from somewhere like Tampa to London now costs as few as 29,000 points plus $250 in fees. If you can find these saver awards, Virgin Atlantic flights to London, Manchester, or Edinburgh can offer tremendous value for your Chase points.
Virgin Atlantic points are also useful for SkyTeam partner redemptions, including Air France, KLM, and Delta. Partner economy awards to Europe start at 12,000 points, while business class starts at 48,500 points.
You can transfer Chase points to Virgin Atlantic at a 1:1 ratio — and transfers generally happen instantly. But if you need to top off your account using a different currency, here are all of the Flying Club transfer partners:
Fly to Europe for 25K in Economy, 40K in Premium, or 60K in Business With Flying Blue
Flying Blue, the loyalty program of Air France and KLM, remains a favorite among award travelers with a stash of Chase points. While the program recently increased award costs, its rates are still some of the best for flights to Europe. Standard pricing starts at:
- Economy Class: 25,000 miles
- Premium Economy: 40,000 miles
- Business Class: 60,000 miles
Flying Blue also offers monthly Promo Rewards, discounting award flights by 25%. These deals can drop economy flights as low as 18,750 miles one-way or business class to just 45,000 miles.
Business class availability can be hard to come by — even when there's no applicable discount. But if you’re flexible, you can find routes like Denver to Paris at the lowest rates.
Flying Blue allows free stopovers, making it easy to explore two European cities for the price of one award ticket. Thus, you can unlock fantastic value by transferring Chase points to Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio. But if you need more Flying Blue miles, the program has several other transfer partners, too, namely:
Fly Business Class to Europe From 60,000 Aeroplan Points
The Air Canada Aeroplan program is another excellent option for redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers if you want to fly to Europe. Aeroplan uses a distance-based award chart, with business class flights starting at 60,000 points each way for routes under 4,000 miles, such as New York to Geneva. Longer flights up to 6,000 miles increase to 70,000 points each way.
Although Aeroplan isn’t always the cheapest option to get across the pond, its access to partner airlines (Air Canada has over 40 partner airlines!) and ease of use make up for the cost difference. Another great feature is the ability to add a stopover for just 5,000 additional points and turn one trip into two.
For example, a business class ticket from Chicago to Athens with a four-day stopover in Zurich prices at just 75,000 points. Many Aeroplan stopover awards can be booked online, though calling Aeroplan may be necessary if you can't ticket specific itineraries.
Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio. However, you can get a 10% bonus on each Chase-to-Aeroplan transfer of 50,000 points or more if you have the Aeroplan® Credit Card in your wallet alongside an Ultimate Rewards-earning card.
If you need to top off your Aeroplan balance, consider leveraging these other transfer partners as well:
Book Flights to Europe From 17K Avios in Economy or 34K in Business
Iberia Avios offers some of the best-value awards for direct flights to Spain. Since Iberia is part of the Avios ecosystem (alongside British Airways, Qatar Airways, and Finnair), you can transfer Avios between programs to maximize different sweet spots.
During off-peak dates, Iberia charges just 17,000 Avios one-way in economy from Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York to Madrid. Business class pricing starts at just 34,000 Avios one-way, with taxes and fees ranging from $100–$125 depending on class.
This redemption remains one of the cheapest business-class awards to Europe. And you can transfer your Chase points directly to Iberia at a 1:1 ratio to book it — though it's also worth noting that you can also initiate a transfer to Iberia from several other programs as well:
Use United’s Excursionist Perk for Nearly Free Flights Within Europe
United’s MileagePlus program isn’t exactly known for low award prices, but its Excursionist Perk offers an often-overlooked way to get additional value from the United miles you earn.
This perk allows you to add a free one-way flight within Europe when booking a round-trip award from the U.S. For example, if you book a flight from Washington D.C. to London and a return flight from Munich to Washington D.C., you can add a London-to-Munich segment for zero miles. You'll only be responsible for paying the taxes and fees.
This trick makes it easy to visit two or more European cities for the same number of miles as a traditional round-trip. However, that means you need to source the miles necessary to book a round-trip award. And you can do so by transferring Chase points to United at a 1:1 ratio.
Related: How to Redeem United Miles for Maximum Value
Use JetBlue Points for Cheap Flights to Amsterdam — or Fly TAP to Portugal in Business Class
JetBlue’s TrueBlue program isn’t really known for high-value international redemptions, but it does offer some solid deals on flights to Europe. Since JetBlue prices most of its awards based on cash fares, you won’t get the same outsized value as with other airline programs, but some routes are still worth evaluating on a case-by-case basis.
For example, a one-way JetBlue flight from New York to Amsterdam can cost around 14,300 points plus $5.60 in taxes. With cash fares typically around $194, this redemption works out to about 1.3 cents per point. While not spectacular, it’s a decent way to fly across the Atlantic for minimal out-of-pocket cost.
But it's worth noting that in some cases, booking through the Chase Travel℠ portal and redeeming your points at 1.5 cents each (a value you'll get with the Chase Sapphire Reserve®) may require fewer points than transferring 1:1 to JetBlue.
In addition, JetBlue’s new partnership with TAP Portugal allows TrueBlue redemptions for flights to Portugal and beyond. Business class flights from Boston to Porto, for example, are available for as few as 59,000 points plus $5.60, making this a solid option for those who want to head to Portugal.
If you're short on TrueBlue points, you can also initiate a transfer from a few other programs as well — but pay close attention to the transfer ratios.
Related: How to Redeem JetBlue Points for Maximum Value
Final Thoughts
Chase Ultimate Rewards are some of the most valuable points you can use to fund flights to Europe. With several airline partnerships, business-class sweet spots, and unique perks you can take advantage of, it's pretty clear that these redemptions can help you travel farther for fewer points.
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