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Chase Ultimate Rewards are the transferrable points currency from Chase that can be earned through select Chase credit cards. The value in these rewards is seen in myriad ways, from transferring to travel partners to redeeming for dining experiences. Let's look at the ways you can use Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
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How To Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards
You can earn Ultimate Rewards from the following credit cards:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
- Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees)
- Chase Freedom Flex℠
- Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees)
- Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
Related: All of the Cards that Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
You can earn Ultimate Rewards from the cash-back credit cards listed above when you have an Ultimate Rewards-earning credit card. From there, you can combine your cash-back rewards with transferrable points to pool all your earnings into one account and expand your redemption options.
There are several ways to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards for travel and beyond. Here are all the ways to use Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Transfer to Travel Partners
Chase transfer partners are easily the best way to use Chase Ultimate Rewards. That's because you can transfer a relatively small amount of points for large, otherwise impossibly expensive purchases. For example, you can transfer 81,000 Ultimate Rewards points to the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program for a one-way business-class ticket from New York (JFK) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA). This same ticket would cost about $1,800 or 180,000 Ultimate Rewards if booked through the travel portal. Using a transfer partner requires less than half the points here.
Other airline transfer partners include Air France–KLM Flying Blue, Air Canada Aeroplan, and Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards.
On top of Chase's 11 airline partners, there are three hotel transfer partners: IHG One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, and World of Hyatt. World of Hyatt is another great option because you don't need a ton of points to redeem free nights at great hotels.
Need help getting started? See our post about how to transfer your Chase points, step by step.
Chase Travel Portal
When not using Ultimate Rewards points for travel through transferring to partners, you can redeem your rewards directly through the Chase travel portal.
You can redeem points for airfare, hotel accommodations, car rentals, and even activities. You could book an entire vacation from start to finish — all in the portal and all with Ultimate Rewards. This is generally the second-best way to redeem your rewards.
What your points are worth here varies.
If you have the Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Reserve®, points are worth up to 2¢ per point (depending on your specific redemption). With the Sapphire Preferred or Ink Preferred, points are worth up to 1.75¢ each. With other cards, you can redeem points at 1¢ apiece toward travel.
Related: Do Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Expire?
Pay Yourself Back
The Pay Yourself Back feature is convenient when you want to use your Ultimate Rewards for purchases you've already made. Since it launched, categories, category end dates, and redemption values have changed several times.
The initial attraction to the Pay Yourself Back feature was that you could use your Ultimate Rewards at 1.25 or 1.5 cents per point, depending on your card. This offered more value than you would get when using points as a statement credit otherwise and rivaled elevated redemption rates in the travel portal. However, much of the value has decreased in 2023.
For further details, see our complete guide to Chase Pay Yoursel Back, including current categories and their end dates.
Statement Credit
Another option to use Chase Ultimate Rewards is obtaining a statement credit for purchases you've already made. This is different from the Pay Yourself Back feature, because you can only redeem them at one cent per point. The silver lining is that you can redeem points here regardless of what types of purchases you've made.
Additional Uses
The options discussed above are some of the better ways to use Chase Ultimate Rewards for the greatest value. However, there are other ways to use Ultimate Rewards that are also worth mentioning.
When using your rewards to purchase gift cards, you'll get 1¢ per point in value.
If you're in need of Apple products like a new phone or laptop, you also can redeem your points this way. If you plan to do this, watch for a bonus offer for up to 50% extra value using Chase points for Apple products.
Lastly, you can also redeem Ultimate Rewards for experiences through Chase Dining at a rate of one cent per point. It also hosts exclusive card member events that can be paid for with points.
Final Thoughts
Ultimate Rewards are a fantastic rewards currency from Chase. Points are easy to earn and even easier to redeem, including several options for doing so. The best way will always be to transfer out to travel partners where you can leverage the most value. However, this requires effort and knowledge of the process.
Other options, such as redeeming through the Chase Travel Portal and redeeming for Chase Dining experiences, provide other ways to make the most of your rewards and are simpler. Whichever route you take, it's easy to use Ultimate Rewards on travel, gift cards, or other expenses through statement credits.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees), Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees), Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (Rates & Fees), and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
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