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Chase Ultimate Rewards® points are among the most valuable currencies in the world of points and miles. What makes them stand out is flexibility: you can transfer points 14 to airline and hotel partners, book directly through the Chase Travel℠ portal, cash out for statement credits or gift cards, or even use points for experiences and Apple products. The key is knowing which redemptions deliver the best value.
In this guide, we’ll walk through 22 different ways to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points — from practical everyday uses to aspirational travel redemptions — so you can choose the strategy that fits your goals.
Ultimate Rewards-Earning Credit Cards
Chase offers a full slate of credit cards. The following cards earn Ultimate Rewards points that can be transferred to Chase' transfer partners — or redeem them for things like gift cards, statement credits, or booking travel in the travel portal:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
- Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees)
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
- 8X points on all Chase Travel℠ purchases
- 5X total points on eligible Lyft rides through 9/30/2027
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on advertising purchases made with social media platforms and search engines
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases
In addition, the following cards are promoted as earning cash back but actually earn Ultimate Rewards:
- Chase Freedom Flex℠
- Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees)
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
- Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
However, the Ultimate Rewards points earned through these cards can't be transferred to airline or hotel partners. Thankfully, you can combine your cash back earnings from these cards with Ultimate Rewards from cards on the first list to make these points transferrable.
After choosing the card or combination of cards to best suit your individual goals and spending habits, the next step is learning the best ways to redeem your Ultimate Rewards. Here are 22 different ways to redeem Ultimate Rewards.
Related: Do Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Expire?
Chase Travel Portal
One of the simplest ways to redeem Ultimate Rewards is through the Chase Travel Portal, which works similarly to online booking agencies like Expedia or Orbitz. You can book flights, hotels, tickets, and tours by searching through the portal as you would with any other third-party booking site. At checkout, you can opt to pay with points.
If you're using points linked to your Sapphire Preferred or Ink Preferred cards, your points are worth up to 1.75¢ apiece here, depending on the redemption. Using the Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Reserve Business, points are worth up to 2¢ each, again, dependent on your specific redemption. With all other cards, points are worth 1¢ apiece.
Air travel
Although we usually recommend transferring points out to Chase's fantastic list of travel partners as the best way to maximize the value of your points, the Chase Travel Portal can sometimes make more sense. Here's when you might want to book cash rates through the portal:
- Using airline miles can be restrictive if you need to travel on specific dates or want to fly during peak season. Using the travel portal, you are not limited to a particular airline, and there are no blackout dates.
- When you book air travel through the Chase Travel Portal, you will earn miles and credit towards elite status with your preferred airline (because these are considered cash fares, even though you paid with points).
- Sometimes the best deal on flights is through the Chase Travel Portal, especially with the new Points Boost feature. On select routes, you may use fewer points than transferring to an airline partner once you factor in the taxes and surcharges that come with award bookings.
While booking flights through the Chase portal might not provide the theoretical highest cent-per-point value, it can provide enormous value in the form of flexibility. It's up to you which you value more for any given redemption.
Remember that booking flights through the Travel Portal with premium Ultimate Rewards earning cards allows you to redeem points for 1¢–2¢ for travel, so 100,000 points will give you $1,000-2,000 to spend on flights, depending on which credit card you're using and the specific redemption.
Hotels
Typically, we try to redeem Ultimate Rewards points for at least 1.96¢ per point. If that’s the goal, when would it make sense to redeem them through the travel portal for hotels, especially when you could get more value by transferring to a hotel or airline partner?
Just like with flights, there are times when booking through the portal makes sense. For example, if there is no award availability for one or more nights, or if you are staying somewhere without chain hotels. It also helps when you don't have enough points to cover the full cost, since you can use a mix of points and your Chase credit card.
Look for Points Boost bookings
With the launch of Points Boost, some hotel bookings through Chase Travel now offer more value than before. If your stay qualifies, you could get up to 2 cents per point depending on which Chase credit card you hold. This might match or even exceed the value you would get by transferring to a hotel partner.
For example, Marriott requires 56,000 points for a night at the Ritz Carlton Philadelphia when booked direct with Marriott.
However, booking the same room through the Chase Travel Portal would normally require 30,177 points for that night. With Points Boost on my Sapphire Reserve, I would be able to redeem just 22,633 Chase Ultimate Rewards points for the same stay.
Not only that but since the property is part of The Edit, there would be additional perks like free breakfast and property credit when booked through Chase Travel.
If you have the Sapphire Preferred, you get an annual $50 hotel credit (issued as a statement credit). You can apply this during booking by selecting $50 in cash and paying the rest with points.
Reminder: Hotel bookings made through the Chase portal usually do not count toward elite status and do not include elite benefits.
Rental cars
When booking a car rental using the Chase Travel Portal, you'll get a lower cent-per-point value on travel redemptions. Again, that's typically below the return we are trying to achieve when you take it at face value. However, Chase often has some of the best rental car rates around, meaning you will often find a discounted price that can offset the lower redemption value.
And if you are redeeming points from your account, you'll also be eligible for one of the most valuable benefits to come with your Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Preferred: Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver. You can find more details about the excellent benefits that come with the Sapphire Preferred. Review the Guide to Benefits for your particular card for full information on these rental car insurance benefits.
Cruises
It's possible to redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards for cruises within the portal. Search and book as you would with other travel, filtering by things like departure port, cruise length, and destination. You'll have the option to pay with points, a credit card, or a combination of the two.
Activities
While it may not be the most popular way to use Ultimate Rewards, the Activities tab in the Chase Travel portal is worth checking before you book any excursions. Whether you are looking for a guided tour, museum tickets, or a safari game drive, you might find a good deal using points. It can be a smart way to reduce out-of-pocket costs, even though most people tend to use their points for flights and hotels.
Travel Partners
Chase Ulitmate Rewards transfer to travel partners at a 1:1 ratio, meaning 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points will convert to 1,000 points/miles in your chosen currency. Let's start with hotels and then move to airlines.
Chase hotel transfer partners
Related: How To Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points: A Step-By-Step Guide
Marriott Bonvoy
The PointSavers program gets an honorable mention here. You'll also get more out of your points by redeeming for five nights or more, as the fifth night is free on Marriott award stays. For a hotel that charges 20,000 points per night, a five-night stay will set you back 80,000 points instead of 100,000.
While not the best way to redeem Ultimate Rewards points, transfers to Marriott are a handy option if you need to top your account off with a few thousand points for a specific redemption.
IHG One Rewards
Transferring your Ultimate Rewards points to IHG at a 1:1 ratio is only advisable if you find an incredible deal or if you need to top off an account with a few points before making a redemption. Typically, you will get better value by redeeming your points for the minimum 1¢ per point cash back or booking through the Chase Travel Portal for the 20% discount on travel redemptions.
World of Hyatt
Often considered the sweet spot for transfers from Ultimate Rewards, World of Hyatt offers some great value on points redemptions. Transferring 45,000 Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt could get you a night at the Park Hyatt New York on a peak date, based on availability. In the example below, this Category 8 hotel would cost you $1,825 per night, giving you a value of 4.06 cents per point.
Chase airline transfer partners
You can transfer and redeem Ultimate Rewards with 11 airlines. They don't all provide the same value, though.
Air Canada Aeroplan
If you ask most members of the points and miles community to choose their favorite Chase airline partner, we think a large percentage would say Air Canada Aeroplan. As a Star Alliance member, you can book flights on over 50 airlines to almost anywhere in the world. Most award bookings can also be completed online, saving you time and effort. Plus, you can book stopovers for an additional 5,000 points, allowing for trips to multiple destinations without much extra cost.
Air France–KLM FlyingBlue
Flying Blue, the joint program of Air France and KLM, adds additional flexibility for redemptions within SkyTeam along with Air France's extended partner network outside of SkyTeam. You can find great value when booking Flying Blue Promo Awards, a rotating list of destinations offering award bookings for up to 50% off. Additionally, Flying Blue offers 25% off standard award rates for children aged 2-11.
British Airways Club / Aer Lingus AerClub / Iberia Plus / Qatar Airways Privilege Club / Finnair Plus
Avios are another great option to redeem points from Ultimate Rewards. As Oneworld alliance airlines, you can get excellent value flying transatlantic on Iberia or Aer Lingus. Alternatively, if you live on the West Coast, you can fly nonstop in economy class from several airports (including Phoenix) to Hawaii on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines starting at 16,000 Avios.
While Qatar Airways and Finnair aren't Chase transfer partners, you can move Avios freely and instantly between all of these programs, providing access to Qatar Airways Privilege Club bookings and Finnair Plus sweet spots.
Emirates Skywards
Emirates Skywards may not be the first program many people think of when they want to redeem Ultimate Rewards, but our post highlighting the best Emirates Skywards sweet spots shows you can get outsized value from this program if you are happy to put in a little legwork or pair with an Emirates Skywards+ subscription. You'll also need to watch out for high surcharges on these bookings, so plan strategically to reduce your out-of-pocket costs.
Note: Chase is losing Emirates as a transfer partner on Oct. 16, 2025. You have until that date to transfer Chase points to Emirates to book award flights.
JetBlue TrueBlue
Points generally have a fixed value with TrueBlue when flying JetBlue and it's not the most valuable transfer partner. Typically, points are worth less here than what you can get by redeeming through other airline programs. However, many people love this program for how simple it is and the ability to book any seat with points, as long as it's for sale with cash. On top of that, JetBlue TrueBlue has recently added several airline partners, giving travelers new ways to book flights on Qatar Airways and Japan Airlines with JetBlue points.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
This is longtime favorite transfer partner for any frequent flyer. While KrisFlyer is stingy with its first- and business-class award space on long-haul flight awards booked via partner airline miles, Singapore Airlines makes that space available to its KrisFlyer members using KrisFlyer miles. One of the best promotions Singapore Airlines offers is its monthly Spontaneous Escapes, which can offer incredible savings on short-notice bookings.
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
As Southwest Rapid Rewards is a revenue-based loyalty program, it won't provide outsized value for your points. However, travelers with a Companion Pass can get good value with “buy one, get one free” tickets — a feature unique to Southwest.
Related: When Should You Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Southwest?
United Airlines MileagePlus
While United has continued to devalue its loyalty program, it can still present great value — especially with partner airlines. For example, short-segment, intra-European flights on Star Alliance partners can be redeemed for as few as 6,000 United miles.
This flight from Budapest to Munich on Lufthansa would yield a 3.4¢ per point value when redeeming 6,000 United miles and $42.90 — instead of paying $246 in cash.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Although you may find better value and more flexibility in transferring Ultimate Rewards points to United MileagePlus or British Airways Avios, Virgin Atlantic can provide value. While flights to and through Virgin Atlantic's hubs in England can add significant cash fees to your booking, there are incredible sweet spots in the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club program. Those include Virgin Atlantic flights to the United Kingdom and premium cabins on ANA.
Purchases and Statement Credits Using Ultimate Rewards
Cash back
You can redeem Ultimate Rewards as a statement credit at a flat rate of 1 cent per point. But that is one of the lowest redemption rates available. That said, if you are not a traveler and have an account full of Ultimate Rewards, redeeming 60,000 points as a statement credit is still $600 cash back and is worthy of consideration.
Gift cards
Similar to the statement credit option, redeeming for gift cards is not on our list of top redemptions. You'll typically receive a value of 1¢ per point. You'll sometimes find gift cards on sale for a 10% or 20% discount. But you'll still find better redemption value elsewhere on this list.
Chase Experiences
A different — and often memorable way — to redeem Ultimate Rewards points is through Exclusive Cardmember Events. The value of these is often hard to pin down. Chase curates these events and you may not have other ways to access them. The list of events and experiences changes, so check back often. Redemptions for these events fetch 1¢ per point in value.
Apple products
You'll generally get better value redeeming Ultimate Rewards for airlines than to pay for Apple purchases. But that depends entirely on your goals for using your points. If your goal in applying for a card like the Sapphire Preferred had nothing to do with travel and instead was to ease the financial strain of an upcoming holiday shopping season, then using your Ultimate Rewards points for Apple products could make sense. The standard redemption rate for Apple purchases is 1 cent per point, but Chase has offered promotions to boost this rate in the past.
Chase Dining
Chase Dining offers another way to redeem Ultimate Rewards points, with access to Tock restaurants, Tock To Go, and exclusive Reserved by Sapphire experiences. You can redeem Ultimate Rewards points to book prepaid tasting menus, chef-led pop-ups, or even pickup meals. For example, a reservation at Californios in San Francisco costs 21,666 points or $325 per person. That's a value of 1.5 cents per point. While not the highest redemption, it allows you to use points for dining experiences.
Final Thoughts
There you have it — the ultimate list of 22 different ways to redeem Ultimate Rewards. There are numerous options for using your points (more than what we've covered here), and we haven't even touched on all the other benefits that go with the Sapphire Preferred, Ink Preferred, or the Sapphire Reserve.
As far as loyalty programs go, we rate Chase Ultimate Rewards in the top tier for value of the points, how easily they can be transferred, and the flexibility offered in the fantastic list of available redemptions.
For additional information about Chase Ultimate Rewards, check out these articles:
- How to Maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards Points for Flights Within North America
- How to Combine Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Between Credit Cards
- Benefits of Booking Award Flights via the Chase Travel Portal
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees), and Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees)
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