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Chase Ultimate Rewards is a terrific rewards program for redeeming high-end hotel awards and premium cabin airfare. And leveraging the Ultimate Rewards transfer partners is one of the best ways to redeem your points. They include 14 different hotel and airline programs, each with sweet spots for high-value redemptions and are comparably easy to obtain using Chase’s portfolio of Ultimate Rewards-earning credit cards.
Collecting Ultimate Rewards also provides access to Chase TravelSM, where cardmembers can redeem points for a variety of travel, including airfare, hotels, cruises, activities, and car rentals.
Both of these options — transferring points to partners vs. redeeming through the portal — can offer solid value under the right circumstances. Today we’re digging into the benefits of redeeming Ultimate Rewards points for airfare through the Chase Travel portal.
Page Contents
- Which Credit Cards Allow You To Use the Chase Travel?
- No Blackout Dates or Searching for Award Availability
- Book Low-Cost Carriers for Cheap Travel
- You Earn Frequent Flyer Miles and Elite Status Credits
- Portal Redemptions Include Taxes and Fees
- Chase Travel Is Easy to Use
- When to Transfer Points Rather Than Use the Portal
- Final Thoughts
Which Credit Cards Allow You To Use the Chase Travel?
Chase has nine rewards credit cards that let you book travel through Chase Travel. Some of these cards include access to the new Points Boost feature (note the “up to” earning potential), while simply offer a flat 1¢ per point.
| Card | Point Value when Booking Travel Through Chase Travel | Points Transferrable to Travel Partners |
|---|---|---|
| Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees) | Up to 2¢ (depending on the specific redemption) | Yes |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees) | Up to 2¢ (depending on the specific redemption) | Yes |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees) | Up to 1.75¢ (depending on the specific redemption) | Yes |
| Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card | Up to 1.75¢ (depending on the specific redemption) | Yes |
| Chase Freedom Flex℠ | 1¢ | No |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees) | 1¢ | No |
| Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card | 1¢ | No |
| Ink Business Cash® Credit Card | 1¢ | No |
| Ink Business Premier® Credit Card | 1¢ | No |
In addition to differing redemption rates, each card features a different earning structure. Then to complicated things further, the best redemption option can be affected by other cards you hold within the Ultimate Rewards family.
For example, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ earns 5% on rotating bonus categories (up to $1,500 per quarter), 5% on travel purchased through Chase, 3% on dining at restaurants and drugstore purchases and 1% on other eligible purchases, and you can redeem points for cash back or at 1¢ per point via the portal. However, if you also hold a Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), you can combine points between your Sapphire Reserve and your Sapphire Reserve account.
You can redeem points earned on any of the cards above in the Chase Travel Portal. However, you’ll need to have an Ultimate Rewards card that charges an annual fee to redeem for a higher rate through the portal or to transfer Ultimate Rewards to travel partners.
That means you'll want to get one of the following cards to unlock higher redemption rates:
- 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
Related: Points Boost Is Here, and It’s Changing How You Redeem Points Through Chase Travel
No Blackout Dates or Searching for Award Availability
Saver-level award space is increasingly hard to find. Competition is stiff for saver award seats.
One of the downsides of award travel becoming so popular is that more people are competing for a limited (and in many programs declining) number of award seats — particularly premium cabin awards. As airlines do a better job of filling flights and continue to be more profitable, they have less of an incentive to offer up those seats at the cheapest award rates.
That's why it's nice to have an option to redeem Chase points for paid travel through the Chase Travel Portal. If there is a seat available with cash, you can buy it by redeeming Ultimate Rewards points through the travel portal. Plus, you'll earn miles and elite status credits on the flight.
If your travel dates are locked in, and there is no award availability, booking through the portal allows you to use points and book an award flight without worrying about blackout dates or the need to search for award availability.
Book Low-Cost Carriers for Cheap Travel
Transferring Ultimate Rewards points to partner airlines for premium cabin redemptions returns the best cent-per-point value for your rewards points. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for redeeming economy fares through airline transfer partners.
Chase Travel operates similarly to Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) like Priceline.com or Expedia.com. You can book flights on any airline that participates in a global distribution system like Sabre or Amadeus, and your reservation will be treated as a revenue ticket.
While some low-cost carriers like Allegiant and GOL won't be displayed when searching in Chase Travel, you can book them with your Ultimate Rewards by calling 866-951-6592.
Likewise, you can redeem points through Chase Travel for mistake fares, a subject tackled in detail in our Facebook community, Award Travel 101.
Related: Guide to Booking Budget Airlines With Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, or Citi Points
You Earn Frequent Flyer Miles and Elite Status Credits
When you book hotels through the Chase portal, you typically won’t receive elite status benefits, elite night credits, or points for your stay as the portal is considered a third-party booking site.
When booking airfare, however, you ARE eligible to earn miles. Your reservation is treated as a revenue booking, and you earn frequent flyer miles and elite status credits, plus you'll enjoy any benefits granted by your elite status. Just watch out for any “basic economy” fares, which come with their own set of restrictions regardless of where you book them.
Portal Redemptions Include Taxes and Fees
One of the biggest out-of-pocket expenses for award travel is typically the taxes and fees — particularly on airlines that levy carrier-imposed surcharges (often labeled fuel surcharges) like British Airways.
These fees can top $1,000 on round-trip international business-class awards, and we’ve dedicated entire posts to avoiding these additional costs. It details the best carriers, routes, and frequent flyer programs to avoid paying excessive fees.
One of the benefits of redeeming points through the Chase Travel Portal is that taxes and fees are included in the redemption, not added to the top as an additional expense. Your Ultimate Rewards points pay for the entire cost of the ticket, including taxes and fees, reducing your cash outlay.
Chase Travel Is Easy to Use
Learning the ins and outs of every transfer partner is a daunting exercise that can take years of fumbling through award charts, routing, and airline partnerships. It’s intimidating for beginners. For those with only a casual interest in award travel, that time can be better spent on more profitable activities.
In stark contrast to this, Chase Travel is ultra-beginner-friendly. The booking engine is easy to navigate and functions similar to an online travel agency. You have the option of paying with points only, a mix of cash and points, or solely using the Chase credit card attached to your account.
When to Transfer Points Rather Than Use the Portal
We love using Chase Travel to book award flights. You avoid blackout dates or a lack of award availability and can save thousands of points booking low-cost economy airfares. But there are still plenty of situations where you’ll get a better return on your Ultimate Rewards points by transferring them to travel partners. Because Southwest has a revenue-based award program, we've written a whole article talking about the pros and cons of transferring points to Southwest vs. buying Southwest flights through Chase's portal.
Booking close-in (near the day of the flight) is one circumstance where transferring points can provide better value than redeeming via the portal. The cash price of tickets typically rises the closer you get to the departure date, whereas the award price in miles may not rise as much (or may stay the same).
Airlines are known to release additional saver/low-level award seats close to departure, increasing your chances of bagging an award ticket. That said, waiting until the last minute isn't a strategy we'd recommend unless your travel plans are very flexible.
Final Thoughts
The key takeaway is to do your homework before transferring points to frequent flyer programs. There are plenty of scenarios where redeeming your Ultimate Rewards directly through the travel portal will net you a higher value for your points than transferring them to partners. To recap:
- Redeem points from the Freedom Flex, Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Ink Cash , and Ink Unlimited through the Chase Travel Portal for 1¢ per point if it’s the only Ultimate Rewards-earning card you hold.
- If you have the Sapphire Preferred, Ink Plus® Business Credit Card (no longer open to applications), or Ink Preferred, you can redeem points for up to 1.75¢ per point through the portal, depending on the specific redemption.
- Sapphire Reserve cardholders can redeem points for up to 2¢ per point through the portal, again, depending on your specific redemption.
If you hold both a no-annual-fee card and another card from the Sapphire or Ink family of cards, you can combine all of your points to the card with the highest redemption rate, potentially getting much more back on every dollar you spend! Holding one of the cards with an annual fee also allows you to transfer points to airline and hotel partners for redemptions via that particular airline's or hotel program's award chart.
Don't forget: By using Ultimate Rewards for a reservation, you're still covered by the trip insurance offered on your associated credit card, even if you don't pay any cash!
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
- 10% anniversary points boost - each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 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
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Freedom Unlimited® (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), and Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees)
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