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One of the best parts about Chase travel is the variety of options to use your Ultimate Rewards points. If you’re looking for the highest-value redemptions, you’ll want to start with our guide to all the ways to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Although it takes more effort, transfer partners make it possible to get business and first-class travel at a fraction of the normal cost.
But if you’re looking to save money on economy flights, hotels, car rentals, activities, or cruises, the Chase Travel Portal can offer excellent choices that are simple to find and book.
Page Contents
- What Is the Chase Travel Portal?
- How Much Are Chase Points Worth?
- Why Use Ultimate Rewards Travel?
- How To Start Your Search
- Booking Airfare in the Chase Travel Portal
- Booking Accommodation in the Chase Travel Portal
- Booking Rental Cars in the Chase Travel Portal
- Booking Activities in the Chase Travel Portal
- Booking Cruises in the Chase Travel Portal
- Maximizing Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Doing the Math
- Bottom Line
What Is the Chase Travel Portal?
Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed at a fixed value towards the cost of any trip by using the Chase Travel Portal — also referred to as the Ultimate Rewards Travel Center. The Ultimate Rewards Travel Center is a private-label booking portal powered by cxLoyalty. You can search for flights, hotels, rental cars, vacation rentals (think Airbnb-style private-home listings), and things to do.
The options and prices shown in Chase's portal are not always the same as what you see elsewhere (such as Expedia or Hotels.com), so it pays to compare options. There are some types of bookings — like cruises and Southwest flights — that can’t be booked online at ultimaterewards.com. In those cases, you’ll need to call the Ultimate Rewards phone booking team at 866-951-6592.
How Much Are Chase Points Worth?
The value you get for your Ultimate Rewards through the Chase portal depends on which credit cards you have. Since you can easily move Ultimate Rewards between your own cards (or even combine them with another member of your household), use this to make sure you're using your points for the best value possible when booking in the Chase Travel Portal. Here's how the redemption values stack up:
1.5 cents per point
The best credit card for booking with Chase travel is the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, which allows you to redeem points at 1.5 cents apiece toward the cost of your trip. This card is also an excellent choice for booking travel because it offers the most comprehensive travel protection and insurance in the industry. Coverage kicks in when you use your card or points to pay for a portion of your travel.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more
- Member FDIC
- 10X points on Lyft rides through March 2025
- 10X points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase
- 10X points on Chase Dining (including prepaid reservations and prepaid takeout purchased through Chase)
- 5X points on airfare purchased through Chase
- 3X points on all other travel
- 3X points on dining at restaurants
- 1X points on all other purchases
1.25 cents per point
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card also offer solid value for bookings through the Ultimate Rewards Travel Center with a value of 1.25 cents per point towards the cost of your trip. Both offer solid travel protection; like that of the Sapphire Reserve, coverage applies to bookings made with cash or points.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, and 2x on all other travel purchases, and $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
- Member FDIC
- 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2025
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase
- 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
- Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
- Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
- With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
- Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
- Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
- Member FDIC
- 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 on all other purchases
It's worth mentioning that two Chase small-business cards offer 1.25 cents per point on these redemptions, but the cards aren't available to new applicants:
- Ink Plus® Business Credit Card
- Ink Bold Business Charge Card
1 cent per point
Lastly, Chase offers a quartet of cards that get one cent per point on the Chase portal. If you don't have a card from one of the higher tiers, these products work just like a normal cash-back card. But, thanks to the ability to combine points across your accounts, points earned with these cards can become more valuable. Consult our step-by-step guide to combining your Ultimate Rewards for more details.
- SPECIAL OFFER: Unlimited Matched Cash Back. Use your card for all your purchases and at the end of your first year, Chase will automatically match all the cash back you earned! There is no limit to how much you can earn. Every dollar in cash back rewards you earn is a dollar Chase will match.
- Unlimited 1.5% cash back is just the beginning of what you can earn. You'll enjoy 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services, 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
- Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%.
- No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
- No annual fee - You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
- Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, real-time alerts, and more.
- Member FDIC
- Earn 5% on travel purchased through Chase
- Earn 3% on dining at restaurants
- Earn 3% on drugstore purchases
- Earn 1.5% on all purchases
- Earn 5% on up to $1,500 on combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate
- Earn 5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Earn 3% on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- Earn 3% on drugstore purchases
- Earn 1% on all other purchases
- Earn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year
- Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. Earn 1% cash back on all other purchases
- Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
- With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
- No Annual Fee
- Redeem rewards for cash back, gift cards, travel and more through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases
- Member FDIC
- 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year
- 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year
- 1% cash back on all other card purchases with no limit to the amount you can earn
- Earn $900 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business
- No Annual Fee
- Redeem rewards for cash back, gift cards, travel and more through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Earn rewards faster with employee cards at no additional cost. Set individual spending limits for greater control.
- Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
- With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
- 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases
- Member FDIC
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business
The legacy Chase Freedom® card also allows you to redeem points for 1¢ each through the portal but is no longer open to new applications.
Before you book anything, you should always make sure the Chase Travel Portal is offering a competitive price. Sometimes, travel providers offer discounts for booking directly with them, so you may be paying more (even though you’re redeeming points) by going through the Chase travel center. There are also a few downsides to booking with Ultimate Rewards — especially for hotel bookings with major brands — which we’ll cover in detail below.
Why Use Ultimate Rewards Travel?
If your travel plans are flexible, you might save more with each point by transferring your Ultimate Rewards to airline or hotel loyalty programs and booking an award flight or free night award. The primary advantage of the Ultimate Rewards Portal is that you can book any hotel or flight that is available for purchase with cash.
If you transfer points, you may be subject to frustrating blackout dates and far more limited flight and hotel options. Since airlines and hotels want to sell as many flights and rooms for cash as possible, they only make awards available when it's unlikely all the rooms and seats will be snapped up by paying customers.
How To Start Your Search
The beauty of booking through Ultimate Rewards is that you generally get access to the same options as paying customers, even though you're using your points. Here's how the process works.
Getting started
Go to Chase.com/UltimateRewards and enter the credentials you use to access online banking.
Choose a card to access
If you have multiple cards, you'll want to pick the card with the best redemption rate — and make sure to move your points from other cards to that one for the best redemption values.
Click earn/use at the top
After choosing a card, click on “Earn/Use” at the top, next to the number of points available. This opens a menu, and you can click on “Travel” from here.
This will take you to the start page, and you'll choose the type of travel you want to search for.
Booking Airfare in the Chase Travel Portal
It’s relatively easy to search for airfare on the Chase portal. For U.S. domestic travel in economy class, pricing is usually consistent with other online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia or Kayak, and the price you see is the price you’ll pay. For international economy-class flights and most flights in business and first class, Chase's pricing may not be as good as you can find on other sites. It's always a good idea to compare prices before you pay cash or redeem points.
Chase's flight pricing
The sweet spot for Ultimate Rewards flights is economy airfare. Since the value of your points is tied to the cash price of the ticket — based on the revenue fare set by the airlines — the number of points you'll pay for business- and first-class tickets can be astronomical. A $4,000 round-trip ticket in a premium cabin costs 266,667 points (if you are getting the best possible rate of 1.5 cents per point with the Sapphire Reserve).
The reason this is such a bad deal is that you could potentially book the exact same business-class flight by using one of the 14 Chase transfer partners and booking an award ticket for 100,000 points or less.
Flight availability
On the other hand, the huge advantage with the Chase portal is that you have access to far more options than you'll get when using a transfer partner. When you book through a partner frequent-flyer program, you redeem points or miles for an award ticket. But award tickets are often subject to numerous blackout dates. If you want to book with miles, it may be hard to find low-cost saver availability or availability on a partner airline.
With the Ultimate Rewards portal, you can book almost any flight that is for sale. For example, here is a search result for a flight from Cincinnati to Seattle:
These Delta and Alaska flights can be booked through Chase travel with just 11,912 points if you have a
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, and 2x on all other travel purchases, and $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
- Member FDIC
- 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2025
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase
- 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
- Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
- Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
- With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
- Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
- Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
- Member FDIC
- 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 on all other purchases
When I searched, the Delta flight wasn’t available at all with miles through Chase’s airline partner Air France/KLM Flying Blue. While availability is rare, this flight is typically priced at 12,500 Flying Blue points (plus $5.60 in tax), and you could transfer Chase points to Flying Blue to make the reservation.
Typically, you can book Alaska’s flights through its partner British Airways, which is also a Chase transfer partner. While availability can be difficult to find, it should cost around 12,500 Avios. If you need to book a connecting flight with British Airways, you'll likely end up paying even more. In both cases, that was more than buying the same flight through the Chase portal.
Basic economy
Basic economy fares are usually a bit cheaper than standard economy fares, but they come with additional restrictions that vary by airline.
Chase does include basic economy fares in the search results, but you'll see a warning and get a chance to upgrade (by using more points) before checkout. If you know you don't want to fly basic economy, pay close attention to the “rules and restrictions” listed below each itinerary option in the Chase Travel Portal.
Points earning
It may seem counterintuitive, but you will earn airline miles when you spend Chase points to buy a flight through Chase's travel portal. That’s because, from the airline’s perspective, you have the same type of ticket as someone who booked with their credit card through any other online portal. When you book travel with Chase, Ultimate Rewards deducts the points from your balance and pays the airline (typically with a credit card Chase has on file, which is why an airline might say, “You paid with a card ending in xxxx,” which can be confusing as that's not your credit card). These paid tickets, also known as revenue fares, will earn credit toward elite status and redeemable miles if you add your airline frequent flyer number to the reservation.
This is a significant difference from award tickets you book by transferring points to an airline's rewards program. Airlines can see that these bookings are “free” tickets, so they don't award miles or elite credit for your flight — with very few exceptions.
Although the number of miles earned on these bookings is generally much smaller than the number of Ultimate Rewards points you paid for the flight, it's still a nice benefit to keep in mind.
Southwest flights
Remember, flights on Southwest Airlines aren’t shown on Chase's Travel Portal. It’s always worth checking fares directly on Southwest's website. If you find a fare that you like, you can either transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest Rapid Rewards at a 1:1 ratio (which is usually a better deal if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card) or call 866-951-6592 to book with Ultimate Rewards points directly (usually a better deal if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve®).
Booking Accommodation in the Chase Travel Portal
Chase's hotel options have expanded dramatically in the past few years. The travel portal makes it easy to find and book accommodation for any type of trip. In the search results, you'll find helpful information about the property's location, as well as ratings and traveler reviews from TripAdvisor.
There are some great deals to be found, but you'll need to do some extra work to avoid being overcharged.
Chase's hotel pricing
Despite the convenience of booking hotels with Chase, the pricing can be far from transparent. Unlike with flights, where the price you see is the price you pay, Chase's hotel listings don't always do a great job of disclosing certain taxes and resort fees.
For example, if you want to stay at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, Chase advertises a nightly rate of $307.
But in the fine print, you'll see that it also tacks on $84 in hotel taxes and fees. That makes your total price for a two-night stay $698 (or 55,912 Ultimate Rewards points with the Sapphire Preferred). Chase also lets you pay with a combination of points and money, so you shouldn't have a problem using cash to cover any shortage. Thankfully, Chase has gotten much better about displaying additional taxes and fees earlier in the process, helping you clearly know the total cost.
Aside from pricing, there are a few things you should consider before you complete your hotel booking or vacation rental through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Hotel elite benefits and status
Most major hotel chains will not honor elite status or benefits when you book through a third party. This means booking hotels through the Chase portal could mean foregoing late checkout, free breakfast, and complimentary room upgrades if you have elite status with a hotel chain. It also means that you may not earn points or get credit for your stay — something that could help you qualify for status in the coming year.
For some, this will make Chase hotel bookings a non-starter — and that's a completely rational choice if status matters to you. This is a big contrast from flights, where the airlines treat you just like other paying customers. The beauty of Chase Ultimate Rewards is that you have the flexibility to redeem them in lots of different ways. When you consider all the expenses on a typical trip, it should be easy to find a redemption option that doesn't force you to sacrifice benefits.
The other thing to keep in mind is that many of the hotel properties found in the Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal don't have any affiliation with a loyalty program. If you find a great deal on a boutique bed and breakfast, you won't be missing out on anything related to elite status by splurging with your Chase points.
Hotel cancellation policies
Chase does a nice job of clearly displaying the cancellation rules for accommodations. In some cases, you'll even have the option to pay a small premium for a more flexible cancellation policy. It can be worth checking the various cancellation policies available if you book with Chase, another website, or directly with the hotel. Compare the policies and price differences to see what works best for you.
Chase Sapphire Preferred $50 annual hotel credit
One of the perks of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a $50 annual hotel credit. But this annual hotel credit only works if you book a hotel through the Chase Travel portal. So it can make sense to book at least one hotel night per year through the Chase travel portal if you have the Sapphire Preferred. $50 is probably worth giving up some of your elite benefits, especially if you're staying at a hotel where you won't need elite benefits or points.
Booking Rental Cars in the Chase Travel Portal
Like searching for flights, searching for rental cars with Chase Ultimate Rewards is simple. With Chase car rentals, the price shown is actually what you pay, so you won't get any nasty surprises. Note that prices for multi-day bookings are displayed as the total price for your entire trip. Since many other booking sites display the cost per day, you may need to grab your calculator to compare prices head to head.
There are a few things specific to rental cars that you should consider before you book through Chase's Travel Portal.
Primary auto insurance
One of the best things about the Chase Ultimate Rewards family of cards is that many of the cards offer primary (rather than secondary) collision damage waiver for auto rentals. When you book through the Chase Travel Portal, this coverage applies even if you use points to cover all (or a portion) of the rental price. It's important to know that this insurance policy does not cover personal liability if another person is injured or you damage another vehicle. Still, the Chase car rental insurance is a great benefit, and it's far more comprehensive than you'll get with other rewards cards.
Corporate codes and coupons
You can’t apply corporate codes or coupons to your reservation. Want to use that sweet AAA discount and the free weekend day coupon? You’ll have to pay cash and book directly. You'll also notice that when rental companies run limited-time promotions, the lower prices aren't available using points.
Skip-the-counter rental programs
As with hotels, you could potentially miss out on elite status benefits for car rentals. If you are a member of a “skip-the-counter” rental program like Hertz Gold Plus or Avis Preferred, you can’t use it with reservations made via the Chase portal. Although benefits like a free upgrade to the next rental category aren't guaranteed for third-party bookings, there are plenty of data points from travelers who had no trouble with elite status recognition. You just might have to go inside and wait in line to add your loyalty number when picking up the car, rather than going straight to the car and driving off if you rented directly.
Cancellations
The cancelation policy for Chase car rentals can vary; always read the fine print before you book. However, in most cases, you can cancel the reservation up until the day before your travel.
Booking Activities in the Chase Travel Portal
Just about every travel company is trying to shove “experiences” down your throat these days. It’s hard to even find a room on Airbnb because the site pushes ancillaries so hard. For the most part, it’s clear why: This sort of stuff pays massive commissions, and travel companies have convinced themselves that “it’s what Millennials want.”
In that regard, you’d be forgiven for overlooking a category called “Activities.” The Chase portal is, surprisingly, an exception when it comes to major cities. Search in Las Vegas, and you’ll have access to top-notch show tickets with excellent seating and some of the best prices you’ll find anywhere. These would be a good deal with cash, and if you have the Sapphire Reserve, your points are worth 1.5 cents each!
You also can buy local airport transfers from Bell Trans, which are discounted to start with and even cheaper when you pay with Ultimate Rewards points. The Las Vegas Monorail sells tickets through the Chase portal at face value, so you get a nice discount when paying with points. The list goes on.
Unfortunately, you do have to sort through some options that are … interesting. But the ability to book top-notch shows and even Disney tickets with your points provides good value.
Booking Cruises in the Chase Travel Portal
Although the Ultimate Rewards portal does feature a list of cruise packages (link only works if you're already logged in), you'll have to call 866-951-6592 and speak with an agent to book. Comparison shopping for cruises is about as difficult as comparison shopping for mattresses, but that’s a topic for another article. Without a doubt, there are some good deals to be found in this category, but without an online search that shows all the options (Chase notes that only a selection of cruises is featured), it may be hard to get a clear picture. Just be sure that you do a comparison search to ensure you’re getting a good deal. There are lots of other ways to use your Chase points if you don't find a good fit.
Maximizing Chase Ultimate Rewards
As we mentioned previously, the most valuable ways to use Chase Ultimate Rewards usually involve transfer partners. You can only take advantage of this option if you have at least one of the premium Ultimate Rewards cards that comes with an annual fee. If that's the case, you should always check whether you'll spend fewer points by transferring instead of booking through the Chase portal.
The reason transfer partners often get you more savings per point is that award redemptions don't always fluctuate with ticket prices. When tickets are expensive to buy, that doesn't always mean that an award ticket will also be expensive in points. However, you may need more flexibility with your dates to find good prices on award tickets. This is especially true of business- and first-class airfare where the fixed price of award travel is usually far below what you would pay to book through UltimateRewards.com.
The best way to decide if you are getting a good deal is to check the Chase Travel Portal, find the number of points required for your booking, and then check options for award bookings with Chase's 11 airline or three hotel partners. Keep in mind that you'll still need to pay taxes and fees on a flight award, while Chase Travel lets you pay for your entire purchase with points.
Doing the Math
Points and miles pros evaluate a potential booking by figuring out the number of cents they will save for each point redeemed. With the Chase portal, you won't need to do any math. The value will range from 1¢ to 1.5¢, depending on which cards you have (see above). For award bookings through a transfer partner, here's the calculation:
- Determine how much money the redemption will save you compared to paying cash for a comparable flight or hotel.
- Divide the savings by the number of points you'll spend on the award.
Since you normally pay taxes and fees on an award, the savings will be the retail price minus your out-of-pocket cost.
For example, if you could buy a flight for $529 or redeem 25,000 points + $11.20 in taxes, your savings would be $517.80. Divide that 25,000 (the number of points); you're getting a value of $0.0207 per point. (The number will be calculated in dollars, so just multiply by 100 if you want to know the value in cents.)
In this case, you'd be getting 2.07 cents per point, which is far better than you could do with the Chase portal, regardless of which card you have. For comparison, AwardWallet users tend to redeem their Chase points at 2.01¢ each with transfer partners.
Bottom Line
With so many complicated ways to redeem points, it's comforting to know that you have an easy way to exchange your points for flights, hotels, car rentals, and a variety of other travel experiences. Planning a trip can be a lot of work, so sometimes you'll want to lock in your plans without investing a lot of time searching for award sweet spots that could stretch your points a little further.
Many sites that cover points and miles are written by folks with unconventional jobs that offer the freedom to plan trips around award availability and blackout dates. For those with less flexibility, the Ultimate Rewards portal is a great way to get the travel you want for a fraction of the normal cost. There's no shame whatsoever in booking a trip that doesn't squeeze every possible penny out of your miles. If you can score an itinerary with Chase Travel that works with your schedule and allows you to save money by paying in points, book away!
Just remember that sometimes Chase won't have the best price or won't have certain options you could book through other websites. Spend a few minutes ensuring you didn't miss a better deal elsewhere before you complete your payment.
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We have just had a horrible experience with Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal. We booked a flight for our family back in January, using a combination of points and money. We received confirmation emails and assumed all was well. I called the airline directly two days before the flight (on March 26, the flight was for March 28) to ask about baggage allowances, and was told the flight had been cancelled February 4 and that they had issued a full refund on Feb 4!! I checked our credit card statement and there was no refund whatsoever, no emails in spam coming from the airline or from Chase, and no notification of anything amiss in the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal. We had to rebook flights at 3x the cost we were planning on, at such short notice, but I just kept thinking about what would have happened if I hadn’t called and we had showed up for our early morning flight only to be told it had been cancelled. The airline’s customer service still hasn’t responded to us, and Chase Travel Center refuses to take any responsibility for the situation. I understand that they aren’t responsible for the flight cancellation, but since we booked through them they are absolutely responsible for the lack of communication regarding the cancellation. We have been Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders for many years, but unfortunately I can’t use them again, now that I can’t have confidence that we will be told if there are changes or cancellations in our itinerary.
I booked a trip months ago for a ski trip in Colorado on the Chase travel portal. Thought everything was good but now 2 months before we were scheduled to leave I get a call from Expedia saying they have to cancel our booking. No offer of rebooking or extra points for my trouble. Just ….sorry, too bad for you. Of course there are no other places available now. My whole family is so dissappointed that we are not going on our trip we had been looking forward to. What is the point of booking ahead if they can just cancel on a whim?
Ooh. That’s not good customer service at all. Hotels may drop out of their system and/or close, but Expedia should rebook you in another place. However, I wonder if this is complicated since Chase now uses a different provider for its Travel Portal. Even so, I’d call Expedia back and (gently) insist on being rebooked in a similar lodging option.
Beware: I booked a trip to Puerto Rico for this coming Christmas 7 nights at the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve through Chase ultimate rewards, received my confirmations from Chase for the two rooms I booked and when I called the Hotel to arrange for a car to pick us up from the airport and to book dinner reservations I was told by both a reservationist named Yamilex and the manager Silva that the hotel was sold out on some of the days Chase confirmed and that the reservation was infact not booked! I am now 3 days into trying to fix this with Chase and I’m not getting anywhere! I have spent hours on hold for days, spoken to 8 different people. I booked airfare after I received my booking confirmations from Chase! so now I have flights, confirmations from Chase but no Hotel to stay at! Can you imagine if I had not called the hotel and just trusted Chase ultimate rewards confirmations!! If I just showed up there would have been no rooms for my family! Shame on them! This Is beyond unacceptable I will never book through Chase again and would recommend everyone that does call the actual hotel to confirm they have reservations!!
Toni – that is definitely terrible. Please let us know when you get a resolution, because it will help us understand their system (and what they do when there are issues).
Is there a resource anywhere that allows you to see what hotels are available in the Chase UR portal without actually going into the portal? I don’t have any Chase UR points at the moment, so I can’t access the portal, but I would like to see which hotels are available to book through the portal before I decide if I want to go the Chase UR points route. Is that possible?
Interesting question. Expedia powers the Chase UR portal. So, I’d assume that the same hotels bookable through Expedia’s website would be bookable through the Chase UR portal.
I know this article is not new, but THANK YOU! We are just now starting to think about using our Ultimate Rewards and this is very helpful – especially the tips about Southwest!
this is an excellent write up on the portal!! cheers mate!! !
Thanks for the comprehensive guide. Trying to learn how to better utilize the UR portal and this will go a long way. There are only a couple of specific scenarios during which I currently use UR to book and I’m hoping to be more flexible in the future.
The Chase portal at 1.5cpp is definitely my go-to when I can’t find award availability. Prefer to not use it, but works when there aren’t other options!
Chase Sapphire Reserve is my daily card, and I have used the travel portal for several years. Still wishing the availability of flights matched that of other search engines, but can’t be the pricing! Except that I did find it more beneficial on one occasion to simply transfer a small amount of points to a travel partner and purchase the ticket directly on the airline’s website using already-earned miles (I only needed about 2,000 additional miles, and the flight I wanted did not show up through Chase Ultimate Rewards portal).
Does anyone know how the CSR car rental insurance works if you don’t have your own personal primary auto insurance? It all seems a bit iffy.
The word Generally is doing a lot of heavy lifting in this article. As mentioned in the comments, the prices through the portal seem to be higher than found most everywhere else.
What an insightful post about Chase rewards and transferring points. A great reference that I’ll definitely add to my bookmarks 🙂
I have Chase Sapphire Reserve card, it’s the only one I use, so this is extremely relevant.
Have been a bit frustrated so far with the Chase portal for airline bookings. Prices for flights seem to be about 10-20% more than I find them on sites like Google Flights, which make me wonder just how much of a deal I’m getting. I can’t book into certain cities – for example, Vadodara, India – without the portal erroring out – even though there are definitely flights into there.
I personally really liked booking through this portal. I’ve booked booked a few hotels in Europe through it and always had a good experience. It helped that I had Ultimate Reward points to use of course!
What an extremely helpful blog post that I’m going to bookmark! Answers all my questions in such a concise manner. Thanks!
This is an amazing resource, thanks! Since right now I’m not eligible to get a card which will give me AA miles, I should look into Chase.
Thanks for the refresher. So far I’ve only used my points with the chase portal. Because I don’t have other airline cards and usually travel close to date, I’ve never found a better value for transferring my points that the 1.5 cents with the sapphire reserve card. I recently just had to cancel an international flight for 5 people, the day of departure, and was kinda surprised that I only had to pay a cancellation fee and received the rest of the points back. I was unclear on the airlines cancellation policy, so was happy to hear I could get most of the points back.
Love the indepth look at the Chase travel portal. It’s tough that hotels don’t give points and elite benefits when you book through a travel agency. I often find that hotels are a little bit cheaper on Expedia and get breakfast through my husbands Expedia account. So he likes to book through them and therefore we lose out on points. When I book alone and when it’s cheaper on the hotels website then I can get my points.
Any tips on how to convince him to book through Marriott, etc website instead of Expedia?
Also, if you have to change the reservation I assume that you could call Chase or Expedia?
Thank you for this super helpful summary! I’m particularly glad that you shone a light on the lack of transparency with hotel bookings. I’ve found booking hotels through the portal (especially with the Sapphire Reserve 50% bonus) to be a useful option in a pinch, but increasingly the mysterious jump in price from the initial quote to the booking page, plus the dreaded resort fees, has put me off. And more than once I’ve turned up at the hotel to learn that my status benefits will not be honored on such bookings. Very helpful reminders all around!
I recently had the most unexpected and pleasant experience with chase UR customer service. We booked a nonrefundable hotel reservation but our kids got gravely ill the day we were supposed to check in to the hotel. We called and asked what could be done thinking they wouldn’t be able to do anything for us, but they were able to call the hotel and cancel the reservation for us while giving us all our UR points back! Simply amazing customer service.
I do use the portal to book economy flights using points. This in turn earns airline points and status with the airline. I have better benefits and upgrades for economy flights and points for international premium class redemptions. This technique might not be the best use of points, but it work for me. Thanks for reminding me of the other ways to use the portal.
Great portal and I hope they keep it working as well as it does.
Love the UR portal! When there are no award seats there is some value to be had when using points to book!
I’ve found the portal to be useful only with respect to international, upper class flights available cheaply, which is rare. Otherwise I find other means.
this is a great review. i need to get myself a saphhire but chase has this limited credit card policy where you are allowed [x] new credit cards within a 2 year period. i’m currently maxed out. big fan of freedom unlimited for daily purchases.
thanks for the comprehensive article. It’s really helpful & informative.
I wanted to point something out regarding insurance for rental cars you wrote ” When you book through the Chase Travel Portal, this coverage applies even if you use points to cover all (or a portion) of the rental price ” .
In their terms and conditions they write that the entire booking must be a paid booking with money. I also called up chase customer service to clarify this and they confirmed that the reservation needs to be a paid reservation in order to be covered.
I just wanted to share this with everyone, as I only found this out recently.
Hey Mike, thanks for sharing. We also made two calls to verify this when writing the post and confirmed with Chase that partial and all-points bookings should be covered. It’s quite frustrating to hear that you got different information. Sounds like the reps are not being trained on this benefit. Has anyone else gotten info from Chase that indicates points bookings are not covered? Can anyone share experience from a claim they made on a partial or all points booking?
Thank you. Now that Citi effectively devalued Thank You Points when used for travel, getting a batter value from my Ultimate Rewards points is worth considering.
I have Ink Business Plus, I didn’t see it listed in the valuation guide.
Hey Julie, sorry for the oversight. The Ink Plus (discontinued for new applicants) gets 1.25 cents per point towards travel.
Just booked a hotel in Cabo this way. Best deal I found after comparing.
A very nice comprehensive guide to Ultimate reward points. I really like the flexibility with these points, to use as an award if there is availability, but if not to book at the portal.
Thie seems to eliminate some of the more frustrating issues like the black-outs incurred when transferring points.
Thanks for the guide! I have a bit stash of UR points that I am trying to figure out how to best use.
1.5 cents per point is good for having the sapphire reserve card, but IMHO transferring chase points to airline miles is still better.
agreed. UR > VS to fly ANA F to Asia is a good example
agreed. or hotels e.g. hyatt
I’ve found it to be a better value to book on the portal. Guess it’s a matter of timing.
The 1.5 cents for the Reserve versus the lower value for Preferred is one of the reasons I grudgingly renew my card when the Reserve annual fee is due. Which for me is this month.
For me I’m still about transfer partners to maximize redemptions
I’ve read in a few places now that better deals could be found prior to the portal being powered by Expedia. I haven’t used the portal in quite a while so I don’t have any examples myself, though. Anyone know what powered the portal before?
Very comprehensive review. Thanks for sharing.
I appreciate the added value of combining points across my accounts. Points earned with these cards can become more valuable. Makes sense.
This seems to be a great way to get the travel I want for a fraction of the normal cost. Very comprehensive.
Keep in mind that with Southwest bookings, if you book through Ultimate Rewards, you have a revenue ticket and if you later rebook or reprice your non-refundable ticket (Wanna Get Away fare), you only have one year from the original purchase date to use the travel funds. If you book as a Southwest Rapid Rewards award ticket, you can rebook or reprice your ticket with points. Although you will be “stuck” with Rapid Rewards points, these are not “use it or lose it” like the Travel Funds. But just keep in mind the standard two year expiration without any mileage earning activity (not mileage redemption).
Great point. I definitely tend to book as an award unless i’m completely sure I won’t change the flight.
I have learned so much from your SWA award tips. Thank you very much.
I usually get hotel rates for lower than the Chase portal rates so I never like using my points that way
Wow, intense coverage of all aspects of Chase rewards. It will take me a while to digest it all as I often forget some of the possibilities.
Thank you!
Thank you for providing comprehensive information on using Chase ultimate rewards points.
Thank you for this excellent roundup of the Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal. I have found after the shakup to the new external provider that the car offerings are dismal. I have found much better deals online as well as directly on the car rental companies websites. But a real thank you for providing a very specific example of a business class ticket where transferring points to the airlines would be a much better use of points. I have also had experiences where a basic economy ticket could not be upgraded even after a phone call to Ultimate Rewards travel.
Definitely concur with this. The car offerings I have seen have been pretty limited and pathetic. But still, that’s a minor thing in the big picture of the product. Disappointing at times, but not a deal breaker.
I cant ever seem to find good value on the portal it always makes more sense for me to transfer to the airlines for much bigger savings.
This is a good reminder that point transfers to partners aren’t the only way to get good value from the UR program.
Wow, what an impressive guide. Thank you for this one.
1.5 cents per dollar is a good return, but I still prefer the out-sized values that one can realize in transferring UR points to partners.
Agreed. While utilizing the portal is more straightforward, more convenient and allows for more traditional advance planning… the rewards from waiting and transferring strategically with bonuses are clearly greater.
Thank you for a comprehensive and useful guide to all things Chase. I will be using this to plan my next trip!