In credit card circles, few points are as prized as Chase Ultimate Rewards®. If you are unfamiliar with them or want to up your level of knowledge, our guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards can help.
What Is Chase Ultimate Rewards?
Chase Ultimate Rewards is a flexible reward currency that can be earned through a number of Chase credit cards. It’s an extremely popular reward currency with points and miles enthusiasts due to its flexibility and value. Chase Ultimate Rewards can be earned and redeemed in a variety of ways, with some options being more valuable than others.
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How Much Are Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Worth?
Used as a currency, Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed through the Chase Travel portal to cover the cost of flights, hotels and car rentals. Chase Ultimate Rewards can even be used toward the cost of experiences, including theme park tickets or special events. If you have an eligible card, Chase Ultimate Rewards points can also be transferred to airline and hotel partners and redeemed through their respective loyalty programs.
The value of Chase Ultimate Rewards depends on how they are used. On the low end, Chase Ultimate Rewards can be cashed out for statement credits at 1 cent per point. Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cardmembers can redeem through Chase Travel at 1.25 cents per point, while Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardholders receive 1.5 cents per point toward Chase Travel℠ bookings. Several Chase cards also allow cardholders to use the “Pay Yourself Back” feature to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards for statement credits against purchases in eligible categories. The value of points for Pay Yourself Back redemptions varies from 0.8 to 1.5 cents per point depending on the card and purchase type.
How To Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards
Chase Ultimate Rewards is a flexible point currency earned by several credit cards issued by Chase Bank. Chase offers four personal cards and three business cards currently open to new applicants that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards. Each card offers different benefits and earning rates. Chase credit cards also generally offer a welcome bonus after meeting minimum spending requirements on a new card.
Chase Ultimate Rewards can also be earned by referring friends to Chase credit cards, by shopping online with Shop Through Chase, through targeted spending offers and more.
1. Personal Credit Cards
2. Business Credit Cards
Chase also offers the Ink Business Premier® Credit Card, a $195-annual-fee card that earns 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more and 2% cash back on all other purchases. Unlike the other Ink cards however, the rewards earned with this card cannot be combined with another Ultimate Rewards-earning card.
Ink Business Premier® Credit Card
Up to 5% Reward Rate
5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more, and 2%Read More
Welcome Bonus
$1,000 cash back
Annual Fee
$195
Regular APR
Flex for Business variable APR: 19.49% - 27.49%
Credit Score
Good/Excellent (700 - 749)
The Chase Ink Business Premier is a charge card that offers big spending power for businesses that can pay in full each month, as well as a generous rewards rate on large purchases.
- Strong welcome offer
- 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more and 2% cash back on all other purchases
- No annual fee for employee cards
- Several travel and purchase protections
- High annual fee
- Designed to be paid in full each month
- Points can’t be transferred to airline or hotel programs
- Points can’t be transferred to other Ultimate Rewards-earning cards
- Earn $1,000 bonus cash back after you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Earn unlimited 2.5% total cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more and unlimited 2% cash back on all other business purchases.
- Travel Benefits: Unlimited 5% total cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, No Foreign Transaction Fees and Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance.
- The only business credit card with 2.5% cash back on every purchase of $5,000 or more.
- Get the buying power you need to make large purchases, cover monthly expenses and help your business grow. While you must pay your Pay In Full balance each month, this card has built-in flexibility. The Flex for Business feature allows for qualifying purchases to be paid over time with interest.
- Purchase with confidence with built-in protections like Fraud Protection, Zero Liability Protection, Purchase Protection, Cell Phone Protection, and Extended Warranty Protection.
- There’s no additional cost for employee cards. Monitor spend with digital tools like purchase alerts, set spending limits, reporting, and more.
- Member FDIC
3. Shop Through Chase
Shop Through Chase is a shopping portal that can help boost your Chase Ultimate Rewards balance. Instead of shopping directly with an online retailer, log into your Chase account and navigate to the Shop Through Chase portal. The Shop Through Chase shopping portal provides additional Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which you earn on top of the points you would normally earn from spending on your credit card.
Note that different cards can offer different retailer earning rates, so if you have more than one Chase Ultimate Rewards earning cards, it’s worth the effort to check Shop Through Chase using each card to compare the rates.
4. Refer-A-Friend
Chase gives you the opportunity to earn bonus points when referring other customers to apply for a Chase credit card. To send a referral, go to Chase’s Refer-A-Friend website and enter your card information. If your card is eligible, the website will show a link that you can send to your friends to apply for a card. Referral bonuses and offers vary by card and not all cards are eligible for referral bonus.
Chase also offers a similar referral program for their small business cards. Small business owners who refer other small businesses can earn up to 200,000 bonus points per year, 40,000 points for each business (up to five) that gets approved for any eligible Chase Ink card.
5. Chase Offers
Chase periodically sends cardholders targeted offers. These offers can include increased earning on categories that are not usually bonus categories on their respective cards. For example, Chase Freedom Unlimited® cardholders have previously been targeted to temporarily earn 5% cash back on select purchase categories, rather than the usual offer of 1.5% cash back.
One way to check for Chase offers on your account is to log into Chase.com and look for the Chase Offers panel on the right-hand side of the screen. Available offers, details on eligibility and any limitations on earnings can be found here.
6. Special Chase Ultimate Rewards Promotions
From time to time, Chase offers additional promotions for new and existing customers to earn additional Ultimate Rewards points. For example, Chase has periodically offered 5% cash back (5 points per dollar) spent at grocery stores on up to $12,000 spending for new Chase Freedom Flex℠* and Chase Freedom Unlimited® customers.
If you have recently applied for a Chase credit card, it can be worthwhile to keep your eyes open for increased welcome bonuses. Chase customer service may match an increased welcome bonus if you call customer service within 90 days of being approved for your new credit card.
7. Buying Gift Cards To Leverage Points Earning Opportunities
One way to expand the reach of bonus categories and earn more points for your spending is to purchase gift cards at retailers where your Chase card will award bonus Chase Ultimate Rewards points. For example, both the Chase Freedom Unlimited® and the Chase Freedom Flex℠* earn 3% cash back at drugstores, which often sell a variety of gift cards. So a purchase made directly at Best Buy normally earns 1 point per dollar, but a Best Buy gift card purchased at a drugstore will earn 3 points per dollar.
The Chase Freedom Flex℠* credit card offers 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in categories that rotate quarterly (requires activation), 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on dining and drugstores and 1% cash back on all other purchases The 5% rotating categories often includes several retailers that sell a variety of third-party gift cards, including gas stations, home improvement stores and Amazon.com.
If you are a small business owner holding a Chase Ink card, you can take advantage of a variety of third-party gift cards sold at office supply stores. The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card earns 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 and 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.
How To Use Chase Ultimate Rewards
1. Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to Travel Partners
As a Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card cardholder, you have the ability to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to participating airline or hotel partners at a rate of 1:1. That means that 1 Chase Ultimate Reward point is equivalent to 1 point with the airline or hotel loyalty program.
Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners include:
Prior to transferring, make sure to confirm award availability at the travel partner’s loyalty site—transfering points to a program is permanent and can’t be reversed. Imagine sending a chunk of your hard earned points to an airline only to find out an award isn’t available. It’s something no one wants to experience.
Points can be transferred in 1,000-point increments. Most transfers are completed instantly but can sometimes take much longer. Learn more about how to transfer Ultimate Rewards to airlines and hotels through your online account.
The value of Chase Ultimate Rewards points when you transfer to travel partners will vary greatly according to how you redeem them. In general you will not get cash-back value (1 cent per point) by transferring to IHG One Rewards or Marriott Bonvoy. Chase’s other partners will typically offer you more value.
2. Use the Chase Travel Portal
Redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards points through the Chase Travel portal is a simple approach to points redemption.
The Chase Travel portal is an online travel agency (OTA) which allows you to book flights, hotels, rental cars, attractions, vacation rentals and cruises. Currently, Chase Travel does not provide the option to book packages like Flight/Car/Hotel.
The process of using the Chase Travel portal is straightforward and the website guides you through the process.
One of the best parts of using the portal is that any number of points can be selected, up to the total available in your account. If the number of points in your account is not sufficient to cover the total amount of the purchase, the remaining amount will be charged to your credit card.
When paying the remaining balance through the Chase Travel portal, you do not have to use the same Chase credit card that you are redeeming points from. For example, if you are redeeming points from your Chase Sapphire Reserve, but you need to charge a portion of the balance, you could use your United℠ Explorer Card. The credit card used needs to be a Chase credit card, but it does not have to be a Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning card.
When booking through the Chase Travel portal, there are a few things to remember:
- Reservations booked through Chase Travel are not considered “award reservations.” Chase Travel pays travel providers cash, and you pay Chase Travel points. That means you are eligible to earn miles with the airline you are flying with (or one of its partners).
- Making changes or cancellations to reservations must be completed through Chase Travel. This can be difficult, as you have to communicate with Chase Travel as well as the travel provider, like a hotel or airline.
- Only airline tickets will earn loyalty rewards, not hotels. Airline tickets booked through Chase Travel earn frequent flyer miles and elite benefits are honored. However, when booking hotels, elite benefits and points accrual are not applicable to reservations booked. Only stays booked directly with the hotel are “eligible rates” where rewards earning and loyalty benefits are applicable.
3. Redeem for Cash Back
The process of redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards points for cash back is also straightforward. Cash back can be processed in two ways—as a statement credit or by deposit into a bank account.
If choosing a statement credit, the credit must be applied to the card you are redeeming your points from. If you select to deposit to a bank account, you can select any bank account. You will have to provide Chase with your bank routing and account number and the direct deposit may take a few business days to process.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points redeemed for cash back are worth 1 cent per point.
4. Redeem for Gift Cards
The process for redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards points for gift cards is similar to the process of using the Chase Travel portal. However, instead of using points to purchase travel, the points are used to purchase gift cards.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1 cent each when redeemed for gift cards. However, Chase sometimes offers discounts on gift card purchases. Barring any discount offers, 10,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points are needed to purchase a $100 gift card.
When sales occur, the value of points is slightly increased. Chase Ultimate Rewards points redeemed for gift cards with a 10% discount, for example, are worth 1.11 cents per point.
Which Credit Cards Allow You To Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points?
Not all Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards allow you to transfer points to airline and hotel transfer partners. This ability is reserved for Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. Note that a handful of older Chase cards that are no longer open to new applicants still retain this ability, as well.
Fortunately, because Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred between credit card accounts, you only need to hold one of the above premium credit cards to transfer your points to partners.
For example, if you hold both a Chase Freedom Unlimited® card and a Chase Sapphire Reserve® card, you can move Chase Ultimate Rewards points from the Chase Freedom Unlimited® and then transfer those points to an airline or hotel partner.
How To Combine Chase Ultimate Rewards
Moving points between cards is advantageous as the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Ink Preferred offer redemption options that are not available to points associated with no-annual fee cards. It is best to get in the habit of moving points from your no-annual fee cards to your premium cards. This will allow you to receive the most value when redeeming your points.
How To Combine Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Between Two Chase Ultimate Rewards-Earning Cards
To combine points on your Chase Ultimate Rewards earning cards:
Log in to Chase Ultimate Rewards. You will be taken to a landing page that features all Chase Ultimate Reward-earning cards associated with your username and password.
- Select any card to proceed. You will be taken to the Chase Ultimate Rewards main page.
- Click the arrow next to your point total to access available actions.
- At the top of the page, click the arrow for Rewards Details and select Combine Points from the dropdown menu.
- Click the card you want to transfer points from, click the card you want to transfer points to and then click Continue.
- Once you have made your selection, click Review.
- Click Confirm & Submit once you have reviewed the information to ensure accuracy.
Points are combined instantly and you will receive confirmation of completion. You will also see the new balances on each card updated immediately.
For a more detailed walkthrough (with screenshots) of how to combine Chase points, check out our full guide.
How To Combine Chase Ultimate Rewards Points With a Household Member
Chase allows household members to combine points with each other, allowing spouses, partners or other household members to earn and redeem points toward a common goal.
To do so, you’ll need to call Chase member services to link accounts if you aren’t linked with authorized user cards. From there, you can combine points anytime online. Learn more about combining Ultimate Rewards with a household member.
Top Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners
United MileagePlus
United Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world, so if you are looking to travel far and wide, transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards to MileagePlus opens up a host of possibilities.
United Airlines no longer publishes an award chart; its MileagePlus award prices roughly fluctuate with the cash prices it offers on its own flights. While this means you may not be able to get outsized value from your award redemptions domestically, it does mean that you’ll generally get consistent, reasonable value for your miles. With award flights within the U.S. starting at around 5,000 miles, United MileagePlus may be one of the most useful transfer partners for Chase card members residing in the U.S.
United MileagePlus miles can be used to book flights on United Airlines’ global network of partners which includes Star Alliance and other airlines. In these cases, inventory is set directly by the operating airline, rather than by United. This means some dates, routes or classes of service may not be available for redemption. However, when available, award pricing may be more reasonable than on United’s own awards.
Perhaps the biggest sweet spot in the United Mileage Plus program is the Excursionist Perk, which allows you to add a free one-way award onto some international round-trip itineraries.
Southwest Rapid Rewards
For those looking to travel within North America and to the Caribbean, Southwest Rapid Rewards represents an easy way to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points at a reasonable value. Southwest’s award pricing is simple; its award prices strongly correlate with cash airfare, so you can always be assured that you are getting a reasonable value when redeeming for flights.
One advantage of transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards to Southwest Rapid Rewards and booking award tickets with your Rapid Rewards points is that you can cancel your flight up to 10 minutes before departure for a full refund of your points and the taxes paid on your ticket. If you cancel a flight that you booked with cash, you will receive a travel credit for future travel.
Iberia Plus
Iberia Plus offers one of the sweet spots for award travel to Europe available to holders of Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Iberia’s awards are distance-based, which means that while the price will increase with the distance you fly, it is not tied to the cash price of the ticket. Transfers to Iberia Plus present opportunities to get outsized value from your Chase Ultimate Rewards points by booking premium cabin long-haul travel.
In addition to offering several flight options for a relatively small number of miles, many routings bookable with Iberia Plus Avios avoid London’s Heathrow airport, which substantially lowers the cash payments required to cover air taxes and fees.
Finally, Iberia Plus Avios can be used for itineraries on American Airlines within the U.S. Avios may yield the most value on short-haul flights with high dollar prices.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is another way to score transatlantic premium cabin travel using Chase Ultimate Rewards. Awards in Virgin Atlantic Upper Class between the U.S. and the U.K. are a relatively good value for travel between the U.S. and Europe in a premium cabin. Routings through London Heathrow incur significant taxes and fees, but redeeming Virgin Atlantic miles for flights on partners including Delta Air Lines may avoid U.K. surcharges.
Virgin Points can also be used for travel within the U.S. on Delta. Because award prices for U.S. domestic travel on Delta are based on distance, some travelers may discover opportunities for outsized value by redeeming for shorter, more expensive flights.
Air France / KLM Flying Blue
Air France/KLM Flying Blue shines as a travel partner for its network of flights from North America to Europe and beyond and offers reasonably affordable award options on SkyTeam if you can find the award space.
In addition to offering reasonably priced award tickets, Air France/KLM offers monthly promo rewards at as much as a 50% discount off the lowest miles price, meaning you can sometimes score a business class ticket from North America to Europe for under 30,000 miles each way.
World of Hyatt
World of Hyatt is by far the best hotel transfer partner offered by Chase Ultimate Rewards for those looking to extract maximum value out of their points. Hyatt’s award night redemptions consistently provide a higher value per point than either IHG or Marriott, Chase’s other hotel transfer partners.
Hyatt’s network of hotels may not be as large as other programs, but it has properties in most major cities and has plenty of all-inclusive and luxury properties in vacation destinations. Hyatt’s more than 20 brands include over 1,200 properties globally.
Although Hyatt uses a semi-dynamic model for its award redemptions, it still implements categories. Hyatt award night redemptions start at just 3,500 points per night for Category 1 standard rooms but increase to 90,000 points per night for premium suites at high-end Category 8 properties. Knowing the price ranges for your preferred hotel can help you budget for a reward in advance as well as evaluate when (or if) it’s a good deal.
How To Maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards?
Maximizing Ultimate Rewards can be done both while earning and redeeming.
To maximize the number of Chase Ultimate Rewards you earn, you’ll want to use your credit card for purchases that earn at an elevated rate. For example, some cards earn 2 to 5 points per dollar spent on select categories including travel, dining or office supplies.
When redeeming, you can maximize Ultimate Rewards by choosing redemptions that yield values of more than 1 cent per point. This can include travel booked through Chase, transferring points to partner airline and hotel programs or some Pay Yourself Back categories.
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Bottom Line
Chase Ultimate Rewards is a versatile transferable currency with a variety of ways to earn and redeem. The program offers both a large number of ways to earn points and flexible redemption options that make it easy to use points. Additionally, being able to transfer points between cardmembers in your same household makes it easier to accumulate large numbers of points to earn aspirational awards.
No matter your travel goal, Chase Ultimate Rewards will help you travel more while spending less.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How long do Chase Ultimate Rewards take to post?
Chase Ultimate Rewards typically post each month soon after your statement closes.
How do you book travel through Chase Travel?
After logging into your Ultimate Rewards account, you can book travel in the Chase travel portal. The interface works similarly to other online travel agencies you may have previously used and is a straightforward, intuitive search engine. When you’ve selected specific travel arrangements, you’ll have the option to pay with points, charge the expenses to your Chase travel card or pay with a combination of both points and your card.
Do Chase Ultimate Reward points expire?
No. Your Ultimate Rewards points will not expire for as long as you keep your account open and in good standing. Closing your account before redeeming or transferring your Ultimate Rewards points will result in you forfeiting your points. If your account is closed for missed payments, or any other reason initiated by the bank, your points will be forfeited as well.
How much are 50,000 Chase points worth?
You could redeem 50,000 Chase points for $500 in straight cash back or up to $750 towards travel depending on which card you hold. By transferring your points to travel partners, it’s possible to achieve significantly more value from your points.
