Chase Ultimate Rewards are the loyalty points offered by Chase bank credit cards. I have found them to be the easiest to accumulate, especially if business cards and a "player 2" are part of your strategy. They're also very versatile, as there are a large number of transfer partners including 11 airlines and 3 hotel brands.
To use Chase Ultimate Rewards points you must have one of the following cards:
Chase Sapphire Reserve (not a referral link)
Other Chase cards will say they offer cash back but if you have one of the cards above, they will actually earn Ultimate Rewards points that can be transferred to your Sapphire account and then be used on the portal or transferred out to travel partners.
Cards that can earn Ultimate Rewards points:
Chase Sapphire Reserve (not a referral link)
Chase Freedom Flex (not a referral link; no annual fee; low minimum spend; good for building credit)
Note: you can only hold the Sapphire Preferred or the Sapphire Reserve, not both. The Sapphire Reserve has a much higher annual fee but include perks that may be appealing to some.
How do I earn Ultimate Rewards points?
The bulk of your Ultimate Rewards points are likely to be earned through sign-up bonuses (SUBs). You can also earn points through referral bonuses by giving your personal sign-up link to friends.
All Chase cards also earn at least one point per dollar spent, with bonus categories earning higher rates depending on the card. You can also shop through the Chase shopping portal to earn additional points on purchases that you would make anyway.
Can I combine Ultimate Rewards points with partner?
Yes, Chase allows to transfer points between your own accounts and also between the accounts of those who live in your household. The first time you want to transfer your points to another person in your household you have to call and request the transfer over the phone. After that, you can do it online in your Chase banking account.
How can I use my Ultimate Rewards points?
While you can use your Ultimate Rewards points to get cash back, pay for Amazon purchases, or book travel directly through Chase's travel portal, the best value for your points usually comes from transferring them to travel partners.
All Ultimate Rewards points transfer to travel partners at a 1:1 rate, meaning if you transfer 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points to Jet Blue, you'll have 100,000 TrueBlue points. Chase often offers a transfer bonus for select travel partners. For example, if there was a 25% transfer bonus for Jet Blue and you transferred 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points, you'd end up with 125,000 True Blue points.
Remember that you may be able to use your Ultimate Rewards points to book flights on airlines that aren't a direct travel partner of Chase using the airline alliances. For example, you can book Delta flights using Virgin Atlantic points and Hawaiian Airlines flights with United points.
Who are Chase's travel partners?
Aer Lingus AerClub
Air Canada Aeroplan
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
British Airways Executive Club
Emirates Skywards
Iberia Plus
JetBlue TrueBlue
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
United MileagePlus
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
IHG Rewards Club
Marriott Bonvoy
World of Hyatt
How long does it take to transfer points?
Most point transfers are instant, though it can take up to 7 days. Delays are more likely if the name on the account you are transferring to is different than the name on your Chase account (a maiden name, for example) or if the account you are transferring to was just created.
You must have an account for the rewards program that you are transferring points to before initiating the transfer. For example, if you want to transfer points to Air Canada, you must make an Aeroplan account first.
Important: 5/24 Rule
Chase will only approve you for a new card (both those that earn Ultimate Rewards and specific airline/hotel branded cards like Southwest and Hyatt) if you have opened fewer than 5 credit cards in the last 24 months. This means five of any credit cards not just Chase credit cards. For this reason, if you're interested in earning Ultimate Rewards points, it's best to start with Chase cards and pursue others later.
My Favorite Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred was my first travel hacking card and is still my favorite, as it offers several valuable perks. Probably the most important for travel hacking purposes is the travel insurance.
So long as you pay for any part of your trip with your Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you will be reimbursed for trips canceled or cut short due to illness or weather, emergencies or accidents that happen during travel, delayed baggage, lost luggage, and lodging and food if your flight is delayed more than 12 hours. For this reason, I always pay the taxes and fees on a reward ticket with my CSP.
I also always book rental cars with this card because it offers primary insurance for all car rentals paid in full with the CSP.
**The links on this page are referral links, unless otherwise noted. If you use any of these links to apply for a credit card and you are approved, I will receive a pre-determined number of points as a referral bonus. Always use referral links to apply when possible, either from a friend or from a valued content creator. And share your own referral links with family and friends once you open a card you love!
Comments