My 5 Favorite Ways to Use Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (2024)

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5.0

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On Chase Bank USA, NA's Website

Up to 5x Reward Rate

Earn 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on allRead More

Welcome Bonus

60,000 bonus points

Annual Fee

$95

Regular APR

21.49%-28.49% Variable

Credit Score

Excellent, Good(700 - 749)

Editorial Review

Offering a rare mix of high rewards rates and redemption flexibility, this card is a dream for frequent spenders on travel & dining – while charging a modest annual fee.

See Also

Chase Ultimate Rewards Guide | BankrateDo Chase Ultimate Rewards® Points Ever Expire?A Guide to Chase's 5/24 Rule | The Ascent by The Motley Fool

Pros & Cons

• Earn high rewards on several areas of spending
• Transfer points to travel partners at 1:1 rate
• Many travel and shopping protections

• Annual fee
• No intro APR offer
• Best travel earning rates are only for bookings through the Chase Travel℠ portal

Card Details

• 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 Travel℠.
• 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, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Travel℠. 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, 2027.
• Member FDIC

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 Travel℠.

Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.

Even if you’re content staying in a modest accommodation, I have never heard of someone who does not enjoy luxury hotel stays. However, the main limitation is typically the price point, which reduces accessibility.

Luckily, one of the Chase Ultimate Rewards best value redemptions is transferring your points to World of Hyatt. Well-regarded for the treatment of elite members and redemptions for as low as 3,500 points per night, I have enjoyed exploring Hyatt’s premium portfolio worldwide.

I recently transferred 35,000 Ultimate Rewards to book one night at the Park Hyatt Sydney. Not only was the service incredible and the views breathtaking, but I was also able to get more than 2 cents per point in value, with the nightly rate nearing $800 for my dates and regularly above $700.

Thanks to this valuable redemption, I surprised my mother with a stay at the Park Hyatt Paris for 40,000 points while the nightly rate was $2,000 last holiday season. Additionally, I hope to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards for the Park Hyatt St. Kitts and Alila Ventana Big Sur in the near future.

With family spread around the East Coast, I never want to risk missing an important milestone. However, short flights up and down the coast can easily cost $200-plus despite often less than an hour in the air.

One of the best Chase points redemptions is transferring them to an Avios-based airline program such as British Airways Executive Club or Iberia Plus. Those miles then can be transferred among Avios-based airlines, including Finnair and Qatar.

Although pricing varies by program, one of the best values for Chase points is moving 6,000 points to British Airways and then to Qatar Privilege Club to redeem for a flight on JetBlue, Alaska or American Airlines—up to 650 miles.

When I needed a last-minute flight from Washington D.C. (DCA) to Boston (BOS), instead of forking up the $250 ticket, I used 6,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards and $10.10 to visit a friend.

Alternatively, you could use 22,000 Avios to fly JetBlue’s premium Mint cabin from New York (JFK) to Saint Martin (SXM). Not only is this a comfortable way to travel to paradise, but it won’t break the bank.

I seldom say no when the opportunity to travel to Europe arises. The food and beautiful cities draw me in, but the affordability of Flying Blue award redemptions makes booking a trip an easy decision.

Air France and KLM’s award program, Flying Blue, offers Promo rewards to members. These awards discount flights purchased that month with miles by up to 25%. The selected cities vary month to month but often include large U.S. airports.

For example, I was able to redeem just 15,000 Flying Blue miles and $167 for a flight from Lyon (LYS) to Washington D.C. (IAD) via Paris (CDG) over peak summer dates. Not only did I receive 25% off the typical 20,000-mile price, but I also took advantage of an additional 25% Chase transfer bonus to Air France. I only needed to transfer 12,000 miles to book a flight selling for more than $600.

Even better, the redemptions are not limited to economy class. For example, you could book a business-class seat on a flight from Montreal (YUL) to countless European cities on KLM or Air France for as low as 50,000 miles.

When I am not using points and miles for flights, I will make sure to earn as many points as possible with a paid ticket. The only downside is this often means I have an odd, small amount of points in various frequent flyer accounts.

When a redemption opportunity presents itself, and I am just a few thousand miles short, it can be quite frustrating to potentially have to pay out of pocket for the ticket. One of the best Chase points redemptions, however, is the ability to top off an account by transferring the allotted number of missing points to avoid paying out of pocket.

Multiple occasions have occurred when I was within 2,000 miles of a redemption on Southwest Rapid Rewards or United MileagePlus. Although transferring to these U.S. airlines is not typically my preferred use of Chase points, simply topping off accounts has saved me from paying for miles or the ticket outright.

The flexibility of transferring to Chase’s airline and hotel partners means that when you are just within reach of a redemption, you can use your flexible rewards to cover the difference.

Long-haul flying can be a frustrating experience with cramped seats and jet lag. Fortunately, points have made premium cabin travel with lie-flat seats a possibility. While I am often pleased flying in the back of the plane, when covering long distances, I will try my best to sit up front.

One way I do this without breaking the bank is by booking business class with Air Canada Aeroplan, a Chase Ultimate Rewards best-value redemption. My favorite redemption to date was a flight from Washington, D.C., to Singapore (SIN) via Abu Dhabi (AUH) in Etihad business class.

With over 20 hours of flight time, I was extremely grateful for the comfortable and luxurious flying experience, especially because it was only 87,500 miles transferred from Chase instead of what would have been a several-thousand dollar ticket.

Aeroplan also allows you to add stopovers for only 5,000 additional miles. This means that I could have spent a few days in Abu Dhabi before continuing for 92,500 miles instead of booking two separate tickets.

Other great Chase Ultimate Reward redemptions include transferring to Aeroplan to book flights from the U.S. to Europe in business class for 60,000 points. The flexibility of Air Canada’s extensive worldwide Star Alliance and nonalliance partners allows countless possibilities.