Have I told you how much I love Chase Ultimate Rewards®? Well, if I haven’t, let me tell you. I love them soooooo soooo much! Sometimes almost more than dollars. 😆 I kid, but I do really love them! But before I get into why I love them, let’s talk about what they are and how you can get them.

Chase has many cards that issue Ultimate Rewards. Ultimate Rewards can be transferred directly to Chase’s airline and hotel partners or redeemed via Chase Travel℠. When used in the portal, each point is worth up to 2 cents with Points Boost.

Chase Ultimate Rewards® can also be cashed out. We don’t recommend this because you can usually get more value by using one of the first two options. 

Here is a list of some of our favorite Chase cards that earn Ultimate Rewards®. The first three cards are personal cards, while the last four are business cards. It’s just to give you an overview, compare cards, and be there for you to reference if needed. Scroll down if you just want to see the seven reasons why I love Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

 

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Why I Love Cards That Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards®

 

#1 Transfer Partners

My favorite way to use Chase Ultimate Rewards® is to transfer them to Chase’s airline and hotel partners. To transfer, you must have either the card_name, card_name, Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, or card_name. I love being able to top off accounts, like my United MileagePlus account, when I am short on points.

All information about the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card has been collected independently by Travel Mom Squad. The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is no longer available through Travel Mom Squad.

When I went to Greece, I transferred Ultimate Rewards® to my United account so that I would have enough points to book a business-class flight. Points transfer to all of the bank’s partners at a ratio of 1:1. Always make sure your hotel or flight is available before transferring your points. Once you transfer your points, you cannot move them back into your Chase Ultimate Rewards® account. Here are the Chase travel partners:

• Aer Lingus
• Air Canada/Aeroplan
• British Airways
• Emirates (though this partnership is ending in October 2025)
• Flying Blue (KLM/Air France)
• Hyatt
• Iberia
• IHG
• JetBlue
• Marriott
• Singapore Airlines
• Southwest®
• United
• Virgin Atlantic

 

Their partnership with Hyatt is my very favorite. I can get a nice stay at a Hyatt in Hawaii for 25,000 points/night. If I want to stay at a comparable Marriott hotel, I am looking at anywhere from 60,000-95,000 points/night. This is why I always transfer to Hyatt. My points go way further!

Some of those airlines might seem a little random, but many of them are alliance partners with airlines we know well in the United States. For example, you could transfer your points to Air France or Virgin Atlantic and fly on a Delta plane, all for fewer points than what Delta charges, because they’re all in the SkyTeam alliance. And Ultimate Rewards® don’t transfer to Delta, so this is a nice little workaround when you can find availability.

 

#2 Chase Travel℠

Sometimes there might be a hotel you want to book that isn’t a Chase transfer partner. In those situations, I like to book through Chase Travel℠. When we are spending more than a couple of days somewhere with kids, it can be nice to have a room that has a separate living area and bedroom. That can be difficult to find when using points transferred directly from your credit card program or using hotel-specific points. It’s often easier to find in the travel portal.

We booked a two-bedroom stay with a kitchen at the Grand Pacific Palisades in Carlsbad, California, using the portal when we went to Legoland. It was perfect for our family and made for a much more enjoyable vacation. The portal can also be a great option if you find hotels and flights to book with Points Boost.

 

#3 Pooling Points

Another HUGE reason I love Chase Ultimate Rewards® is that Chase allows you to pool your points together with another member of your household! Many reward programs don’t allow this, or if they do, they charge you or put a limit on the number of points you can transfer in a year.

 

#4 Maximizing Category Bonuses

Ultimate Rewards® cards all earn at different rates depending on where you are spending your money. I carry a few of these cards around at all times and use different ones depending on where I am spending. Placing my grocery pickup order? card_name. Getting gas or paying my internet bill? card_name. Anything that doesn’t fall into one of the categories? card_name.

I always make sure to see what the bonus categories are each quarter on the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and make sure to activate my card because it lets me earn five points per dollar spent in the bonus categories. Sometimes that bonus category is warehouse stores or Amazon, so the earnings can really add up! By holding a few of these cards and maximizing the category bonus, you can really rack up points quicker. It sounds like a lot to remember, but before you know it, you’ll have it all down!

All information about the Chase Freedom Flex℠ has been collected independently by Travel Mom Squad. The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is no longer available through Travel Mom Squad.

#5 Combining Points Across Cards

Chase allows you to combine the points you earn from your spending across your cards. If I earn points with my Freedom Unlimited®, I can combine them with the points I earned on my Sapphire Preferred. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠, and Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card are the only cards that allow you to transfer your points to airline and hotel partners and are worth more than one cent per point booking through Chase Travel℠. By transferring your points earned from any of the other Chase cards that usually only earn cash-back points to one of the premium cards, you now have given yourself many more options for using those points towards travel.

 

#6 Chase Referral Program

If you refer your family and friends to sign up for the same Chase Ultimate Rewards®-earning cards, you will earn bonus points! For example, you will earn 20,000 points when you refer someone to any of the business cards that earn Ultimate Rewards® Chase and 15,000 points when you refer someone to the card_name or the card_name. The Freedom cards also offer a referral bonus of 5,000 points.

 

#7 Benefits that Come with the Cards

Last but definitely not least are the great benefits, like travel insurance, that come with some of the cards. I love the primary car rental coverage that comes with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Likewise, I really love the lost/damaged baggage policy. I was reimbursed $300 when I took advantage of my baggage-coverage benefit when our stroller was damaged on a flight once.

 

Bottom Line

Chase Ultimate Rewards® win in my book for the best transferable points currency out there. When I am not working on meeting the minimum spend on a new card, I am using some of these cards to earn all the Ultimate Rewards® I can! If you do nothing else in the world of free travel with points, at least get yourself a couple of Ultimate Rewards®-earning cards.

Want to know more about these points? Get our FREE Ultimate Guide to Ultimate Rewards®.