I'm a Sapphire Preferred Card holder: Here's my Chase Travel Points Boost strategy
I'm a big fan of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees). I've held it for years and recommend it as the best starter card for those looking to earn transferable rewards, especially thanks to its generous welcome bonus, low annual fee and bonus points categories.
I have redeemed thousands of Chase Ultimate Rewards points by transferring them to airline and hotel partners; Air Canada Aeroplan and World of Hyatt are among my favorite transfer options. I have also enjoyed the flexibility and simplicity of earning Chase points by booking travel through the Chase Travel℠ portal and redeeming my points at a fixed rate of 1.25 cents per point.
However, with the recent refresh of the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) and the launch of the all-new Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (see rates and fees), Chase has enhanced the fixed-rate Chase Travel redemption option with a new, variable system called Points Boost.
I've been equally nervous and excited to see how this new feature would work and if it would provide me with valuable redemption rates. So, after scouring redemptions on the portal, here's how I plan to use it to maximize my points going forward.
The basics of Points Boost for Sapphire Preferred Card holders
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card earns 5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on travel when booking through Chase Travel. This isn't changing.
Previously, those with a Sapphire Preferred could redeem their points through Chase Travel for virtually any airline, hotel or rental car at a fixed rate of 1.25 cents apiece.
This was a great option when purchasing flights or accommodations not bookable through a transfer partner or when there was no award availability. For example, when traveling to small towns outside of major cities that don't have big-name hotel brands such as Marriott, IHG or Hyatt to redeem my points, I would book boutique hotels through the Chase portal.
Note that existing cardholders, those who applied for this card before June 23, can still redeem their Ultimate Rewards points for 1.25 cents each on all Chase Travel purchases (on points earned prior to Oct. 26, 2025, and redeemed until Oct. 26, 2027, then 1 cent thereafter).
New cardholders, being those who applied for this card after June 23, can redeem their points for a fixed value of 1 cent apiece through Chase Travel.
While this might seem like a devaluation, Chase's new Points Boost feature will allow Sapphire Preferred Card holders (whether new or existing) to redeem their Ultimate Rewards points on select hotels and flights at up to 1.5 cents apiece and premium cabin flights on select airlines at up to 1.75 cents apiece.
Related: Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Venture X: Which travel rewards card reigns supreme?
Is Points Boost better or worse than the fixed value system?
For existing Sapphire Preferred Card holders like me, the new Points Boost feature is a definite improvement for points earned up to Oct. 26, 2025, and redeemed by Oct. 26, 2027. I can still redeem my Ultimate Rewards points through Chase Travel at the same 1.25 cents per point that I previously could, but I now also have the additional option of getting even greater value by redeeming them for up to 1.75 cents each by selecting a Point Boost option.
For points earned after Oct. 26, 2025, I'll only come out ahead if I'm selecting a Points Boost option, because otherwise, I'll only be receiving 1 cent per Ultimate Reward point in value compared to the 1.25 cents I receive now.
So, for the points I earn after Oct. 26, 2025, I'll probably only redeem them through Chase Travel when I find a Points Boost option.
How to find Points Boost redemptions
I'm always a little wary of offers on "selected" products, as I don't know how wide the selection will be. So, with some trepidation, I logged into Chase Travel when Points Boost went live to see how it worked.
The good news is that Points Boost redemptions are clearly marked as such (look for the little rocket) and will be shown at the top of search results.
As someone with a Sapphire Preferred, I can see options to book both low-cost and luxury hotels for 1.5 cents per point.
I also found flights on United Airlines in Economy Plus and premium economy boosted to 1.5 cents apiece.
Remember that Points Boost is only available on select hotels and flights, and these options may change over time.
It wasn't until I searched for business- or first-class flights through Chase Travel that I saw Points Boost redemption options available for 1.75 cents per point.
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How I'm planning to use Points Boost
I'm pleased to see Points Boost options on both high-end and budget hotel bookings at a rate of 1.5 cents each. This will be a fantastic option to redeem Ultimate Rewards points when I'm staying at an independent hotel that doesn't belong to a major hotel loyalty program.
I expect this will be particularly useful for my one-night stays at airport hotels, where I'm usually there for less than 10 hours and am not bothered by elite perks, earning points or on-property amenities.
I will compare Chase Travel's cash price with other online booking sites (and booking directly) to ensure I'm not overpaying for the higher level of an Ultimate Rewards redemption, as I have unfortunately found some credit card travel platforms showing inflated cash rates.
For flights, I'm a little disappointed at how few airlines have shown Points Boost options in my initial searches. So far, it's only a handful of carriers (primarily United and Air Canada), but I'm hopeful that Chase will include more, given this is a new feature.
It will be tempting to "buy up" to premium economy, business or first class when I see an offer to get 1.5 cents or 1.75 cents in value from my Ultimate Rewards points. However, for long-haul business- and first-class flights, I'll be trying to book award seats outright by transferring my Ultimate Rewards points to partner programs. Even with a 1.75-cent value when booking through Chase Travel, I'm likely to get better value when transferring my points to a partner program to book an award seat directly with the airline.
TPG values Chase points at 2.05 cents per point, per our July 2025 valuations. Therefore, when booking through the travel portal, I'll always be losing some value.
Check out our guide if you want to find out how to maximize your Chase points for travel redemptions
Bottom line
I was slightly nervous about the introduction of Points Boost, as it changes the simplicity of redeeming Chase Sapphire Preferred points for a flat 1.25 cents each through Chase Travel, but so far, I'm impressed by how the new redemption system works.
I'll probably use Chase Travel less to redeem Ultimate Rewards points for points I earn after Oct. 26, 2025, when non-Points Boost options reduce to just 1 cent.
Right now, it's the best of both worlds, as I can still obtain at least 1.25 cents per point. I'll also keep an eye out for additional Points Boost options. I'll especially be looking for independent hotels that don't belong to a major hotel program to potentially book at a rate of 1.5 cents per point or potentially purchasing premium cabin seats (especially on longer domestic flights) on airlines like United and Air Canada in which there isn't a huge cash price difference and I can obtain 1.75 cents per point in value.
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