Chase Ultimate Rewards points: How to redeem for maximum value
You can never have too many Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
This transferable rewards currency gives you access to some of the best hotel and airline transfer partners; therefore, it remains one of the most valuable to have in your wallet. According to TPG's May 2026 valuations, Ultimate Rewards points are worth 2.05 cents each, which is what you should aim for when redeeming your points to help you maximize your rewards.
However, you can also use your points to book car rentals, hotels and flights in the easy-to-use Chase Travel℠ portal when using certain Chase credit cards.
As such, learning how to redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards points for maximum value is essential if you want to make the most of your hard-earned points.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees): Earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
How can I redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points?
If you want to maximize your Ultimate Rewards points, usually the most lucrative option is to transfer them to one of Chase's 10 airline or three hotel partners. Whether you want to save money on an economy fare, a lie-flat seat or a luxury hotel, you can use your points to travel the world and cut the cost by thousands of dollars.
If you don't want to transfer your points to airline and hotel partners, you can use your rewards for virtually any kind of travel booking — flights, hotel stays, cruises, tours and rental cars — via Chase Travel. If you have an eligible Sapphire or Ink card with the Points Boost redemption acceleration, your points can be worth up to 2 cents apiece. This is a smart redemption option for folks who don't want to deal with potentially complex award program rules.
You can also use your points for nontravel redemptions, such as Amazon purchases, gift cards and statement credits. However, this typically yields between 0.8 and 1 cent per point in value.
So, to get the most value out of your Chase points, here are the best ways to redeem your rewards.
What are the most valuable ways to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points?
Transferring your Chase points to a travel partner is often the best way to get the most value out of them. Here are some of TPG's favorite ways to redeem Ultimate Rewards points with airline and hotel transfer partners.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Transfer your Chase points to the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club program. If you're flexible and willing to travel on off-peak dates, you can book one-way saver seats to the United Kingdom starting at:
- 6,000 points in economy
- 10,500 points in premium economy
- 29,000 points in business class
Make sure to look for the red "Saver" tag when searching for the lowest prices, or you can use Virgin Atlantic's reward seat checker to find the cheapest saver fares across multiple dates.
Related: Bringing the fun back to flying: Virgin Atlantic A350 Upper Class review
United MileagePlus
Flights within the U.S. on United Airlines start at just 5,000 United MileagePlus miles on shorter routes, such as from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to San Diego International Airport (SAN).
With fees and taxes as low as $5.60 per flight, this is a great way to save money on your next domestic flight.
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
If you want to fly to Europe beyond the U.K., consider Air France-KLM Flying Blue. While the program prices most of its awards dynamically, Flying Blue has standardized saver-level pricing for one-way flights between the U.S. and Europe. Award fares start at:
- 25,000 miles in economy
- 40,000 miles in premium economy
- 60,000 miles in business class
Remember that these rates are only for the lowest saver-level seats, which are limited.
Booking business class from the U.S. to anywhere in Europe for 60,000 Flying Blue miles is a great deal, so if you find this price on dates that work for you, jump on it. Plus, the program offers monthly award deals, allowing you to redeem even fewer miles for international flights.
Additionally, you could extend your trip and spend a few days in Paris or Amsterdam using the free Flying Blue stopover program. This is a great way to visit another city without paying additional miles or cash. To book Flying Blue stopovers, you'll need to call Flying Blue at 800-375-8723.
Singapore KrisFlyer
Singapore Airlines has several benefits as a potential destination for your transferred Ultimate Rewards points. First, Singapore Airlines is one of the best airlines in the sky, with tremendous service and luxurious onboard products and experiences. The carrier's long-haul premium products are typically easiest to find through the Singapore KrisFlyer program, not through its Star Alliance partners.
Second, Singapore KrisFlyer offers great value, with reasonable award charts, low fuel surcharges, routing rules that allow stopovers and the ability to combine multiple partners in one award.
Finally, the online award booking tool is intuitive and easy to use, though be aware that transfers typically are not instantaneous.
One of the best uses of KrisFlyer miles is booking a saver fare on the world's longest business-class flight from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) for just 117,000 miles. This is a great price for almost 20 hours of comfort.
Related: 19 thoughts for 19 hours on the world's longest flight from New York to Singapore
World of Hyatt
One of the best ways to use Ultimate Rewards points is to transfer them to World of Hyatt. Hyatt points are generally worth more than Marriott Bonvoy and IHG One Rewards points, so Hyatt is often your best hotel transfer partner within Chase Ultimate Rewards.
World of Hyatt prices most stays using a fixed award chart, dividing properties into Category 1 through 8 and dates into peak, off-peak and standard award nights.
Category 1 properties on off-peak dates are 3,500 points per night, while Category 8 properties on peak dates cost 45,000 points per night.
Properties in Categories 1-5, in particular, can offer some fantastic awards. For example, the Grand Hyatt Athens in Greece costs between 9,000 and 15,000 points per night, and the Hyatt Regency JFK Airport at Resorts World New York costs between 12,000 and 18,000 points per night.
You can also get substantial value from higher-tier hotels. For example, redeeming 45,000 points per night at the ski-in, ski-out Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa in Colorado during peak ski season can help you save a ton of money since a room starts at around $1,200 per night on these dates. By transferring your Chase points to World of Hyatt to book a stay at this resort, you'd yield a redemption value of almost 3 cents per point.
Other notable World of Hyatt redemption properties include the Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour and the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa, which cost between 25,000 and 35,000 points per night. Both of these luxury properties routinely sell for over $1,000 a night, making them great redemption options.
Note that Hyatt will shift to a more complex five-tier award chart with higher prices for some bookings made from May 20 on.
Related: Best Hyatt hotels in the world to book with points
Best cards to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points
Here are the best ways to earn Ultimate Rewards points with Chase credit cards:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve: Earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (see rates and fees): Earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees): Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees): Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Freedom Flex® (see rates and fees): Earn a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Freedom Unlimited® (see rates and fees): Earn a $200 bonus after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
The first four cards earn fully transferable Ultimate Rewards points, while the remaining two are technically billed as cash-back credit cards.
However, if you also have an Ultimate Rewards points-earning card, you can convert your Chase cash-back rewards to Ultimate Rewards points. For this reason, having more than one Chase card in the family can make sense to maximize your earning and redeeming potential.
Bottom line
It's no secret how much value TPG sees in Ultimate Rewards points.
With so many great airline and hotel transfer partners, especially World of Hyatt, you can get great value from your next Ultimate Rewards points redemption, whether you want to travel across the country or around the globe.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.