When to transfer Chase points instead of booking a hotel through Chase Travel
Editor's Note
Many travelers love redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards points for hotel stays through the Chase Travel℠ portal. This is especially true now that Points Boost lets eligible cardholders redeem points for hotel stays through Chase Travel for up to 2 cents per point, depending on the card and the redemption.
If you have one of the following cards, you could also transfer your Chase points to select hotel loyalty programs — IHG One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt — at a 1:1 ratio and redeem points through that program for your stay:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (see rates and fees)
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees)
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees)
It's relatively easy to book a stay regardless of whether you book through the Chase Travel portal or transfer points to a hotel partner loyalty program and then redeem through that program, so ease of booking shouldn't be a factor. However, when deciding how to redeem Chase points for a hotel stay, there are two important aspects to consider. So, let's dive in.
Points required for your stay
The easiest way to determine whether you should transfer Chase points to a hotel loyalty program or book a hotel through Chase Travel is to compare the number of points you'd need to redeem. If you want to book a specific Hyatt, IHG or Marriott property, you can compare the points cost through the Chase Travel portal to the points cost of the property if redeemed through the hotel loyalty program.
For example, I could transfer 4,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt and then redeem 3,500 Hyatt points for this night at the Hyatt Place Atlanta Airport-South.
But if I wanted to book through Chase Travel using points from my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card account, I'd need to redeem 11,538 Chase points for the same night. And if I'd applied for my Chase Sapphire Preferred after June 22, I'd only get 1 cent per point on this reservation and would need to redeem 14,423 points.
Regardless of when I applied for my card, I'd get better value by transferring Chase points to Hyatt and booking an award stay through the World of Hyatt program in this case.
If you don't have a specific property you want to book, you can still compare your options by choosing a property through Chase Travel and checking award rates for properties bookable through Marriott, IHG and Hyatt. This will let you compare your options and the number of Chase points you'd need to redeem for each.
Related: How much are Chase Ultimate Rewards points worth?
Loyalty program benefits
The second aspect to consider is loyalty program benefits when you book directly, including on award stays. For example, I appreciate getting benefits due to my hotel elite status when I book directly with Hyatt, Marriott and IHG. Plus, I like earning elite qualifying nights toward requalifying for elite status with these programs. After all, these programs all provide elite qualifying nights, even on award stays.
You usually won't get loyalty program benefits and elite earnings when you book through an online travel agency like Chase Travel, except for select properties booked through The Edit by Chase Travel. So, I use Chase Travel to book hotels outside my primary hotel loyalty programs, such as boutique or independent hotels.
Related: Maximize your rewards by getting a fourth or fifth night free on award stays
Bottom line
Comparing your options is important and can help you get more value from your Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
For example, my sister-in-law has the Chase Sapphire Preferred and was going to book a one-night stay during a road trip through the Chase Travel portal for about 20,000 Chase points. But before she did so, I found her a comparable Category 1 Hyatt property that only cost her 5,000 points for the same night if she transferred Chase points to Hyatt and then redeemed Hyatt points for her stay. In this case, she saved around 15,000 Chase points simply by transferring points to Hyatt instead of booking through the Chase Travel portal.
If you don't have a premium Ultimate Rewards card that provides access to transfer partners, now is a great time to apply. The Chase Sapphire Reserve currently has a welcome offer of 150,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening, while the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business has a welcome offer of 150,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
It's also worth remembering that you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to various airline loyalty programs. Check out the following stories to learn more about how to maximize your redemptions:
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