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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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7 ways to use the Chase Sapphire Preferred's sign-up bonus for domestic travel
Andrew Kunesh is TPG's Points & Miles editor. He has been active in the points and miles space since 2014, using them to travel far and wide around the world. He is originally from Chicago but moved to New York City after graduating from DePaul University. His work is featured on Credit Karma, UpgradedPoints, ValuePenguin and various other travel and finance publications. He currently holds Delta Diamond Medallion and Marriott Titanium status, and 20+ credit cards that each have a special place in Andrew's wallet.
June 25, 2021 • 8 min read
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Quick summary
The article outlines how to maximize the value of a large travel-rewards sign-up bonus for domestic flights in the U.S.
It compares redeeming points through a travel portal at a fixed value versus transferring to airline partners for potentially greater value.
Key airline loyalty programs highlighted include United MileagePlus, Singapore KrisFlyer, British Airways Avios, Air France-KLM Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
The guide emphasizes comparing portal pricing with transfer partner award rates to find the best deal for each route.
What to consider
Some offers discussed are no longer available; check for current promotions before applying strategies.
Award pricing varies by route, date and program, with dynamic and distance-based charts affecting point requirements.
Certain airlines, such as Southwest, require special booking procedures and may not appear in standard travel portals.
What you'll miss from the article
Step-by-step comparisons of award booking strategies for major U.S. airlines and how to determine the best redemption option for your points.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is one of TPG's favorite cards for beginners.
Better yet, the card is offering its best-ever sign-up bonus of 100,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. This is worth $2,000 per TPG's most recent valuations.
If you're traveling domestically this summer, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card's welcome bonus can be a great way to save on flights. You can leverage the card's travel portal and transfer partners to get a ton of value from your points.
Here, I'll give you a look at the best ways to book domestic tickets with your Chase Sapphire Preferred's welcome bonus. I'll start with an overview of the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal and then show you the three best Chase transfer partners for domestic flights.
You can redeem your Chase points at a set value of 1.25 cents per point toward paid flights on the travel portal. This can be a good option for booking low-cost domestic airfare with your Chase points since you may get less value when booking with a transfer partner.
You can access the travel portal on the Ultimate Rewards website and search almost all major airlines. The only exclusion is Southwest Airlines. Unfortunately, you have to call Chase to book Southwest tickets since the airline doesn't sell tickets through third parties online.
(Screenshot courtesy of chase.com)
Note the mileage price you see for your desired flight on the Chase portal and check the award cost through a transfer partner. I'll discuss the best partners for all the major American airlines later in this article.
(Screenshot courtesy of chase.com)
Flights booked through the Chase portal process as standard paid flights. Because of this, you'll earn airline miles on your ticket. Make sure to add your loyalty number to your booking at check-out.
The price you'll pay depends on the route and day you're flying, but you can often find domestic awards for under 10,000 miles one-way. For example, Newark (EWR) to Washington (DCA) is 9,300 miles one-way in October.
(Screenshot courtesy of united.com)
If you're flying to Hawaii with United, you'll want to transfer your Chase points to Singapore KrisFlyer. You can book round-trip tickets from the continental U.S. to Hawaii for just 37,500 miles. This means your Sapphire Preferred's sign-up bonus is more than enough for two round-trip tickets to Hawaii.
(Screenshot courtesy of singaporeair.com)
Again, compare the prices you find with United and Singapore with what you find on the Chase portal.
There are a couple of other things worth noting too. British Airways prices award tickets by segment, so connecting tickets cost more Avios than nonstop tickets. Additionally, saver award space must be available to book an American or Alaska ticket with Avios.
Award tickets under 651 miles one-way cost just 7,500 Avios, so it's perfect for booking high-cost tickets on business-heavy routes like New York (LGA) to Washington (DCA). Your sign-up bonus is enough to book 13 one-way tickets on these shorter routes.
Book Delta awards with Flying Blue or Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
(Photo by Andrew Kunesh/The Points Guy)
Your best bet for booking Delta award tickets with Chase points is transferring to Air France-KLM Flying Blue. Like United, this program prices awards dynamically, but I've found that most Delta domestic tickets are between 10,000 and 15,000 points one-way.
You can search for Flying Blue award tickets on the Air France or KLM websites. Both show the same award flights and pricing but have slightly different user interfaces. Play around with both and see which you prefer.
Here I showed you how to book domestic flights with your Chase Sapphire Preferred's sign-up bonus.
Remember, always check the Chase travel portal before you book with a transfer partner. You'll often get a better deal booking low-cost tickets this way, and you'll earn airline miles in the process.
If flights are expensive, check the three transfer partners listed here to find the best deal. Doing this research will help you travel more and stretch your sign-up bonus to cover multiple trips.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
