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If you're looking for a travel credit card that offers ultimate flexibility when it comes to redeeming rewards, you'll want to learn all you can about credit cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Points in this program are easy to earn with a range of popular travel credit cards that offer generous sign-up bonuses, lucrative rewards bonus categories and easy-to-use cardholder perks. From there, you can actually cash in your rewards for travel and a range of other options based on your needs.

While redeeming for cash back will only get you one cent per point in value, Chase Ultimate Rewards are worth 1.25 cents each with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® and 1.5 cents each with the card_name when redeemed for travel through Chase. More importantly, Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to 14 unique Chase airline and hotel partners on a 1:1 basis, which helps you secure an even greater value for each point you redeem.

While there are situations where using your points to book travel through the Chase portal can be a good value, you may get as much as 2 cents per point in value (and often more) if you get the hang of transferring your points to Chase partners instead. This guide will break down the 14 Chase airline and hotel partners and basic details of each program while explaining the ins and outs of transferring points to get maximum value.

Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners

Chase transfer partners are easier to understand than some other flexible programs since all points transfer at a 1:1 ratio in increments of 1,000. This means you can turn 1,000 Chase points into 1,000 airline miles or 1,000 hotel points with any of the programs below.

Here's a listing of all the Chase transfer partners you gain access to with the right Chase credit card:

Chase airline partners:

• Aer Lingus AerClub
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France (Flying Blue)
• British Airways Executive Club
• Emirates Skywards
• Iberia Plus
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
• United MileagePlus
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Chase hotel partners:

• IHG One Rewards
• Marriott Bonvoy
• World of Hyatt

Airline transfer partners

Here's a summary of each Chase airline partner you can use and an overview of how their programs work.

Aer Lingus AerClub

Aer Lingus AerClub offers a travel rewards currency called Avios, which you can use to book award flights from the United States to Europe and elsewhere. While not officially part of the oneworld alliance, this program can be used to fly with partner airlines like British Airways and Iberia as well, paving the way for even more redemption options.

While awards vary with the program, you may be able to use as little as 4,000 Avios to fly from Dublin, Ireland to Paris, France, or as little as 16,250 Avios to fly from San Francisco, California to Dublin, Ireland in either direction.

Because Aer Lingus bases awards on zones that are roughly built around the distance you're flying, you'll need to fork over more Avios for long haul flights.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Chase added Air Canada Aeroplan as a transfer partner in 2021, and this makes it the newest transfer partner Chase cardholders have access to. This airline is a Star Alliance partner, which makes it part of a program that includes 26 airlines in total. Star alliance airlines fly to more than 1,200 destinations across 184 different countries as well, so you can use miles in this program to fly almost anywhere you want to go.

The Air Canada Aeroplan program is also one of the few remaining airlines that offers an award chart for its flight program. When you check it out, you can quickly find some travel sweet spots you could utilize.

For example, you can use 15,000 to 35,000 Aeroplan points for an economy award flight up to 2,000 miles in distance on Emirates. Also, you can fly from the east coast of the U.S. to Europe in business class for as little as 60,000 points each way.

Air France (Flying Blue)

Air France / Flying Blue is one of the best programs to get from the U.S. to Europe and back, and that's even true for families and groups. This program frequently features one-way economy flights from the U.S. to Europe for as little as 20,000 miles one way, and you can also find one-way business class flights to Europe for as little as 55,000 miles with reasonable taxes and fees. Best of all, it's not overly difficult to find four award flights for the same price on a single itinerary.

This program is also part of the SkyTeam alliance, so you can use your miles to book awards with partners like Delta Air Lines and KLM.

British Airways Executive Club

British Airways is another airline loyalty program that uses Avios, and you can use these points to fly with British Airways, Iberia, American Airlines and other oneworld partners. Award flights in this program start at 50,000 Avios for travel from the U.S. to London, and you can explore other destinations in Europe starting from London for as little as 18,500 Avios one-way.

Because British Airways is known for charging exorbitant fuel surcharges on award flights, this partner is best utilized for awards with American or Alaska Airlines. For example, you can fork over as little as 9,000 Avios one-way to fly economy from Miami, Florida to the Caribbean.

Emirates Skywards

The Emirates Skywards program lets you book award flights starting at 15,000 miles. You can also book awards with a combination of cash or miles, and you can use miles to upgrade an economy ticket to a premium cabin.

While most people only think of using Emirates when planning trips to destinations in the Middle East, including Dubai, this carrier actually operates flights all over the world including in the U.S., Europe, Africa, Asia and Europe.

Iberia Plus

Iberia Plus is a member of the oneworld alliance, and it's another program that uses Avios as their form of airline miles. Not only can you use Avios to book a ticket with this program, but you can use your rewards to upgrade out of economy and into a premium cabin.

This Spain-based frequent flyer program offers a helpful Avios calculator on its website to help you figure out how many Avios you might need for an award ahead of time. With a simple search, you can find that award flights from New York City (JFK) to Barcelona or Madrid start at 34,000 Avios in economy.

JetBlue TrueBlue

JetBlue TrueBlue bases the cost of its awards on the actual cost of flights, which can be both good and bad for your rewards game. Ultimately, the fare-based program makes it so you can score awards for a low number of points when prices are low, but that you'll have to fork over more points during peak travel times or any time prices for flights are on the high side.

That said, there are definitely some deals to be had with the JetBlue TrueBlue program if you're willing to fly any day of the week and flexible with when you travel during the year.

As an example, we found award flights from Fort Lauderdale, Florida (FLL) to Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ) starting at just 5,800 TrueBlue points one-way over dates in June of 2023.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer is a Star Alliance partner airline, which means you can use this airline to book awards all over the world. This program bases its award cost on "zones" that are roughly built around the distance flown, and there are plenty of sweet spots.

For example, a one-way Saver award from Singapore (Zone 1) to the U.S. west coast and Canada (Zone 12) starts at 42,000 miles in economy and 107,000 miles in business class, and awards from Singapore to destinations in Europe are similar.

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards

Like the JetBlue TrueBlue program, Southwest Rapid Rewards uses a revenue-based system that bases the cost of their award flights on the cost of airfare. This means you can score cheap flight awards with Southwest when prices are low, but that you'll fork over a boatload of points when prices are high.

However, this airline offers some useful benefits that apply whether you book your flight with cash or points. For example, every passenger gets two checked bags for free on every flight, and the airline doesn't charge any change fees or penalties if you need to change your travel plans. Your points never expire either, and the frequent flyer program doesn't limit award availability or use blackout dates.

United MileagePlus

United MileagePlus is another Star Alliance member worth looking into whether you fly internationally or you mostly travel close to home. Miles in this program never expire, and you can use them to fly to the more than 1,200 destinations United and its partners fly to.

That said, you'll want to be flexible with your travel dates to maximize this program since many awards (especially on domestic flights) are overpriced when you compare to competing programs. You can also check out their featured awards. This updated list of deals frequently shows one-way domestic awards for as little as 6,600 United miles one-way and international awards from the U.S. to the Caribbean starting at 19,000 miles.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Virgin Atlantic just joined the SkyTeam airline alliance in March of 2023, so it just became a lot easier to use this partner to book awards. Not only can you use your miles to book flights with Virgin Atlantic, but the new alliance partnership opened the door to award bookings with Air France (Flying Blue), Delta and KLM, among other partners.

Like some other frequent flyer programs, Virgin Atlantic offers an award calculator on its website that helps you estimate how many miles you'll need.

Hotel transfer partners

Chase Ultimate Rewards also has three hotel transfer partners you can look into. Here's a rundown of each hotel loyalty program you can transfer Chase points to and how they work.

IHG One Rewards

The IHG One Rewards program lets you book award nights at more than 6,000 properties across 18 different hotel brands in destinations around the world. Free night awards start at 5,000 points, but you can also use a combination of points and cash to book an award. Just keep in mind that mid-tier to luxury properties will likely run you 50,000 points to 100,000 points per night or more.

The screenshot below shows the different price points for award nights in Paris, France this upcoming fall:

Keep in mind that IHG One Rewards points are considerably less valuable than Chase points, so you'll want to transfer your Chase points to this hotel program sparingly. For example, you can consider transferring a few thousand points if you're just short of a redemption, or if you only need 5,000 points to book an award at one of the brand's lowest tier properties.

Marriott Bonvoy

The Marriott Bonvoy program offers more than 8,000 hotels in 139 countries and territories around the world, so this program is worth considering if you want maximum flexibility in terms of where you use your rewards points. While the hotel brand eliminated its award categories in 2022, free nights at lower-tier and mid-tier hotels tend to start at around 20,000 points, while top-tier luxury hotels can cost as much as 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points or more.

Like with the IHG One Rewards program, you should know that Marriott points aren't nearly as valuable as Chase points. This means you'll want to transfer points to this program sparingly, and only when you have no other option.

World of Hyatt

This hotel program only includes 1,350 hotels and resorts in 69 different countries across six continents, so it has a smaller footprint than most of its competitors. Still, World of Hyatt is by far the most lucrative hotel loyalty program you can transfer Chase points to, and it's easy to explain why. Essentially, hotels in this program cost fewer points than competing hotel loyalty programs require, and this makes every point you earn or redeem much more valuable.

As an example, you can book a stay at a Hyatt all-inclusive property with double occupancy for as little as 12,000 points per night during off-peak dates. You can even book luxury hotels like the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa for as little as 25,000 World of Hyatt points per night or the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort for as little as 35,000 points per night.

During our search, we found award availability for the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort in an 850-square foot Andaz Suite for just 56,000 points per night when the cash rate for the room came in at $1,581.

Considering this redemption gets you almost 3 cents per point in value, that's a pretty "suite" deal.

When should you transfer points?

We noted already that there are times to transfer your points and situations where you'll want to book an award a different way. At the end of the day, maximizing your Chase points boils down to assessing all the available redemption options for the travel you want, then comparing them based on the number of points you'll actually need to make a booking.

Here are some situations where you should absolutely transfer your points when you have the option.

Transfer your points when the booking sets you back fewer points overall

You'll always want to book travel for fewer points overall, and this is often accomplished through point transfers. Let's take the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort booking example above and compare how much you would pay for a similar booking if you used Chase points to pay instead.

While you can book an Andaz Suite for 56,000 points on select travel dates, the cash price for this booking comes in at $1,581. In the meantime, booking with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® gets you 1.5 cents per point in value through the portal. This means that, on average, booking through Chase would require you to fork over approximately 105,000 points for the same booking.

In this case, you're much better off transferring your points to World of Hyatt and booking the same room for half the cost (in points).

Transfer points to book airfare in a premium cabin

If you're planning to book an award in a premium cabin, it is almost always a better deal to transfer your points to an airline partner first. After all, some (but not all) frequent flyer programs offer solid deals on business class flights when you're flexible with your booking dates, so you can save some points if you find the availability you want.

Consider this one-way business class award fare on Air France / Flying Blue, which takes you from New York City (JFK) to Paris, France (CDG) in a lie-flat business class seat for 55,000 miles plus $202.10.

If you paid in cash, this same flight would cost you approximately $3,581.20.

After subtracting the $202.10 in airline taxes and fees you would pay to book directly with Air France / Flying Blue, you can easily see that your 55,000 miles are worth more than 6 cents each with this award flight.

In this scenario, transferring your points is a no-brainer.

Transfer your points to "top up" your account for a redemption

While some rewards currencies are worth less than others, it can still make sense to transfer to a program if you're just short of the points you need for a redemption. If you want to book a IHG One Rewards hotel for 30,000 points per night and you only have 27,000 points in your IHG account, for example, moving 3,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points can make sense regardless of the point values.

And really, this is one of the main reasons to have transferable points in the first place. After all, you may also be earning travel rewards by flying or staying in hotels, or with any number of hotel credit cards and airline credit cards. By having flexible rewards points at your disposal, you have more flexibility and a better chance at reaching your travel goals.

How to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to partners in 5 steps

The first step to transferring your Chase points to partners is making sure you have one of the eligible credit cards from this card issuer. Once you sign up for the right Chase card, you can create an online account and transfer your points to partners using the following steps.

Step 1: Log into your Chase account

Log into your account at Chase.com to begin the process.

Step 2: Select Chase Ultimate Rewards

Click toward the right of your account management page where it shows your Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Step 3: Click near the top of the page where it says "Earn/Use" to see your redemption options and click on "Transfer to Travel Partners"

If you have a Chase card that allows point transfers, this option will show up in your account.

Step 4: Choose your transfer partner

At this point, you'll be shown a selection of all the Chase transfer partners, including saved accounts you have where you already entered your information.

Step 5: Enter your information to complete the transfer

If you already have your information saved with a Chase transfer partner, you can pick your option and transfer your Chase points in increments of 1,000. If you haven't used a specific partner yet, you can prepare to transfer by entering your loyalty account number and your name.

At that point, you'll be allowed to transfer your Chase points to airlines and hotels. Just keep in mind that you can only move your Chase points to loyalty accounts in your name or the name of an authorized user on your Chase credit card.

Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards

The good news about Chase Ultimate Rewards is the fact that you can earn these points with several different credit cards. That said, it's worth noting that you can also earn rewards with cash back credit cards like the card_name and the Chase Freedom Flex then pool them in your Chase travel card account for better redemption options.

Chase credit cards that let you earn points that transfer to Chase airline and hotel partners on their own include the following:

Chase transfer rules to know about

• You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to airline and hotel partners in increments of 1,000 only.
• You can only transfer points to another person's loyalty account if they are an authorized user on your Chase transfer card account.
• You can combine Chase points earned with cash back credit cards into your account for point transfers, but you have to have the card_name, the card_name or the card_name to do so.
• Chase point transfers are one-way, meaning you cannot move transferred points back to your Chase account if you change your mind.

Get the most from your points with partners

Chase transfer partners pave the way to even more valuable redemptions when you start earning points in the program, and that's especially true if you're a frequent traveler who has some flexibility in their plans or you're someone who loves to traverse the globe in business class or first class.

That said, it's worth noting that you don't have to transfer your points to airlines and hotels if you don't want to. You can also use your points to book airfare, hotels, rental cars and more through Chase direct, or you can redeem your points for cash back, statement credits, gift cards or merchandise.

While Chase Ultimate Rewards points are valuable no matter how you decide to use them, having this type of flexibility in your rewards program is priceless.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

How do you combine your Chase Ultimate Rewards points into a single account?

Chase lets you combine your points within your online account management page. All you have to do is log into your Chase account at Chase.com, go to your rewards account, then select the option that says "Earn/Use." From there, you'll see the option to "Combine Points" and you can move your points around among your Chase accounts however you please.

How to transfer points between Chase card accounts?

Chase lets you combine points within your online account management page. You can also transfer points to someone living in your household by calling the number on the back of your card and having the other person's credit card account added to your "Combine Points" page.

What are the best ways to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points?

The best redemptions are usually made after you transfer your rewards to a hotel or airline partner. However, there are no hard and fast rules that dictate which awards are the best or most valuable.

Can you transfer Chase ultimate rewards to another person?

You can transfer Chase points to another person's account as long as they live in your household and share your address.

Can you transfer points from Chase to Amex?

You cannot transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to your American Express Membership Rewards account.

How to transfer points from Chase to Virgin Atlantic?

Head to your online Chase account and click on the area that shows your Chase Ultimate Rewards points. From there, you'll click where it says "Earn/Use," then on the option that says "Transfer to Travel Partners."

At that point, you can scroll down to Virgin Atlantic, add your loyalty number and transfer points in increments of 1,000.

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