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When you sign up for your first Chase Ultimate Rewards card (typically the Sapphire Preferred) and finally see the bonus hit your account, it can feel a little overwhelming. Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) are extremely versatile points and there are SO many ways to use them. Remember – you don’t have to find the perfect use – just something that works for your travel needs.
In this guide, I will focus on three areas: using the Chase portal, transferring points to United, and transferring points to Hyatt.
Option 1: Spend Ultimate Rewards on the Chase Travel Portal
One of the reasons Ultimate Rewards are so easy to use is the ability to spend them on the Chase portal. The Chase portal acts like your own version of Expedia. You can look up almost any flights, hotels, rental cars, or excursions. If you have the Sapphire Preferred, your points are worth 1.25 cents toward travel in the portal.
Here are the steps:
- Log in to your Chase online banking account.
- Find your Sapphire account.
- Click on Ultimate Rewards.
- Click on Travel.
This will bring you to the Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal. At this point, you can search just like you would on Expedia. It looks like this:
The results will show the price in points. If you are low on points, you can book with both points and money. Here’s an example:
When you find the hotel, flight, or car rental you prefer, you simply book it through the portal, using points as your payment.
The Chase portal can be helpful when it’s not possible to transfer points to a program like Hyatt or United. For example, on my solo trip to Guatemala, I used the Chase portal to book three nights at the San Rafael Hotel in Antigua. I absolutely loved this small boutique hotel and the Chase portal gave me the opportunity to stay there using my points.
Option 2: Transfer Ultimate Rewards to United
United Airlines has excellent options for travel within the United States as well as to Europe, Asia, and South America.
My family has used United miles to travel to Europe several times. Last summer we used United miles to fly back to the USA from Podgorica, Montenegro at the end of a Balkan itinerary.
Please note: You can often travel from small regional airports for the same amount of points as major hubs. We traveled from Podgorica, Montenegro to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the same number of points we would have spent from Frankfurt to Chicago. This is so convenient for people who don’t live near a hub.
- Go to the United Reservations Search Page.
- Be sure to click on “miles” instead of “money”.
- Search for one way flights. There is no discount for booking award flights round trip.
Award flights cost the same amount booked as one way flights. This gives you the flexibility to book your flights through separate programs. I typically use United miles to book four one way flights for my family, then book our return flights with a different program like Aadvantage or Virgin Atlantic (or the opposite, depending on availability).
I recommend that you spend some time doing test bookings and learning how to use these sites. Think of a potential trip you would like to take and play around with the United reservations system. Compare different dates. Sort the results by miles or stops or duration. The more you use the system, the more comfortable you will be with booking once you find a flight you like. You’ll know it’s a great deal that works for you, because you will have seen enough similar flights in your practice searches.
When you find the flight you want, you will need to create a United MileagePlus account, if you don’t have one already. Make sure to keep this number handy. You’ll need it to transfer your Ultimate Rewards points.
- Once you have your MileagePlus number, log in to your Chase account.
- Find your Sapphire account.
- Click on Ultimate Rewards.
- Once you’re in the Ultimate Rewards section, click on transfer points.
- Choose United and transfer the points you need (in increments of 1,000).
- Go back to United and continue with your booking as normal.
Option 3: Transfer Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt
I have lost count of the number of Hyatt Places I have stayed at with my family. It’s our go-to hotel when on a road trip or traveling domestically, because the value is fantastic.
Hyatts are arranged by category, from 1-8. Category 1 Hyatts start at 3,500 points! This is an incredible value.
Chase will give you one cent per Ultimate Reward point in cash if you prefer cash to booking travel. If you were to cash in 3,500 points, they would give you $35. This means you can choose $35 or a night in a Hyatt Place. It’s easy to see where the value lies.
Of course, not all Hyatts cost 3,500/night. The point amount can vary depending on the category of hotel, what kind of room you choose, and whether or not you’re booking an all-inclusive.
If you need a hotel – I recommend you always start by doing a Hyatt search. Simply go to Hyatt.com, enter your location and dates, and click the box next to “use points”. Take a look at your options.
- When you find a hotel that works for you, you will need to create a World of Hyatt account.
- Once you have your World of Hyatt account number, go to your Chase account and click on your Ultimate Rewards account.
- Find the option for “transfer to travel partners” and select Hyatt.
- Enter your Hyatt account number and transfer the necessary point amount (must be in increments of 1,000).
- Once your points are transferred, go back to the Hyatt website and complete your booking.
Hyatt is very user friendly, which is one of the reasons I’m such a fan of the program.
Option 4 – Learn about the other transfer options
There are SO many transfer programs available for Ultimate Rewards members. The ones I’ve described are the easiest to use, but there is great value to be found in Virgin Atlantic (book Delta/KLM/Air France flights), British Air (use to book AA), and many more. This article was focused on Ultimate Rewards for beginners, but rest assured your Ultimate Rewards can take you just about anywhere!
Check out Beginner’s Guide to Ultimate Rewards: Part 2 for info on British Air, Iberia, and Virgin Atlantic!