Guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards

Ariana Arghandewal

BLUEPRINT

Updated 11:02 a.m. UTC Nov. 14, 2023

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In a world of complicated award programs, the Chase Ultimate Rewards® program stands out, thanks to flexible rewards, excellent redemption options and an exceptional credit card lineup.

Whether you’re looking to travel the globe in first class, save up points for a domestic trip or simply pocket the earnings for another use, the Ultimate Rewards program can help you meet your goals. Here’s everything you need to know about how to use and maximize the program, including what credit cards earn these points and how you can redeem the points you earn:

Chase Ultimate Rewards overview

Ultimate Rewards is the name for Chase Bank’s loyalty currency, offered on several Chase consumer and business credit cards. The cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points have elevated rewards categories and typically offer benefits geared towards travelers like certain types of insurance and purchase protections.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

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Earn 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x points on dining and 2x points on all other travel purchases, plus more.

Editor’s Take

Pros

Flexible points that can be transferred to 14 travel partners or redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards® at 1.25 cents each.
$50 annual statement credit toward Ultimate Rewards hotel bookings.
Valuable travel protections.

Cons

$95 annual fee.
Category bonuses are limited and not competitive against other travel cards.
Transfer partner list is limited compared to programs like Amex Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred may not have a premium fee but it comes packed with enough benefits to stand tall in a crowded field of travel cards. It earns rewards at generous rates on travel purchased through Chase and on dining, and offers the same lineup of transfer partners as the more expensive Chase Sapphire Reserve®, plus a robust selection of travel protections.

Card Details

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Enjoy beneﬁts such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining, and 2x on all other travel purchases, and $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, plus more.
Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
Member FDIC

Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards

Chase currently offers two personal credit cards and one small business card that earn Ultimate Rewards points. Plus, Chase issues other cards that are marketed as earning cash back, but allow you to pool your rewards with a premium Ultimate Rewards-earning card if you have one.

The following are the three Ultimate Rewards cards:

Card name	Annual fee	Rewards	Other benefits
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card	$95	5 points per $1 on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3 points per $1 on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per $1 on all other travel purchases and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases	Annual point bonus equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year, credit of up to $50 for hotels booked through Chase, no foreign transaction fees, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, primary auto rental collision damage waiver, baggage delay insurance, trip delay reimbursement, travel and emergency assistance services
Chase Sapphire Reserve®	$550	5 points per $1 on flights and 10 points per $1 on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards® after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3 points per $1 on other travel and dining and 1 point per $1 on other purchases	Annual $300 travel credit, Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection benefits, Priority Pass Select membership, no foreign transaction fees, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, primary auto rental collision damage waiver, lost luggage reimbursement, trip delay reimbursement, emergency evacuation and transportation, application fee credit every four years for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card*	$95	3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases	Trip cancellation and interruption insurance, primary auto rental collision damage waiver, cellphone protection and no foreign transaction fees

And the following cards allow you to pool rewards if you have one of the premium cards above:

Earning Chase Ultimate Rewards

You can earn Chase Ultimate Rewards by:

Spending on an eligible credit card. Any purchase made on an eligible Chase card will earn Ultimate Rewards points.
Earning a welcome bonus on a new card. Getting a welcome bonus on a new card that earns Ultimate Rewards can jumpstart your points accrual.
Making purchases through the Shop with Chase shopping portal. To access the Chase shopping site, log in to your account and navigate to the box where it shows your Rewards balance. Click on the “>” symbol in the box and you’ll be taken to a screen where it shows you the link to click to access the Shop with Chase site, as well as other redemption options.

Redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards

Cardholders can redeem their Ultimate Rewards points by logging in to their account, selecting the card account on which the rewards were earned and navigating to the Rewards box on the top right of their screen.
Selecting the “>” symbol in the Rewards box will take you to the Ultimate Rewards page, which displays all the options for your points. Your options may vary slightly depending on which card you hold.

Redemption options include:

Redemption option	Value of one Ultimate Reward point	How to redeem
Apple	1 point = 1 cent	Use to cover all or part of a purchase through the Apple Ultimate Rewards store
Cash back	1 point = 1 cent	Choose a statement credit or deposit into eligible checking or savings
Dining	1 point = 1.5 cents	Book special dining experiences with your points
Gift cards	1 point = 1 to 1.3 cents	Buy gift cards to eligible retailers through Shop with Chase
Shop with Chase	1 point = 0.8 cents	Use your points to shop with Amazon on PayPal. Enrollment required
Pay Yourself Back	1 point = 1.25 to 1.5 cents	Redeem your points as a statement credit for eligible categories which may rotate throughout the year
Book travel	1 point = 1.25 cents for Sapphire Preferred and Ink Preferred cardholders 1 point = 1.5 cents for Sapphire Reserve cardholders	Book flights, hotels, rental cars, cruise and select activities through Chase travel
Transfer to travel partners	1 point = 1 cent or more	Transfer points to more than a dozen eligible airline and hotel loyalty partners

Transferring Chase points to eligible travel partners is typically the preferred option for savvy travelers, as you can transfer the points at a 1:1 rate to 14 airline and hotel loyalty programs and redeem them for potentially greater value. Partners are as follows:

Aer Lingus AerClub
Air Canada Aeroplan
British Airways Executive Club
Emirates Skywards®
Flying Blue AIR FRANCE KLM
Iberia Plus
IHG One Rewards
JetBlue TrueBlue
Marriott Bonvoy
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
United MileagePlus
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
World of Hyatt

Other ways to earn Ultimate Rewards points

Chase offers additional ways to earn Ultimate Rewards besides spending on your own card and opening new cards for the welcome bonuses. You also have the opportunity to earn points in the following ways:

Referring someone for a Chase credit card through the issuer’s “Refer a Friend” program. Chase cardholders can earn extra Ultimate Rewards points by referring friends. When your friend is approved for a credit card, you’ll earn bonus points that will vary based on the card.
Adding an authorized user. Any points earned by an authorized user on your account will go to your Ultimate Rewards account. On most Chase cards, authorized users don’t carry any additional cost, with the exception being the Sapphire Reserve — which has a $75 annual fee per authorized user. But note, each authorized user also gets their own Priority Pass Select membership, which would otherwise cost up to $469 annually.
Combining points from another eligible card. When you hold a Chase Freedom Unlimited, Chase Freedom Flex, Ink Business Cash or Ink Business Unlimited credit card you can move the rewards earned from any of those cards to your Ultimate Rewards account. This offers the chance to earn even more rewards by using different cards for different purchases based on which offers the highest rewards rate for the type of purchase you’re making.
Using Chase Dining. Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders who book a prepaid reservation or takeout order through Chase Dining will earn 10 points per dollar spent.
Booking rides with Lyft. Cardholders with the Chase Sapphire Reserve will earn 10 point per dollar when they use their card to pay for a Lyft rideshare. Cardholders of the Chase Sapphire Preferred will earn 5 points per dollar this way.

^{*The information for these cards has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.}

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Chase Ultimate Rewards can be used for various things, including booking travel, transferring to other loyalty programs, statement credits, deposits into a bank account, shopping at select retailers, redeeming for gift cards and more.

Arguably the best use of Ultimate Rewards is to transfer them to one of Chase’s hotel or airline travel partners and book luxury travel. You’ll often get outsized value of well over a penny per point this way.

You can earn 10 points per dollar with Chase Ultimate Rewards if you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Cardholders earn 10 points on Lyft rides, Chase Dining purchases, and hotels and rental cars booked through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal.

The value of 50,000 Chase points depends on the card you have and how you redeem your points. Points are worth a minimum of $500 as cash back, $625 toward travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards with the Chase Sapphire Preferred and $750 for Sapphire Reserve cardholders. You can likely get even more value from your points by transferring them to an eligible airline or hotel loyalty program, then redeeming them for luxury travel.

Booking through Chase Ultimate Rewards can be worth it if you want an easy way to earn or redeem Ultimate Rewards points. You can use your points to book flights, hotels, car rentals, and more. You can even enter your frequent flyer number to earn airline miles on flights.

Depending on the type of card you have in your wallet, you can earn extra rewards for booking through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Sapphire Reserve cardholders earn 5 points per $1 on flights and 10 points per $1 on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards® after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3 points per $1 on other travel and dining and 1 point per $1 on other purchases. Sapphire Preferred cardmembers earn 5 points per $1 on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3 points per $1 on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2 points per $1 on all other travel purchases and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases. Finally, Chase Freedom Unlimited and Freedom Flex cardholders earn effectively the same rate on Ultimate Rewards travel bookings as those with the Sapphire Preferred card.

The answer to this question depends on your individual preferences and needs. If travel is expensive, then it’s probably better to redeem Chase points than pay cash. However, if you’re traveling during off-peak season or find an exceptional deal, paying cash and saving your points for a later redemption might make more sense.

*The information for the Chase Freedom Flex℠ has been collected independently by Blueprint. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Ariana Arghandewal

BLUEPRINT

Ariana Arghandewal is a travel hacker and travel rewards expert who leverages credit cards to earn over a million miles every year. She is the founder of Pointchaser, an award-winning blog where she covered rewards travel and credit cards since 2012.

Robin Saks Frankel

BLUEPRINT

Robin Saks Frankel is a credit cards lead editor at USA TODAY Blueprint. Previously, she was a credit cards and personal finance deputy editor for Forbes Advisor. She has also covered credit cards and related content for other national web publications including NerdWallet, Bankrate and HerMoney. She's been featured as a personal finance expert in outlets including CNBC, Business Insider, CBS Marketplace, NASDAQ's Trade Talks and has appeared on or contributed to The New York Times, Fox News, CBS Radio, ABC Radio, NPR, International Business Times and NBC, ABC and CBS TV affiliates nationwide. She holds an M.S. in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University. Follow her on Twitter at @robinsaks.