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Have you been earning Chase Ultimate Rewards and now want to know the best ways to use Chase points for unforgettable award travel experiences?
You’ve landed in the right spot!
Maybe you’ve realized how easy Chase Ultimate Rewards Points are to earn but how to redeem your Chase points may not be as straightforward.
So, in this guide, let’s go over some of the most standout Chase Ultimate Rewards sweet spots.
Best Ways to Use 100k Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
With so many ways to earn Ultimate Rewards points, it’s not difficult to hit the 100k mark in your Ultimate Rewards account, especially with generous welcome bonuses.
Chase travel rewards cards like the Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve both have offered 100k point bonuses for new cardholders who meet the required minimum spend within the first 3 months.
Cards like Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited have come with standard bonuses but also time-sensitive offers with huge earnings over the first year on grocery and gas spending. This is in addition to the regular earning potential of these cards through their bonus categories.
Business credit cards like the Ink Business Preferred, Ink Business Cash, and Ink Business Unlimited have also offered welcome offers at or near 100k Ultimate Rewards Points.
Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners
Chase Ultimate Rewards is a flexible points currency. You can transfer your Ultimate Rewards Points at a 1:1 ratio to all of Chase’s airline and hotel partners.
These partners are:
- United
- Southwest
- JetBlue
- Flying Blue – Air France/KLM
- British Airways
- Singapore Airlines
- Iberia Airlines
- Aer Lingus
- Emirates
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Virgin Atlantic
- Hyatt
- IHG
- Marriott
Chase also has a travel portal where you can book travel plans without the need to transfer points to a partner. However, it’s typically a much better value to transfer your miles and points to get the best possible value on premium redemptions.
So since 100k is such a nice, round number, and just like we did in Part 1 of this series, let’s see where they can take us!
How to Redeem 100k Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
1. Iberia Avios to Madrid in Business Class
Iberia is a Oneworld Alliance partner that also uses the Avios currency, like British Airways and Aer Lingus. However, Iberia publishes its own award chart and dates for peaks and off-peak pricing.
This creates a fantastic sweet spot from Boston and New York to Madrid. Off-peak pricing, which is available for huge chunks of time in a calendar year, starts at just 17,500 Avios one-way in economy and 34,000 Avios one-way in business class.
Iberia’s Chicago to Madrid route is priced at 42,500 Avios for a one-way off-peak business class ticket. While these awards from Chicago have increased, it’s still a solid value when you consider legacy carriers like United and American can charge at least 20k-30k miles more each way for business class to Europe.
ProTip: One of the most important things to know about transferring points to an airline partner is transfers are irreversible. Always check and confirm the award space you need before transferring points.
2. British Airways Avios West Coast Sweet Spots
In Part 1, we talked about using British Airways for short-haul, direct flights. While this is absolutely the case the majority of the time, there are a few exceptions.
These aren’t flashy business-class redemptions but they are notable for how far you can get for so cheap.
You can fly on Japan Airlines from Los Angeles – LAX to Tokyo for just 51,500 Avios round trip and reasonable taxes and fees of just over $100. American Airlines also flies this route for its partner British Airways, however, Japan Airlines’ experience in economy will be nicer compared to American Airlines.
Another west coast sweet spot is to Hawaii using British Airways Avios.
For just 13,000 Avios one-way in economy, you can fly on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines (both British Airways Alliance partners) from cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, San Diego, and even Phoenix to Hawaii.
While not a luxurious premium class seat, it does land you in paradise for a lot less than other award flight options. Consider that with 100k Ultimate Rewards Points, you’d be just 4k points shy of flying a family of 4 round trip to Hawaii from the west coast.
3. Southwest Award Flights Paired with the Companion Pass
So, let’s be very clear here. You cannot earn the Southwest Companion Pass by transferring Ultimate Rewards Points to Southwest.
However, once you’ve earned the Southwest Companion Pass, you can fly a companion for free and use Southwest Rapid Rewards Points to book an award flight for yourself. Therefore bringing, the total out-of-pocket costs to whatever the taxes and fees are for your tickets.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to Southwest. However, and especially if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, book your Southwest flight through the Ultimate Rewards Portal.
Unfortunately, you can’t book these flights through the portal online. However, if you call, the travel portal representative can book them for you over the phone. You can use your Ultimate Rewards points to pay.
On Southwest’s side, it will look like you paid for the ticket with cash. So, unlike when you book an award ticket through Southwest, you’ll earn Southwest Rapid Rewards for the flight.
Once the flight is booked, you can log in to your Southwest Rapid Rewards account to link the flight to your profile. Then, you can add your companion to your itinerary for just the cost of the taxes and fees.
ProTip: The one downside to booking a Southwest flight through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal is the inability to change your flight. Award flights booked through Southwest directly can be changed or canceled without penalty. This is helpful if the price of your award ticket comes down and you’d like to re-book at the cheaper price.
4. Singapore Suites from New York to Frankfurt on the A380
For those of you who would like a spectacular, luxurious splurge across the pond to Europe, look no further than Singapore Suites from New York to Frankfurt, Germany.
For just 86,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points transferred to Singapore Airlines, you can get your very own suite in the sky. It’s like having your own private cabana with your lie-flat bed inside along with amenities like the entertainment system and pajamas.
Tucked away in your own private suite, with fantastic meals and champagne, you won’t want to arrive at your destination!
5. 1.5 Cents Per Point in the Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal
This might not be the most popular option on the list. However, for those of you who have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, your points get a 50% bonus in the Chase travel portal. This 1.5 cents per point value isn’t amazing but it’s better than you might think, particularly for 2 things.
Not every destination has loyalty program hotels. Some that do might charge tens of thousands of points per night. Boutique hotels, on the other hand, can be found in big cities and small towns around the world.
The Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal can be a good place to look for boutique hotels. It’s not uncommon to find mid-range to nice hotels as low as 7k points per night and upwards from there.
The photo above of my room at the Hotel de Buci in Paris was only 10k Chase points per night. The cash price for this hotel at the time was 500+ Euros a night!
ProTip: Just be sure to compare pricing with other online booking sites. It’s not worth it to pay for a boutique hotel with points if it’s marked up significantly than where you can book elsewhere.
The second thing the Ultimate Rewards portal can be great for is cheap or mistake economy airfare.
At a 1.5 cents per point value with the Sapphire Reserve, you’ll get a better redemption value by booking these fares through the portal as opposed to transferring points to an airline transfer partner.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are a valuable flexible currency. With 100k Ultimate Rewards Points, there are a lot of options whether you want to splurge or stretch your points as far as they’ll take you!
So how would you like to use 100k Ultimate Rewards Points?
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