We take a look at each of Chase’s transfer partners and show you the best way to use each one, the value of your points, and what you should never do.
The Best (and Worst) Ways to Use Chase Transfer Partners
Chase Ultimate Rewards is a competitive alternative to American Express Membership Rewards. With Chase Ultimate Rewards, you can transfer points 1:1 to airline and hotel transfer partners. We'll talk about them below.
In this guide, we'll cover:
Chase Airline Partners:
British Airway Avios
Air France Flying Blue
Singapore KrisFlyer
United MileagePlus Miles
Southwest Rapid Rewards
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Korean Air Skypass
Chase Hotel Partners:
Hyatt Gold Passport
IHG Rewards Club
Marriott Rewards
Ritz Carlton Rewards
Chase’s Ultimate Rewards is one of our favorite travel reward programs. No doubt its most valuable feature is the ability to transfer points on a 1:1 basis to popular travel loyalty programs. This allows you to use your points at a much higher value than other redemption options.
But beware: not all travel partners are equal.
In fact, some transfer redemption values are downright terrible (which you’ll learn about).
It’s not easy to play the air miles game. It requires a lot of research and making smart choices. If you’re a beginner, we know how confusing it is. Too bad Chase doesn’t come with a guide on how to best use their transfer partners.
This is where this article comes in! We analyzed each of Chase’s transfer partners and came up with the best way (and probably more important - the worst way!) to use them. Read on to learn how to get the most value of out of your UR points.
Read: Beginner’s Guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards
Use the airline transfer partners wisely.
For domestic travelers, there are United and Southwest.
For international travelers, access Star Alliance, OneWorld and SkyTeam by using the right transfer partners for the right route. We'll discuss below.
Keep in mind, not every Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card allows you to transfer points to transfer partners. Use the right Chase credit card.
For consumers, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
For business owners, consider the Ink Plus, which also offers the ability to transfer points 1:1 to airline and hotel transfer partners.
Note: The points and redemption values are based on September 2016 data. Redemption options and values can change at any time.
Chase Ultimate Rewards Airline Partners
Chase has 7 airline transfer partners. We’ll do a run-down of each:
British Airway Avios
Do: If you're on a European vacation where you'll be hopping between countries, use Avios to find short flights within Europe at a great transfer rate. A lot of popular routes only cost 4,500 Avios points one-way with no fuel surcharge.
In general, short nonstop flights with Avios won’t incur high fuel surcharges. Domestic travel within Japan (on Japan Airlines), Asia (on Cathay Pacific), and Australia (on Qantas) can be great value with very low extra fees.
Don't: In general, you'll be hit with potentially hundreds of dollars in fuel surcharges when flying long-haul on Avios (which negates the whole purpose of using points!), EXCEPT when you fly with American Airlines (within the western hemisphere), LAN, Aer Lingus, and Air Berlin.
Tip: If you want to use Avios to fly from the U.S. to Europe, use Air Berlin as you won’t be charged hundreds in fuel surcharges.
Use the British Airway Avios calculator.
Did you know, you can use British Airways to book award travel on OneWorld partners such as airberlin, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines, SriLankan Airlines and TAM Airlines.
Air France Flying Blue
Do: Our favorite use of Flying Blue is to fly from the continental United States to Hawaii, Central America, or the Caribbean for only 30,000 miles round-trip (sometimes as low as 25,000 miles).
They also release promo awards at the start of each month, where you can snag great deals for certain routes. For example, in October 2016, there's a deal for Washington, D.C., to Europe round-trip for only 37,500 points in economy.
Don't: Flying Blue is not great for booking business class, as the points required are often way more than other transfer partners. For example, from Los Angeles to Paris is 25,000 one-way in economy and 62,500 in business class, whereas Singapore Airlines will only require 45,000 miles in business. You'll also be hit with a high fuel surcharge for most flights to Europe, EXCEPT when flying with Delta.
Use the Flying Blue Miles calculator.
Did you know: You can use Air France to book award travel on SkyTeam partners such as Aeroflot, Aerolíneas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Europa, Alitalia, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern Airlines, Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Garuda Indonesia, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, TAROM, Vietnam Airlines, and Xiamen Airlines.
Singapore KrisFlyer
Do: Book online because you'll receive a 15% discount from the reward rates shown. Singapore Airlines also allows one free stopover on a round-trip Saver flight (or 2 free on a Standard Award flight), which will allow you to visit a new destination. For example, you can go from Los Angeles to Australia, with a stopover in Tokyo, for 50,000 miles in economy.
Tip: If you want the ultimate first-class experience, you can't ask for better than flying on Singapore Airline's luxurious A380 Suites (the first double-bed in the sky!). A favorite route for travelers is from New York to Frankfurt (8 hours of airtime) for 57,375 points (after the 15% discount). Or you can go from Singapore to Tokyo to Los Angeles (18.5 hours of airtime) for 91,375 points.
Don't: You pretty much can't get around the high fuel surcharges flying to Europe. In general, you'll be hit with high surcharges on international long haul flights, EXCEPT for flights with Air New Zealand, Copa, Avianca, and TACA.
See Singapore Airline's award chart.
United MileagePlus Miles
Do: One good thing about United is that it never charges a surcharge, not even on partner airlines. Take advantage of United's generous stopover and open-jaw policies in order to visit more places on one trip. You can book one stopover and 2 open-jaws (on a round-trip) on an award ticket for no additional miles.
Tip: A stopover is when you stop in one city for a longer period of time (over 24 hours and for as long as you like). Open-jaw is when your route has an "opening" that you will cover on your own (such as by train, car, etc.). For example: If your ticket is from City A to City B, and then from City C to City D and then back to City A, you will cover the travel from City B to City C on your own.
Don't: Redeeming points on United for business and first-class tickets are often higher than other airlines, so that's not the best use of your points.
See United's interactive awards chart.
Did you know: You can use United miles to book award travel on Star Alliance partners such as: ADRIA Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana, Austrian, Avianca, Avianca in Brazil, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, SAS, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, THAI, and Turkish Airlines.
Southwest Rapid Rewards
Do: Use this transfer partner to book flights within the U.S. The value is especially good on the Wanna Get Away flights, with many routes as low as 4,500 points one-way. And you don't pay any taxes or surcharges for domestic flights either, except for the $5.60 Security Fee in each direction. Southwest also offers very low rates to Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean for a bit more in taxes.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Do: Booking domestic partner flights could be a good value, such as using Virgin America for flights within the U.S. For example, you can get from Los Angeles to San Francisco round-trip for 10,000 points in economy (but Southwest offers better rates at only 6,000 points!). Los Angeles to New York is 25,000 points round-trip.
You can also fly domestic within Japan (on All Nippon Airways), Australia (on Virgin Australia), New Zealand (on Air New Zealand), and South Africa (on South African Airways) for 15,000 or 20,000 points round-trip.
Don't: Aside from that, in general, Virgin Atlantic is not the best transfer program. Virgin Atlantic itself pretty much only flies to/from the UK, and they tack on heavy fuel surcharges to their award flights. So we don't recommend using it for international travel. Stick to their partners.
See Virgin Atlantic’s award chart. Or to fly within the U.S. on Virgin America, here’s the partner award chart.
Korean Air Skypass
Do: Fly to Hawaii, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands for as low as 25,000 points round-trip with no fuel surcharges. Round-trip flights within Europe go for 25,000 points round-trip as well. Korean Air also allows for 1 stopover and 1 open-jaw, so it's a great opportunity to add an additional destination on any of these trips at no extra cost.
Don't: Korean Air has a peak season where the points go up, so don't travel during peak season. But with partner flights, you always pay the off-peak price.
Did you know: You can use Korean Air to book award travel on Hawaiian Airlines.
Chase Ultimate Rewards Hotel Partners
Chase also has 4 hotel transfer partners:
We’ll say this now: In general, we don’t recommend that you use hotel transfer partners if you’re looking to get the most value from your points. The EXCEPTION is Hyatt, which is one of the best uses of UR points.
Let’s go over each of the hotel transfer partners:
Hyatt Gold Passport
Redeeming for free nights at Hyatt starts at just 5,000 points/night for a Category 1 Standard Room, while a night in a Category 7 hotel will cost you 30,000 points. You also have the option to pay in points and cash, which is great if you want to save some points. You can also use points to upgrade to a Club room (for 3,000 points per night) or a Suite (for 6,000 points per night).
Do: In general, we find that redeeming points for Hyatt free nights is a great value. Their awards are well priced and the transfer makes for a great points conversion most of the time. For example, a room in the Andaz 5th Avenue in New York (a Category 6 hotel) costs $525/night, or 25,000 points (each point is worth over 2 cents).
Tip: Oftentimes, the cash and points options gives you the most bang for your buck if you don’t mind fronting a little in cash. In the above example, you can pay $125 in cash + 12,500 in points per night. This is an awesome value to snag this $500+ room for just a little bit of cash and points. If you stay for 3 nights, the normal cost would be $1,575. Subtract the $375 you pay in cash, and the value of your points would come out to 3.2 cents per point.
Don't: Hyatt also lets you redeem points on their dining, spa, and resort activities, but the value of the points is only about 0.5 - 0.8 cents per point. We only recommend redeeming your points for free nights and save your cash for the hotel extras.
See Hyatt's free night award chart.
IHG Rewards Club
Point redemption starts at 10,000 points per night for a Category 1 hotel and up to 60,000 points per night for a Category 11 hotel. IHG also lets you combine cash + points. For example, for a Category 5 hotel, you can pay 30,000 points, or 25,000 points + $40, or 20,000 points + $70.
Do: Keep your eye out on BreakPoints® deals, a bimonthly deal where IHG releases rooms in certain hotels at only 5,000 points per night. But if you see something you're interested in, you'll have to act fast, as the availability is limited and they go quick. For example, for October 2016, there are deals available in Brazil, Honduras, and Mexico.
Don't: Aside from lucking out with a BreakPoints® deal, in general, we don't recommend using this transfer partner. The points conversion is not great and is often valued at far less than 1 cent per point. For example: the Crowne Plaza at Times Square Manhattan goes for $274.40/night for a random date in April 2017, but costs 50,000 points. That puts the value at only 0.55 cents a night.
Marriott Rewards
Marriott properties are structured from Category 1 (7,500 points/night) to Category 9 (45,000 points/night). Then there are Ritz Carlton hotels that go from Tier 1 (30,000 points/night) to Tier 5 (70,000 points/night). And if you use points to book 4 consecutive nights, you get the 5th night free.
Do: Marriott occasionally offers PointSavers rates, where you can book nights at a hotel for the number of points of the hotel category below it (i.e., you can book a Category 5 room at a Category 4 rate). So be sure to check if any Marriott properties in the city you're visiting are offered at a PointSaver rate. Or you can check the calendar availability if your time is flexible. Using your points to book 5 nights will get you the best value, as the 5th night is free.
Don't: Marriott is not our favorite use of Chase UR points either. In our opinion, Marriott points are only valuable if you have the Marriott Rewards Premier card from Chase, as you rack up the Marriott points a LOT faster, thus making each point worth more. Transferring it 1:1 from Chase will rarely get you a value of over 0.8 points a night, unless you're looking at Category 1 & 2 hotels.
Tip: Let's look at a PointSavers example: For December 1st to 19th, 2016, the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino (a Category 8 hotel) is participating in the PointSavers. You can book a 40,000 points/night room for 35,000 points. Add in the 5th night free, you're spending 140,000 points for 5 nights. At a normal rate of $255/night, this is only a value of 0.91 cents per point.
See the Marriott rewards chart.
Ritz Carlton Rewards
Point redemption starts at 30,000 points for Tier 1 and goes to 70,000 points for Tier 5. And if you use points to book 4 consecutive nights, you get the 5th night free. One thing to beware of: because Ritz Carlton falls under the Marriott brand portfolio, you can't belong to both programs. You can, however, change your membership from one to the other within the same account and keep your point balance. The difference is that there may be some promotions from time to time for the different programs.
Ritz Carlton Rewards also participate in the PointSaver program (a Tier 3 hotel will only require 40,000 points instead of 50,000). But just like with Marriott Rewards, we don't particularly recommend that you use this transfer partner, as the redemption value is equally poor.
See the Ritz Carlton rewards chart.
Recap
To recap: here are some of our favorite uses of Chase UR points:
Transferring to United as they never charge a fuel surcharge. Take advantage of its 1 free stopover / 2 open-jaw policies to visit more destinations with no additional points
Transferring to Hyatt as some redemptions are valued at over 2 cents a point
Using Flying Blue or Korean Air SKYPASS to fly from the continental U.S. to Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean
Using British Avios to fly within Europe
Using Southwest Rapid Rewards to fly within the U.S.
And now here are some of our not so favorite ones:
Using British Avios to fly long-haul international
Using Singapore KrisFlyer to fly long-haul international
Transferring to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Transferring to IHG Rewards Club, Marriott Rewards, and Ritz Carlton Rewards
In general, aside from Hyatt Gold Passport (which is a great value when redeeming for free nights), we don't recommend using the 3 other hotel partners as the value of the points are relatively low. You don't want to throw your hard-earned UR points down the drain.
Transferring points to airline partners is almost always the best value, especially if you can take advantage of stopover and open-jaw policies. Just watch out for high fuel surcharges on certain transfer partners.
Featured Chase Credit Card with Ultimate Rewards
Wait, how about other carriers?
Do you like to fly American? Book award travel on American Airlines using a OneWorld alliance member such as British Airways. Remember, you don’t pay fuel surcharges if you stay within the western hemisphere (essentially traveling in the Americas).
Do you like to fly Delta? Book award travel on Delta using a SkyTeam alliance member such as Korean Airlines.
Or if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Ink Plus, you can book travel, on any airline, by redeeming your points on Chase Ultimate Rewards (Chase’s online booking portal). You'll receive a 20% discount when you redeem points toward travel using Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, if you book a $500 airfare using Chase Ultimate Rewards, it would only require 40,000 points.
Want to get started?
It's easy. First apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Once you have the card, log on to your account and select Transfer Points to Transfer Partners. For many partners, points transfer instantly.
Enjoy your next vacation!
Best Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partners 2016 appeared first on CreditDonkey
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