• Chase Ultimate Rewards

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Guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards®

Categories: Credit Cards, Redeeming PointsBy Last Updated: June 26, 2025

What are Ultimate Rewards?

Chase Ultimate Rewards are the points currency that Chase uses for its own credit cards. These points have a variety of uses, depending on the card you have.

Key points to understand about Ultimate Rewards

    1. Chase Ultimate rewards are the points currency of many Chase cards. You’ll see Chase Ultimate Rewards balance totals on your cards if you have any cards in the Freedom, Ink, or Sapphire family.

    1. You need a Chase Sapphire card or Ink Preferred card to get top value. If you get a no annual fee card like a Freedom card or Ink Cash or Ink Unlimited, you officially earn Ultimate Rewards points that can only be redeemed as cash back. BUT! If you get an Ultimate Rewards earning card with an annual fee, you can move your Freedom/Ink Cash/Ink Unlimited points over to your Sapphire and transfer to Hyatt from there.

    1. You can combine points across your household. Chase allows you to combine points with one other member in your household. The first time you want to do this, you will need to call to get this option added to your account. After that you can do it online.

    1. You only need one Sapphire or Ink Preferred card in your household. Since you can combine points with one person in your household, you only technically need one of these cards with an annual fee.

    1. To combine personal and business accounts, you’ll need to call or fill out an online form. Your business and personal Chase cards will not automatically appear on the same login. Follow these steps.

    1. You can only transfer points to airlines and hotels to your own airline/hotel accounts or those of authorized users. Example: The name on the Hyatt account needs to match the name on the credit card account.

    1. You can’t reverse a points transfer. Once you transfer your Chase points to an airline or hotel, you can’t return them back to Chase. That’s why it is important to confirm availability before you transfer them. Some transfers are instant and some take a few days.

    1. Generally you’ll get better value from transferring to airline and hotel partners. But not all airline and hotel partners are created equal! For hotels, for instance, we generally only recommend transferring to Hyatt.

What are Ultimate Rewards worth?

The value you can get out of your Ultimate Rewards will vary depending on the cards you have and how you use the points. This guide will show some standard values. If you choose to transfer your points to airline and hotel partners, you can get even more value!

What’s the best way to use my points?

This really depends on your travel style! Using your points for cash back will give you the lowest value — but if that’s what you’d prefer, that’s fine! For hotel partners, transferring to Hyatt generally gives the best value. Each airline has opportunities for good values, depending on your home airport and where you want to go. You also can use your points right in the Chase travel portal to book cars, hotels, or flights. Check out some sweet spots here. Or learn more with our transfer partner guide.

Personal Credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards

You can earn Ultimate Rewards with Chase cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred®® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Freedom® Unlimited or Chase Freedom Flex℠.

You can only hold one Sapphire card. Pick one!

card_name
card_name

welcome offer:

bonus_milesbonus_miles_fullLearn How to Apply

Annual Fee:

annual_fees
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
  • Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel(SM)
  • Great transfer options to Hyatt, United, Southwest, 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, 2027. Plus $10/month for non-restaurant orders. More here.

My Take

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is THE top beginner card I recommend for miles & points. The travel protections it provides is top tier, too. Get this card early in your travel points journey, it’s a keeper. It’s the first card in my Three Year Plan.

Starting June 23, 2025 — Chase is changing how much points are worth via Chase Travel. Usually they will be worth less. Occasionally they will be worth more.

But the good news is that points you’ll earn are easy to redeem and it’s also easy to keep earning them. Our favorite use is to transfer them to Hyatt for hotel stays but you can use them for cash back, for any travel expense, or for airlines. See more inspiration here and here.

It has a fun extra benefit through December 31, 2027: $10 a month for non-restaurant purchases at DoorDash. Read here how to use this benefit.

If you want to learn more about it, check out Season 1 of my podcast — I dive into the benefits and how to use the points.

The standard bonus used to be 60,000 points but 75,000 is the new standard offer (as of June 23, 2025) since the points are now worth less via Chase Travel.

A 100,000 point offer ended in May 2025.

An offer for 60,000 points + $300 credit towards Chase Travel in the first year ran from September – early November 2024.

An offer for 75,000 points ran from early May – mid June 2024.

A publicly available online offer for 80,000 points ran from March 2023-May 2023.

An 80,000 point bonus ended in Fall 2022.
An offer for 100,000 points ended in Fall 2021.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

credit card

Current Bonus:

60,000 points

Earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Annual Fee:

$550

  • No foreign transaction fees
  • $300 annual travel credit
  • 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, 2027.
  • Great transfer options to Hyatt, United, Southwest, and more
  • TSA Precheck or Global Entry credit
  • Priority Pass lounge and restaurant access

This card stands out over other premium cards for two main reasons. First, it is one of the few cards that still gives you access to Priority Pass experiences. Most other cards just give access to the lounges but if you frequent an airport with a Priority pass experience, this benefit can be worth a lot to you! Second, the travel credit is very easy to use. I also like to use this card to book via Chase’s travel portal. When you use 10,000 points, you’ll get $150 worth of travel.

A publicly available online offer for 80,000 points ran in December 2022.

An offer for 100,000 points ended in 2019.

Freedom cards have a few caveats. They earn Ultimate Rewards but those can only be used for cash back UNLESS you also get a Sapphire Preferred® or Reserve (with an annual fee)

You need a Sapphire or Ink Preferred to transfer the points from a Freedom card to partners like Hyatt or United.

You can get both cards!

card_name
card_name

Welcome Offer:

bonus_miles bonus_miles_fullLearn How to Apply

 

Alternate offer: you may be able to earn additional points through Rakuten.

Annual Fee:

annual_fees

  • $0 annual fee

  • 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more;
  • 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
  • Earn 1.5% cash back on all spend

My Take

Generally, I prefer the Chase Freedom Flex® to this card for the 5x earning opportunities. But this can be a great option for people who are just getting started with credit cards!

If you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you can transfer the Freedom points to the Sapphire card to get all the airline and hotel transfer benefits.

The standard welcome offer is $200 after you spend $500. An $250 offer ended in May 2025.

community referral

Chase Freedom® Flex

welcome offer:

$200

EARN A $200 BONUS after spending $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.opens overlay to offer details

(Reader Referral) All information about this card has been collected independently by Katie’s Travel Tricks. This card is no longer available through Katie’s Travel Tricks.

Annual Fee:

$0

  • Includes cell phone protection if you pay your bill with the card

  • Rotating quarterly categories earn 5x total points on up to $1,500 when activated.
  • If you have a Sapphire card, you can transfer the Freedom points to the Sapphire card to get all the airline and hotel transfer benefits!

My Take
This card has great earning potential and is perfect to pair with a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for ongoing earning. When you combine these cash back points with a Sapphire, they can become transferrable to programs like Hyatt and United.

$200 (20k points) is the standard offer.

Comparing personal cards that earn Ultimate Rewards

Chase Credit Card Benefits Comparison
Card Benefits Freedom Flex Freedom Unlimited Sapphire Preferred® Sapphire Reserve
Annual fee $0 $0 $95 $795
Cash back value of 10k points $100 $100 $100 $100
Earning bonuses 5x on up to $1500 on quarterly bonus categories 1.5x on all purchases 5x on Chase Travel
3x dining
2x all travel		 8x on Chase Travel
4x on direct flights and hotels
3x dining
1x all other purchases

 

Business cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards

There are four different Chase branded business cards that earn Ultimate Rewards. They are all called “Ink” cards but some have an annual fee and some do not.

The Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card earns bonus points that are always transferrable to airline and hotel partners.

You can get this card for multiple businesses!

card_name
card_name

welcome offer:

bonus_milesbonus_miles_fullLearn How to Apply

Annual Fee:

annual_fees
  • Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable, social media and search engine advertising, and phone services
  • Travel Benefits: Points are worth more when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel(SM), No Foreign Transaction Fees and Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance.
  • No foreign transaction fees

 

My Take

Learn more about this card here. Learn more about qualifying for business cards here (even without an LLC business)

Chase Ink cards are our favorite option when we have larger expenses coming that help us to meet the higher minimum spend. This card will allow you to transfer its points to all of Chase’s travel partners like Hyatt, United, Southwest, and more.

I also love the 3x earning on travel expenses and no foreign transaction fees — along with a good suite of benefits.

This card used to offer 100k points but required a $15,000 spend. An offer for 120,000 points after spending $8000 in three months ran from July to early September 2024.

Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card and Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card cards are some of my favorite cards to keep earning lots of Ultimate Rewards points. These cards have no annual fee but big bonuses. And you can get them for more than one business!

You need a Sapphire or Ink Preferred to transfer the points from an Ink Unlimited or Ink Cash to partners like Hyatt or United.

You can get these for multiple businesses!

card_name
card_name

welcome offer:

bonus_milesbonus_miles_fullLearn How to Apply

Alternate offer: you may be able to earn additional points through Rakuten

Annual Fee:

annual_fees
  • If you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you can transfer the Ink points to the Sapphire card to get all the airline and hotel transfer benefits!
  • Earn unlimited 1.5% Cash Back rewards on every purchase

My Take

Chase Ink cards are our favorite option when we have larger expenses coming that help us to meet the higher minimum spend. The bonus for this card is listed as cash back.But if you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, you can actually combine the “cash back” points with your Sapphire card. (If you have a Chase Ink Business Premier® Credit Card you cannot combine the points.)

You can get a Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card and Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card . You can also get multiple if you have multiple businesses. Don’t forget to refer your spouse to this one!

For many years, the bonus on this card offered $500 after you spent $3000 in 3 months. The offer changed to $750 after spending $7500 in 3 months during the pandemic. In fall 2022, the offer went to $900 after spending $6,000 in 3 months. In fall 2023, we saw the $900 offer return from September to mid-January 2024.

card_name
card_name

welcome offer:

bonus_milesbonus_miles_fullLearn How to Apply

Annual Fee:

annual_fees

My Take

This offer is a lot easier to earn than other cards in the Ink family due to the longer time you have to do the full amount of spending.

The bonus for this card is listed as cash back. But if you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, you can actually combine the “cash back” points with your Sapphire card. (If you have a Chase Ink Business Premier® Credit Card you cannot combine the points.)

You can get a Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card and Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card . You can also get multiple if you have multiple businesses. Don’t forget to refer your spouse to this one! Full guide here

For many years, the bonus on this card offered $500 after you spent $3000 in 3 months. The offer changed to $750 after spending $7500 in 3 months during the pandemic. In fall 2022, the offer went to $900 after spending $6,000 in 3 months. In fall 2023, we saw the $900 offer return from September to mid-January 2024.

NOTE: An Ink Business Premier℠ Credit Card ONLY earns cash back. This card’s Ultimate Rewards CANNOT be moved to an Ink Preferred or Sapphire card.

This card can only be used for cash back!

card_name
card_name

Current Bonus:

bonus_milesbonus_miles_fullLearn How to Apply

Annual Fee:

annual_fees
  • Earn unlimited 2.5% total cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more and unlimited 2% cash back on all other business purchases.
  • Travel Benefits: Unlimited 5% total cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, No Foreign Transaction Fees and Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance.
  • Rich Rewards. Limitless Opportunities. With no minimum redemption amount, redeem rewards for cash back, gift cards, travel and more through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
  • For businesses who prefer to pay their balance in full each month, Ink Business Premier gives access to increased spending power, rich rewards, and premium benefits.
  • Pay off eligible purchases over time with interest up to assigned Flex for Business limit. All other purchases must be paid in full each month.
  • Purchase with confidence with built-in protections like Fraud Protection, Zero Liability Protection, Purchase Protection, Cell Phone Protection, and Extended Warranty Protection.

My Take
This card ONLY gives cash back. Unlike other cash back offers from Chase, there is no option to combine what you’re earning here with a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and then transfer to Hyatt or United, etc. For that reason, I rarely recommend this card — especially because it has a high annual fee with few benefits.

Comparing business cards that earn Ultimate Rewards

Chase Business Credit Card Benefits Comparison
Card Benefits Ink Cash Ink Unlimited Ink Preferred Ink Premier Sapphire Reserve Business
Annual fee $0 $0 $95 $195 $795
Cash back value of 10k points $100 $100 $100 $100 $100
Earning bonuses 5x on select business categories 1.5x on all purchases 3x on travel, shipping, internet, phone & advertising 2x on all purchases
2.5x on purchases for $10,000+		 8x on Chase Travel
4x on direct flights and hotels
3x on social media & search engine advertising
5x on Lyft (through 9/30/27)
1x all other purchases

 

3 ways to earn points beyond sign up bonuses

Max out Freedom Flex quarterly bonus

Every quarter, you earn 5 points per dollar on a certain category with a Freedom Flex card on up to $1,500. Maxing this out each quarter will give you 30,000 points per year.

Use an Ink Cash to buy gift cards at Staples and Office Max

The Ink Cash earns 5 points per dollar at office supply stores. If you use your Ink Cash to buy gift cards, you are earning 5x! Then you can use those gift cards to shop as normal. Staples regularly offers Visa or Mastercard gift cards with no activation fees. You can also buy Airbnb gift cards and earn more on your rental.

Refer friends (or your spouse) to your favorite cards

And then go on a trip together! Or not. Either way you can generate referral links here: https://www.chase.com/referafriend/catch-all

Step By Step: How to Combine Points Between Cards

All about transferring your points

Chase Ultimate Rewards can be transferred to 11 airline and hotel partners at a 1:1 ratio. That means if you transfer 1,000 Ultimate Rewards, you can get 1,000 points at their partners.

For inspiration and more on sweet spots, check out this post.

Airline Partners

  • Aer Lingus AerClub

 

    • Air Canada Aeroplan

    • Air France-KLM 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

Hotel Partners

  • IHG Rewards Club

 

    • Marriott Bonvoy

    • World of Hyatt

Step By Step: How to transfer points to partners

Interested in applying?

Use my referral links for all the cards above!

Advertiser Disclosure

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