Redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points: How TPG’s experts maximize rewards

There’s never been a better time to consider applying for one of the Chase Sapphire cards. Both cards are currently offering elevated welcome bonuses — the highest we have seen on these two popular cards in over a year.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card currently offers 75,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. The Sapphire Preferred has no foreign transaction fees and has many travel perks, including delayed baggage insurance, trip interruption/cancellation insurance and primary car rental insurance.

Meanwhile, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® currently offers 75,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Other perks include an easy-to-use annual travel credit worth $300, a fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (up to $100 once every four years) and Priority Pass Select lounge access; it also offers entry to the growing list of new Sapphire lounges. Cardholders get primary car rental coverage, trip interruption/cancellation insurance and other protections.

If you are new to redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards points or are considering opening a Chase card to help pay for some of your travels, this stress-free beginner guide will show you how to easily redeem 75,000 points.

If you want to get the maximum value from your Chase points (in most cases, at least 2 cents per point value), we’ve asked our team of points and miles experts to share the most aspirational ways they have redeemed their Chase points.

As you’ll see, you’ll generally get the most value from these points by transferring them to airline and hotel partner programs — especially the World of Hyatt loyalty program.

A luxury all-inclusive stay in Austin

Senior points and miles writer Katie Genter redeems hundreds of thousands of points and miles every year as a full-time digital nomad. She has redeemed 75,000 Chase points for a last-minute getaway to Mexico, but her most aspirational Ultimate Rewards redemption was when she transferred her Chase Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt at 1:1 rates.

While she usually redeems Hyatt points for cheap and lower-tier Category 1 and 2 stays, she recently decided to book a stay at one of Hyatt’s most luxurious all-inclusive properties: Miraval Austin Resort & Spa. The hotel offers plenty of wellness-focused activities, including sound healing sessions, yoga and meditation classes; food is served at the Hilltop Crossings Kitchen, and it’s designed to be calming, healthy and nourishing.

Rates at Miraval Austin start around $1,200 or 57,500 World of Hyatt points per night, based on double occupancy. Every award booking includes a $175 resort credit per person.

Related: An all-inclusive Central Texas oasis: A review of Miraval Austin Resort and Spa

Singapore Airlines A380 business class from Australia to Europe

Credit cards writer Danyal Ahmed transferred points to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program so he could travel in style on the marathon journey from Australia to Europe. Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to KrisFlyer at a 1:1 rate.

Back in 2019, he redeemed 105,000 KrisFlyer miles for more than 20 hours of business-class travel. He flew from Sydney Airport (SYD) to Zurich Airport (ZRH) via Singapore Airlines award-winning hub in Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) — all aboard the world’s largest commercial aircraft, the Airbus A380.

While the redemption cost has increased slightly since 2019, you can still book this for 130,500 Krisflyer miles per person each way, plus minimal fees and taxes or just $84. With cash fares for this itinerary starting from $4,000 one-way, this is a great way to save thousands and travel long-haul in style.

Related: Which Singapore Airlines business class is better? A380 versus A350

7-day hotel stay in Hawaii

Associate points and miles writer Rachel Craft redeemed 105,000 Ultimate Rewards points (primarily earned from the welcome bonus from the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card) to book seven nights in Maui at Hyatt’s Lahaina Shores Beach Resort. Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to World of Hyatt at a 1:1 rate.

While she admits this is not the most luxurious of Hyatt’s properties, hotel prices in Maui are often sky-high. This property was perfect for her as it offered beachfront accommodations and allowed her to snorkel (with friendly turtles). It had a kitchenette, which allowed her to save money on dining out for every meal.

Rachel saved $330 nightly by redeeming 15,000 Hyatt points per night thanks to Hyatt’s attractive award charts. This gave her a redemption rate of 2.2 cents — above both our valuation of Ultimate Rewards and World of Hyatt points.

Sadly, this hotel is no longer bookable due to the 2023 Lahaina fires. However, Maui fans could look at alternate Hyatt properties, including the Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach (15,000 Hyatt points or $260 per night in October), the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach (20,000 Hyatt points or $304 per night) or the Hyatt Vacation Club at Ka’anapali Beach (30,000 Hyatt points or $723 per night).

Related: The 18 best hotels in Maui, from luxury stays to family-friendly resorts

Hotel stays in Europe this summer

TPG’s managing credit cards editor, Matt Moffitt, also appreciates the ability to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to World of Hyatt at a 1:1 rate.

For an upcoming trip to Europe on peak summer dates, Matt reduced his accommodation costs by booking Category 1 and 2 properties in Slovakia and Poland; they cost him just 3,500 to 5,000 points per night. He decided to “splurge” in Austria by booking a TPG favorite, the Andaz Vienna Am Belvedere, for 12,000 points per night.

Overall, he saved $1,012 after booking hotel rooms for eight nights using 51,000 Hyatt points. The average cost per night was less than 6,500 points; therefore, he obtained almost 2 cents each from his Chase points.

As summer is a popular time to travel to Europe, it’s notable that he can save more than $1,000 on more than a week’s accommodation by using Chase points.

Related: Why my favorite use of Hyatt points is a Category 1 airport hotel

Promo Rewards for cheap business-class flights to Europe

Senior points and miles writer Ben Smithson loves a good deal and keeps his eye on monthly Promo Rewards offered by Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue program. This offer provides generous discounts on select short-haul and long-haul routes each month. Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to Flying Blue at a 1:1 rate.

Business-class flights to Europe start from just 50,000 miles each way on regular dates (a great deal in itself). However, Ben was able to fly from Miami International Airport (MIA) to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) via Air France’s hub in Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) for just 39,750 Ultimate Rewards points after transferring to Flying Blue; he paid around $221 in fees, taxes and carrier-imposed surcharges.

A frequent traveler between the U.S. and Europe, Ben ranks Air France’s business class as one of the best ways to travel to Europe. He appreciates its stylish onboard product, gourmet cuisine and excellent lounges. With cash fares starting from $4,000 one-way, he obtained around 10 cents from each of his Chase points this way.

Flying to Europe in business class for under 40,000 Chase points is a spectacular deal worth monitoring the monthly Promo Rewards.

Related: Private suites and high-tech touches: What it’s like flying Air France’s new business class

Oceanfront views on the California coast

Credit cards editor Emily Thompson typically favors inexpensive redemptions, whether with her favorite airline, Southwest, or World of Hyatt. She ranks her favorite Hyatt stay at Hyatt Carmel Highlands, which is on a cliffside facing the Pacific Ocean overlooking Big Sur in California.

An older property welcoming guests for over 100 years, this has been a go-to destination for artists and writers, and Emily describes the views as “killer.” She paid just 25,000 World of Hyatt points per night, saving $527 points per night. This gave her Chase points a value of around 2 cents each.

Related: A review of Hyatt’s Carmel Valley Ranch

Maximizing Aeroplan’s generous award charts

Ben is a huge fan of Air Canada’s Aeroplan program, as the carrier has retained award charts for flights operated by partner airlines. This is an increasingly rare perk of a major loyalty program in 2024. Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to Aeroplan at a 1:1 rate.

Ben is especially excited about Aeroplan’s Atlantic zone award chart, which generously covers countries from South Africa right up to Norway and Iceland in the north.

This allows him to transfer Chase points to Aeroplan and book long-haul business-class flights from as low as 45,000 points for itineraries of 2,001 to 4,000 miles in length. He had already flown an itinerary from London to Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) via Addis Ababa Bole International Airport; he flew Ethiopian Airlines for 60,000 Aeroplan points — all in business class — for the 4,400-mile journey.

His Ethiopian Airlines business class experience wasn’t without its faults. However, he also booked an upcoming nonstop flight on Turkish Airlines (another Star Alliance partner of Aeroplan) from Istanbul Airport (IST) to Banjul International Airport (BJL) in West Africa for just 45,000 points; he only paid $65 in taxes and fees for the 3,350-mile journey.

Ben looks forward to returning to Turkish Airlines’ flagship business-class lounge in Istanbul, which he rates as one of the world’s best. He’s also eager to experience a lie-flat bed for the almost eight-hour overnight journey.

Bottom line

If you’re ready to get the maximum value from your Chase Ultimate Rewards points, we hope this guide has given you some inspiration. You should be able to obtain at least 2 cents per point by transferring points to airline and hotel partners.

With the elevated 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points welcome bonuses available on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® cards, it is a great time to consider how to get the most value from your points.

Beginners might wish to redeem points through the Chase Travel℠ portal or Chase’s Pay Yourself Back feature. If you’re ready for something more advanced, you can aim to obtain upward of $1,500 of value from these welcome bonuses by transferring to airline and hotel partner programs.