The complete guide to booking travel with Chase and stretching your points farther
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Booking travel through Chase Travel can deliver significant value, whether you’re looking to stretch your Ultimate Rewards points farther or score competitive cash fares with built-in protections. Thanks to a combination of flexible redemption options, strong transfer partners and compelling card benefits, the Chase ecosystem remains one of the most reliable ways to save money on flights, hotels, rental cars and more. I’ve been using Chase Travel for years and have become familiar with its ins and outs.
Today, we’re going to explain exactly how Chase Travel works, how to maximize your points, what you should book through the portal (and what you shouldn’t) and which Chase cards unlock the most value, including their current welcome offers.
What is Chase Travel?
Chase Travel is the issuer’s online booking platform for flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises and experiences. It’s powered by an online travel agency (OTA) engine, which means prices often mirror those found on major OTAs like Expedia.com.
The main advantage is flexibility. You can pay using cash, Ultimate Rewards points or a combination of the two. Depending on the Chase card you hold, your points may also receive a boost in value when redeemed through the portal.
How Ultimate Rewards points work with Chase Travel
Chase Travel allows you to use Ultimate Rewards points at a fixed rate toward travel bookings. The value of your points depends entirely on the card you hold:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve: Points are worth up to 2 cents each with Points Boost toward travel booked through Chase Travel.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred: Points are worth 1.25 cents each.
- Chase Freedom, Freedom Unlimited, Freedom Flex, Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited: Points are worth 1 cent each, unless you pair with a premium card above and combined.
This boosted portal value can sometimes beat the value of transferring points to airline or hotel partners, especially for inexpensive domestic flights, premium-economy fares, cruises or independent hotels not tied to loyalty programs.
For example, as a Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholder, a two-night stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Montreal costs 69,725 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Meanwhile, if you transfer your Chase points to Marriott Bonvoy, the two-night stay costs nearly three times as much at 175,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
In this case, you’re clearly much better off redeeming your points directly through Chase Travel.
How to book travel through Chase
Booking through Chase Travel is straightforward, but a few nuances help you get the most value.
Step 1: Log in to your Ultimate Rewards dashboard
Once you’ve logged in, select “Benefits and travel” and then “travel.”
Step 2: Search for stays, flights, cars, activities, cruises or tours
The interface resembles most online travel sites, with filters for flexible dates, fare class, hotel rating and more. In this example, we’ll search for flights from New York City (all airports) to Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL).
You’ll see various flight options on the next page.
Step 3: Choose How to Pay
You can pay with:
- All points
- All cash
- A mix of points and cash
The mixed-payment option is particularly useful since there’s no minimum redemption.
Step 4: Complete your booking
If you book a flight, you’ll still earn airline miles and elite-qualifying credit as if you booked directly. Hotel bookings, however, sometimes do not earn points or elite benefits because these are considered OTA bookings.
When to redeem via Chase Travel vs. transfer partners
Ultimate Rewards has excellent airline and hotel transfer partners, including United MileagePlus, Air Canada Aeroplan, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Emirates Skywards, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, World of Hyatt and more.
While there are exceptions, here’s my best advice:
Redeem via Chase Travel when:
- You’re booking cheap domestic flights.
- You want simple, fixed-value redemptions.
- You need a specific flight but transfers are unavailable.
- You’re booking boutique or non-chain hotels.
- You want to earn airline miles and elite credit on cash-like bookings.
Use transfer partners when:
- You’re booking premium cabins abroad (business or first class).
- You want to maximize trips with outsized value per point.
- You’re booking hotels through Hyatt that have higher cash (often the best value in the Chase ecosystem since World of Hyatt uses a fixed category system for most hotels).
How to save the most points when you book through Chase Travel
Compare cash prices and transfer options
Before you book, check the cash price and compare with transferring points to an airline partner. The best method is:
- Multiply the cash fare by the value you get in the portal (e.g., 1.25 or 1.5 cents).
- Compare that number to the miles required through a transfer partner.
Whichever uses fewer points wins.
Combine points from multiple Chase cards
You can freely combine points from personal and business Chase cards into one account, letting you boost otherwise 1-cent points to 1.25 or 1.5 cents.
Use the right card to pay for the cash portion
If you’re paying partially or fully with cash, use a Chase card that earns bonus points on travel.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve: 8 points per dollar
- Chase Sapphire Preferred: 5 points per dollar on travel booked through Chase Travel (hotel purchases that trigger the $50 annual Chase Travel hotel credit do not earn points)
- Chase Freedom Unlimited and Freedom Flex: 5% back.
- Ink Business Preferred: 3 points per dollar on travel (no portal multiplier beyond 3x) on first $150,000 in annual spend on combined categories.
- Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited: 5% back on travel booked through Chase Travel.
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $795 | |||
| $95 | |||
| $0 | |||
| $0 |
Bottom line
Chase Travel is a powerful tool for booking flights, hotels, cars and more using both cash and points. With the right Chase card, your Ultimate Rewards can stretch significantly farther and pairing strong portal value with a thoughtful transfer strategy can unlock thousands of dollars in travel every year.
Pair a Sapphire Reserve or Ink Preferred card with high-earning cards like Freedom Unlimited, compare portal redemptions to transfer partners every time and you’ll consistently save money and points on your travel.
Chase Travel Portal: Frequently Asked Questions
How much are Chase Ultimate Rewards points worth when booking through Chase Travel?
Point values depend on your Chase card: Sapphire Reserve offers up to 2 cents per point with Points Boost, Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred provide 1.25 cents each, while Freedom cards and other Ink cards offer 1 cent each (unless combined with a premium card account).
Can I combine points from multiple Chase cards for bookings?
Yes, you can freely combine Ultimate Rewards points from personal and business Chase cards into one account. This allows you to boost lower-value points (1 cent) to premium redemption rates (1.25 or 1.5 cents) when you have a Sapphire or Ink Preferred card.
Do I earn airline miles and elite credit when booking flights through Chase Travel?
Yes, flight bookings through Chase Travel typically earn airline miles and elite-qualifying credit as if you booked directly with the airline. However, hotel bookings may not earn points or elite benefits since they’re considered third-party OTA bookings rather than direct reservations.
When should I use Chase Travel instead of transferring points to partners?
Use Chase Travel for cheap domestic flights, boutique/non-chain hotels, when you want simple fixed-value redemptions, or when transfer partners aren’t available. Transfer to partners for premium international cabins, luxury hotel stays (especially Hyatt), and when you can get outsized value per point.
Can I pay with a combination of points and cash on Chase Travel?
Yes, Chase Travel offers flexible payment options: all points, all cash, or any combination of points and cash with no minimum redemption requirements. This flexibility allows you to use exactly the number of points you want while paying the remainder in cash.
Which Chase card should I use to pay for the cash portion of bookings?
Use cards that earn bonus points on travel: Sapphire Reserve (8x points), Sapphire Preferred (5x points), Freedom Unlimited/Flex (5% back), Ink Business Preferred (3x points on first $150K annually), or Ink Business Cash/Unlimited (5% back on Chase Travel).
How do Chase Travel prices compare to other booking sites?
Chase Travel is powered by an OTA engine, so prices often mirror those found on major sites like Expedia. The main advantage isn’t necessarily lower prices, but the ability to use Ultimate Rewards points at boosted values and earn bonus points when paying with Chase cards.
What’s the best strategy for maximizing Chase Travel value?
Always compare cash prices vs. transfer partner options, combine points from multiple Chase cards to boost redemption values, use the right Chase card for bonus earnings on cash portions, and consider Chase Travel for domestic flights and non-chain hotels while using transfers for premium international travel.
Are there any booking restrictions or limitations on Chase Travel?
Chase Travel functions like most OTAs with standard booking terms. Hotel reservations may not earn loyalty points or elite benefits, changes and cancellations follow the provider’s policies, and some specialized fares or rates may not be available. Always review booking terms before confirming.
Can I book group travel or complex itineraries through Chase Travel?
Chase Travel works best for straightforward bookings like round-trip flights, hotel stays, and rental cars. For complex multi-city itineraries, group bookings, or specialized travel arrangements, you may need to book directly with airlines/hotels or use a travel agent for better service and flexibility.