42 Best Ways To Redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards Points for Max Value (2024)

Chase Ultimate Rewards points are easy to earn and offer great redemption opportunities. To get the best value and use your points for maximum value, you’ll certainly want to transfer them to one of Chase’s airline and hotel partners for a travel redemption.

Don’t be tempted to use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points for cash-back or on merchandise through its own shopping portal, since your return won’t be as high. You have the option of using your points in the Chase Travel portal, but partner transfers will generally be much more valuable.

In this post, you’ll find the best ways to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points for travel redemptions with many of the Chase Ultimate Rewards program partners. These travel partners will maximize the value you can obtain when redeeming for flights and overnight stays at hotels.

Great award redemptions emerge and disappear all the time. For now, these are the best-known redemptions out there for Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

To take advantage of transferring points to airline and hotel partners, you need to have a Chase credit card that earns Ultimate Rewards points and charges an annual fee. These cards always offer the best benefits.

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

Business owner? See our list of the best Chase business credit cards.

Earn points using your Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning credit card on everyday purchases, and try using Shop through Chaseto get maximum value in popular online shops.

Hot Tip:

A great way to maximize your credit card usage is to use one of Chase’s travel rewards cards for bonus categories and the Chase Freedom Unlimited^®for everything else. You’ll get 1.5% cash-back versus just 1% points with the other cards (among other great perks).

Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to Airline and Hotel Partners

You can redeem Ultimate Rewards points for travel booked through Chase Travel with up to 1.5 cents per point in value, or opt for Pay Yourself Back, statement credits, gift cards, charitable donations,(through September 30, 2024) gift cards, and merchandise.

However, the most lucrative redemptions are available when transferring your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to a partner loyalty program, which is why these points are highly valuable. Ultimate Rewards transfer to hotel and airline programs at a 1:1 ratio (see below).

Chase AirlineTransfer Partners

You don’t have to be a frequent flyer to earn airline miles. Just earn a welcome offer, do some everyday spending, and then transfer those points to miles within another program in increments of 1,000.

Chase Hotel Transfer Partners

You don’t have to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points just for airlines; there are also hotel partners. Trade in your points to IHG One Rewards to stay for free at IHG properties worldwide or splurge for nights at The Ritz-Carlton by transferring to Marriott Bonvoy.

However, our favorite hotel partner is World of Hyatt because you can book incredible luxury properties for a fraction of the points you’d need with Marriott Bonvoy, for example.

Chase hotel partners are as follows:

What does this mean for you? With a 1:1 transfer ratio, if you earn 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you can transfer those to a travel partner to get 50,000 points with that partner.

The 36 Best Ways To Redeem Your Chase Ultimate Rewards Points for Flights

The best way to get the maximum value from Chase Ultimate Rewards is to redeem them for flights. Transfer Ultimate Rewards to Chase airline partners for exceptional flight redemptions in first class, business, and more.

These are some of the best redemptions you can make with Chase Ultimate Rewards airline partners.

1. Fly Singapore Suites in an Airbus A380 (KrisFlyer Miles)

Most people transfer points to the Singapore KrisFlyer miles program because they want to experience Singapore Suites, Singapore Airlines’ first class luxury double bed in the sky. You won’t experience a product like this on any other airline.

The least expensive way to experience Singapore Suites is on its Singapore (SIN) to Hong Kong (HKG) route. A one-way Suites Class ticket will only cost 45,000 points. Note that Singapore Suites Class is only available on the Airbus A380 aircraft.

When you save up enough Chase Ultimate Rewards points and find availability for Singapore Suites class, definitely book a ticket … or 2!

• Singapore (SIN) – Hong Kong (HKG) on Singapore Airlines in Singapore Suites

Another highlight of Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer program is that it’s a transfer partner of all of the major transferable points currencies, including American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles,Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.

If you are short on your Chase Ultimate Rewards points, there are other opportunities to earn the additional KrisFlyer miles you need to book a ticket with Singapore Airlines.

Note that since United uses dynamic pricing at booking, the prices for the routes we list are dependent on a number of factors, including dates, demand, and more.

Hot Tip:

It’s tough to find 2 or more seats on the same flight for Singapore Suites class. You have 2 options if you’re looking to book travel on more than 1 ticket: book a second ticket for more miles or waitlist for a second seat at the same price.

Need help booking? See our step-by-step guide for booking Singapore Suites or first class.

2. Round-Trip First Class to Tokyo From the U.S. on All Nippon Airways (Virgin Points)

Perhaps the best way to book a first class award ticket to Tokyo is by using Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points to fly with All Nippon Airways (ANA). You can book a one-way first class award for 72,000 Virgin Points from the West Coast, and 85,000 from the East Coast or the central U.S.

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo (HND) on ANA in first class
• Chicago (ORD) – Tokyo (NRT) on ANA in first class

However, these bookings must end in Tokyo or originate in Tokyo. There are several U.S. airports from which ANA operates first class-equipped aircraft, including:

Hot Tip:

If you’re interested in jetting off to Tokyo, check out our ultimate Tokyo travel guide for the best things to see, do, eat, and more!

3. Fly United in Business or First Within the U.S. (MileagePlus Miles)

You can also use your United miles to get some great deals on United flights, especially for business and first class flights within the U.S. United charges at least 50,000 miles one-way for transcontinental flights or for flights to Hawaii.

• San Francisco (SFO) – Honolulu (HNL) on United
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Honolulu (HNL) on United

4. Fly Between the Continental U.S. and Hawaii on United Airlines (KrisFlyer Miles)

Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer program also offers good pricing to fly between the continental U.S. and Hawaii in all classes of service. One-way prices are 19,500 miles in economy and 39,000 miles in business.

For our purposes, a domestic first class flight on United falls under business class pricing.

Again, United charges more miles to book the same flights: at least 22,500 miles in economy, 50,000 miles in business, and 70,000 miles in first class.

• San Francisco (SFO) – Honolulu (HNL) on United Airlines
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Honolulu (HNL) on United Airlines

Hot Tip:

5. Fly to Europe From the U.S. in Economy (KrisFlyer Miles)

In addition to offering good pricing for flights within the U.S., Singapore Airlines offers a relatively low price to get to Europe in economy: Book travel on Singapore Airlines in economy for only 30,500 miles in each direction.

• New York (JFK) – Frankfurt (FRA) on Singapore Airlines

Hot Tip:

Enjoy your trip home from Europe even more with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.This card gets you access to the Priority Pass program, which allows you to use over 1,400 lounges around the world.

6. Fly to the Middle East or North Africa From the U.S. (KrisFlyer Miles)

If you’re looking to get off the beaten path, consider using your Singapore Airlines miles to fly to the Middle East or North Africa.

You can redeem your miles for travel on Star Alliance member airlines like United, EgyptAir, Ethiopian, SWISS, Turkish, and Lufthansa to get to the Middle East or North Africa for only 52,000 miles, 88,000 miles, or 114,000 miles in economy, business, and first class, respectively.

We consider flying EgyptAir from New York City (JFK) or Washington, D.C., (IAD) to Cairo (CAI) on United one of the best ways to fly to the Middle East from the U.S.

• New York (JFK) – Cairo (CAI) on EgyptAir
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Cairo (CAI) on EgyptAir

Need help booking?Check out our step-by-step guide to booking first class on Lufthansa.

7. Fly to Central or South Africa From the U.S. (KrisFlyer Miles)

You can head a little bit further south in Africa for not too many more miles than flying to North Africa. Business class redemptions to the region with KrisFlyer miles now cost 111,000 miles each way. United flies from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey to Johannesburg (JNB), South Africa, and is a Star Alliance partner that can be booked with KrisFlyer Miles. Using Singapore’s award charts is a nice way around United’s dynamic pricing for its own flights.

• Newark (EWR) – Johannesburg (JNB) on United

Hot Tip:

Singapore Airlines does pass on fuel surcharges when booking award tickets. To estimate what the fuel surcharge will be, head to the ITA Matrix and find the flights you are looking to book. In the itemized list of the fare and taxes, look for the line item labeled YQ or YR. Sometimes it’s worth paying more miles to save on fuel surcharges.

8. Fly Virgin Atlantic Upper Class to Europe From the U.S. (KrisFlyer Miles)

Virgin Atlantic isn’t part of the same alliance as Singapore Airlines, so you might not realize that it is possible to redeem KrisFlyer miles to fly Virgin Atlantic Upper Class!

Singapore Airlines only charges 58,500 KrisFlyer miles to fly one-way from the U.S. to Europe in Virgin Atlantic Upper Class. If you wanted to fly Star Alliance airlines instead, you would have to pay 81,000 KrisFlyer miles to fly in business class one-way. You can save a bunch of miles by flying Virgin Atlantic.

• Boston (BOS) – London (LHR) on Virgin Atlantic in Upper Class

Need help booking? Check out our step-by-step guide to booking Virgin Atlantic Upper Class!

Hot Tip:

Chase rewards credit cards are great for trips on Singapore Airlines, but you can also earn additional KrisFlyer miles using American Express travel rewards cards like the American Express^® Gold Card!

9. Unlock Luxury With Lufthansa First Class (Aeroplan Points)

Another great use of your Chase points is to access amazing first class products like Lufthansa’s.

You can fly Lufthansa first class for as few as 90,000 Aeroplan points one-way (flights less than 4,000 miles in distance). For flights between 4,001 and 6,000 miles in distance, you can redeem 100,000 Aeroplan points one-way. Taxes and fees will be around $60.

In comparison, United MileagePlus charges at least 121,000 miles one-way and around $23 in taxes and fees.

To ensure you’re getting the best of the best, book a flight on Lufthansa’s 747-8.

• New York (JFK) – Frankfurt (FRA) on Lufthansa in first class for 90,000 Aeroplan points
• Chicago (ORD) – Frankfurt (FRA) on Lufthansa in first class for 100,000 Aeroplan points
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Frankfurt (FRA) on Lufthansa in first class for 100,000 Aeroplan points

Need help booking?Check out our step-by-step guide to booking first class on Lufthansa.

10. Enjoy a Stopover Using United’s Excursionist Perk (MileagePlus Miles)

Using United miles, you can take advantage of the airline’s stopover allowance, known as an Excursionist Perk, on a flight with the airline.

The perk has a few restrictions. Your stopovers are not allowed to be in the zone where your travel originates, and round-trip travel must end in the same zone where it started. The origin and destination of the Excursionist Perk must also be in the same zone.

11. Fly Within Oceania on United (MileagePlus Miles)

United charges pretty reasonable prices for flights within Oceania.

United flights tend to be expensive if you pay cash, but the airline charges as few as 8,000 miles in each direction to book economy class travel for these short-haul flights.

Remember that United’s dynamic pricing means rates you get through United can change depending on when you’re looking to fly, the demand for flights, and so on.

• Honolulu (HNL) – Guam (GUM) on United

12. Fly to Europe From the U.S. (MileagePlus Miles)

United generally charges a Saver-level price of around 70,000 miles to fly round-trip between the U.S. and Europe in economy. This isn’t the cheapest price you’ll be able to find between these 2 regions, but you won’t need to worry about trying to avoid paying fuel surcharges with United.

If you want to fly in more comfort, check out the sleek United Polaris product on numerous routes to Europe, including the following:

• Newark (EWR) – Tel Aviv (TLV)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Frankfurt (FRA)
• San Francisco (SFO) – London (LHR)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Tel Aviv (TLV)

Keep in mind these routes are just a portion of United’s route network, so you may find this business class product on other routes.

Partner awards cost 7,000 miles more, at around 77,000 miles one-way in coach.

Here are a few great routes you can take on partner flights; there are many cases where it is worth a few thousand extra miles to avoid fuel surcharges with these partners:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Zurich (ZRH) on SWISS
• Newark (EWR) – Warsaw (WAW)on LOT Polish
• San Francisco (SFO) – Munich (MUC) on Lufthansa

13. Fly to Northern South America From the U.S. (MileagePlus Miles)

United used to split South America up into 2 different regions (northern and southern) in its award chart, but abandoned award charts in 2019. You can still find good value, however.

If you’re looking to fly in economy class from Los Angeles (LAX) to Guayaquil, Ecuador (GYE), for example, we found plenty of flights there for 33,000 miles economy one-way, with a stop in Panama City (PTY). The cash rate for this ticket is normally $626, so you’d be getting 1.9 cents per point in value, well above our current valuation of MileagePlus points at 1.2 cents per point, though dynamic pricing doesn’t guarantee those rates will always be the same for you.

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Panama City (PTY) – Guayaquil (GYE) on United

14. Fly Around the Caribbean on United (MileagePlus Miles)

United prices round-trip flights between the U.S. and the Caribbean at around 35,000 miles, depending on the time of year and, of course, dynamic pricing. With current Excursionist Perk rules, you can visit 2 Caribbean islands for the price of 1.

It is possible to find cheaper redemptions to the Caribbean depending on where you live —and United’s dynamic pricing — but if you want to make a stopover, United miles aren’t a bad way to go.

• Chicago (ORD) – Sint Maarten (SXM)
• Newark (EWR) – St. Lucia (UVF)
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Barbados (BGI)

15. Fly Domestically in the U.S. on United (MileagePlus Miles)

Domestic travel can be as valuable as international travel when it comes to using your United miles. Round-trip flights at the Saver level within the lower 48 states can cost around 25,000 United miles in economy.

If you want to go to Alaska, you can pay around 35,000 miles in economy for a round-trip flight.

• St. Louis (STL) – Houston (IAH)
• Nashville (BNA) – Denver (DEN)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Burbank (BUR), California

Hot Tip:

16. Fly to Oceania From the U.S. (MileagePlus Miles)

Flights to Oceania are usually on the expensive side, but you can fly to gorgeous Pacific islands like Tahiti with United miles for only about 88,000 miles round-trip in economy, depending on the dates and other factors.

• San Francisco (SFO) – Tahiti (PPT) on United

17. Fly to Australia or New Zealand From the U.S. (MileagePlus Miles)

Flights to Australia and New Zealand generally cost a few more United miles than flying to Oceania, but can still be a great deal. If you want to fly round-trip in economy, flights to Australia and New Zealand are going to set you back around 90,000 miles, depending on when you fly and so on.

Business class one-way generally costs 80,000 miles at the Saver level for United-operated flights, while Saver-level partner flights usually cost 90,000 miles one-way.

Here are a few route ideas:

• Chicago (ORD) – Auckland (AKL) in Air New Zealand business class from 90,000 miles
• Houston (IAH) – Sydney (SYD) in United Polaris from 80,000 miles
• San Francisco (SFO) – Auckland (AKL) in United Polaris from 80,000 miles

18. Short-Haul Flights on Partner Airlines (British Airways Avios)

British Airways reward travelhas always been best booked on short-haul flights. Although there have been changes over the past few years, it’s still one of the best programs for booking short-haul flights onOneworld member airlines, and there are a few good medium-haul deals, too.

Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express both transfer to British Airways Avios at a 1:1 ratio.

The British Airways Visa Signature^® Card earns 3x Avios on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL. However, we believe that the best way to earn Avios is with Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning credit cards such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. You will then be able to transfer your Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways.

A great use of your British Airways Avios is for short-haul flights that are 650 miles or shorter. This will only cost 6,000 Avios on partner airlines for flights outside North America and 7,500 Avios for flights in North America.

• Philadelphia (PHL) – Toronto (YYZ) on American Airlines
• Los Angeles (LAX) – San Francisco (SFO) on American Airlines
• Atlanta (ATL) – New Orleans (MSY) on American Airlines

Hot Tip:

You might find some flights with high fees when using your Avios. Instead of flying British Airways, look for American Airlines reward travelor flights onAlaska Airlines.

19. Book Qatar Airways Qsuites to Doha (British Airways Avios)

One of the best ways to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points is to book Qatar Airways Qsuites flights through transfer partner British Airways Executive Club. Thanks to this strategic partnership, you can redeem Chase points for Qsuites, one of the best business class products in the world, on an ultra-long-haul flight between the U.S. and the Middle East.

For just 70,000 points transferred to British Airways (plus about $102 in taxes and fees), you can fly one-way in Qatar Airways Qsuites to Doha (DOH) from several U.S. cities, including Atlanta (ATL), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), and Philadelphia (PHL).

• Atlanta (ATL) – Doha (DOH) on Qatar Airways in Qsuites
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Doha (DOH) on Qatar Airways in Qsuites
• Miami (MIA) – Doha (DOH) on Qatar Airways in Qsuites
• Philadelphia (PHL) – Doha (DOH) on Qatar Airways in Qsuites

20. Fly to Hawaii From the West Coast U.S. (British Airways Avios)

Flying one-way direct from the West Coast on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines using British Airways Avios is one of the least expensive ways to get to Hawaii. Flights only cost 13,000 Avios each way in economy.

Here are some routes you can fly on:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Kahului (OGG)
• Los Angeles (LAX) –Kona(KOA)
• Phoenix (PHX) – Honolulu (HNL)
• Phoenix (PHX) – Lihue (LIH)

Hot Tip:

21. Fly to Europe From the East Coast U.S. (British Airways Avios)

Medium-haul routes available for redemption with your Avios for good value aren’t plentiful, but they do exist.Fly from the U.S. East Coast to Dublin (DUB) on Aer Lingus for only 13,000 Avios each way in economy off-peak, with low fuel surcharges.

You can transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways and then to Iberia, where you’ll save on fuel surcharges. If you want to transfer your miles from BA to Iberia, your account must be at least 90 days old and must have had points activity.

A couple of good one-way business class redemptions on Iberia are Boston (BOS) or New York (JFK) to Madrid (MAD) for 34,000 miles, and Chicago (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), or Miami (MIA) to Madrid (MAD) for 42,500 miles.

• Boston (BOS) – Dublin (DUB) on Aer Lingus
• New York (JFK) – Dublin (DUB) on Aer Lingus
• Boston (BOS) – Madrid (MAD) on Iberia
• New York (JFK) – Madrid (MAD) on Iberia
• Chicago (ORD) – Madrid (MAD) on Iberia
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Madrid (MAD) on Iberia

Hot Tip:

Earn additional Avios by earning Chase Ultimate Rewards points and then transferring them to British Airways or Iberia. The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is the perfect card for this. You can also transfer in additional points from Membership Rewards, which could be earned with cards like the Amex Gold card.

22. Fly From Miami to Lima, Peru (British Airways Avios)

If you want to use your Avios to get somewhere other than Europe, consider Lima, Peru. A flight from Miami only costs 13,000 British Airways Avios plus $20.60 in each direction for an economy seat. That’s the same number of miles it would cost you to book a domestic flight with United Airlines!

• Miami (MIA) – Lima (LIM) on British Airways

23. Take Advantage of Low Fees (British Airways Avios)

If you’re booking a last-minute flight, don’t forget to check availability for booking with Avios. British Airways doesn’t charge a fee for booking at the last minute, as many other airlines do.

British Airways also has reasonable cancellation fees at just $55 per person per ticket.

In the U.S., taxes are only $5.60 on a one-way ticket, so if you’re not sure about a trip, booking with Avios might be the way to go.

24. Fly From Santiago to Easter Island on LATAM (British Airways Avios)

Getting to Easter Island is usually pretty expensive; the least expensive round-trip flights are around $850. Considering this redemption would only cost 13,000 Avios plus $8.94 in taxes and fees each way for economy tickets, you can get some great value out of your miles on this route!

LATAM is the only airline to fly to Easter Island (always from Santiago, Chile), and the airline left the Oneworld alliance. Nevertheless, it still honors British Airways Avios redemptions for its network of routes!

• Santiago (SCL) – Easter Island (IPC) on LATAM

25. Fly From Los Angeles to Tokyo (British Airways Avios)

Generally, Avios are not the least expensive currency to use for long flights, but Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo (NRT or HND) is a pretty good value. This flight puts you in the 25,750 Avios distance bracket for economy flights. Don’t forget to always check taxes on these tickets; this one should run you around $160 each way.

You can fly this same route in business class for 77,250 Avios or first class for 103,000 Avios. These aren’t the best premium cabin redemptions, especially if you’re looking to connect to a further destination (since British Airways charges separately for all flights).

However, it’s still not a bad option if you want to experience Japan Airlines business or first class.

• Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo (NRT) on Japan Airlines
• Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo (HND) on Japan Airlines

Hot Tip:

26. Fly British Airways First Class and Use Travel Together To Save Even More! (British Airways Avios)

Fuel surcharges are significant if you want to fly British Airways in first class, but using your miles is still a great way to access a ticket that would otherwise cost $5,000 or more one-way — especially if you can pair your redemption with a Travel Together Ticket earned by spending on British Airways’ co-branded credit card.

A one-way award ticket to London (LHR) from Chicago (ORD) will cost between 68,000 and 80,000 British Airways Avios depending on whether you’re flying during peak or off-peak season. You can expect the fuel surcharges and taxes to be somewhere just over $700 to $1,000 in each direction.

Now, about that Travel Together Ticket. You’ll first need to get the British Airways Visa card and spend $30,000 in a year on it to earn the Travel Together Ticket.

The Travel Together Ticket will let you take a companion on a British Airways mainline flight originating in and returning to the U.S. that you’ve booked with miles. The companion will be booked in the same class as the original ticket (yes, even first!) and will only need to pay taxes, fees, and carrier charges. Lastly, the pass is good for 2 years!

Need help booking? Read our guide to help you book British Airways first class using points.

27. Fly to Hawaii on Delta in Economy From the Continental U.S. (Flying Blue)

Finding Delta Air Lines award travel with Chase Ultimate Rewards points is perhaps a little more difficult than other options, but it’s possible. Air France and KLM have a shared loyalty program called Flying Bluethat can be used to book on Delta.

A great redemption using Flying Blue miles is for a flight from the continental U.S. to Hawaii. A round-trip ticket in economy will only cost 37,000 Flying Blue miles and about $10 in fees. Flights from the East Coast U.S. can easily cost over $500 round-trip, so this is a great-value redemption that doesn’t require a bunch of miles!

Flying Blue also partners with other big rewards programs: Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.

If business class or first class is more your style, you can also book Delta One flights with Flying Blue miles.

Need help booking Delta One? Check out our easy-to-follow booking guide for Delta One.

• Seattle (SEA) – Honolulu (HNL) on Delta
• New York (LGA) – Honolulu (HNL) on Delta

28. Flying Blue Promo Rewards (Flying Blue)

Flying Blue offers amazing pricing on certain routes through its Promo Rewards program. Promo Rewards refresh every month and offer 25% or 50% off economy and business class redemptions from Europe to certain destinations around the world.

Most U.S.-based flyers will find the awards between European and North American cities to be the most useful. When Promo Rewards are offered at 50% off for the Europe/North America routes, you’ll only pay as few as 12,500 miles each way in economy and 26,500 miles each way in business class, a seriously great deal!

Surcharges are on the higher side when using Flying Blue miles, but when you consider how many miles you’ll save, it’s usually worth it.

29. Make Use of Flying Blue’s Weird Region Definitions (Flying Blue)

You can get a great deal on awards to certain locations because Flying Blue classifies a few countries in slightly strange regions. It considers Algeria, Israel, Libya, Morocco, and the Canary Islands to be part of Europe.

Right away, this means you can take advantage of Flying Blue’s regular 50,000-mile round-trips in economy and 106,000-mile round-trips in business class. These destinations also qualify for Promo Rewards (see above) between Europe and North American cities, which can save you 25% to 50% more.

• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Paris (CDG) – Casablanca (CMN) on Air France
• Raleigh-Durham (RDU) – Paris (CDG) – Algiers (ALG) on Air France

30. Fly to Mexico for the Same Price as Flying Around the U.S. (Flying Blue)

Mexico is part of the Caribbean/Central America Award Zone for many programs, but Flying Blue has Mexico in the same zone as the U.S. This means you can fly to Mexico for the same price as flying domestically: only 18,500 miles in each direction.

• Salt Lake City (SLC) – Mexico City (MEX) on Aeromexico
• Minneapolis (MSP) – Puerto Vallarta (PVR) on Delta
• Detroit (DTW) – Cancun (CUN) on Delta

31. Fly to the Caribbean From the U.S. (Flying Blue)

Flying Blue’s Caribbean prices are pretty good, too. Round-trip flights in economy only cost 30,000 miles. This is a savings of 5,000 miles per round-trip flight over what the major U.S.-based airlines will charge.

• Miami (MIA) to Guadeloupe (PTP) on Air France
• Boston (BOS) to Turks and Caicos (PLS) on Delta

32. Cheap Economy Flights to Tahiti From the U.S. (Flying Blue)

Flying Blue charges just 35,000 miles plus about $100 each way to fly in economy between the U.S. and Tahiti!

One-way tickets in economy usually cost at least $650 per person, which gets you a great value of at least 1.6 cents apiece.

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tahiti (PPT) on Air France

Hot Tip:

33. Fly Around the U.S. and Caribbean on Southwest for Cheap (Rapid Rewards Points)

Southwest offers some very inexpensive fares between certain city pairs. The number of Rapid Rewards points needed for Southwest flights usually depends on how much the flight costs, though Southwest has become a little bit less transparent about exactly how much points are worth over the past couple of years.

You’ll frequently be able to find one-way Southwest flights on sale for 6,000 Rapid Rewards points or less. And you can get even more out of your points by qualifying for the Southwest Companion Pass which lets a companion fly with you for only the cost of additional taxes.

• Burbank (BUR) – Oakland (OAK)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Sacramento (SMF)
• San Diego (SAN) – Oakland (OAK)
• Chicago (MDW) – Cayman Islands (GCM)
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – Nassau (NAS)
• Houston (HOU) – Aruba (AUA)

Hot Tip:

34. Book Tickets You Might Want To Cancel (Rapid Rewards Points)

If you’re not completely sure about your travel plans, Southwest is a great airline to consider. Southwest does not charge a fee to cancel your ticket, right up until the time a flight is set to leave.

The points you use will be returned to your Southwest account, and you’ll receive a voucher with the value of the taxes for use on a future flight.

Other airlines generally require you to purchase a much more expensive ticket if you want to be able to cancel it and will charge a fee to cancel award tickets unless you have status with that airline.

See Southwest’s route map for inspiration.

Hot Tip:

35. Cheap Economy Class Flights to Dublin From Several U.S. Cities (Aer Lingus AerClub)

As with British Airways, you can use Avios to book award flights throughthe Aer Lingus AerClub program. You can also use Avios to book through Iberia Plus. This is because all 3 of these carriers are owned by the holding company, International Airlines Group, or IAG.

However, each frequent flyer program is different and has some sweet spots. With Aer Lingus AerClub, you can use 26,000 Avios to book a round-trip economy class award ticket. This is off-peak pricing; peak pricing is 40,000 Avios round-trip.

Since this is a distance-based award chart, you can book at this rate from cities like Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK), and Newark (EWR).

Here are some other routes you can book for 26,000 Avios during off-peak days:

• Boston (BOS) – Shannon (SNN)
• Minneapolis (MSP) – Dublin (DUB)
• New York (JFK) – Shannon (SNN)
• Philadelphia (PHL) – Dublin (DUB)

If you’re interested in flying from other places, you can spend 32,500 Avios round-trip in economy from cities like Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), Orlando (MCO), San Francisco (SFO), and Seattle (SEA). Peak pricing is 50,000 Avios round-trip in economy.

36. Fly to Casablanca From New York in Business Class (Iberia Plus)

Another fun way to use Avios is through the Iberia Plus program to fly from New York (JFK) to Casablanca (CMN) in Morocco. As we discussed earlier, getting cheap flights (including award tickets) to Africa is not always easy, but this is a great option if you want to fly to the northern part of the continent.

For 46,000 Avios, you can book a one-way business class award ticket on Iberia’s partner Royal Air Maroc. Round-trip tickets will cost 100,000 Avios.

If you want to book the same award flight in economy class, it will only be 23,000 Avios for a one-way award booking. Regardless of your preferred class of service, it’s going to be tough to beat these redemption rates.

• New York (JFK) – Casablanca (CMN) on Royal Air Maroc

The 6 Best Ways To Redeem Your Chase Ultimate Rewards Points for Hotel Stays

Chase hotel partners can offer excellent rewards redemptions, from luxury overwater stays to room upgrades. See some of our favorite ways to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points with hotel partners.

1. Book Luxury Hyatt Hotels (World of Hyatt)

The award chart for World of Hyatt is one of the best for hotel stays. You can use your World of Hyatt points to stay at a standard room in a Category 1 Hyatt hotel for as few as 3,500 points.

These low-category hotels are not usually expensive, so even if it is good value to use your points, it might be worth it to save them for a luxury redemption.

For example, you can redeem your Hyatt points for luxury hotels, like the Park Hyatt Maldives or the Park Hyatt Tokyo for 25,000 to 35,000 points per night. These hotels can easily be over $1,000 per night otherwise. Or, you could stay at the Andaz 5th Avenue in New York City for 25,000 to 35,000 points per night.

2. Book All-Inclusive Hyatt Hotels (World of Hyatt)

Hyatt also has a handful of all-inclusive brands (such as Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara) where you can use your points. Depending on the hotel, a standard room with double occupancy will cost anywhere from 15,000 to 50,000 points per night during standard dates. A night in a suite at an all-inclusive property will cost 24,000 to 80,000 points during standard dates for double occupancy.

You can add extra people (up to 4 total) for 8,500 to 14,500 points per night during standard dates. You’ll have all of your meals and drinks included with your room at these hotels, so while the cost is quite high, consider the whole package value.

We’re big fans of the Hotel Ziva Cancun and Hotel Zilara Cap Cana.

In addition, you can redeem World of Hyatt points for stays at AMResorts properties, including Secrets, Zoetry, Dreams, and more! Note that all of Hyatt’s all-inclusive properties follow their own award chart.

3. Upgrade Your Room at a Hyatt (World of Hyatt)

Hyatt’s upgrade chart is reasonable and can present some great value. An upgrade to a Club Room costs 3,000 points per night. This will give you access to the lounge, which will probably mean some free snacks and drinks. What an easy way to save yourself some money at the bar.

It’s also possible to use your World of Hyatt points to upgrade your room to a suite. The cost is only 6,000 points per night, and you’ll also have access to the hotel lounge if your hotel has one.

4. Save Some Points With a Points + Cash Rate (World of Hyatt)

In addition to having a great all-points award chart, Hyatt also gives you the option to redeem points and cash for a stay. The points cost is half of what the cost would be if only using points, and there is a cash portion to make up the difference.

The cash price you pay is 50% to 70% of the standard rate.

There are a couple of great reasons to redeem your World Hyatt points this way. First, the value per point is often higher. Second, these nights count toward qualifying for elite status, and you can also use benefits of elite status like Globalist Suite Upgrade Awards on your booking.

You can use Globalist Suite Upgrade Awards on points rates, but not free night certificate rates.

5. Stay at a Marriott Hotel Brand (Marriott Bonvoy)

Compared to all of Chase’s other transfer partners, you may struggle to find good value using your points with Marriott Bonvoy.

You might find that Points + Cash stays have some value, and you might want to upgrade your room starting at 5,000 points per night. Generally, you’ll get much better upgrades with Hyatt, though, and its upgrades don’t cost as many points.

Generally, these rooms are not going to cost very much, so make sure to check the value you are getting from your points before you book.

A couple of our favorite Marriott hotels include the St. Regis Bora Bora Resort and The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles.

6. Use Miles for Hotel Stays (Virgin Points)

Virgin Atlantic doesn’t always have the best award redemption charts for flights. With the exception of using Virgin Atlantic for ANA redemptions, Virgin Atlantic redemptions are often expensive and not worth it.

However, one of the better redemptions you can make with Virgin Points has nothing to do with flying. Virgin Atlantic has partnered with Hilton Honors and offers a 2:3 transfer ratio between the programs.

This means you can transfer 10,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to 10,000 Virgin Points, and then transfer those 10,000 Virgin Points to 15,000 Hilton points. With Hilton, 15,000 points are enough for a 3-night stay at hotels charging 5,000 points per night. These hotels are lightly sprinkled around the world, mainly South America.

We like the Motto by Hilton New York City Times Square and Conrad Hong Kong, among others.

How To Transfer Your Ultimate Rewards to Airline and Hotel Transfer Partners

1. Navigate to Chase’s website and log in to your account.

2. Select Go to Ultimate Rewards on the bottom-left side of your account screen.

3. Select the account with the points you would like to use.

4. At the top of the screen, hover over the Use Points drop-down menu and select Transfer to Travel Partners.

5. Select the program you would like to transfer points to. In this case, we will select Air France-KLM Flying Blue.

6. Add your member ID and select Continue.

7. Enter the number of miles you would like to transfer and select Continue.

8. Review your transfer details. Remember that once you initiate the transfer, you can’t return miles to your Chase account. Click Confirm and Submitwhen you’re ready to complete your transfer.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, you now know plenty more about the best ways to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points!

While you could use one of the many online travel portals to find cheap cash flights, use points for statement credit, or redeem for gift cards, transferring points to partners using a Chase card offers the amazing travel opportunities outlined above.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points will get you domestic and international flight travel and hotel stays across the world for maximum value when transferring to partners — but only if applied strategically.

With a little planning, you’ll be flying to Australia and Fiji for dirt cheap, or enjoying a trip across the U.S. with your family for far fewer points than you would expect.

If you need more of these points for your next award, you can utilize an Ultimate Rewards card, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, Freedom Unlimited card, or Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card.

For rates and fees of the American Express^® Gold Card, clickhere.