When and how to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for hotel stays
There are many reasons why Chase Ultimate Rewards is one of the most popular transferable points currencies.
There's the 5/24 rule, which incentivizes people to apply for Chase cards first. There's the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, the nearly universally recommended starter card for someone new to the points hobby. There's the fact that Chase defines its bonus categories more broadly than Citi and Amex. And finally, there's Chase's array of valuable transfer partners.
Today, we look at one specific area in which the program has a significant competitive advantage: redeeming Chase points for hotels. There are several valuable ways to put your Ultimate Rewards points toward your next hotel stay. Any of them could make sense under the right circumstances.
What are Chase's hotel partners?
You can transfer your Ultimate Rewards points on a 1:1 basis to the following Chase hotel partners:
You can also book virtually any hotel worldwide using Ultimate Rewards points through the Chase Travel Portal, which we will explain below.
How do I earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points?
There are many ways to earn 1 to 10 Chase points per dollar spent. The exact amount you earn will vary depending on the specific Chase credit card you carry.
The first three cards below earn fully transferable Ultimate Rewards points all by themselves, while the remaining four are technically billed as cash-back credit cards. However, if you have an Ultimate Rewards-earning card, you can effectively convert your cash-back rewards into Ultimate Rewards points. For this reason, it can make sense to have more than one Chase card to maximize your earning and redeeming potential.
Here are the cards that allow you to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points:
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Welcome bonus: 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
Why you want it: This is a fantastic all-around travel credit card. It earns points at the following rates:
- 5 points per dollar spent on Lyft (through March 2025)
- 5 points per dollar spent on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3 points per dollar spent on dining, including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out
- 3 points per dollar spent on select streaming services
- 3 points per dollar spent on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- 2 points per dollar spent on all other travel
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
The Sapphire Preferred has no foreign transaction fees and comes with many travel perks, including delayed baggage insurance, trip interruption/cancellation insurance and primary car rental insurance.
Annual fee: $95
Application link: Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Welcome bonus: 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
Why you want it: The Sapphire Reserve offers earning power paired with travel perks that can easily cover the annual fee. It earns points at the following rates:
- 10 points per dollar spent on Lyft (through March 2025)
- 10 points per dollar spent on Chase Dining booked through Ultimate Rewards
- 10 points per dollar spent on hotel and car rental purchases through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal
- 5 points per dollar spent on airline travel booked through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal
- 3 points per dollar spent on travel not booked through Chase
- 3 points per dollar spent on other dining purchases
- 1 point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases
Other perks include an easy-to-use $300 annual travel credit and a fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (up to $100 once every four years), as well as Priority Pass Select lounge access and entry to a growing list of new Sapphire lounges. This is one of the few cards that allows you to use your Priority Pass membership for discounted meals in airport restaurants. Cardholders also get primary car rental coverage, trip interruption/cancellation insurance and other protections.
Annual fee: $550
Application link: Chase Sapphire Reserve
Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
Welcome bonus: 100,000 points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
Why you want it: This is one of the best credit cards for small-business owners, earning 3 points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable and phone services, advertising made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year. You earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases, and points don't expire as long as your account is open.
Annual fee: $95
Application link: Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
Cash-back Chase credit cards
There are also four Chase credit cards that are technically cash-back products. However, if you have one of the three cards noted above, you can combine your points into a single account, converting these cash-back rewards into fully transferable Ultimate Rewards points.
Even better? None of these cards charge an annual fee.
Here are the four cards that offer this functionality:
- Chase Freedom Flex: Earn $200 after you spend $500 in the first three months of account opening. Earn 5% back on select bonus categories, which rotate every quarter, and apply up to $1,500 in combined spending (activation required). Plus, earn 5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% on dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery services) and 3% on drugstore purchases.
- Chase Freedom Unlimited: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year), worth up to $300 cash back.
- Ink Business Cash Credit Card: Earn up to $750: $350 bonus cash back after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months, and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months from account opening. Earn 5% cash back on the first $25,000 in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year (then 1%). Earn 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year (then 1%).
- Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card: Earn $750 cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Earn unlimited 1.5% cash-back rewards on every purchase.
Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt
Chase's secret maximization weapon is the lucrative World of Hyatt loyalty program, a 1:1 transfer partner. While most advice about redeeming flexible points for maximum value centers around airline transfer partners, Hyatt's very reasonable award chart is a compelling exception.
You'll find sweet-spot redemptions at both the upper and lower ends of the chart, with free night awards starting from just 3,500 points per night on off-peak dates.
| Hotel category | Off-peak points per night | Standard points per night | Peak points per night |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3,500 | 5,000 | 6,500 |
| 2 | 6,500 | 8,000 | 9,500 |
| 3 | 9,000 | 12,000 | 15,000 |
| 4 | 12,000 | 15,000 | 18,000 |
| 5 | 17,000 | 20,000 | 23,000 |
| 6 | 21,000 | 25,000 | 29,000 |
| 7 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 |
| 8 | 35,000 | 40,000 | 45,000 |
Sometimes, it can be hard to conceptualize what a 60,000-point credit card sign-up bonus will actually get you, especially if you're new to the points world. Hyatt makes it easy, as that sign-up bonus could be worth 12 nights (during standard pricing dates) at Category 1 hotels.
Another easy way to redeem your Hyatt points well above TPG's 1.7 cent valuation is to look at Category 7 hotels. While the award chart above has a higher tier (Category 8), those properties require a significant premium over Category 7 resorts. Those additional 10,000 points per night may not be worth it.
There are several luxurious Category 7 Hyatt hotels that cost 25,000 points during off-peak dates, 30,000 points on standard pricing dates and 35,000 points during the peak season, including Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali, Indonesia, and the famous Park Hyatt Tokyo. These properties can charge $600 (or more) per night, providing great opportunities to meet or exceed TPG's Hyatt valuation of 1.7 cents per point.
Finally, it's worth looking closely at the 350-plus luxury resorts from SLH that have now been integrated into the World of Hyatt program. In some cases, 40,000 Chase points transferred to Hyatt could snag you a villa that covers thousands of square feet in remote locales, such as the Viceroy Bali or the Amani Boutique Hotel in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
Related: How long do Chase Ultimate Rewards take to transfer?
Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Marriott Bonvoy
Unlike American Express and Citi, which routinely offer transfer bonuses to select partners or even permanently increase transfer rates, Chase tends to stick to a 1:1 transfer ratio for its 11 airline and three hotel partners. You might think this is a generous decision, especially since it works out in your favor with Hyatt. However, many hotel chains have award charts with much higher (arguably inflated) redemption rates.
While the most you'd ever pay for a free night at a top-tier Hyatt property is 45,000 points, Marriott now uses dynamic pricing, meaning there are no limits to how many points a hotel might cost per night. In fact, six-figure redemptions are not uncommon.
Generally speaking, transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Marriott presents a significant loss in value. TPG values Ultimate Rewards points at 2 cents each and Marriott points at 0.84 cents each, but you could give up even more value. For the same number of Chase points you'd redeem for a Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa room costing more than $1,000 during standard pricing, you could book a night at the Courtyard Bali Seminyak Resort.
So, does it ever make sense to transfer Chase points to Marriott? With the arguments against doing so clearly laid out, here are a few scenarios where it might make sense:
- If your Marriott points are set to expire, transferring 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points is a quick way to keep them alive.
- If there's a transfer bonus (like the current 50% offer available through Sept. 30, 2023), you can top up your Marriott Bonvoy account for a specific valuable redemption.
- Marriott points are incredibly versatile beyond hotel bookings. That's because Marriott is the only transfer partner for some valuable (but hard to earn) airline miles, such as Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and Korean Air SkyPass. Remember that Marriott points transfer 3:1 to airline partners (plus a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 points transferred), so you'll be losing even more value. Still, it might make sense if you're just shy of the points needed to book one of these sweet spots.
If paid rates are low for your desired dates, you could opt to redeem your points directly through Chase Travel at a rate of 1.25 cents apiece for the Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred or 1.5 cents apiece for the Sapphire Reserve. However, this counts as a third-party booking, so you won't be eligible to earn Marriott points, and you likely won't enjoy any applicable Marriott elite status perks.
Related: 9 things to consider when choosing to book via a portal vs. booking directly
Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to IHG One Rewards
For all the reasons that transferring Ultimate Rewards points to Marriott is bad, transferring to the IHG One Rewards program can be even worse. In addition to there being no airline transfer partners, IHG's award pricing is even more inflated than Marriott's, meaning the same number of points don't get you as far.
Like Marriott, the program doesn't publish a full award chart. To check the rates, search for your specific dates and see how many points you need.
Take the Holiday Inn Express Columbus — Ohio Expo Center. You can reserve the hotel for 24,000 IHG One Rewards points.
TPG values 16,000 Chase points at $320, but the cash rate for this same room is just $116. In other words, the value you'll get for your Chase points is severely below average.
Like with Marriott, you might find value in transferring Chase points to IHG to keep IHG points from expiring or if you're just short of a redemption — especially if you have access to the fourth-night-free perk with the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. Otherwise, it's almost always a bad idea.
Chase Ultimate Rewards portal and pay with points bonus
If you're a free-agent traveler and not loyal to a single hotel chain, you might find the best value options by booking your hotels directly through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. This is especially true if you hold the Chase Sapphire Reserve — which allows you to redeem points for travel at a rate of 1.5 cents each — or the Sapphire Preferred or the Ink Business Preferred, both of which allow redemptions at 1.25 cents.
Alternatively, you can book paid stays through the Chase travel portal and earn bonus rewards on those purchases (10 points per dollar spent on the Sapphire Reserve and 5 points per dollar spent on the Sapphire Preferred). This also would allow you to take advantage of the yearly $50 statement credit you get on the Sapphire Preferred for hotel purchases through the Chase travel portal.
However, as mentioned above, these bookings are made through a third-party online travel agency. As a result, you won't earn hotel points or hotel elite night credits in most cases, and if you already have elite status, you might not receive the benefits you're used to enjoying. This option is thus best for booking smaller boutique hotels that don't participate in a major loyalty program.
Bottom line
One of the best uses of Chase Ultimate Rewards points is transferring them to Hyatt and redeeming them at low-category or high-end properties. Outside of that, given the high award rates of Marriott Bonvoy and IHG One Rewards, you might be better off looking at boutique properties (or forgoing your elite benefits) by booking directly through the Chase portal.
So is it ever worth transferring Chase points to IHG One Rewards or Marriott Bonvoy for a hotel redemption? If there's a transfer bonus or you're just trying to top up your account for a specific redemption, there are cases where it makes sense. Just be sure to crunch the numbers and check to make sure you're not using Chase points for subpar value.