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What is the best way to use Chase points for travel? I always use them in the app, but I hear it's better to transfer them. I'm planning a trip to Japan in the fall and want to make the most of my 70,000 points. (This question has been edited for clarity and brevity.)
Katie has the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) and the United℠ Explorer Card (see rates and fees). In addition to 70,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, Katie has accumulated 85,000 United miles.
She wants to travel from Newark, New Jersey, to Tokyo, Japan, in early November and needs to book flights for three people, including one child under two years old. She's hoping to use miles for one flight and expects to pay cash for the others.
Here are the main ways I would consider using Chase Ultimate Rewards® points in Katie's situation, and the option that stands out as the best approach.
Using Chase points to get to Japan
- Pay for flights to Japan with Chase points
- Transfer Chase points to an airline
- How I'd book Katie's trip to Japan using Chase points
Pay for flights with Chase points
The easiest way to use Chase Ultimate Rewards® points for travel is to book through the Chase Travel℠ portal or book with your Chase card and redeem points for a statement credit. With both options, your points are worth 1 cent each. If Katie wants to keep it simple, her Chase points would be worth at least $700 in flights, hotels or rental cars when booked this way.
Chase does offer a Points Boost feature, which can increase the value of points earned with the Sapphire Reserve to as high as 2 cents apiece for eligible Chase Travel bookings. This feature isn't available on every flight, but in a best-case scenario, 70,000 Chase points would be worth up to $1,400 in flights.
Overall, this redemption option is generally the most useful when you have set travel dates, can't find open award flights or don't have enough points to book an award flight.
Transfer Chase points to an airline
The most impactful way to use Chase Ultimate Rewards® points to travel to Japan (or almost anywhere else) is to transfer them to one of Chase's airline partners. To unlock the ability to transfer Chase points, you'll need one of the following Chase credit cards:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card packs a punch for a $95 annual fee card, offering annual travel credits, comprehensive travel protections and more.
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase's travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Long list of travel and shopping protections
- $50 annual Chase Travel hotel credit
- Has an annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM, 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 TravelSM
- 10% anniversary points boost - each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Deciding which airline to move your points to is the hardest part of booking award travel, and it's also the most important. Depending on the program you use, you could pay far more in points or taxes and fees for the same flight. Even the flight options you have differ based on an airline's partners.
Chase has 10 airline partners (plus four hotel partners), which is a lot to consider.
Chase Ultimate Rewards® transfer partners
| Chase transfer partner | Transfer ratio |
|---|---|
| Aer Lingus AerClub | 1:1 |
| The British Airways Club | 1:1 |
| Flying Blue (Air France and KLM) | 1:1 |
| Iberia Club | 1:1 |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1:1 |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 1:1 |
| Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards | 1:1 |
| United MileagePlus | 1:1 |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1:1 |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1:1 |
| IHG One Rewards | 1:1 |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 1:1 |
| World of Hyatt | 1:1 |
| Wyndham Rewards | 1:1 |
How I'd book Katie's trip to Japan using Chase points
Luckily for Katie, a few details about her situation make this part of the process much easier.
Firstly, she has 85,000 United miles and the United℠ Explorer Card. Since she already has a stash of United miles, booking with United Airlines is likely to provide the highest value, even though other Chase partners may have lower award prices. Plus, Newark is a United hub, so she has access to direct flights to Japan, which makes traveling with a small child slightly less anxiety-inducing.
The United℠ Explorer Card is worth it even if you only fly with United Airlines once or twice a year because you can take advantage of two United Club℠ passes per year when the primary cardmember or authorized user is traveling and you can receive free checked bags.
- No annual fee for the first year
- Unlocks upgrades for elite members on award flights
- Two free United Club airport lounge passes every year
- Valuable United Airlines perks, such as in-flight purchase discounts and the ability to earn elite status credit through credit card spending
- First checked bag free benefit requires you to pay for the flight with the card
- United Airlines has a dynamic award chart which can limit the value and flexibility of your miles
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn up to 60,000 bonus miles
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
- NEW! 9x total miles on eligible United flights and 3x miles on all other eligible United® purchases
- 2x miles on dining and hotel stays when booked with the hotel. 1x mile on all other purchases.
- Free first checked bag - a savings of up to $200 per roundtrip. Terms Apply. Plus, priority boarding on United® flights.
- 2 United Club one-time passes per year - over a $100 value
- Over $500 in partner credits each year
- NEW! Save 10% or more when booking flights with miles. Premier members save even more.
- Member FDIC
Chase points transfer to United Airlines at a 1:1 ratio, so she can combine her points balances into one United Airlines account for a total of 155,000 United miles.
What makes United an even better choice for her is that United Explorer cardmembers have expanded access to United Saver Awards (the cheapest reward flights) and receive a 10% discount on award flights (or a 15% discount with elite status). Plus, United has reasonable taxes and fees on most award flights.
With the cardholder discount, United flights from Newark to Tokyo are widely available this fall for 99,000 miles round-trip. That leaves Katie roughly 43,000 miles shy of being able to book a second flight with rewards.
Buying additional United miles for award flexibility
A non-trivial part of parenting is adjusting your life at the last minute when your child's sick. As a traveling parent, flexibility is unusually valuable. One thing that's easy to overlook with award travel is that you typically have more flexibility when booking with miles than when paying for the cheapest basic economy tickets.
United economy awards have no change or cancellation fees up until your flight departs and no fees for standard seat selection. For this trip, buying a fully refundable economy fare costs $500 to $600 more than a basic economy ticket. So there's hidden value in award travel.
While Katie is about 43,000 miles short of being able to book two award flights to Japan, you can purchase up to 50,000 United miles every 90 days. This generally isn't a cost-effective way to travel, but there are frequent sales: Through May 4, 2026, you can buy United miles for 50% off when you purchase 10,000 miles or more. With this sale, 43,000 United miles would cost $752.50.
At the end of the day, Katie could book two flexible flights to Japan for 198,000 miles and roughly $850 in out-of-pocket costs (purchasing additional miles, plus taxes and fees). At the time of writing, a third refundable ticket would cost around $2,100 or just under $1,500 for a more restrictive basic economy fare.
Additional considerations
Katie's child is young enough to qualify as a lap infant, but she'd rather get the baby its own seat, which is understandable. After booking, she can call United to request a baby bassinet for the flights, if her child is under the size limits.
Baby bassinets aren't an option on every flight and are first come, first served. They are also only available for bulkhead seats, which are the seats at the front of the cabin, so you may have to pay extra for those seats.
Since this trip mixes cash flights and award flights, it will have to be booked under two separate reservations. You can call United to have the reservation linked, which should reduce the chances of getting split up if seat assignments are changed. Also, the child will need to be on a reservation with an adult.
I recommend paying for the flights with the Chase Sapphire Reserve because it has excellent travel protections for luggage, trip delays, cancellations and more. Award flights qualify for the same coverage as long as you pay the taxes and fees with your Sapphire Reserve card.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a standout premium credit card with plenty of luxury perks and statement credits to justify its annual fee.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests.
- Up to $300 in annual travel credit each account anniversary year
- You can transfer rewards to all of Chase's travel partners including World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards and many more
- Top-tier travel and shopping protections
- High annual fee
- Requires a high credit score
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select's editorial staff.
- Earn 150,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get $3,000 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase TravelSM, including The EditSM and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority PassTM Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music — all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 — a value of $288 annually
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
The United Explorer Card does grant the cardholder and a companion a free first checked bag when you pay for the flight (or the taxes on award flights) with the card. But in this case, Katie's international flights with United already include one or two free checked bags per person, depending on the fare class. Plus, you can check a stroller and car seat for the baby at no additional charge.
All in all, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is a more useful payment option, since its travel protections add more value than a redundant checked bag perk.
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