If you have been in the points and miles game for any length of time, you’ve likely heard that you should earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points. But once you’ve earned the points, what happens next? What’s the best way to understand how to maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards?

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know to earn as well as redeem Chase points. The goal is to show you not only how easy it is to the points, but also how to redeem them. From hotel stays to premium cabin award flights, there’s a ton of value to be had when redeeming Chase points.

How to Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards

Chase has 3 credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points with your spending. These cards as the Chase Sapphire Preferred®, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, and the Ink Business Preferred^SM. The points that you earn from these cards can be transferred directly to Chase’s hotel and airline partners.

There are also Chase cards that earn cashback. The cashback earned from these cards can be converted into Chase points if you have an Ultimate Rewards card. Business cashback cards include the Ink Business Unlimited^SM and Ink Business Cash^SM. Personal cashback cards include the Chase Freedom Unlimited® and Chase Freedom®.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Cards

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is the best Ultimate Rewards card to start with. Cardmembers benefits include:

• 60,000 point signup bonus
• Earn 2X points on travel and dining
• Redeem points at 1.25 cents/point for travel in the Ultimate Rewards portal
• No foreign transaction fees
• Earn 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2022
• $500 trip delay reimbursement for a 12 hour or more delay
• $95 annual fee

The big brother to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® is the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. As a cardmember you’ll receive:

• 50,000 point signup bonus
• $300 annual travel credit
• 3X points on travel and dining
• Redeem points at 1.5 cents/point for travel in the Ultimate Rewards portal
• Benefits at the Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection^SM
• Earn 10X points on Lyft rides through March 2022
• Receive up to 15% off every Lyft car ride
• 1 year of Lyft Pink
• No foreign transaction fees
• $500 trip delay reimbursement for a 6 hour or more delay
• $550 annual fee

Chase has 1 business Ultimate Rewards card in the Ink Business Preferred^SM. Business owners who have this card receive:

• 80,000 point signup bonus
• Earn 3X points the first $150,000 on travel, shipping, Internet, cable and phone services, and on advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines
• Redeem points at 1.25 cents/point for travel in the Ultimate Rewards portal
• No foreign transaction fees
• $600 cell phone protection for theft or damage

Chase Cashback Cards

As an Ink Business Cash^SM cardmember, you’ll receive the following card benefits:

• $500 sign up bonus that converts to 50,000 points
• 5% cashback on the first $25,000 at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services
• 2% cashback on the first $25,000 at gas stations and restaurants

Another cashback business card is Ink Business Unlimited^SM. You’ll receive the following benefits as a cardmember:

• $500 signup bonus that converts to 50,000 points
• Earn 1.5% cashback, or 1.5X points on all transactions

Travelers who have the Chase Freedom® receive these benefits:

• $200 signup bonus that converts to 20,000 points
• No annual fee
• 5% cashback or 5X points in bonus categories each quarter

The personal credit card equivalent to the Ink Business Unlimited^SM is the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. Cardmembers receive these benefits:

• $200 signup bonus that converts to 20,000 points
• Earn unlimited 1.5% cashback or 1.5X points per transaction
• No annual fee

How to Maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards

With all of these points, let’s dive into how to maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards. Chase has 10 airline transfer partners and 3 hotel transfer partners. Not all partners are created equal so you’ll want to focus on the high-value partners when transferring your points.

Airline partners that provide high-value include British Airways, Flying Blue, Iberia, Singapore Airlines, United Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic. Hyatt is the lone hotel partner that provides high-value. With that said, below are the ways to receive value with your Chase points:

• 4,500+ British Airways Avios for intra-region partner flights
• 20,000+ Hyatt points for a luxury Hyatt hotel stay
• 34,000 Iberia Avios for Iberia business class to Spain
• 110,000 Flying Club miles for ANA roundtrip first class to Japan
• 132,000 KrisFlyer miles for Singapore Suites to Singapore

Conclusion on How to Maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards

It’s one thing to be able to earn a ton of points and another to know how to redeem them. Most travelers have little trouble on the earning front. When it comes time to use the points, they get stuck. When you redeem your Chase points, shoot for receiving at least 1.7 cents per point in value. With that target, you’re all but guaranteed to receive a solid return on your points.

What about you? How do you maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards? Please let me know in the comments below or by sending me an email on my contact page.

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