Is Chase Travel Worth It for Hotels? Insider Tips on Saving Money and Maximizing Points

Booking hotels through Chase Travel is an attractive strategy for anyone with a Chase credit card, especially if you love maximizing your Chase Ultimate Rewards points. But is Chase Travel always your best bet? Let’s explore when booking through Chase Travel makes sense, when it doesn’t, and how to guarantee you’re truly getting the best deal.

First Things First: What Is Chase Travel?

Chase Travel is Chase Bank's dedicated travel booking portal, similar to Expedia or Booking.com. You can book hotels, flights, rental cars, and more using either cash, Ultimate Rewards points, or a mix of both.

Chase Travel Portal Hotel Search

Booking Hotels: Paying with Cash vs. Redeeming Points

Booking with Cash to Earn Maximum Points

Using cash for hotel stays through Chase Travel can significantly boost your point earnings, depending on your Chase card:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve: Earns 10x points on hotels (~15% back)
• Chase Sapphire Preferred: Earns 5x points on hotels (~6.25% back)
• Chase Freedom Unlimited or Flex: Earns 5% cashback (or 5x Ultimate Rewards points when combined with Sapphire cards)

For example, booking a $400 hotel stay through Chase Travel with the Sapphire Reserve earns you 4,000 points—worth about $60 towards future travel.

Redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards Points for Hotels

Redeeming points through Chase Travel gets you fixed point values:

• Sapphire Reserve: 1.5 cents per point (e.g., 10,000 points = $150)
• Sapphire Preferred / Ink Preferred: 1.25 cents per point
• Freedom cards (without Sapphire): 1 cent per point

Before redeeming points, always check if transferring them to Chase’s hotel or airline partners (like Hyatt or United) could give you greater value, which is often the case.

Chase shows how many points you need to make a reservation

Always Compare Prices: Watch Out for Hidden Taxes and Fees

Hotel booking websites frequently display initial prices differently, making comparisons tricky. The initial low price you see may not include resort fees, taxes, or other hidden costs, causing the "cheapest" option to become surprisingly expensive at checkout.

For example:

• Hotel A is $190/night on Expedia, but at checkout, you discover a hidden $35/night resort fee, making it $225 total.
• The same hotel is listed as $210/night on Chase Travel, but the resort fee is already included. The Chase price ends up cheaper.

Real life example when cheaper price on Booking.com becomes more expensive on checkout

Doing the Math: Exactly How Much Cheaper Does Another Site Need to Be?

Let's crunch the numbers:

• Booking a $500 hotel via Chase Travel with Sapphire Reserve earns 5,000 points (worth about $75).
• Booking elsewhere, you’ll still earn 3x points on Sapphire Reserve (1,500 points, worth about $22.50).
• The difference: $75 (Chase Travel) – $22.50 (elsewhere) = $52.50.

This means a competing website needs to offer at least $52.50 cheaper (total final price $447.50 or less) to justify not booking through Chase.

My Insider Tip: Using Deal Miner to Effortlessly Ensure You're Getting the Best Price

Price-checking hotels across multiple websites at checkout can be tedious. Here's my personal secret to avoiding that hassle: Deal Miner, a handy browser extension I discovered that automatically searches behind the scenes for better, non-public hotel rates while I browse Chase Travel.

Here’s why Deal Miner has become my favorite travel hack:

• Instant Price Clarity: It automatically compares the final total prices (including taxes and fees) from other websites against the price displayed on Chase Travel. If Deal Miner shows a cheaper price, it's genuinely cheaper—no hidden surprises at checkout.
• Saves Time & Effort: No need to manually juggle multiple browser tabs or dig through checkout pages.
• Peace of Mind: I confidently book knowing I’ve found the best possible price without extra hassle.

When I browse on Chase Travel, Deal Miner organically pops up if it detects a genuinely lower hidden rate elsewhere, making sure I'm always getting the best deal.

Deal Miner found a deal $168 cheaper than in Chase

Chase Card-Specific Benefits for Hotel Bookings

Not all Chase cards are created equal. Here’s how each card stacks up for booking hotels through Chase Travel:

• Chase Freedom Unlimited / Flex:
  Earns 5% cashback (or 5x Ultimate Rewards points when combined with a Sapphire card).
  Points worth 1 cent each unless paired with Sapphire cards.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95 annual fee):
  Earns 5x points (~6.25% back) on Chase Travel.
  Points worth 1.25 cents when redeeming through Chase Travel.
  Includes a valuable $50 annual hotel credit when booking through Chase Travel.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve ($550 annual fee)—Best for frequent travelers:
  Earns 10x points (~15% back) on hotels booked via Chase Travel.
  Points worth 1.5 cents each on Chase Travel bookings.
  Offers a generous $300 annual travel credit, which you can use toward hotel bookings.

If you frequently book hotels, Sapphire Reserve is typically the most rewarding choice.

Loyalty Programs & Elite Status: Recent Improvements

Previously, booking hotels through Chase Travel usually meant losing hotel loyalty perks and points. But Chase recently introduced select hotel bookings (such as Hyatt and certain luxury hotels in Chase's "Edit Collection") that count towards hotel loyalty programs and honor elite status benefits—even when booked via Chase Travel.

Always check for the "loyalty eligible" indication on hotel listings if maintaining hotel status matters to you.

How a hotel participating in The Edit program looks

Customer Support Considerations

Chase Travel typically offers solid customer support, with helpful agents available by phone. However, you will almost always need to call Chase directly for any cancellations or booking changes. This is usually straightforward but may be less convenient if you're traveling internationally, facing roaming charges, or dealing with different time zones.

When Deal Miner indicates a significantly lower price through a third-party website, always factor in that site's customer support quality and cancellation flexibility when deciding if it’s worth booking outside of Chase Travel.

Final Verdict: When Should You Use Chase Travel?

Book via Chase Travel if:

✅ Final checkout price is within roughly 10–15% of competitors' prices.
✅ You're earning significant points (Sapphire Reserve or Preferred).
✅ The booking is marked "loyalty eligible."

Consider Alternatives if:

❌ Another site, as clearly shown by Deal Miner, offers a substantially cheaper final checkout price (10–15% less or more).
❌ You want maximum convenience, especially for international changes, without the need for phone calls.

Bottom Line: Maximize Your Hotel Savings with These Insider Tips

To truly make Chase Travel worth it, remember to always:

• Verify final prices at checkout to account for resort fees and taxes.
• Do the quick math to see exactly how much cheaper another site needs to be.
• Use Deal Miner (my favorite insider tip!) to automatically and effortlessly ensure you're always getting the best possible rate.

Follow these strategies, and you’ll confidently book hotels knowing you’ve maximized savings and rewards every time.

Safe and savvy travels!