Shop Through Chase: How to Maximize Chase Travel Points, Transfer Bonuses, and Ultimate Rewards

Nowadays it seems that every credit card company offers discounted travel as a major benefit to attract and keep customers. Travel rewards are offered by all of the major credit card companies including Chase, American Express, Capital One, and Citi Card, enticing cardholders to redeem points earned by using their card to travel the world.  

Of course, utilizing your credit card to earn travel discounts will also lead to current charges as you explore domestic and international destinations, which is why virtually every credit card company, large and small, offers travel discounts as a central focus of their marketing strategy.  

For the purposes of this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the Chase Travel Portal, one of the most popular places for holders of Chase credit cards to shop for discounted flights, hotels, rental cars, and even cruises. Points can also be redeemed for merchandise, but greater value is found by using your points for travel.  

Who’s Eligible to Use the Chase Travel Portal? 

Eligibility to take advantage of travel discount benefits offered is restricted to cardholders of the various Chase credit cards. So, all you need to do is apply for a card, get approved, and of course use the card to earn “Ultimate Rewards” points. In addition to travel benefits, Chase credit card reward points can also be used to purchase gift cards or earn a statement credit. Not surprisingly, travel discounts are the most popular redemption for Chase’s millions of customers.  

Do All Chase Credit Cards Earn Rewards Points? 

This is the most important question to ask if you plan to take advantage of Chase travel discounts. And the answer is no, there are exceptions to which Chase credit cards will earn you Ultimate Rewards points. Chase branded cards are the only ones where rewards are earned. These include the Chase Sapphire Rewards, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Freedom Unlimited, Chase Freedom Flex, and Chase Freedom Rise credit cards. The various Chase Ink business travel cards also earn reward points. 

Cards that are managed by Chase but branded by United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Marriott, and Disney do not earn Ultimate Rewards.  

Click this link for detailed information about all Chase credit cards, including annual fee requirements.  

While JP Morgan Chase is the corporate umbrella for both banks, JP Morgan targets ultra-affluent clients with their JP Morgan Reserve credit card. JP Morgan offers a separate travel portal for their customers.  

Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Are Easy to Earn and Redeem 

There’s really no magic to stockpiling points in this or any other credit card travel rewards program. Just use your card as often as you can and the points will add up. Of course, while the credit card company wants you to carry a balance from month to month and in turn pay interest, we’ll leave it up to you to pay off or pay down your card as quickly as possible. 

Your redemption values will vary depending on which Chase credit card you carry. For example, when shopping on the Chase Travel Portal each point is worth 1.5 cents if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, but just 1.25 cents in value if you carry the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. Over time this .25 cents differential does add up, so choose wisely when you decide which card to apply for. The values vary with each card category, as does the annual membership fee.  

The beauty of the Chase travel reward program is that it allows you to use only points if you have enough to cover the cost of your booking, or a combination of points and cash. Another extremely popular option is transferring your points to a loyalty program partner where your points may be more valuable to you. There are 11 airline partners and three hotel partners participating in the Chase program.  

Does Chase Travel Offer Competitive Prices? 

As with all travel rewards programs there is a wide range of opinions when it comes to determining if the prices offered by a particular credit card company are worth booking, or are you better served shopping around. The general consensus about the Chase program is that it can frequently be a good place to book your hotel accommodation or rental car, but that airfares are sometimes another story. Yes, Chase’s pricing is competitive, but we do recommend shopping elsewhere just to be sure that you aren’t paying too much or redeeming more travel points than necessary. 

How Can I Best Compare Chase Travel’s Hotel Prices? 

Our of our favorite travel sites for comparison hotel shopping is Deal Miner, a fabulous new browser extension that is easy to download and just as easy to utilize. Deal Miner works seamlessly in conjunction with the Chase Travel portal so that you will be instantly provided with competitive pricing options for the identical property from other websites, or you will be advised that you have found the best deal available with Chase. Deal Miner searches sites including Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Travelocity, Orbitz, and others to ensure that you don’t pay more than necessary. Deal Miner is available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari on your laptop, iPhone, and iPad. 

It's important to consider when booking flights with Chase or any other company that isn’t the actual provider of the air transportation, you will be making your plans with a third-party reservations company. What does this mean? It means that should you need to amend your reservation for any number of reasons, you first must work through your booking “agent” who is Chase, and not directly with the airline. If you run into a lengthy flight delay or cancellation and need to get rebooked, you should first contact Chase rather than the airline for assistance unless the carrier is fully staffed at the airport to assist you quickly.  

Basic reservations are fine to make with Chase Travel, but it is recommended that more complicated itineraries be managed on the airline’s website. The good news is if earning airline “status” is important to you, Chase Travel Ultimate Rewards bookings are considered the same as paying with cash, so you will still earn frequent flyer miles or any other points to help you qualify.  

Some Final Thoughts 

Chase Travel is a great option for many distinct kinds of travel plans, whether you are seeking flights, a place to stay, a rental car, are looking at cruises, or for other travel related activities. However, don’t just assume that redeeming your Ultimate Rewards travel points is the best way to go. We understand how tempting it can be to cash in your points but cashing them in isn’t always the best way to stretch your travel dollars. 

A surprising number of consumers carry multiple credit cards that offer travel rewards. You may have a Delta American Express card as well as an AAdvantage Visa from American Airlines. Perhaps you also have Hilton and Marriott credit cards, using each depending on where you spend the night. Travel experts agree that using fewer cards will make it easier to accrue the required points for a free or reduced price stay in the future.  

Happy trails and have fun exploring our fascinating world.