The Chase Travel Portal – Full Guide [2024]

Chase Ultimate Rewards is one of the major transferrable points programs and a favorite among many travelers. Points are easy to earn and can be transferred to many different hotel and airline partners. But you can also book travel directly through Chase’s travel portal using Ultimate Rewards points.

Booking travel through the Chase Travel portal is simple and can be a great way to use your points.

We’ll show you everything you need to know about how to redeem your points, including the benefits, how to know what your points are worth, and how to book airlines, hotels, and more through the Chase Travel portal.

Why Book Travel Through the Chase Travel Portal?

Generally, you can get maximum value from your Chase Ultimate Rewards points by transferring them to the Chase airline and hotel partners, so why are we talking about using points through a travel portal? While it’s true that the only way to get the highest value redemptions is by transferring, there is still a lot of value to be had by booking directly through the Chase Travel portal.

Flexibility

Flexibility is not often available with points bookings. Unlike an award booking, booking through Chase Travel is like using any other online travel agency (OTA). There are no blackout dates or limited inventory award seats. If a flight or hotel is available, you can book it with points through the Chase travel portal.

You Can Earn Frequent Flyer Miles

One of the major bummers of booking flights with frequent flyer miles is that you don’t earn miles on award bookings. You can end up doing a lot of travel without earning miles. However, any booking you make with your Chase Ultimate Rewards points through the Chase Travel portal will earn frequent flyer miles and accrue status points. Unfortunately, hotel and car rental bookings still won’t earn points.

Simplicity

We have talked to so many people over the years that love the idea of collecting points and miles but don’t want to deal with the hassle. While many don’t mind putting a little work into getting an awesome redemption, others are just looking for a simple way to book travel and hopefully save some money in the process.

That’s where the Chase Travel portal comes in. With this method of redeeming points, there is no transferring, comparing points values, blackout dates, limited award availability, or multiple travel accounts. You only have to deal with 1 type of point and 1 travel portal but can still retain many of the benefits of collecting points and miles in the first place.

Bottom Line: You can book flights, hotels, rental cars, activities, and cruises through the Chase Travel portal.

Cards That Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

If you like the idea of using the Chase Travel portal, you’ll need a credit card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points:

There are also some great cash-back cards from Chase that can be used to book travel through Chase Travel. The points earned on these cards can be converted into cash-back or alternatively, they can be used in the Chase travel portal.

What Are Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Worth?

It’s easy to earn lots of Chase Ultimate Rewards points, but do you know how much they are worth? If you’re transferring your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to a travel partner, their value will go up or down depending on the type of redemption.

However, when you are booking your travel directly through Chase’s travel portal, each Chase Ultimate Rewards point has a set value that won’t change. The credit card you have will determine the value of your Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Transfer Your Points Between Credit Cards for Maximum Value

If you have multiple Chase credit cards, it makes sense to transfer your points to the card with the most valuable redemption rate. The only exception to this is the Ink Business Premier card because points earned on this card can’t be transferred to any other card.

1. To transfer your points between 2 cards, log on to the Chase dashboard and select Combine Points.

2. Then you will be able to select the card you want to transfer points from and the card you want to receive the points. After you choose, click Next.

3. You can transfer all of your points or just what you need. Click Review to continue.

4. Double-check the details and click on the Submit button to complete the transfer.

Bottom Line: Your credit card will determine the value of your Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Your points are worth between 1 to 1.5 cents each depending on which credit card you’re redeeming points through. 

Earning Chase Points by Booking Travel

What if you’d prefer to pay for your travel with a Chase credit card to earn Ultimate Rewards points? The number of points you’ll earn through the Chase travel portal is dependent on which credit card you have and what type of travel you’re purchasing.

How To Access the Chase Travel Portal

You can log into your account in 2 ways.

First, you can go directly to the Ultimate Rewards website to log in or you can log in through your Chase account.

If you’re in your Chase account, click on one of your Ultimate Rewards credit cards and then click on Redeem next to the card’s Ultimate Rewards balance.

Then choose the card you want to use.

From here you can access Chase Travel by clicking on Travel in the top search box or you can switch to another card’s account by clicking on the 3-line icon in the upper left-hand corner.

How To Book a Flight Through Chase Travel

1. In the Travel section of your Ultimate Rewards account, click on Flights to start your search for a flight. As with any other OTA, you begin your search by inputting basic information such as departure and arrival city, travel dates, and the number of passengers.

2. Next, you will be able to narrow your search results. At the left-hand side of the page, you can filter your results by things like airline or flight times. Then you can sort your results by price, trip duration, or times using the drop-down box at the top of the search results.

3. For each flight option, you’ll be able to see the price in dollars and in points on the right-hand side of the results box.

4. Once you’ve found the flight you want, click the blue Select button. Next, you can choose your return flight using the same process as you did for selecting the outbound flight. Click the blue Select button once you have made your choice.

5. From here you can confirm your flight details and select a fare upgrade if you wish. Then, you’ll be able to choose how to pay for your flight. You can pay for the entire purchase with points or a Chase credit card, or you can split your payment between points and a Chase credit card.

6. Finally, input your passenger information next. Don’t forget to add a frequent flyer number, a Known Traveler Number, or a Redress number if you have them.

Hot Tip:When purchasing travel through the Chase travel portal, you can split your payment between Chase Ultimate Rewards points and a Chase credit card.

How To Book a Hotel Through Chase Travel

1. To book a hotel through the Chase Travel portal, you’ll need to start by clicking on the Hotels tab in the main search box. Then, input your destination, check-in and check-out dates, and the number of travelers. Next, click on the blue Search button.

2. Your search results will look like other sites that you may be familiar with. You’ll see filtering options to the left and sorting options above your search results.

3. Each search result will show the price in both dollars and Chase Ultimate Rewards points. These prices include taxes and fees with the exception of resort fees.

4. Once you select your hotel, click on Add to Itinerary. You can choose to pay for all or part of your hotel cost using Ultimate Rewards points. Click Begin Checkout to input your reservation details and finalize your booking.

Hot Tip: When booking a hotel through the Chase Travel portal, you won’t be eligible to earn points in the hotel’s loyalty program or take advantage of any elite status you may have.

The Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection

The Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection (LHRC) is exclusively for Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders. From the Ultimate Rewards travel home page, just click on The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection tab.

Once you are on the LHRC homepage, type in your destination and click Search to view available properties. Each listing will display the property’s unique cardmember benefits. Click on the listing for more information and to continue the booking process.

When booked through the Chase Travel portal, these properties offer the following benefits:

• Daily breakfast for 2
• Special amenity (varies by property)
• Room upgrades (based on availability)
• Free Wi-Fi
• Early check-in and late checkout (based on availability)

The Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection properties are reservation-only bookings. You’ll make your reservations online and payment doesn’t happen until you check out from the hotel. These bookings will not take Chase Ultimate Rewards points as payment.

Bottom Line: Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection properties are only available to Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers. These properties can’t be booked with points.

How To Book a Rental Car Through the Chase Travel Portal

1. To rent a car through the Chase Travel portal, start by clicking on the Cars tab in the main search box. Then, input your pick-up location, drop-off location, dates, times, and age of the driver. Click on the blue Search box to continue.

2. You can then narrow your search with the filtering options on the left-hand side of the page.

3. For each car option, you will be able to see the car details, rental company, and price in both dollars and Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Once you have selected the car you want to rent, click on Add to Itinerary.

4. You can pay for the entire purchase with points or a Chase credit card or split your payment in any amount. Double-check all of the details before completing your purchase.

How To Book Activities Through Chase Travel

Did you know you can also book activities through Chase Travel?

1. Click the Activities tab on the Ultimate Rewards travel homepage to get started. Then, input your destination and travel dates and click the Search button to continue.

2. You can narrow your search by selecting 1 or more categories at the left-hand side of the page. Categories can include things like:

3. Each activity will show the price in both dollars and points to the right side of the screen. Click on Show Details and Pricing for more information and to book the activity.

6. Double-check all of the details on the final page before completing your purchase. Click the box confirming you understand the travel disclosures, then click Complete Checkout to finish your purchase.

Bottom Line: You can book lots of activities through the Chase Travel portal, including airport transfers!

How To Book a Cruise Through the Portal

If you’re a fan of cruises, you’ll be pleased to know you can book them through your Chase Travel portal. To get started, click on the Cruises tab on the Ultimate Rewards travel homepage.

This will bring up a list of available cruises, but there’s also a search box at the top of the screen, so you can input a specific destination or cruise line.

Each listing will display the cruise line, ship, ports of call, sailing dates, and baseline pricing for an interior or oceanview cabin. Unfortunately, if you want any more specific information or if you want to book, you will need to call 855-234-2542.

You’ll notice that only cash prices are listed for cruises, however, they can be booked using your Chase Ultimate Rewards points, too.

Hot Tip: You can book a cruise through Chase Travel but you’ll have to call to make your reservation as they can’t be booked online.

How Do the Prices Compare to Other Sites?

Are you getting a good deal by booking through Chase? Let’s look at how the prices available through the Chase Travel portal stack up to other OTAs and search engines including Hotwire, Kayak, and Expedia.

Flights

We did some flight searches and found there’s no clear-cut pattern on prices between the Chase portal to other websites.

Example #1: Round-trip flight between Philadelphia (PHL) and San Francisco (SFO) for 1 person in economy.

We searched this route in the Chase travel portal and the cheapest option was a flight that was split between Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines for $526.20. This worked out to be the cheapest price we found, and Priceline had the same low price. Expedia and Hotwire both charge booking fees, making the price a little higher. Each airline’s own website couldn’t split the itinerary between different airlines, so those ended up being much more expensive.

If you are in doubt or would like to check prices yourself, Kayak is a great place to start. Kayak will show you prices for a flight on all of the OTAs as well as the airline’s website. It’s a great one-stop shop to compare flight prices.

Example #2: Round-trip flight between New York City (JFK) and Paris, France (CDG) for 1 person in economy.

We searched this route in the Chase travel portal and the cheapest option was a flight that was split between American Airlines and British Airways for $689.78. This wasn’t the overall best price we found, though. That award goes to Expedia and Priceline.

Hot Tip: You will earn frequent flyer miles when you book your flight through the Chase Travel portal.

Hotels

Example #1: Here’s how prices looked for a week-long stay at the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa in Mexico for 2 people including all taxes and fees. The $291.55 resort fee can’t be paid with points.

In this example, the best cash rate by far was through Marriott. However, if you wanted to pay with points, booking with Chase Ultimate Rewards points through the travel portal would be your best bet.

Keep in mind that Marriott doesn’t have an award chart, so different time periods can have different point costs. A 7-night stay at this hotel can dip down to 240,000 points for a 7-night stay. If you’re going to pay for your hotel stay in points, it’s always smart to calculate how many points it would cost to book through Chase versus transferring points. This information can help you make the best and least expensive choice.

Hot Tip:You won’t earn hotel loyalty points when booking a hotel through Chase and any elite status you have may not be recognized.

Example #2: Let’s look at an example of a hotel that doesn’t have a loyalty program. We priced out a 2-night stay at Almond Tree Inn Hotel in Key West, FL for 2 people. The highest prices were direct via the hotel with all other websites surveyed being cheaper.

Here’s how the prices stacked up:

Chase’s low price matched the other online travel websites and was actually lower than the hotel’s own website, so it would be a great option in this case. It also affords the opportunity to use points for a hotel that doesn’t have its own loyalty program.

Car Rentals

In many cases, car rental prices found through the Chase Travel portal were similar to prices found on the rental agency’s own website.

The main difference in booking through Chase vs. directly through a car rental agency is that the car rental agency often has the ability to book the car without paying up front. With the Chase portal, you will be paying at the time of booking and there may be change or cancellation fees if you need to modify your reservation.

In both of these examples, Chase Travel didn’t offer the lowest price, however, that won’t always necessarily be the case. Of course, the advantage of booking through Chase is the ability to use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points. It’s always a good idea to price out your car rental on a few different websites before booking to ensure you’re getting the best price.

Activities

Chase actually offered the lowest prices on activities for both examples:

Other Ways To Use the Chase Travel Portal

Earn Bonus Ultimate Rewards Points

The Chase Travel portal also helps you earn bonus points. With the Shop through Chase feature, you can earn extra Ultimate Rewards points through your online shopping.

Just click Earn Bonus Points in the top search bar to access the shopping portal. Click on a featured store or search for a specific one. Then simply click through the portal to your website of choice to make your purchase. Your bonus points will be added to your Chase Ultimate Rewards points total within 3 to 5 days in most cases.

Pay With Points

Did you know you can use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to make purchases at Amazon and PayPal? Click on Pay with Points in the top search bar, then select either Amazon or PayPal to enroll and shop.

Unfortunately, the redemption value you get when shopping through Amazon or PayPal is pretty bad — only 0.8 cents per point. While it’s great to have this as an option, we don’t recommend using points to shop at Amazon or PayPal as your main use of Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Bottom Line: The value of using your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to shop through Amazon or PayPal isn’t great: you will only get 0.8 cents per point!

Apple Purchases

By clicking on Apple in the main search box in your Ultimate Rewards account, you can use your Chase points to make purchases. Normally, you’ll get 1 cent per point in value when using your points for Apple purchases, but there are occasional bonuses offered to get a better redemption rate.

Cash-back

You can also redeem your Ultimate Rewards points for cash-back. To do this, simply select Cash-back from the main search bar at the top of the screen. You will then be able to see choose how many points you’d like to redeem for cash-back at a value of 1 cent per point.

You can choose to have your cash direct deposited into a checking or savings account or as a statement credit. The deposit or statement credit will be posted within 3 days.

Bottom Line: Your Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1 cent each when redeemed as cash-back. We do not recommend this as a primary redemption option because you can get more value via the Chase Travel portal, and a lot more when transferring to airline and hotel partners.

Experiences

This is a really cool section of the Chase Travel portal. When you click on Experiences in the main search bar, you’ll see a list of exclusive events, preferred seating, and other offers for select Chase cardmembers.

Experiences can be purchased with a credit card or with points. You will get 1 cent per point in value when redeeming points for experiences. Some experiences are only available to cardholders of specific cards so be sure to check all of your cards if you have more than 1 to make sure you don’t miss anything.

Gift Cards

If you prefer gift cards, you can purchase them through the Chase Travel portal using points. Just click Gift Cards in the main search bar to get started. From here, you will be able to scroll through all of the available gift cards. You’ll get 1 cent per point in value, with occasional sales offering better redemption rates.

Hot Tip: Points redeemed for gift cards have a 1-cent per point value. However, you might notice some cards offer discounts, so there is the opportunity to get a bit more value!

Pay Yourself Back

Another way to use your Ultimate Rewards points is through the Pay Yourself Back feature. This allows you to redeem your points for a statement credit for purchases in select categories. The current categories include groceries, dining, select charities, credit card annual fee, internet, cable, phone, and shipping and the redemption value varies by card.

Transfer To Travel Partners

Transferring points to travel partners is the best way to get the most value out of your points. By transferring, you can potentially get 2, 3, or more cents per point value.

Chase Airline Transfer Partners

Chase Hotel Transfer Partners

To transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to any of the above airline and hotel partners, log on to your account and click on Transfer To Travel Partners in the top search box. Choose your airline or hotel and then select Transfer Points. You’ll need to fill out your frequent flyer information or hotel loyalty membership number to complete the transfer.

Bottom Line: You can currently transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to 14 different hotel and airline partners.

Final Thoughts

There are many ways to use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points. While transferring points to one of Chase’s airline and hotel travel partners can get you maximum value, there are a lot of benefits for booking travel directly through the Chase Travel portal.

In addition to hotels and flights, you can book car rentals, activities, and cruises. Or, you can use your points for cash back, shopping, gift cards, or Chase exclusive experiences. With so many ways to use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points, your next trip is only a few clicks away!