Chase Ultimate Rewards points make an excellent foundation for an award traveler's portfolio. Like other transferable loyalty currencies, these points can be redeemed for highly valuable awards through airline and hotel transfer partners.
An essential aspect of using Chase Ultimate Rewards points is knowing how long it takes to transfer them to whichever partner you want to utilize. Long transfer times make planning and booking awards more difficult, especially when availability is limited.
American Express Membership Rewards offers some instant transfers, while Citi ThankYou Rewards transfers can take up to a week. Here's what you can expect with transfer times for your Chase points.
We gathered data points from staffers who transferred points to their corresponding airline and hotel partner accounts over the last several months. We then tracked how long it took for them to show up. Here's what we found:
Programs with Instantaneous Transfers:11 programs showed an instantaneous transfer of points, including AerClub, Aeroplan, Flying Blue, Airways Club, Iberia Plus, TrueBlue, Airlines KrisFlyer, Airlines Rapid Rewards, Airlines MileagePlus, Atlantic Flying Club, and One Rewards.
Programs with Transfers in 48 Hours:Only one program showed a transfer in 48 hours, which was Airlines KrisFlyer.
Out of the 14 programs, Ultimate Rewards transferred to 13 partners instantly, and we never waited more than two days for points to appear in any program. In most cases, any applicable transfer bonuses are also posted instantly.
Of course, these transfer times represent our experiences and shouldn't be considered hard-and-fast rules. However, others may have a similar timeline when transferring points from Chase Ultimate Rewards. Your transfers may be faster or slower — especially if it's your first transfer or you just recently signed up with a loyalty program — but you can use them as guidelines when planning your trips.
There are some risks to consider before transferring Ultimate Rewards points. Transfers in the majority of cases are irreversible, so you could be stuck with thousands of points in a program you have little use for if the flight or hotel room you were banking on disappears.
To avoid a situation in which award availability disappears while waiting for points to transfer, make sure the name on your Chase credit card matches exactly the name on your loyalty program account. Place your award reservation on hold before transferring your points, choose flights that have more than one available award seat, and have a backup plan.
You can transfer Ultimate Rewards points freely among your own accounts, including converting cash-back rewards earned with a card like the Chase Freedom Flex or the Chase Freedom Unlimited into transferable Ultimate Rewards points.
Chase allows you to transfer points to another Ultimate Rewards account belonging to your spouse or household member. If you have a business card like the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, you can transfer your points to an Ultimate Rewards account belonging to a company co-owner.
To earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points, consider applying for one of the following cards, which offer generous rewards and substantial welcome bonuses:
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. The Chase Sapphire Reserve: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. The Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business: Earn 200,000 bonus points after spending $30,000 on purchases within the first six months from account opening.
The Ink Business Preferred: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Just keep in mind that Chase enforces the 5/24 rule, meaning that if you've opened five (or more) cards at any bank in the last 24 months, you will likely not be approved by Chase.
Bottom line: Transferring Ultimate Rewards points to airline and hotel partners is often the best way to get the most value out of your points. Whether you're looking to book a cheap domestic ticket through Southwest Airlines or a first-class Star Alliance adventure, this program can help you get there.
