Before you can book anything, you need points. Chase Ultimate Rewards points are valuable and flexible, and there are several smart ways to earn them. The best way? Using the right Chase credit cards for your everyday spending.
Best Chase Cards That Earn Ultimate Rewards
Chase offers a strong lineup of personal and business credit cards that help you earn Ultimate Rewards points. Each card has its own strengths, whether you’re looking for bonus categories, welcome offers, or flat-rate rewards.
Personal Chase Credit Cards
Chase Freedom Flex®
Earn 5% cash back (or 5x points when paired with an eligible card) on rotating quarterly bonus categories like gas stations, groceries, or streaming services, up to $1,500 each quarter. Also earns 3% on dining and drugstores.
Chase Freedom Rise® Credit Card
Designed for new credit users, this card earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases. While it doesn’t earn Ultimate Rewards directly, you can convert the cash back to points when paired with a Sapphire or Ink Preferred card.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases. Also offers 3% on dining and drugstores. Like the Flex, it becomes a powerful Ultimate Rewards card when paired with a Sapphire or Ink Preferred.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 2x points on travel and dining, and 1x on everything else. Points are worth 25% more when redeemed through the Chase Travel Portal. Welcome bonus: 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Premium option with 3x points on travel and dining, a $300 annual travel credit, and 50% more value when using points in the Chase Travel Portal. Access to airport lounges via Priority Pass.
Business Chase Credit Cards
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
Earn 5% cash back (or 5x points) on the first $25,000 spent annually at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services. Also earns 2% on gas stations and restaurants.
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Simple and powerful, this card earns 1.5% cash back (convertible to points) on every purchase with no caps.
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Offers 3x points on the first $150,000 per year spent on travel, shipping, select advertising, and telecom. Points are worth 25% more in the portal. Intro bonus: 100,000 points after $8,000 spend in 3 months.
Ink Business Premier® Credit Card
Best for high spenders, this earns 2% cash back on all purchases and 2.5% on transactions over $5,000. While it earns cash back, it doesn’t pool Ultimate Rewards points with the rest of the program.
Invite Friends and Earn Even More Points
Chase lets you earn bonus points by referring friends. When someone uses your referral link to get a Chase card and is approved, you earn bonus points—sometimes up to 20,000 points per person. You can generate your referral link directly from your Chase account online.
Booking Travel Through Chase: What You Need to Know
After earning your Ultimate Rewards points, it’s time to make them work for you. The Chase Travel Portal is a user-friendly platform that lets you book almost any kind of travel using points, cash, or a mix of both.
How to Access the Portal
To start booking, follow these simple steps:
- Log into your Chase online or mobile banking account.
- Choose the card that earns Ultimate Rewards points.
- Click on “Travel” or “Ultimate Rewards.”
- Select “Redeem Points” and enter the travel section.
Once inside, you can browse flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises, and even experiences like tours and activities. You can pay entirely with points, or combine points with cash if you don’t have enough.
Flights: Using Your Points to Fly High
Booking flights through the portal is easy and flexible. Just like on Expedia or Google Flights, you can search by departure city, dates, airlines, and even flight class.
Your points go further depending on which card you have:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred®: Points are worth 1.25 cents each.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Points are worth 1.5 cents each.
- Ink Business Preferred®: Points are worth 1.25 cents each.
That means a $500 flight costs just 40,000 points with Sapphire Reserve. You don’t need to worry about blackout dates, seat availability, or minimum stays—if the flight is available for cash, it’s available with points.
Another plus? You still earn frequent flyer miles when booking through the portal, because these are considered paid tickets.
Hotels: Find the Perfect Place to Stay
Whether you want a luxury hotel or a budget stay, the Chase Travel Portal gives you thousands of options. You can search by location, price, star rating, and brand. Many major chains and boutique hotels are available.
Important notes:
- Bookings made through the portal typically do not earn hotel loyalty points.
- You likely won’t receive elite status perks like room upgrades or free breakfast unless the hotel chain honors third-party bookings (which is rare).
Even so, using points to book hotels can be convenient, especially when you’re low on cash or looking for flexibility.
Tip: Compare the portal price with the hotel’s direct website. Sometimes it’s better to transfer points to a hotel partner (like Hyatt) for more value.
Rental Cars: Book Your Ride with Points
Need a car for your trip? The Chase Travel Portal includes listings from top rental agencies such as:
- Hertz
- Avis
- Budget
- Enterprise
- Alamo
You can search by city, airport location, rental dates, and car type. It works similarly to any other travel site, and you can filter by price or specific rental agencies.
Using your Ultimate Rewards points here is a solid value if you want to cover the cost of a rental car upfront. Keep in mind that car rentals can vary widely by location, especially during holidays or peak seasons, so plan ahead.
Also, if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve, you’ll benefit from primary rental car insurance when using the card to pay—a huge perk if you’re renting in the U.S. or abroad.
Cruises: Set Sail with Points
Cruises can also be booked using your points, which many people don’t realize. Through the portal, you can access sailings from popular lines like:
- Royal Caribbean
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- Carnival
- Princess Cruises
- Celebrity Cruises
Chase often runs cruise promotions with extra value or onboard credits when booking through the portal. You can filter by destination (Caribbean, Alaska, Europe, etc.), cruise length, ship, and departure port.
It’s a good option for travelers who want to use points on all-inclusive experiences. However, you’ll usually need to call the Chase Travel customer service line to complete cruise bookings—they’re not always available for direct booking online.
Chase Travel Portal vs. Transferring Points to Airline and Hotel Partners
The Chase Travel Portal is easy and gives you instant access to travel bookings. But sometimes transferring points to airline and hotel partners offers more value.
For example, transferring 60,000 points to World of Hyatt can get you two nights at a luxury hotel that might cost over $1,000. Compare that to using those same points for a $750 booking through the portal with Sapphire Reserve.
Chase partners include:
- United MileagePlus
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
- World of Hyatt
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Singapore KrisFlyer
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue
Choose the option that gives you the best value for your specific trip.
Final Thoughts
The Chase Travel Portal is an excellent tool, especially for people who want to book quickly and use points easily. It’s user-friendly, flexible, and offers boosted value with Sapphire cards. However, don’t forget about the transfer option, which can unlock outsized value if you’re willing to plan a bit more.
At TheMilesAcademy, we always recommend checking both options—the portal and transfer partners—to make sure you’re getting the most out of every point.
