If you polled the team at Travel Miles 101 for our favorite travel rewards credit card, the would definitely top the list. If you want to get started traveling the world with rewards points & miles, this is a card you need in your wallet:
- Earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after reaching the minimum spending requirement of $4,000 in the first 3 months the account is open.
- Earn 3x points on dining at restaurants
- Earn 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- Earn 2x points on all other travel purchases
- $95 annual fee
- $0 foreign transaction fees
Click here to learn more about the and find out how to apply.
Important note: You can apply for this card if you don’t currently have either Sapphire card (Preferred or Reserve) and haven’t received a new card member bonus for either Sapphire card in the past 48 months.
How to Redeem Ultimate Rewards Points for Maximum Value
Here are the three main redemption options for your points, and we’ll focus on #3 since that’s where you can really get significant value with some fun redemptions!
Redemption Options:
- Cash Back: Ultimate Rewards can be redeemed for 1 cent per point, so your 60,000 points = $600 cash back.
- Use the Chase Travel℠ online portal: Chase allows you to book travel directly through their booking portal. Each point is worth 1.25 cents, so your 60,000 points = $750 of travel.
- Transfer your points so they become frequent flyer miles and hotel rewards points. Our favorites include: Hyatt, Southwest, United and British Airways (for use especially on American Airlines in the US).
The point value when transferred to these partners can far exceed the $750 you get when booking through Chase Travel℠. We think you can fairly often get upwards of 2 cents per point, so $1,200 or more in value this way. For example:
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- 60,000 United Airlines miles is enough for a round-trip Saver Economy award flight from the US to Europe (with 15k points remaining!)
- 60,000 Hyatt points will get you 12 free nights in a Category 1 hotel (usually a Hyatt House or Hyatt Place)
- 60,000 British Airways would be enough for 8 one-way flights on American Airlines (for direct flights under 1,150 miles one-way in distance).
- 60,000 Southwest miles are ultra-flexible and should get you approximately $900 in value
Click here to learn more about the and find out how to apply.