Amex Membership Rewards vs Ultimate Rewards [2021]

Offers contained within this article maybe expired.

Amex Membership Rewards vs Ultimate Rewards — which program is better and offers more value?

This is a very difficult question to answer because there are so many variables that go into the answer and many of them depend on your personal preferences.

Below, I will break down the different areas of comparison and highlight the differences between these two programs.

Eligibility concerns

One of the biggest concerns you should be thinking about is the eligibility strategy to earn lots of Amex Membership Rewards or Ultimate Rewards.

All Chase cards are subject to the Chase 5/24 rule which generally means you should prioritize getting approved for Chase cards first. So most people should seek to earn lots of Ultimate Rewards first.

Failing to do this could result in you being unable to earn Ultimate Rewards for quite a while.

Chase also limits you to one Sapphire bonus per 48 month period. (Getting a Sapphire card is the primary way to earn lots of Ultimate Rewards with personal credit cards.)

This usually means you want to go after the Sapphire card with the higher bonus first and then look into potential upgrade/downgrade possibilities.

The big eligibility concern with American Express is the “once per lifetime rule” which states that you can only earn a welcome bonus once per lifetime.

In reality, people are able to earn a bonus a second time after waiting several years (~5 years) after closing a card but that is not always guaranteed.

This means that you want to focus on earning the best welcome bonuses for American Express cards. Basically, you just don’t want to settle for mediocre bonuses because you may not have a second shot at it.

Tip: You can use the mobile app WalletFlo to automate the calculations for all of your credit card eligibility questions.

Earning options

The earning options can be divided up into earning points via: 1) welcome bonuses, 2) bonus spend categories, 3) shopping portals/offers, and 4) referral offers.

When it comes to welcome bonuses I give the edge to American Express but when it comes to earning points with your spend I give the edge to Chase.

I’ll explain why below.

Welcome bonuses

One major advantage that American Express has over Chase is that they offer more opportunities to earn points (in this case Amex Membership Rewards).

Membership Rewards earning cards that stand out include the:

American Express also has a stout lineup of business cards which include the Business Platinum Card and Business Gold Card.

By pursuing a few of these cards you could easily earn 300,000 to 400,000 Membership Rewards pretty quickly.

With Chase, it is a little harder harder to accumulate points (Ultimate Rewards) via bonuses because there are only a couple of personal cards to choose from.

Typically, you will have to choose between the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Chase Sapphire Preferred and you are forced to wait 48 months between getting a bonus for those cards.

You could add on a Chase Freedom Flex and the Chase Freedom Unlimited but the bonuses are often relatively low for those cards.

The good news is that Chase has a solid lineup of small business credit cards.

If you can get on board with cards like the Chase Ink Business Preferred, Chase Ink Unlimited, and Chase Ink Business Cash, you can still come away with tons of Ultimate Rewards.

With Chase, it would be much harder to get to around 300,000+ points on average which is one disadvantage compared to American Express.

Bonus spend categories

You can earn a lot of points with your bonus spend with both American Express and Chase cards.

I would probably give the edge to Chase here because of the potential to earn points with no annual fee cards.

If you were to get the “Chase Trifecta” your earnings could look like this:

  • Sapphire Preferred: 2X on dining and travel
  • Freedom Unlimited: 1.5 X on all purchases + 3X on dining, drug stores, and 5X on Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel portal
  • Freedom Flex: 5X on rotating categories + 3X on dining, drug stores, and 5X on Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel portal

Considering that you can earn those bonus categories while only paying one ($95) annual fee, that is pretty strong.

But you could even sweeten up the deal by getting a business card like the Chase Ink Business Cash which earns 5X at office supply stores, cable, Internet, and phone bills in addition to 2X on dining and gas (spending caps apply of $25,000).

Once again, the Chase Ink Business Cash has no annual fee so the earning-to-fee ratio with Chase is extremely hard to beat.

American Express also offers some fantastic earning opportunities. In fact, they offer some of the highest rates for key categories.

I am a huge fan of earning points with the Amex Gold Card which earns 4X on dining and US supermarkets (up to $25K/year) as well as 3X on airfare.

The Green Card is also a pretty great earner with 3X on dining and travel, similar to the Sapphire Reserve (but with a much lower annual fee).

And finally, the Platinum Card comes in strong on airfare by earning a whopping 5X (it also earns 5X on pre-paid hotels booked through Amex Travel).

Across the board these are very high bonus earning rates that are some of the best you will find out of any credit cards.

The drawback with American Express is that if you start stacking bonus earning opportunities with their best cards you will start racking up big annual fee costs.

For example, the three cards above would cost you over $900 in annual fees!

Most of these annual fees can be offset by utilizing the perks that come with the cards but that is not the case for everybody. So for that reason I think Chase is the winner here — it’s just easier to get more bang for your buck.

Shopping portals

Chase has one advantage over American Express with its shopping portal which allows you to earn additional Ultimate Rewards when you make purchases online.

American Express lacks a shopping portal but they do have Amex Offers. These offers will often save you money but they also can sometimes help you earn additional Membership Rewards. (Chase has a similar offers program but it’s not as developed.)

Referral offers

Both of these programs will allow you to earn points by referring your family and friends to your cards. But American Express has a more robust referral system.

For one, some major cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve have not seen referrals for a while. Second, the referral amounts that you can earn by referring your friends may be much higher with American Express.

Recently, American Express allowed card members of the Platinum and Gold Cards to earn 30,000 points per referral which is pretty insane.

If you think that you will have people who will gladly use your links to apply for cards then you might want to consider American Express which will likely be more rewarding in that regard.

Related: Amex Refer A Friend: How to Get Links (Offers, Bonuses) 

Redemption options

I’ll talk about transfer partner possibilities below but first I will hit on the different types of redemption possibilities.

Cash back

You can always redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards for at least one cent per point which allows all of the Chase cards that earn Ultimate Rewards to become cashback cards (if desired).

For people who don’t travel a lot or have unpredictable travel plans, this cashback option is a huge advantage for Chase.

Chase also has a major leg up because of the Chase Travel Portal. In the Chase Travel Portal, you can redeem your points for increased bonus rates if you have a premium card like the Sapphire Preferred or the Sapphire Reserve.

The Sapphire Preferred can redeem points towards travel at a rate of 1.25 cents per point while the Sapphire Reserve can redeem points toward travel at a rate of 1.5 cents per point.

Being able to redeem your points for 1.5 cents per point is a huge advantage because it allows you to get respectable value for your points for various travel expenses including flights, hotels, etc.

In a number of cases that will offer you better value than transferring your points.

Meanwhile, American Express does not have great all-around redemption possibilities.

If you were to redeem your points for a statement credit you would only get .6 cents per point which is just not great at all.

Note that there have been targeted offers allowing customers to redeem at higher rates. Also, if you have the Platinum Card Schwab version you can cash out your points at 1.25 cents per point.

If you were to utilize your points for hotel stays, rental cars, or cruises via Amex Travel the redemption rate is also pretty abysmal — only .7 cents per point.

The only somewhat decent redemption rate through Amex Travel is for flights which go for one cent per point for standard Amex cards which still is not exceptional.

The exception is if you have a Business Gold Card or a Business Platinum Card and you can take advantage of the airline bonus.

The Business Gold Card will give you a 25% bonus while the Business Platinum Card will give you a 35% bonus which comes out to 1.54 cents per point.

That is a really solid rate for flights but you are limited to select airlines for economy flights (you can get a bonus on any airline for premium cabins).

So overall I would definitely give the nod to Chase when it comes to better options for redeeming points outside of travel partners. American Express still has some great opportunities but they are a bit limited depending on the type of cards you have.

Transfer partners

When it comes to determining the better or more valuable transfer partners this really comes down to personal preference and or geographic location for a lot of people.

Personal preference will affect things like your preference for certain types of airlines, patience for dealing with booking procedures, etc.

Some people don’t mind missing out on super lucrative sweet spots because they find the booking process too time-consuming or difficult.

Geographic location often means considering your nearby airline hubs or proximity to desired destinations (e.g., East Coast to Europe, West Coast to Hawaii, etc.).

For example, if you live in Houston, Chase offers one to one transfer opportunities to both United and Southwest — two airlines that have a huge presence in Houston.

That makes is really convenient to use your points and for that reason, it makes a lot of sense to accumulate Ultimate Rewards for your travels.

Before jumping into who has the stronger partners it’s worth pointing out that both of these programs have a number of overlapping partners.

Not only that but these partners can be phenomenal travel partners with great premium products and experiences.

Here are the transfer partners that belong to both American Express and Chase:

Note: All Chase partners transfer at a 1:1 ratio but that is not the case with Amex.

  • Air Canada Aeroplan (coming to Chase late 2021)
  • Air France/KLM flying blue
  • Emirates
  • JetBlue (Amex ratio 2.5:2)
  • British Airways
  • Aer Lingus
  • Iberia
  • Singapore Airlines
  • Virgin Atlantic
  • Marriott Bonvoy

That is a lot of overlap and so it is pretty easy to build a large balance with these programs since you can optimize earnings across multiple cards with both both American Express and Chase.

Citibank and Capital One also partner with some of these as well.

Now let’s look at the unique travel partners of Chase:

  • Southwest
  • United Airlines
  • Hyatt
  • IHG

Being able to transfer to Southwest and United Airlines is definitely a major advantage for Chase especially if you live near airports that service those airlines heavily.

One area where Chase definitely shines with transfer partners is when it comes to hotel stays.

It’s extremely hard to beat the value that Hyatt offers when compared to other hotel transfer partners like IHG, Hilton, and Marriott.

So if you like to cover your hotel stays with points and still get great value, Ultimate Rewards is going to be a better option for you.

But now let’s take a look to see what unique transfer partners American Express has:

(All ratios are one to one unless indicated otherwise.)

  • Aeromexico (1:1.6)
  • Alitalia
  • ANA
  • Avianca
  • Cathay Pacific
  • Delta
  • El Al (50:1)
  • Etihad
  • Hawaiian
  • Qantas
  • Hilton (1:2)
  • Choice Privileges (1:1)

American Express obviously has a much longer list of travel partners. But it is not just about the quantity — it’s more about quality.

I think American Express has an advantage with the following partners: ANA, Avianca, Etihad, and Cathay Pacific.

So if you are someone really interested in transferring out your points to partners American Express likely offers more opportunities but once again it all comes down to your preference and geography.

Some people might find these exclusive Amex travel partners more difficult to optimize which may turn them away from Amex.

One final advantage with transferring your points that American Express offers is that you can keep the ability to transfer your points to travel partners if you hold the Amex EveryDay Card.

This is significant because this is a no annual fee credit card which means that you don’t have to pay any fees to keep your points and transfer potential alive.

Meanwhile, with Chase you will have to pay an annual fee of at least $95 in order to keep the ability to transfer your points to travel partners.

Related: Amex Membership Rewards Expiration Policy Guide

Transferring options

A lot of times you may need to transfer your points to somebody else in order to make your travel booking. So knowing how that transfer process works is vital for optimizing your rewards.

Chase allows you to combine points with other members of your household.

So for example I can transfer my Ultimate Rewards to my husband because we live in the same household and then he can transfer them to his frequent flyer or hotel accounts

This is a great benefit if one of your household members has a premium card that allows for higher redemptions in the Chase Travel Portal.

American Express does not allow you to combine Membership Rewards between multiple people. Instead, they only allow you to transfer your points to the loyalty programs for authorized users of your cards.

So Chase offers better flexibility when it comes to combining your points.

If you share the same household with someone you don’t have to bother with adding them as an authorized user in order to get points to their account and/or loyalty programs.

Therefore Chase gets a nice bump here.

Final word

Overall, both of these programs have their advantages and disadvantages.

Chase allows you to have better overall redemption possibilities (cash back, travel portal), better earning potential (with lower fees), and they allow you to transfer points efficiently between members.

American Express has better opportunities to earn points with welcome bonuses and they also have a better list of travel partners especially if you are geared more towards airline redemptions.

Chase Travel Portal Review: (Airlines, Hotels, Car Rentals, Cruises) [2021]

The Chase Travel Portal can be one of the best ways to utilize your hard-earned reward points.

But how exactly does the Chase Travel Portal work and is it worth using?

This review article will walk you through step-by-step on how to use the portal for all forms of travel (airlines, hotels, rental cars, cruises) and I’ll also look at if travel through the portal is more expensive. 

But most importantly, I’ll show you when to use and NOT use the Chase Travel Portal in order to maximize the value of your points!

What is the Chase Travel Portal?

The Chase Travel Portal is an exclusive online travel agency (OTA) powered by Expedia that allows select Chase cardholders to book travel with their Ultimate Rewards or by paying via a credit card.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

How do I get access to the Chase Travel Portal

This travel portal is only for Individuals with Ultimate Rewards earning Chase cards. So if you had a card like a Chase Southwest credit card you would not get access. Instead, you would need one of the following cards:

Chase Travel Portal redemption values

When you use your Ultimate Rewards points to book travel you’ll get different levels of value from your Chase Ultimate Rewards earning credit cards, depending on the type of card that is used.

Take a look at how each point is valued based on the card you are using:

  • Chase Freedom: 1 cent per point
  • Chase Freedom Unlimited: 1 cent per point
  • Chase Ink Cash: 1 cent per point
  • Chase Ink Unlimited: 1 cent per point
  • Chase Ink Business Preferred: 1.25 cents per point
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred: 1.25 cents per point
  • Chase Sapphire Reserve: 1.5 cents per point

Keep in mind that you can transfer Ultimate Rewards between spouses and household members so you can also use the card between you and others that has the best redemption rates for your travels.

The Sapphire Reserve with the 1.5 cents per point redemption rate is one of the top benefits of the Sapphire Reserve. It makes it much more tempting (and worthwhile) to use your points for travel redemptions when using the Chase Travel Portal.

But the Sapphire Reserve comes with a number of other stout perks including:

All of these perks make the Sapphire Reserve one of the top travel credit cards on the market without a doubt.

Point values compared to to other programs (Amex)

You can get a sense of how great the value is with the Sapphire Reserve’s portal redemption rate by comparing its rate to other programs.

Just take a look at the Amex Travel portal. For airfare you can redeem Amex Membership Rewards at a rate of 1 cent per point but things aren’t as good for other travel redemptions. For hotels, vacations, and cruises you’ll be redeeming at 0.7 cent per point.

So as you can see, redeeming points through the Chase Travel Portal with the Sapphire Reserve is much more lucrative than utilizing points with some other travel portals. 

Chase Travel partners

Chase allows you to use your points to travel in different ways. You can either use the Chase Travel Portal or you can transfer your points out to transfer partners.

Chase travel partners

Chase has a great line-up of airlines and also has the best hotel selection out of any other major transferrable points program, in my opinion.

Here are all of the current Chase transfer partners:

Chase Ultimate Rewards Airlines

  • Aer Lingus
  • British Airways Executive Club
  • Emirates
  • JetBlue
  • Flying Blue (Air France/KLM)
  • Iberia Airways
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
  • Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
  • United MileagePlus
  • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Chase Ultimate Rewards Hotels

  • World of Hyatt
  • IHG Rewards Club
  • Marriott Bonvoy

Whether or not you should transfer points to these partners depends on a few factors and I will discuss those below when giving advice on when to use and not use the travel portal.

How do I use the Chase Travel Portal?

  • Log-in to your Chase Ultimate Rewards dashboard
  • Click on the travel button on the side panel
  • Select your type of travel
  • Book and enjoy!

Log-in to your Chase account

The first step to access the travel portal is to simply log-in to your Ultimate Rewards dashboard. You can log-in to the travel portal here.

Click on the travel button on the side bar

Once you are in the Ultimate Rewards dashboard you need to pull up the Chase Travel Portal by selecting travel. Simply navigate to the side panel and you will see the travel menu button.

How to enter the Chase Travel Portal.

Select for your type of travel

Once you are in the travel portal, you will need to select the type of travel that you were interested in booking. Here are the different types of travel that you can choose from:

  • Flights 
  • Hotels
  • Cars
  • Cruises 
  • Things to do
  • Vacation rentals
Photo of Chase travel portal booking menu
You can choose from all major forms of travel.

Book!

The last step is to simply book your travel.

Keep reading below for more details on how to get to that step.

When to NOT use the Chase Travel Portal

There are a number of reasons why you might not want to use the portal.

Outsized value

One of the biggest reasons to NOT use the Chase Travel Portal is because you can get so much more value when transferring points to travel partners.

When you book through the Chase Travel Portal you are limited to the point value of the credit card account that you are using for the portal.

So if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you’re only going to get 1.5 cents per point out of your redemptions. That sounds impressive until you realize that if you transfer your points out to travel partners you could be getting redemptions at well over 10 cents per point.

So the benefit of transferring points is that you can receive amazing outsized value for your points that’s just not possible with the Chase Travel Portal.

Unforgettable travel experiences

And it’s just not about the monetary value, transferring points out to airlines allows you to experience some truly unforgettable flying experiences.

That’s because you’re able to fly in business class and first class cabins in some of the top airlines. You can experience your own private suites and live the high life rather than being stuck in economy.

These tickets can also get you access into some of the top airline lounges in the world for an unforgettable luxury experience. I’ve had some of my most memorable flights because of Chase Ultimate Rewards and some of the experiences that stick out are:

If I would have used my points to book travel through the Chase Travel Portal, I would have never gotten a chance to experience those amazing flights.

Hotels can offer cases of outsized value, too. I recently finished a stay at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vedome and received over 3 cents per point in value. 

I would have been limited to 1.5 cents per point with the Chase Travel Portal so transferring points would have made a lot more sense.

Hotel perks

One of the main reasons why you’d want to avoid the travel portal is when booking hotel stays.

That’s because when you use an OTA, there’s a chance that you won’t receive all of your elite benefits/credits and you won’t earn hotel points for the stay.

So if you’re a Hilton Gold member for example you might not receive your free breakfast and potential upgrade that you would have had. Some programs won’t even allow you to get complimentary wifi unless you book directly.

The good news is that sometimes you can still get these perks.

You just need to call into the hotel beforehand and give them your elite information. If you do that and work a little charm at check-in you might be surprised to receive your elite benefits.

Korean Air First Class on the A380 courtesy of Chase Ultimate Rewards.

When to use the Chase Travel Portal

There are sometimes when it really makes sense to use the Chase Travel Portal.

Cheap domestic flights

Sometimes flights are pretty cheap and it makes way more sense to just use the portal to book them.

For example, if you wanted to fly on United Airlines from Houston to Orlando, you may have to transfer 25,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards for a roundtrip flight in economy.

But if you used the travel portal, you’d be able to book that Orlando flight for much cheaper during many times of the year and potentially save thousands of points.

You will still earn your frequent flyer miles, too, so there’s no loss in value there.

Cheaper hotels

The same principle applies to hotel stays as well. Sometimes it will just be cheaper to book through the portal than to transfer your reward points.

The major exception to this is Hyatt which often has point redemptions worth over 1.5 cents per point.

You’ve also got to really think about the value you might be losing out on if you don’t receive your elite benefits. It’s not hard for two free breakfasts to add up quick on a trip and if you’re giving that up, it might be more worthwhile to ditch the portal for that booking.

Not good with points

The thing about transferring points is that you need to aware of how the process works. You need to know how to transfer your points and how to use those points efficiently once you have them.

Then you’ve got to deal with finding award inventory, black-out dates, and the actual booking process which can be tricky with some foreign airlines.

Not everybody has the time to learn how to do that (or even the desire to do it). And for those people, the Chase Travel Portal is often a much better suited option.

First class on the Singapore A380.

Booking different travel types

Since this is powered by Expedia, you’ll find robust filters for searching and filtering your particular type of travel. But just to give you an idea of all the possibilities, I’ve broken down some example search filters below for the different types of travel.

Chase Travel Portal Flights

The Chase Travel Portal allows you to easily search for flights.

Simply input your departure location and your destination, along with dates and passengers. You can also choose to search with your preferred airline or preferred class by using the “Advanced options.”

When I searched, the Chase Travel Portal pulled prices listed from the cheapest flights (which was directly on par with the lowest prices found in Google Flights).

I should note that many people complain about the pricing found on the portal and claim that many flights are also missing. So I would always double check the pricing with Google Flights and if I still had questions then I would just call the Chase Travel Portal number at 1-866-418-8872. 

Also, be on the lookout for basic economy fares like the one below which state “Basic Economy” under Select.

You can utilize several filters to narrow down the results including nonstop flights and also by airlines and preferences for departure time and arrival time.

You can also search the prices with the flexible dates feature. I prefer this search feature as it’s easy to spot the cheapest roundtrip prices and compare them to other websites.

Once you select your flights, you’ll be taken to another screen where you’ll need to confirm or upgrade your fare class. You’ll see the prices for upgrades and be able to confirm the options that your fare has or doesn’t have, such as seat choice.

At the next screen you’ll need to enter the names of the travelers and you’ll have a chance to enter in credentials for things like TSA Pre-Check and frequent flyer information.

You’ll also be able to choose how you want to pay for the travel. You can choose to pay with points, credit card, or a combination of the two. You’ll then confirm your booking on that screen.

Note that all booked flights can be canceled within 24 hours. 

Booking flights on Southwest

Southwest flights do not show up on the Chase Travel Portal. However, you can call in to request a booking with Southwest Airlines if you’d like.

Where can I view my flight booking confirmation?

  • Go to My Trips to view, email, or print your itinerary or receipt.
  • View your confirmation email.

How to change your seat

For most flights, you can choose your seat during booking. Chase should send your seat selection to the airline at the time of booking, but they note that they cannot guarantee your seat assignment.

You can access your seat assignment for most flights in your itinerary, or when you view your flight booking confirmation.

Your seat selection may not be confirmed if you:

  • Booked a fare with an airline that assigns seats at the gate
  • Booked a Basic Economy fare which doesn’t allow seat selection

Chase Travel Portal Hotels

The search feature for hotels is pretty standard as well.

The Chase hotel car itinerary selection.

There are a lot of helpful filters that you can apply to help you efficiently search for the right hotel.

Some of these include:

Property Class

This allows you to sort by star ratings.

Price Per Night

Sort properties based on price.

Vacation Rental Bedrooms

  • Studio 1
  • Bedroom 2
  • Bedrooms 3
  • Bedrooms 4+ Bedrooms

Guest Rating

  • Exceptional!
  • Very good!
  • Good!

Neighborhood

Sort through many local neighborhoods.

Amenities

  • High-speed Internet
  • Air conditioning
  • Swimming pool
  • Breakfast Included
  • Babysitting service
  • Business services
  • Childcare Children’s club
  • Fitness equipment
  • Airport Transportation
  • Included Newspaper
  • Included Parking
  • Included Hair dryer
  • Kitchen
  • Kitchenette
  • Laundry facilities
  • Dry cleaning/laundry service
  • Pets allowed(conditions apply)
  • Restaurant in hotel
  • Room service
  • Spa services on site

Property Type

  • Apartment Hotel
  • Private vacation home
  • Guest house
  • Bed & Breakfast Hostel/Backpacker accommodation
  • Cottage
  • Inn
  • Apart-hotel
  • TownHouse
  • Condo
  • Lodge
  • Motel
  • Villa
  • House boat
  • Country House
  • Chalet Hotel resort
  • Hostel (Budget Hotel)

You can even search based on popular locations. Here are some examples from London that I found when searching for a hotel.

  • Tower of London
  • University of London
  • London Bridge
  • London Dungeon
  • The Shard
  • South Park
  • Sky Garden
  • Big Ben
  • Buckingham Palace
  • O2 Arena
  • St. Paul’s Cathedral
  • Olympic Stadium
  • University College London
  • East London Mosque
  • Museum of London
  • Natural History Museum
  • Wembley Stadium
  • London Stock Exchange
  • Chessington World of Adventures
  • Hyde Park

Accessibility

Accessible bathroom In-room accessibility roll-in shower.

Hotel pricing might be on the cheaper side sometimes or it may not.

For the most part, I’ve always found competitive prices but I would highly recommend that you check the prices with other OTAs before booking. Just like with airfare, there are plenty of reports of the portal not displaying the best prices for hotels.

Whenever you finally find the hotel you were interested in, be sure to view the cancellation policy. You should find it in green next to the room description and also under “price details.”

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Chase Travel Portal Rental Cars

Searching for rental cars is pretty straightforward as well.

There are advanced search options for searching for car by type and by rental company. You can also filter for special equipment for things like infant seats, snow chains, navigation system, etc.

The Chase rental car itinerary selection.

Things to do

You can also find things to do in the Chase Travel Portal. You’ll find many of the major tourist options in the search results but there will be some unique things to do like craft beer tours.

What’s cool about these activities is that you can truly travel for free if you use your points. It’s pretty easy to cover hotels and airfare with points but it’s much more difficult to cover an entire trip with points (including activities).

With the Travel Portal, this is a possibility though.

What kind of activities show up?

When I searched for San Francisco, it pulled “154 things to do.”

Some examples of the things to do that popped up were:

  • Golden Gate Bridge Tour
  • Alcatraz Tour 
  • San Francisco Mega Pass
  • Yosemite National Park tour 
  • Napa Valley wine tasting tour 
  • San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

You can then sort the activities based on certain criteria.

Recommendations

  • Local Expert Picks
  • Family Friendly
  • Likely To Sell Out
  • New on Chase Travel

Tours

  • Tours & Sightseeing
  • Walking & Bike Tours
  • Day Trips & Excursions
  • Cruises & Water Tours
  • Air, Balloon & Helicopter Tours
  • Hop-on Hop-off
  • Private Tours

Activities

  • Attractions
  • Food & Drink
  • Sightseeing Passes
  • Nightlife
  • Multi-Day & Extended Tours
  • Adventures
  • Water Activities

Transportation

  • Shared transportation

Vacation rentals

You can also book vacation rentals through the portal.

Chase Travel Portal Cruises

You can book cruises with points, your Chase card, or both. Here are some examples of cruise lines and cruise ships you can find in the Chase Travel Portal.

  • Celebrity Cruises Celebrity Equinox
  • Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Jade
  • Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Gem
  • Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Pearl
  • Princess Cruises Regal Princess
  • Royal Caribbean International Allure of the Seas
  • Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas
  • Royal Caribbean International Harmony of the Seas
  • Royal Caribbean International Oasis of the Seas

For cruise information, call 1-866-951-6592.

Travel profile

Under your Travel profile you can edit your travel details including:

Frequent Flyer Membership

This is where you’ll enter your frequent flyer numbers for various programs like United, Delta, American Airlines, etc.

Personal Info

This is where you can enter your personal contact information.

Flight Preferences

You can set your flight presences for things like window or aisle seats (sorry, no preference available for the middle seat).

TSA Info

Known Traveler Number and Redress Number. The Known Traveler Number will allow you to receive benefits like TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry if you are signed up for them.

Chase Travel Portal Promo code

Chase will sometimes send out emails with special promo codes for the Chase Travel Portal.

For example, there once was a code for $100 off $300.

However, it’s not clear who exactly gets targeted for these offers and they seem to be pretty rare so I wouldn’t go around expecting them to arrive in your inbox.

I’m not aware of publicly available promo codes.

If you do get a code it can be entered at checkout.

Price match

Others have tried their luck with seeking a price match from Chase but they haven’t been successful.

If you have any luck report back with your data points!

Chase Travel Portal (in the App)

You can use the Chase Mobile App to search and book travel through the Chase Travel Portal.

First, you just need to log-in to your Chase app on your mobile device.

Then select the “…” next to the card that you’d like to use and select “Redeem rewards.”

Next hit the three bars at the top of the screen and then select “”Travel” and that will take you right to the Chase Travel Portal on the mobile app.

Chase Travel Portal on the mobile app.

Refunds and Cancellations

There are always a lot of non-refundable options when dealing with booking travel through an OTA so you always want to be on the lookout for any bookings that won’t allow you to collect a refund.

Flights

You can cancel most flight bookings online.

Keep in mind that for airfare if you cancel within 24 hours, there are usually no cancellation fees.

If you cancel a non-refundable flight reservation, the airline may issue you a flight credit for a future booking instead of a refund.

But note that some flight reservations are not eligible for a flight credit after cancellation. Canceling one of these will force you to lose the value of your ticket.

To cancel your flight booking online

  1. Go to My Trips to view your bookings.
  2. In Upcoming, select the itinerary you wish to cancel.
  3. Select Cancel Flight under Manage Booking

Hotels

Chase allows you to cancel most hotel bookings online.

If your hotel’s free cancellation deadline has passed, you will have to pay a cancel fee and if you booked a non-refundable hotel, you will have to pay the entire cost of your stay.

To cancel your hotel booking

  • Go to My Trips to view your bookings.
  • In Upcoming, select the itinerary you wish to cancel.
  • In Manage Booking, select Cancel Room and follow the instructions.

Chase Travel Portal Phone Number

To speak to a Chase Travel Specialist, call 1-866-418-8872.

Advisors specializing in flights, hotels, car rentals and activities are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Advisors specializing in cruises are available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET, and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.

Other OTAs

The Chase Travel Portal is just one of the many type of OTAs that you can find online. Here are some other OTAs and OTA aggregators you might consider trying out:

1. Bonwi
2. Expedia
3. Booking.com
4. Hotels.com
5. Orbitz
6. HotelTonight
7. Priceline
8. Hostelworld
9. Kayak.com
10. Hotwire.com
11. Hotelscombined.com
12. Agoda.com
13. Trivago

You can read more about these OTAs here.

Since the Chase Travel Portal is powered by Expedia you’d expect their results to be identical but I know from experience that things can get tricky on OTAs so I’d always double check the prices elsewhere before booking.

Chase travel notifications/alerts

The Chase Travel Portal will have travel notifications for certain countries if applicable and you should be able to see those when you log-in.

You should obviously do follow-up research with the US State Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure there are no travel advisories even if the Chase travel portal doesn’t mention these.

Also, if you’re wanting to set Chase travel notifications so that your debit card or credit card won’t have issues abroad, you can read how to do that here. 

Chase Shopping portal

If you’d like to utilize Ultimate Rewards to shop you can use your points at Amazon or to purchase gift cards. But if you’d like to earn more Ultimate Rewards via your shopping then consider trying out the Chase Shopping Portal where you can earn points when you shop at retailers including:

  • Apple
  • American Eagle
  • Bose
  • Macy’s
  • WalMart
  • Sam’s Club
  • Samsung
  • Microsoft
  • Nike
  • Old Navy
  • HP
  • Under Armour
  • Neiman Marcus
  • Kohl’s
  • Levi’s
  • Walgreens
  • Staples
  • Sephora
  • And many, many more…

Read more about the portal here. 

Chase Travel Portal not working?

For the longest time I though that the Chase Travel Portal was down but it turns out that there was caching issue with my computer.

All I had to do was clear out my browsing history (or use an Incognito browser) and I was able to log-in and search for travel.

The portal might not be working from time to time but I’d also try to clear your browsing history/cache and see if that works if you ever run into performance issues.

Final word

The Chase Travel Portal is a great way to truly travel for free and in many instances it can be a much more valuable use of points.

The key is to be aware of what benefits you might be missing out on and to always compare prices across OTAs so make sure you’re getting a great deal.

Chase Sapphire Preferred Review [2020]

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the flagship credit cards offered by Chase. The card has a lot going for it including a great welcome bonus, decent bonus categories, and a lot of amazing travel protections. In this article, I’ll break down all of the benefits and show you just how valuable this card can be.

Chase Sapphire Preferred intro

card art of Chase Sapphire Preferred

Card highlights

  • 2X on Dining
  • 2X on Travel
  • 5X on Lyft
  • DashPass
  • Strong travel protections
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • $95 annual fee

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is arguably the most popular travel rewards credit card. It appeals to a broad range of consumers because of its low annual fee, superb travel protections, and ability to rack up valuable travel points that can be transferred out to some great partners. It’s easily one of the top travel cards for a beginner and that’s why I put it at my number one spot. 

Welcome bonus

For the longest time the welcome bonus for the Sapphire Preferred was stuck at 50,000 Ultimate Rewards after spending $4,000 in the first three months.

That wasn’t a bad bonus at all but Chase eventually upgraded the welcome bonus to 60,000 Ultimate Rewards after spending $4,000 in the first three months which was much more attractive and even higher than the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s bonus.

60,000 Ultimate Rewards can get you very far.

Just how far? I’ll give you some examples.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Cashback

If you just redeemed your 60,000 point bonus for straight cashback, the baseline value is $600 which is actually very good.

Some banks with valuable transferable points don’t allow you to cash in at one cent per point so this is actually very competitive.

But you can do much better.

Chase Travel Portal 25% bonus

If you redeemed your Ultimate Rewards in the Chase Travel Portal, you’ll be able to book things like airfare, hotels, car rentals, and cruises at a rate of 1.25 cents per point which would put the value of your 60,000 points at $750.

But it’s not even all about the monetary value.

Using the Chase Travel Portal means that you don’t have to deal with award inventory or deal with black-out dates.

So there is a huge convenience factor here.

For people who like simplicity in their travel rewards, the travel portal is the way to go.

Just keep in mind that if you had the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you could redeem your points at a rate of 1.5 cents per point towards travel.

Chase travel partners

Things get even sweeter when you start to transfer your points out to travel partners. 

Here are all of the current Chase transfer partners:

  • Aer Lingus
  • British Airways Executive Club
  • Emirates
  • JetBlue
  • Flying Blue (Air France/KLM)
  • Iberia Airways
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
  • Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
  • United MileagePlus
  • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
  • Hyatt
  • Marriott
  • IHG

You can transfer your points to all of these partners at a 1:1 ratio.

For someone looking to do a lot of flying around the US, Chase Ultimate Rewards can be extremely valuable. You can often find Southwest Wanna Get Away flights on the cheap so transferring your points to Southwest is often a good move.

This is especially the case if you have the Southwest Companion Pass which allows a companion to fly for free with you for up to two calendar years.

United Airlines can also be a great option for flying around the US but don’t forget that you can use United miles on some great partners like EVA and Lufthansa.

I recently used United miles to fly first class on Lufthansa and it was a pretty amazing flight there are many other amazing business class and first class redemption possibilities with Ultimate Rewards.

60,000 Ultimate Rewards transferred to United wont be quite enough for a long-haul premium flight with partners like EVA and Lufthansa but it will set you up nicely to get there with perhaps some additional spending or another Chase card.

For example, you could fly one-way business class between Taipei and the US for 88,000 United miles plus ~$40 in fees.

Screenshot showing award prices on United website
Saver award in business class on partner EVA.

According to Google Flights this would be a $5,961 flight. So if you use your 60,000 Ultimate Rewards towards this redemption, the total value you would be getting from your 60,000 points would be approximately: $4,037!

That just goes to show the potential for outsized value with some of these transfer partners.

Screenshot showing price of flight on Google flights
The cash price for this flight is almost $6,000!

If you want to check out some more examples of some amazing premium cabins that you can book with Chase points, be sure to check these out here:

Chase also has the best lineup of hotel partners, especially with Hyatt. If you transfer your welcome bonus over to Hyatt, 60,000 Hyatt points could get you two nights at a category 7 property which could amount to value close to $2,000!

So as you can see, transferring your points is the way to go for outsized value. 

You can fly Lufthansa First Class with United points.

Eligibility 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is subject to the Chase credit card application rules including the Chase 5/24 rule and the dreaded Sapphire 48-month rule, not to mention the 2/30 rule.

Instead of trying to keep up with calculating all of these rules yourself, I highly recommend that you sign up for the free app WalletFlo which will automate your eligibility for all of these credit card rules.

You can also set up notifications so that you are reminded when you are finally eligible along with keeping tabs on your annual fees, upgrade history, etc.

Related: Chase Credit Card Application Status Guide

Bonus categories

  • 2X on Dining
  • 2X on Travel
  • 5X on Lyft

2X on Travel

One of the great things about the Sapphire Preferred is that it earns 2X on a broad travel category.

Chase states that travel includes “airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds and operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots and garages.”

I’ve actually had quite a few tours and even excursions like scuba diving count as travel in the past.

2X on Dining

Dining is also pretty broad and includes primary businesses with “sit-down or eat-in dining, including fast food restaurants and fine dining establishments.”

Earning 2X on dining in travel is respectable.

Using a WalletFlo valuation of 1.73 cents per point, that comes out to 3.46% back. That’s not bad but many people believe that the Chase Sapphire Preferred is overdue for some changes in the bonus category department.

(Personally, I think it would be nice to see the addition of grocery store bonus spend.)

The thing about Chase is that you have some great options for earning more points. For example, the Chase Freedom offers 5% back on rotating categories and there is also the Chase Freedom Unlimited with its 1.5% back on all purchases.

5X on Lyft

Earning 5X on Lyft is a pretty big deal if you use that rideshare service.

Using the valuation above, 5X comes out to 8.65% back.

That’s very good but again some people may prefer to use a different service like Uber or they may not even use rideshares at all. Note that this benefit is currently only running through 03/31/2022.

Picture looking out from a taxi cab in Italy near a train station
You can earn points on travel all around the world.

DashPass Subscription

As a cardmember you will get a complimentary one-year DashPass membership, which is DoorDash’s subscription service that provides unlimited restaurant deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on orders over $12.

Normally, this membership would cost you $9.99 per month, so that’s a high potential for savings over the span of one year.

Travel and purchase protections

One of the reasons why the Chase Sapphire Preferred is such a great travel rewards credit card is that it has fantastic travel protections, especially for a card with low annual fee.

Here’s a breakdown of the travel and purchase protections you’ll get with this card.

Primary rental car coverage 

When you book a rental car on the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you should refuse collision damage waiver coverage because you have built-in rental car coverage with your card.

The best part about this protection is that the coverage is primary unlike so many other cars which only offer secondary rental car coverage.

Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption

You can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses. These expenses include things like airline tickets, hotel stays, and tours, which is why I consider this card to be one of the best to use for hotel bookings.

This protection is one of the biggest reasons to get this card and why it makes sense to put most of your trip itineraries on this card. Unless your trip costs significantly more than $10,000, you often can avoid purchasing trip insurance with these perks.

Baggage Delay

The baggage delay protection will reimburse you up to $100 a day for up to five days for essentials such as toiletries and clothing when your baggage has been delayed over six hours.

The six hour threshold and $100 a day limit for coverage is very competitive making this once again a great card to use for airline travel.

Purchase Protection

The purchase protection benefit will cover you for new purchases for 120 days and you will be protected against damage or theft up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.

This benefit is definitely not one of the most competitive because other rewards cards offer purchase protection up to $10,000 per claim. So when it comes to your “big balla” purchases, you may want to put those on a different card.

Extended Warranty Protection

If you put a purchase on this card, a U.S. manufacturer’s warranty will be extended by an additional year, on eligible warranties of three years or less.

This is a pretty decent extended warranty protection but because the purchase protection limit is so low, I personally rarely rely on this.

Trip Delay Reimbursement

If your common carrier travel is delayed longer than 12 hours or if it requires an overnight stay, you and your family can be reimbursed for unreimbursed expenses including meals and lodging up to $500 per ticket.

This is a great perk because many common carriers such as airlines don’t have to provide compensation when your flight is substantially delayed for reasons like bad weather.

And when they do provide compensation or lodging it could be at a specific hotel but if you have this benefit you can go out and stay at a hotel of your choice while getting reimbursed for your dining expenses.

The only drawback is that it requires a delay of 12 hours versus six hours which is what is offered by other cards like the Sapphire Reserve.

Travel Accident Insurance

Hopefully you’ll never have to use this but if you pay for your air, bus, train or cruise transportation with your card, you can receive coverage of up to $500,000 for accidental death or dismemberment.

Travel and Emergency Assistance   

If you get yourself into a situation while traveling and need assistance finding legal or medical referrals or some other type of emergency assistance, you can contact the Benefit Administrator.

Just to be aware that you will be responsible for any services that you accept.

Events and experiences

You can get exclusive access to some pretty cool events in different industries like music, sports, and entertainment. These include some high profile events like the Sundance Film Festival.

Direct access to customer service

One of the most convenient perks offered by this card is direct access to a customer service agent. All you have to do is call the number on the back of your card and you will be instantly connected to a customer service representative.

(You may have to verify the last few digits of your card first.)

This greatly cuts down on your waiting time and is a huge perk.

Foreign transaction fees 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred has no foreign transaction fees.

Annual fee

The annual fee for the Chase Sapphire Preferred is $95.

Chase Sapphire Preferred FAQ

How much is the bonus worth for the Chase Sapphire Preferred?

If you receive a 60,000 point bonus, you could be getting anywhere from $600 to over $4,000 worth of value. It all depends on how you choose to redeem your points.

Is the annual fee waived for the Chase Sapphire Preferred?

The annual fee for the Chase Sapphire Preferred is not currently waived for most offers.

What travel protection does the Chase Sapphire Preferred have?

Primary rental car coverage
Trip Cancellation
Trip Interruption
Baggage Delay
Trip Delay Reimbursement
Travel Accident Insurance
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services

Can you get pre-approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred?

Yes, you can get pre-approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Read more about how to do that here.

What credit score do you need for the Chase Sapphire Preferred?

It’s recommended to have a great credit score of around 720 or higher to get approved. However, plenty of people have been approved for the card with credit scores that are lower than that. I would generally try to get my score as close to 700 as possible before applying though. Read more about approval odds.

What credit bureau will be pulled if I apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred?

Chase might pull from multiple bureaus when you apply. In my case, Chase will usually pull from Experian and Equifax but it could differ based on your location. Read more about credit pulls here.

Can you upgrade the Chase Sapphire Preferred?

Yes, after you have had the card for one year, you can look into upgrading to the Chase Sapphire Reserve which comes with a higher annual fee but many more benefits.

Can you get the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Sapphire Reserve?

You are not allowed to get both of these cards based on the application rules found in the terms and conditions. You will need to wait 24 months from receiving a bonus from one of the cards and/or cancel one of them if you currently hold one in order to get approved for an additional Sapphire card. To automate your eligibility for these rules, I suggest using WalletFlo. 

Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred come with roadside assistance?

You get “roadside dispatch” which helps you get the roadside assistance that you need. However, this service is not complimentary and you will be billed for whatever services you accept.

Can you downgrade the Chase Sapphire Preferred?

Yes, after you have had the card for one year you may inquire about downgrade opportunities.

Many people choose to downgrade the Sapphire Preferred to the Chase Freedom or the Chase Freedom Unlimited, both of which have no annual fee but still offer great rewards. You can also downgrade to the no annual fee version of the Chase Sapphire.

Can you get a credit limit increase for the Chase Sapphire Preferred?

Yes, it is possible to get a credit limit increase. There are several tips I have and I recommend that you read up on those in order to improve your odds of getting an increased credit limit.

Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred come with Global Entry?

No, the Chase Sapphire Preferred does not come with Global Entry. However, you can get this benefit with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Find out more about Global Entry here.

Does the Chase Sapphire Preferred come with airport lounge access?

No, the Chase Sapphire Preferred does not come with airport lounge access. Once again, you can get airport lounge access with the Chase Sapphire Reserve via Priority Pass Select.

Is the Chase Sapphire Preferred metal?

Yes, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is partially metal. It’s not as heavy as some other metal cards like the Amex Platinum Card but it is more durable than a standard plastic credit card.

How do you dispose of the Chase Sapphire Preferred?

Because the card is partially metal, you may have trouble disposing of it (unlike a typical credit card that you can just cut up). Chase allows you to send in your card with a prepaid envelope for proper disposal if you would like.

Do Chase Sapphire Preferred points expire?

No, as long as your card is active your points will not expire.

Do I need to set up a travel notification if I travel?

Chase may not require you to set up a travel notification on your Sapphire Preferred but this could depend on your travel and spending habits with Chase. If in doubt, you should try to set one up and you can find out how to do that here.

Final word

The Chase Sapphire Preferred has an amazing welcome bonus and decent bonus earning potential but it also comes with some amazing travel protections that make it a great choice for a go-to travel rewards credit card.

12 Best Chase Ultimate Rewards First Class Redemptions [2020]

One of the biggest reasons I enjoy earning miles and points is that it offers me the opportunity to fly on some amazing aspirational first class products.

I’ve been able to fly on many of the top first class products and I used my Chase Ultimate Rewards to help me fly on several of those.

In this article, I’ll show you some of the best ways to use your Chase Ultimate Rewards to fly on some amazing first class products.

Earning Ultimate Rewards

It’s very easy to quickly earn lots of Ultimate Rewards with some of the top Chase credit cards.

Typically, I recommend people to go first for the Chase Ink Business Preferred and then wait a couple of months and go for the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

Depending on the bonuses that you pick up, you could easily net close to 150,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards which would be enough for a first class flight.

If you wanted to build up your balance even more you could also seek out cards like the Chase Ink Business Cash or perhaps the Chase Freedom Card.

Adding those into the mix could easily put you north of 200,000 points which is a good amount of points for booking at least one solid round trip in an aspirational first class product.

The thing is that Chase has a lot of tricky application rules that can kill your chances of being approved for these cards.

But if you are using the new app WalletFlo to check your eligibility for these cards, you won’t have to worry about getting surprised by the application rules.

WalletFlo will also help show you which cards to use to maximize your points and help you track and manage annual fees, credits, etc. It’s free and very user-friendly so you should definitely check it out.

When you use your points for these first class bookings below, in many cases you will be receiving outsized value for your points.

For example, let’s say that you had the Chase Sapphire Reserve and you use your points in the Chase Travel Portal. You’d be getting right at 1.5 cents in value per point. That’s not bad, especially compared to other travel portals like Amex Travel.

But, as you’ll see below if you choose to use your points to book first class flights the value that you get from your points can be multiplied by a lot.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Ultimate Rewards airline partners

Below are all of the Chase Ultimate Rewards airline partners.

AirlineTransfer ratio
Aer Lingus AerClub1:1
British Airways Executive Club1:1
Emirates Skywards1:1
KLM/Air France Flying Blue1:1
Iberia Plus1:1
JetBlue TrueBlue1:1
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer1:1
Southwest Rapid Rewards1:1
United MileagePlus1:1
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club1:1
Chase Ultimate Rewards airline partners

As you can see, the ratio for transferring points is always one to one.

That 1:1 transfer ratio is one reason why Chase Ultimate Rewards is a special program because other transfer programs do not have 1:1 transfer ratios for all airlines.

First class redemptions with Ultimate Rewards

Emirates first class

Emirates flies its first class on many different routes so you could look at flying from many destinations in the US to Dubai (DXB).

I once used 85,000 Emirates Skywards to book Emirates first class and paid close to $300 in total fees for a flight between Milan and New York. That flight would cost about $3,620 so the value in cents per mile came out to approximately 4 cents.

Emirates first class is on the bucket list of many miles and points enthusiast.

And for good reason.

Emirates offers a fully enclosed private suite that can be conjoined with an additional suite if flying as a couple.

It offers a comfortable flying and sleeping experience with solid in-flight entertainment and all of the premium alcohol and champagne you would expect.

Emirates first class is a truly luxurious experience.

The product goes over and beyond when it comes to additional amenities, though. For example, you can get up and stretch your legs at the main business class bar where you will be able to mingle with other passengers and crew.

You can also hang out at the exclusive first class bar where you will find premium champagne and other expensive bottles.

And finally, there is the world famous on board shower which is the best shower in the sky. You’ll have up to half an hour to relax in the luxurious spa like shower area and be able to pamper yourself up a bit.

Overall, Emirates is an expensive first class experience but it can be an unforgettable way to splurge with your Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Lufthansa first class

To do this redemption, you first need to transfer your points to United Airlines and then book Lufthansa with those United miles.

Tip: You can use the United Explorer Card to help you rack up miles needed for this redemption.

I booked Lufthansa first class with 110,000 United miles and the fees for the flight were only $112.13.

This flight would have cost $8,945 so with all fees factored in, I got 8 cents in value per mile on this redemption!

Lufthansa first class is one of the most respected first class products that you can fly on.

The hard product itself is very solid. The service and dining will be tremendous and you’ll be served up a healthy serving of caviar and offered premium champagne.

The drawback is that it is one of the least private first class cabins so if you really want privacy or a fully enclosed suite this is not the product for you.

If you’re flying out of Frankfurt Germany then you can experience the amazing Lufthansa First Class Lounge. The lounge is actually it’s on terminal and you will enter through your own private security which is a really cool feeling.

I arrived as soon as it opened on my visit and had the terminal to myself for quite some time and it was a pretty surreal morning.

They have a great dining experience in the lounge, a huge bar area, and some quality nap rooms and shower/bath facilities. There’s also relaxation areas, a cigar room, and a private transport to the aircraft via a Porsche.

It’s just a really outstanding experience overall and you will not regret using your Chase Ultimate Rewards for it.

Singapore Airlines first class

Another unforgettable first class experience will be flying in Singapore Suites.

Singapore offers the most spacious first class suites that you will find with miles and points. The amount of space is unreal and one of the unique features of Singapore Suites is the ability to sleep in a double bed in the sky.

The bubbly game is strong with Singapore Airlines. They are one of the only airlines to serve up both Dom Perignon and Krug champagne.

If you want the full suite experience you will need to look for Singapore Airlines A380 routes and you can find those between certain destinations like Singapore and Sydney, Australia.

For a route like that it will come out 85,000 miles but fees can be very reasonable (~$65). The flight would run you about $2,660, so you would be needing about three cents per point.

Availability is usually the hardest part of booking suites so in some cases you will have to do a lot of searching or book very far in advance.

Whether you are flying on the old Singapore Suites or the new Singapore suites honestly both are super impressive and will blow you away.

If you’re flying out of Singapore, you can also enjoy The Private Room which should be undergoing a new renovation soon.

Double bed in Singapore Airlines first class suite
Singapore Airlines first class double bed.

ANA first class

While ANA is a partner of American Express Membership Rewards they are not a partner of Chase.

However, you can transfer your points to Virgin Atlantic and then use them to book and a first class flight on ANA.

One of the best first class redemptions in the world is using Virgin Atlantic miles to book ANA first class. For only 120,000 miles round-trip from the US, it’s an absolute steal. Plus you can book open jaws.

Availability can be tough at times but from a cents per point standpoint, it’s very hard to beat this considering the flights can be close to $20,000 round-trip.

The one downside with using Virgin Atlantic mile is the fact that they impose fuel surcharges. They are not astronomical but in some cases can be over $300.

Related: 11 Keys to First-Class Etiquette

ANA first class seat 1K

Thai Airways first class

Thai Airways first class is a pretty exceptional product that gets a lot of high reviews. You can enjoy the suite experience in an A380 or other wide-body jet like a 747.

Thai Airways is a Star Alliance partner of United so you can transfer your Ultimate Rewards to United to make this redemption happen. Flying from Bangkok to a place like Europe will require you to shell out about 160,000 points for a saver first class award.

That’s a lot of points but the good news is that fees are extremely low at only around $25.

If you can’t get the miles for first class, the business class isn’t too shabby either.

Fees can be under $25.

Japan Airlines First Class

Japan Airlines first class is another one of the top first class products.

They are a member of the oneworld alliance so you would be transferring points to British Airways and booking with Avios.

The suites may only be available on certain routes so you’ll need to check those first. Many of these routes are very long so the price could be very high for this first class experience when using Avios.

For example, from Japan to the West Coast of the US you’ll be looking at 103,000 Avios. The good news is that the fees will be extremely low at only around $53.

Fees in JAL first class could be around $50.

While the suites are not fully enclosed, It’s still a top-notch experience with premium dining and champagne and quality amenities like ETRO amenity kits, Bose headphones, and comfy pajamas.

Tip: If you are flying from Japan, consider flying out of Haneda (HND) instead of Narita (NRT) for Red Suites.

JAL first class suite with three windows
JAL First Class.

JetBlue Mint

JetBlue Mint is widely regarded as the top domestic business/first class experience. Depending on the type of ticket you get, you could be flying around the country in an enclosed suite with lie-flat seats.

The only drawback to JetBlue Mint is that it is only found on select routes so it’s not always that easy to book.

graphic of JetBlue Mint routes

JetBlue has dynamic pricing so the cost of a Mint award will change but here are some of the award rates that I’ve found for one-way flights in the past: 

  • JFK to SFO: 65,000 one way + $5.60 in fees
  • JFK to LAX: 57,700 one way + $5.60 in fees
  • BOS to LAX: 45,300 one way + $5.60 in fees
  • FLL to LAX: 53,100 one way + $5.60 in fees

Tip: JetBlue is a partner of other transferable programs like American Express, Citi, and Capital One. You can also earn more miles with the Barclays JetBlue Plus Card.

United Airlines first class

United is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards so you could easily transfer your points directly to United and fly United business/first class around the country or to nearby regions like the Caribbean.

For a round-trip domestic flight in first class you would be looking at 50,000 miles on many routes though the price could vary.

If you fly internationally, even to Mexico, you can get access to a United Club for free. You also won’t have to pay any United baggage fees on your first couple of bags when flying first class so you get a lot of additional value outside of the air travel.

Tip: In some cases if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the price of a first class ticket is lower than $375, you should consider using the Chase Travel Portal because you will get better value for your points

United first class 175.

American Airlines domestic first class

If you were just trying to get around the country, American Airlines first class can be an option.

As you’ve probably noticed, American Airlines is not a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards.

This immediately makes a lot of people think they need to pick up an American Airlines credit card like the Citi Platinum Select in order to use miles on American Airlines.

But remember you can book American Airlines with Chase partners like British Airways.

You can book domestic routes for pretty cheap rates, especially if you can find nonstop flights. For example, I found business class flights between Miami and Phoenix for only 22,000 Avios, which is a great rate.

Since you are using Avios, which is a distance-based award chart, the longer your flight is, the more miles you may have to use.

Using Avios for domestic first class flights is a good redemption.

Consider using your Avios to book first class lights around the US or two nearby locations like Mexico and the Caribbean. Some of these shorter redemption routes can be extremely great value.

Related: First Class vs Business Class: 15 Differences You Might Expect

Use Avios to fly American Airlines first class.

Cathay Pacific first class

Cathay Pacific first class is widely regarded as one of the top first class experiences in the world. It’s an ultra-luxurious experience with arguably the most comfortable bed in the sky.

Cathay Pacific is part of the oneworld alliance so you can transfer your points to British Airways and use your Avios to book them. Flights may get pretty expensive from the US to Asia but you can always look into routes within Asia which should be more manageable.

If you are departing from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), be sure to check out The Pier — an elegant airport lounge with quality dining, a beautiful bar area, day beds, and a spa.

Cathay Pacific first class seat with three windows
Cathay Pacific first class

British Airways first class

If you are transferring your points directly to British Airways, a first class fight is going to be pretty expensive mostly because you are going to have to pay a lot in fees.

But if you are flying let’s say from London to the East Coast, prices are not too crazy. A first class flight on British Airways from London to New York JFK would cost 68,000 Avios.

That’s not bad at all but the fees will be pretty high at $587.

So this redemption really is only for people who don’t mind splurging on fees.

Tip: Another way to fly first class on British Airways would be to use something like Alaska miles or American Airlines miles.

British Airways First Class.

Qatar Airways first class

You can also transfer your points to British Airways and book a trip on Qatar Airways first class. If you’re flying between somewhere like Paris and Doha, you could expect to pay around 75,500 Avios one way. Fees should be pretty reasonable and may be around $125.

First class on Qatar Airways A380.

The first class product on Qatar Airways on the A380 is not talked about as much as some other first class products. I think that is largely because the business class product is so solid on Qatar Airways that it gets most of the attention.

But don’t sleep on this first class experience.

The seat is very comfortable and spacious and while it is not a fully enclosed sweet it is still very private.

You will be served up some great dining and premium champagne and if you would like, you can head to the in-flight lounge and bar area which in my opinion is the best bar in the sky.

If you’re flying out from Doha, you can experience one of the top first class lounge is in the world.

The Qatar Airways First Class Al Safwa First Lounge is basically like a large museum full of artifacts and superb amenities like a great dining station, spa, entertainment rooms, and best of all the little “hotel” rooms.

Qatar Airways First Class Al Safwa First Lounge

Chase Ultimate Rewards First Class FAQ

How many Chase points are needed for a first class flight?

The amount of Chase points needed can vary drastically depending on the type of first class product. If you are flying domestic first class on American Airlines with British Airways points, you may only need 22,000 points.

But if you want to use United miles on Thai Airways first class from Southeast Asia to Europe, you may need close to 160,000 points.

What Chase cards are best for flying first class?

Because first class redemptions can be so expensive, you want to pursue cards with the highest bonuses. Chase cards that offer high bonuses include cards like the Chase Ink Business Preferred and Chase Sapphire Preferred.

It’s also a good idea to supplement your point balances with co-branded airline cards like the United Explorer Card.

Are there high fees when using Chase points for first class flights?

You do not have to pay fees to fly first class when using Chase points. You can transfer your points out to partners like United Airlines and book several first class flights with low fees.

Final word

As you can probably tell, you can get very far with Chase Ultimate Rewards whenever it comes to first class redemptions. By utilizing the travel partners and some of the alliance partners you can find some super valuable redemptions, often with very manageable fees.

How to Use 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards [2020]

A lot of people pick up cards like the Chase Sapphirre Preferred and quickly find themselves with 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards. But what are the best ways to maximize 60,000 Ultimate Rewards? There are a number of possibilities and a few different factors that you will want to consider before using your points.

In this article, I’ll cover some of the best ways to use your points so that you can get maximum value and be aware of all of the different possibilities.

Earning 60,000 Ultimate Rewards

The easiest way to quickly earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards is by getting a great welcome bonus like that offered by the Chase Sapphirre Preferred (review here) which offers 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months after opening up your account.

Other cards also offer bonuses that could get you up to 60,000 pretty quickly like the Chase Sapphire Reserve which is a premium card loaded with benefits that set you up with a 50,000 point bonus after spending $4,000 in the first three months after account opening.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Ultimate Rewards airline partners

Below are all of the Chase Ultimate Rewards airline partners.

AirlineTransfer ratio
Aer Lingus AerClub1:1
British Airways Executive Club1:1
Emirates Skywards1:1
KLM/Air France Flying Blue1:1
Iberia Plus1:1
JetBlue TrueBlue1:1
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer1:1
Southwest Rapid Rewards1:1
United MileagePlus1:1
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club1:1
Chase Ultimate Rewards airline partners

As you can see, the ratio for transferring points is always one to one.

That 1:1 transfer ratio is one reason why Chase Ultimate Rewards is a special program because other transfer programs do not have 1:1 transfer ratios for all airlines.

Related: 12 Best Chase Ultimate Rewards First Class Redemptions

Best uses of 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards

Get up to $750 worth of value in the Chase Travel Portal

If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, your 60,000 points will be worth $900 when booking travel through the Chase Travel Portal. Meanwhile, if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, your 60,000 points will be worth $750 when booking travel through the Chase Travel Portal.

The advantage to using your points this way is that you don’t have to contend with blackout dates, transferring points, dealing with customer service issues for booking, etc. So if you highly value convenience then this can be a great route to book your flights, hotels, and other forms of travel.

Book Hyatt stays

The best way to maximize value with hotel stays is to transfer your Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt. The amount of value that you will get from the redemptions will vary but it’s often possible to get between 1.5 and two cents per point when booking Hyatt stays.

Getting around two cents per point would put the value of your 60,000 points at $1,200 which is fantastic for a top travel rewards credit card.

If you want some inspiration for using your points at Hyatt hotels, here are a couple of lists that you will find handy:

Fly domestic on United, American, or Delta

If you just want to fly around the US, you can use your Ultimate Rewards to fly on all of the major US carriers.

United is the easy option since it is a direct 1:1 transfer from Chase to United but you could also book United after transferring your points to partner Singapore Airlines since they are both members of the Star Alliance. For a round-trip domestic flight in first class you would be looking at 50,000 miles on many routes though the price could vary.

But you can also use British Airways Avios to book American Airlines flights which sometimes can be a bargain, especially on shorter flights.

You can book domestic routes for pretty cheap rates, especially if you can find nonstop flights. For example, I found business class flights between Miami and Phoenix for only 22,000 Avios, which is a great rate.

You can also look at partners like KLM or Virgin Atlantic to book Delta flights around the country.

Read more about American Airlines Domestic First Class and United Airlines First Class.

Maximize value domestically and internationally with Southwest

Southwest Airlines is another option for getting around the country and also to other international destinations like Mexico and various Caribbean locations.

If you seek out Wanna Get Away fares you’ll be able to save a lot and stretch your points pretty far. 60,000 Rapid Rewards could easily get you three or four roundtrips depending on the deals you find. Here are a few examples of some flight prices:

  • HOU – LAX 11,622
  • FLL – BOS 15,366
  • MDW – LAS 13,026
  • LGA – SEA 10,764
  • PHX – MCO 15,444

The extra upside here is that if you have the Southwest Companion Pass then you can essentially double your travels since one person will be able to fly virtually for free on every flight. Chase also offers Southwest credit cards so it is easy to supplement your balance and bank even more Rapid Rewards.

Fly JetBlue Mint

JetBlue Mint is arguably the number one domestic first class product and you can transfer your points directly to JetBlue to book it.

Prices will fluctuate based on the cash price so it’s a good idea to book in advance a lot of times but this could be a great way to cash out your Ultimate Rewards if you value comfort when flying around the US.

Mint routes have gotten more expensive over the past few years but here are some of the award rates that I’ve found for one way flights in the past: 

  • JFK to SFO: 65,000 one way + $5.60 in fees
  • JFK to LAX: 57,700 one way + $5.60 in fees
  • BOS to LAX: 45,300 one way + $5.60 in fees
  • FLL to LAX: 53,100 one way + $5.60 in fees

Fly between the US and Europe

You can find economy flights for 60,000 points round-trip from the US to Europe on United Airlines. Alternatively, you could use those 60,000 points to fly in business class on United for a one-way trip.

Using Virgin Atlantic, you can book multiple economy flights for under 60,000 points round-trip from the US to Europe on Delta Airlines. Depending on where you are departing from, an economy trip may cost between 20,000 and 30,000 miles round-trip. So you could get up to three round trips from 60,000 miles.

That’s very cheap but the fees will be pretty high on roundtrips so be prepared to shell out over $500 on fees. If you are just flying one way you can use your Virgin Atlantic to get from the US to Europe with very minimal fees on Delta. Also note that you could fly in Delta One for as low as 45,000 miles!

Fly one way between Italy and New York on Emirates

Using points on Emirates can get pricey sometimes but you can find some decent redemption options between certain routes such as between Italy and New York. You could fly from Italy to New York in economy for just under 39,000 miles and about €50 in fees. You would also be able to fly in business class for 62,500 miles and around €66 in fees.

Those are not the cheapest prices out there but if you really want to experience Emirates, which is one of the top airlines in the world, it can be a worthwhile redemption for sure.

Fly between the US and Australia

For 40,000 miles one way, you can get down to Australia from the US on United Airlines. That’s actually a very competitive rate and among the best offered by many airlines.

If you would rather fly with Singapore Airlines, shelling out another 20,000 miles for a total of 60,000 miles will get you to the land down under. Also, don’t forget that you can use British Airways to fly American Airlines down to Australia for 62,500 miles.

Availability can be very tough to Australia but if you are flying economy and booking well in advance, you may have much better luck.

Fly between Asia and Australia using Singapore Airlines

You can fly in Singapore Airlines business class between China/Hong Kong or Taiwan and Australia for 65,000 miles one way on a saver award. Business class on Singapore Airlines generally gets good reviews and we have a review you could check out as well.

Fly between US in South Africa

For only 31,000 Virgin Atlantic miles, you can get down to South Africa on KLM. United requires 40,000 miles for a one-way trip and you can fly with United or you can select one of the different partners that sometimes fly to destinations like Cape Town.

Final word

As you can tell, there are tons of different ways to use 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards. You will have enough to fly business class for one way flights on many routes and enough for round trips in economy in a lot of flights. However, I would try to beef up that balance another 50,000 points if you wanted a lot more options in premium cabins such as first class in business class.

Can I Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to A Spouse or Family Member?

Each rewards program has its own set of rules and restrictions for transferring points. If you’re relying on pooling points with a spouse or family member, it’s critical that you understand what those transfer policies are before you begin earning those much-needed points. Luckily, Chase Ultimate Rewards are pretty flexible and easily transferrable even to a spouse or family member, so long as you abide by the terms and conditions.

Update: Some offers are no longer available — click here for the latest deals!

The official terms and conditions

A good starting point when looking to transfer your points is the official terms and conditions. Here are the terms for the Chase Sapphire Preferred:

You can move your points, but only to another Chase card with Ultimate Rewards belonging to you or one member of your household.

Go to chase.com/ultimaterewards, call the number on the back of your card or visit a Chase branch to move your points.

You can’t move points to another eligible card if either account is prohibited from earning or using points at the time you attempt to move the points.

Note that there are other PDFs floating around online which provide different terms that explicitly state that you can transfer to your spouse but do not mention anything about household members.

As discussed below, these are not current. But for your reference, here is the outdated language you might come across:

Combine points with other Chase cards with Ultimate Rewards • You can move your points, but only to another Chase card with Ultimate Rewards belonging to you, your spouse or domestic partner, as applicable.

Go to chase.com/ultimaterewards, call the number on the back of your card or visit a Chase branch to move your points.

You can’t move points to another eligible card if either account is prohibited from earning or using points at the time you attempt to move the points

Here are the terms and conditions which relate to business cards, which are similar but do include the addition of an owner of the company.

You can move your points, but only to another Chase card with Ultimate Rewards belonging to you or one member of your household or owner of the company, as applicable.

Go to chase.com/ultimaterewards, call the number on the back of your card or visit a Chase branch to move your points.

You can’t move points to another eligible card if either account is prohibited from earning or using points at the time you attempt to move the points.

Again, you may find alternative terms and conditions which relate to business cards:

Combine points with other Chase cards with Ultimate Rewards: You can move your points, but only to another Chase card with Ultimate Rewards belonging to you, your spouse or domestic partner, or your joint business owner(s), as applicable. You can’t move points to another eligible card if either account is prohibited from earning or redeeming points at the time you attempt to move the points.

Which terms govern the transfers?

The terms and conditions that include language regarding members of your household are the most up to date. I know this because when you actually log-in to the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, you see the language about transferring to a member of your household and the official Agreement includes the household member language.

This means that you can transfer points to a spouse or family member so long as they are a member of your household, or if it’s a business card they can be a joint business owner who lives in a separate household.

Note: I suggest not trying to get “creative” with your definition of “household” based on the language found at the bottom of this article.

How to transfer your Ultimate Rewards to a family member

Assuming your family member is a member of your household, you just need to follow the following easy steps to complete a transfer to them.

To initiate the transfer, simply log in to your Chase account online and click on the Ultimate Rewards tab. Once there, click on the arrow in the box in the top right corner with your points to bring up the menu option to combine points. Near the bottom, you’ll see where it says to “Combine Points.”

Once you click combine points, you’ll be taken to a new menu titled “Combine Points” where you can select the card you are transferring your points from and where you can add a recipient. The menu should look like this:

You can add up to four cards but only one household member or joint business owner.  You’ll need to enter the recipients account number (which is their credit card number) and also their last name. Once they are added, you will be able to transfer your Ultimate Rewards to them and after you initiate the transfer it should be processed instantly.

Can you move points back?

If something comes up and you need those points back in your account. Just repeat the process above but reverse the flow of the points and your points will be right back in your account.

Transferring Ultimate Rewards to family members’ travel partners

In addition to transferring Ultimate Rewards to other members of your household, you can also transfer your points to the loyalty accounts of other household members. For example, this means that you can transfer your Ultimate Rewards to the United Airlines account of a member of your household.

The catch is that the recipient also needs to be an authorized user of that card. 

As a reminder, you need to be transferring points from one of the following cards and have an authorized user on that card in order to transfer points to that authorized user’s loyalty account:

  • Chase Sapphire Preferred®
  • Chase Sapphire ReserveSM
  • Ink Bold®
  • Ink Plus®
  • Ink Business PreferredSM
  • Chase Corporate Flex card
  • J.P. Morgan Palladium card
  • J.P. Morgan ReserveSM card
  • J.P. Morgan Select card

Transfer glitches

Sometimes the transfer may not go through for various reasons. I suggest calling in if you have any difficulties. Also, if the person you’re trying to transfer to already has someone else listed as a household member, it’s possible that the transfer won’t work so they might need to remove whoever they have as a household member and either leave it blank or add yourself. (This is what happened to me once and the Chase reps weren’t able to figure it out.)

A word of warning

When it comes to transferring points, Chase is one bank that you don’t want to mess around with. They are known to crack down on people transferring points in violation of their terms.

Their terms read:

You can move your points, but only to another Chase card with Ultimate Rewards belonging to you, or one member of your household.If we suspect that you’ve engaged in fraudulent activity related to your credit card account or Ultimate Rewards, or that you’ve misused Ultimate Rewards in any way (for example by buying or selling points, moving or transferring points with or to an ineligible third party or account, or repeatedly opening or otherwise maintaining credit card accounts for the sole purpose of generating rewards) we may temporarily prohibit you from earning points or using points you’ve already earned. If we believe you’ve engaged in any of these acts, we’ll close your credit card account and you’ll lose all your points.

Thus, I suggest not trying to tempt Chase and just abide by their rules when it comes to point transfers.

Final word

Overall, the process is pretty straight forward to transfer your points to a spouse of family members. If the occasional glitch does arise, just call in or send a secured message to request for Chase to process your transfer. As long as you abide by the terms and conditions, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about with these transfers.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve vs the Citi Prestige: Which is Better?

Update: Some offers are no longer available — click here for the latest deals!

With the recent launch of the Chase Sapphire Reserve and recent changes to the benefits of the Citi Prestige card, many travelers and credit card consumers are probably wondering how these two cards stack up against each other in a head to head comparison. I recently compared the American Express Platinum Card to the Sapphire Reserve, but here’s a new in-depth comparison of the Chase Sapphire Reserve vs the Citi Prestige with a winner crowned at the end.

Transfer Partners

Citi Thankyou Points

The Citi Prestige earns Thankyou Points and Citi has fairly recently added a lot of new travel partners. These partners are:

Airlines

  • Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific)
  • EVA Air
  • Eithad Guest
  • Flying Blue (Air France, KLM)
  • Garuda Indonesia Frequent Flyer
  • Malaysia Airlines Enrich
  • Qantas Frequent Flyer
  • Qatar Airways Privilege Club
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
  • Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
  • Virgin America Elevate (Get 500 Elevate points for 1,000 pts)
  • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Hotels

    • Hilton HHonors (Get 1,500 HHonors Bonus Points for 1,000 pts)

Chase Ultimate Rewards

The Sapphire Reserve earns “Ultimate Rewards” that can all be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to a variety of travel partners listed below.

Airlines

  • British Airways Executive Club
  • Flying Blue
  • Korean Air SKYPASS
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
  • Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
  • United MileagePlus
  • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Hotels

  • Hyatt Gold Passport
  • IHG® Rewards Club
  • Marriott Rewards
  • The Ritz-Carlton Rewards

Which reward program is better? 

I personally would take Chase Ultimate Rewards partners over Citi Thankyou Points partners. I like that Chase has additional options for earning miles for for its different airline partners, such Southwest, United and British Airways with its co-branded cards (all of which can be used for good domestic/Caribbean/Mexico flights). Also, I much prefer 1:1 transfers to Marriott, IHG, and Hyatt over Citi’s lone hotel partner Hilton because of better value for points. However, with that said, I still feel that there are some Thankyou Points partners with great potential for value. 

Thankyou Points 

  • Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific) – Fantastic product with a distance-based award program allowing for very reasonable redemptions to Asia and great redemptions with partners to places like Europe; can supplement miles with Membership Rewards. 
  • EVA Air  – Good for booking intra-continent Star Alliance flights in places like Europe and Asia due to lower mileage requirements and very flexible routing rules. 
  • Virgin America – Young, swanky airline with revenue based awards growing to serve more cities. Lots of options on the west coast but routing is limited in other parts of the country. Overall, not a bad way to get around the country/Mexico.

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Membership Rewards and Thankyou Points partners

Two partners overlap each program:

Overall, Citi has more options when it comes to airline partners than Chase but I much prefer the options that Chase has to offer, especially because there are great ways to supplement those point transfers with solid Chase co-branded cards. When it comes to hotel partners, I don’t think it’s even close, as Hyatt, Marriott/Ritz-Carlton, and IHG at 1:1 ratios make up a powerful trio for hotel stays (that again all have additional co-branded cards). Unless and until Citi makes American Airlines a travel partner, I think Chase travel partners are easily superior, so the Sapphire Reserve wins here.

Redeeming Points

In addition to transferring points to travel partners you can always redeem your points in different ways, such as for cash back, gift cards, or to book travel.

Citi Thankyou Points

Thankyou Points can be redeemed in the following ways:

  • 1.0 cent per point for cash back, hotels, cruises, and car rentals
  • 1.0 cent per point for gift cards
  • As a Citi Prestige card holder, you can redeem points as 1.25 cents per point on airlines.

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Ultimate Rewards can be redeemed in the following ways:

  • 1.0 cent per point for cash back
  • 1.0 cent per point for gift cards
  • As a Sapphire Reserve card holder, you can redeem points as 1.5 cents per point on the Ultimate Rewards travel portal.

Ultimate Rewards easily wins in this comparison as you get more value in redeeming points for travel than you do with Citi Thankyou points. Furthermore, you can redeem points at this great rate for more than just air fare, but also things like hotels and cruises.

Sign-up Bonus

Citi Prestige

  • 40K to 100K (currently 40K) when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months.

Citi has shown a downward trend in sign-up bonuses as of late, so I’m not sure how much hope there is that the higher 100K offer or even 75K offer might be returning any time soon. You might even have to get a bit lucky to see the 50K offer….

Sapphire Reserve

  • 50K when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months.

Bonus Categories

Citi Prestige

  • 3X on air travel and hotels
  • 2X on dining and entertainment
  • 1X on all other purchases

Sapphire Reserve

  • 3X on travel
  • 3X on dining
  • 1X on all other purchases

This is a bit close of a comparison and the winner for your spending habits might be different than mine, but I’d still take the Sapphire Reserve’s earning rates over the Prestige. That’s because the travel category is very broad for the Reserve and it includes the following:

airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, campgrounds, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, and operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots and garages.

I spend a lot more on non-hotel/air fare travel expenses than I do on entertainment, so the 3X on travel offered by the Reserve would take me much further than the 2X on entertainment offered by the Prestige.

Increasing earning potential with additional credit cards 

In addition to those earnings, you can always combine the Sapphire Reserve with a Chase Freedom card (or two) or Ink Cash and have additional no-annual fee cards earning you tons of extra points at the rate of 5X on certain categories (dining, groceries, cable bill, etc.) or 1.5X on all purchases. For Citi, you can add the Citi Premier to earn 3X on travel and gas but it comes with a $95 annual fee (the no annual fee Citi Thankyou Preferred does not offer additional bonus earning potential that you can’t get without the Prestige). 

With 3X on dining and travel categories, I think the Reserve is going to earn points for most travelers more quickly than the Prestige, so I’m giving this one to the Reserve. 

Benefits 

Citi Prestige

  • $250 airline credit (essentially reducing the annual fee to $200)
  • Priority Pass Select airport lounge access for you and up to two guests for free
  • Complimentary night at any hotel of your choice after a minimum 4-consecutive-night booking (now calculated on an average nightly rate basis and taxes are not included)
  • $100 Global Entry credit
  • 3 free rounds of golf (set to expire July 23, 2017)
  • Rental car benefits with National Car Rental, Avis, Budget, and Sixt.
  • Add authorized users for $50 each.
  • Concierge service
  • Mastercard luxury hotel and resorts

Sapphire Reserve

  • Priority Pass airport lounge access with unlimited guest access subject to lounge’s policy
  • $300 annual travel credit (essentially reducing the annual fee to $150)
  • $100 statement credit for Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check 
  • Add authorized users for $75 per person
  • Rental car benefits with National Car Rental, Avis, and Silvercar
  • Visa Infinite concierge service
  • Elite Hotel Benefits at Relais & Châteaux

The benefits are very similar so it often comes down to the Reserve’s $300 travel credit versus the 4th night free benefit of the Prestige. While there are other factors to consider, in terms of benefits, I think these two benefits are what set the cards apart from each other in the long-run and should play a major role in one’s decision to keep each card. For that reason, I can’t claim a winner for the benefits, since it likely depends on your personal traveling habits. 

Primary rental car insurance 

Citi Prestige

  • Citi Prestige offers secondary insurance up to $100,000

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • The Sapphire Reserve offers primary rental car insurance covering up to $75,000. This benefit comes with fewer restrictions than the Sapphire Preferred had.  

Primary rental car coverage is a huge benefit offered by the Sapphire Reserve because it can save you from having to file a claim with your insurance company and keep your premiums down. Since the Prestige only offers secondary protection, it falls short here.

Travel protections

Both of these cards offer superb protections for travel and purchases. Take a close look at the terms compared below and you’ll see how equally matched these two cards are. 

A) Lost or damaged Luggage

Citi Prestige

  • Covered up to $3,000 per person per trip

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • For checked or carry-on bags are damaged or lost by the carrier, you’re covered up to $3,000.00 for each Insured Person for each Common Carrier Covered Trip and up to $500.00 for each Insured Person for each Common Carrier Covered Trip for jewelry, watches, cameras, video recorders, and other electronic equipment.

B) Trip Interruption

Citi Prestige

  • If your trip is canceled or cut short by covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $5,000 per traveler per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • If your trip is canceled or cut short by covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses.

C) Trip Delay Reimbursement

Citi Prestige

  • If delayed more than 3 hours you are covered for expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per traveler per trip.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • If delayed more than 6 hours you are covered for expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per ticket. (Upgrade from the Sapphire Preferred which required 12 hours.)

D) Baggage Delay Reimbursement

Citi Prestige

  • If delayed more than 3 hours, you are covered for essential expenses for up to $500 dollars per traveler per trip.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • If delayed more than 6 hours, you are covered for essential expenses, such as toiletries and clothes for up to one hundred ($100.00) dollars per day for a maximum of five (5) days.

Purchase protections

A) Purchase protection

Citi Prestige

  • Covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  •  Covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account. (This is a significant upgrade from the previous $500 limit of the Sapphire Preferred.)

B) Extended Warranty Protection

Citi Prestige

  • Extends warranty by 2 years but not to exceed 7 total years. 

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • Extends the time period of the original manufacturer’s written U.S. repair warranty by 1 additional year on eligible warranties of three (3) years or less, up to a maximum of ten thousand ($10,000.00) dollars per claim.

C) Price Protection

Citi Prestige

  • If a card purchase you made in the U.S. is advertised for less in print or online within 60 days, you can be reimbursed the difference up to $500 per item, $2,500 per year.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • If a card purchase you made in the U.S. is advertised for less in print or online within 90 days, you can be reimbursed the difference up to $500 per item, $2,500 per year.

D) Return Protection

Citi Prestige

  • You can be reimbursed for eligible items that the store won’t take back within 90 days of purchase, up to $500 per item, $2,500 per year.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • You can be reimbursed for eligible items that the store won’t take back within 90 days of purchase, up to $500 per item, $1,000 per year.

Roadside assistance 

Citi Prestige

  • Unlimited and complimentary costs for select services. 

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • Free for up to $50 and up to 4 times per year

Foreign Transaction Fees

  • Both cards have no foreign transaction fees.

Annual Fee

Citi Prestige

  • $450, not waived (more like $200/year with airline credit)

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • $450, not waived (more like $150/year with airline credit)

Highlighting the Differences 

Lounge Access

Lounge access for these cards is pretty equal with these cards. The Prestige allows for two guests or immediate family members to enter Priority Pass lounges for free while the Reserve card appears to allow unlimited guests subject to the policy/discretion of the Priority Pass lounge you’re visiting. Since the drop of Admirals Club access for the Prestige, the value of the lounge benefit has dropped significantly and I think both cards offer more or less the same lounge benefit now with the edge going to the Reserve.  

***It might be the case that the Sapphire Reserve offers superior lounge access because more than two guests could gain free entry, but I’m still waiting for more data points regarding guest entry with the Reserve to arrive at a conclusion. 

Update: It’s now confirmed that the Sapphire Reserve Priority Pass access allows complimentary access to you and the guests in your “travel party.” Which means all the guests accompanying you can enter subject to availability and the rules of the lounge (some lounges restrict guest access to always try to check ahead of time). 

Bonus earning potential 

I think that most travelers will benefit from 3X on dining and travel than 3X on air fare/hotels and 2X on dining and entertainment. 

Travel benefit 

Both of these cards offer some of the best travel credits out there but the Reserve stands out since its $300 credit is higher and applies to any purchase falling within the travel category (which is very broad as seen above). This is much more inclusive than the $250 Prestige credit that while broad enough to cover air fare, doesn’t quite cover the same range of travel expenses as the Reserve does. Thus, the Reserve will easily save you $50 more each calendar year on travel with this credit. 

4th night free

The 4th night free benefit is probably the only area where the Prestige clearly comes out on top. If you book your hotel through the Citi Prestige concierge service then you’re given the fourth night free for a consecutive 4 night or longer stay and this benefit can be applied an unlimited amount of times each year! If you’re someone who likes to stay around in one place for four consecutive nights or longer then this benefit could absolutely work in your favor enough such that it makes more sense for you to go with the Prestige over the Reserve in the long term. Thus, while the Reserve’s credit will net you $50 in savings, the 4th night free benefit could net you hundreds in savings each year if used efficiently. 

Authorized users

It’s $25 cheaper to add an authorized user to the Prestige than it is to the Reserve, so the Prestige wins this race. Something to think about is: if you’re were planning on adding even just two authorized users, then the savings from adding authorized users with the Prestige cancels out the additional $50 in savings from the Sapphire Reserve’s travel credit. If those savings are combined with a couple of free hotel nights, it might be difficult for Reserve to compete with the value gained by the Prestige.   

Protections

The protections offered by these cards are among the very best out of any travel credit card and it’s a tight race. The protections are very similar but Citi does offer better baggage delay and trip delay in my opinion since the waiting time is only 3 hours compared to 6 hours with the Reserve. At the same time, the Reserve offers primary rental car insurance, which can end up saving you a lot of hassle and money as your premiums can avoid an increase. Therefore, I think this one is a draw between the two cards. 

Final word

These two cards are the best benefits cards in my opinion but there can only be one winner. In this case, I’ve got to go with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. The sign-up bonus is currently more than double the Citi Prestige; Chase has better travel partners; the bonus categories are probably more valuable for most travelers; the travel credit is higher and more broadly defined; and the protections are just a bit better, in my opinion. I think that the only reason I’d hold on to the Prestige over the Reserve in the long-run is if I regularly took advantage of the 4th night free benefit and/or had a few authorized users, but aside from that, the Reserve is simply a beast of a credit card and the best benefits card out on the market right now. 

The Chase Sapphire Reserve vs The American Express Platinum Card

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is the newest benefits card to hit the market and consumers are going crazy over this card (and rightfully so). It’s a bit of a super-card, offering an outstanding sign-up bonus, some of the best benefits out of any card, and great bonus category earning rates. But how does is stack up to the tried-and-true Platinum Card from American Express? Here’s a comparison between the two cards with a final winner decided at the end.

Update: Some offers are no longer available — click here for the latest deals!

January 2020 update: The Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum annual fees are both now $550. 

Charge card vs Credit Card

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a credit card while the American Express Platinum is a “charge card.” A charge card must be paid off in full each month or else you face a hefty monthly fee. The benefit to a charge card like the Platinum is that you’re not restricted to a strict credit limit and so you have a little more spending flexibility (although credit limits with the Reserve tend to start quite high so it’s not a huge advantage here). 

Note: Over time, you can often effectively turn your charge card into a credit card with Amex with the “Pay Over Time” feature. 

Transfer Partners

Membership Rewards

The Platinum will earn you Membership Rewards that can be transferred to a variety of travel partners listed below: 

Airlines

Membership Rewards Airline Partners
Membership Rewards Airline Partners

Membership Rewards Airline Partners
Membership Rewards Airline Partners

These partners do not have all have the same transfer ratios as you can see below:

  • Delta Skymiles
  • Club Premier AeroMexico
  • Aeroplan Air Canada
  • Flying Blue (Air France/KLM)
  • MilleMigilia Club Alitalia
  • ANA
  • Asia Miles
  • Avios British Airways (250 points = 200 Avios)
  • Emirates Skyrewards
  • Hawaiin Airlines
  • Iberia Plus
  • JetBlue
  • KrisFlyer Singapore Airlines
  • Virgin America (200 points = 100 Elevate points)
  • Virgin Atlantic

Hotels

Membership Rewards Hotels

  • Best Western Rewards
  • Choice Privileges
  • Hilton HHonors (1,000 points = 1,500 HHonors points)
  • SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest) (1,000 points = 333 Starpoints)

There are a few things to keep in mind about Membership Rewards:

  • Bonus transfers are occasionally offered allowing you to transfer your points to partners for higher ratios. Check this thread for a history of these transfer bonuses.
  • Your Membership Rewards cannot be freely transferred between you and any friend or family members but you can transfer them to authorizes users’ rewards accounts. 
  • They don’t expire as long as you remain a cardholder

Chase Ultimate Rewards

The Sapphire Reserve earns “Ultimate Rewards” that can all be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to a variety of travel partners listed below.

Airlines

  • British Airways Executive Club
  • Flying Blue (Air France/KLM)
  • Korean Air SKYPASS
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
  • Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
  • United MileagePlus
  • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Hotels

  • Hyatt Gold Passport
  • IHG® Rewards Club
  • Marriott Rewards
  • The Ritz-Carlton Rewards

Which reward program is better? 

Both programs have their strengths and weaknesses and lots could be written in a comparison between the two but here’s a brief look at some of the key highlights of the travel partners.

Membership Rewards

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards

Two partners overlap each program:

And as far as hotel partners go, I’d roll with Ultimate Reward partners Hyatt, Marriott, and IHG over the transfer ratios for SPG and Hilton. 

As you can see both programs have many options for booking great redemptions to just about anywhere you want to go in the world. In the end, unless you have a very clear plan as to what loyalty program you’ll be utilizing, it’s hard to go wrong with either program. Once you learn the system for redeeming miles with alliance partners, you’ll see that both of these reward programs have tons to offer depending on your personal goals for your travel. For that reason, I’m declaring it mostly a draw with a slight edge to Ultimate Rewards for its better transfer ratios and hotel partners.

Redeeming Points

In addition to transferring points to travel partners you can always redeem your points in different ways, such as for cash back, gift cards, or to book travel.

Membership Rewards 

Membership Rewards can be redeemed in the following ways:

  • Between .5 and 1.0 cent per point for gift cards
  • 0.6 cent per point for a statement credit/charge.
  • 1.0 cent per point on air fare
  • 0.7 cent per point on hotels, cruises, and vacation packages.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal

Ultimate Rewards can be redeemed in the following ways:

  • 1.0 cent per point for cash back into your Chase checking or savings account.
  • 1.0 cent per point for gift cards
  • As a Chase Sapphire Reserve card holder,  if you book travel through the Ultimate Rewards Portal you can redeem points as 1.5 cents per point.

The Reserve easily beats the Platinum with these redemption options. Although I always transfer my points out to travel programs, 1.5 cents per point redemption on any travel is solid and very tempting, especially when compared to what you’re given with the Platinum. And while I definitely would never redeem Ultimate Rewards for a statement credit, the points to redeem at one cent per point almost double the rate of Membership Rewards. Thus, the Sapphire Reserve is the clear winner here.

Sign-up Bonus

Platinum Card 

New bonus of 60K is out — will update article soon. 

  • 40K to 100K (currently 40K) when you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months.

The 40K offer is the standard offer available to the public, and the 100K offer comes around in three forms but there’s no guarantee that you will ever get it. The three forms it comes in are:

  • 1) Targeted mailings (if you’re already an Amex cardholder your chances of getting this offer in the mail are slim to none).
  • 2) Pre-approval links: Some sites (including the Amex site) that allow you to view your pre-approved credit card offers will show this offer.
  •  3) Incognito/Private browser windows sometimes show this offer (rare)

Tip: When applying for bonuses with Amex cards always remember that bonuses for personal cards are only given once a lifetime.

Sapphire Reserve

  • 50K when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months

The drawback to the Reserve is that it’s subject to the Chase 5/24 rule, meaning that if you’ve opened up 5 or more accounts in the past 24 months, you won’t be approved subject to certain limited exceptions.

Bonus Categories

Platinum Card

October 7, 2016 update:

  • 5X on purchases of airfare made directly with airlines
  • 1X on all other purchases

Sapphire Reserve

  • 3X on travel
  • 3X on dining
  • 1X on all other purchases 

This is another lopsided comparison in favor of the Sapphire Reserve. 3X on travel and dining is extremely competitive even among non-benefit based cards, so the Reserve definitely stands out in this regard. 

Benefits 

The real reason you apply for and keep a credit card with an annual over $400 is for the benefits that the card offers.

Platinum Card 

Priority Pass

Here’s a breakdown of my favorite benefits of the Platinum, but in a nutshell this card confers a host of benefits to you making it worth it including:

  • Priority Pass airport lounge access (worth $400 per year)
  • Centurion Lounge Access/Delta Lounge Access (when you fly with them)
  • $200 annual airline credit (essentially reducing the annual fee to $250)
  • $100 statement credit for Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check 
  • Add up to 3 authorized users for only $175 per year (for all 3)
  • Gold status with Hilton and Starwood
  • Free Boingo Wifi subscription (worth $120 per year)
  • Rental car benefits with National Car Rental, Avis, and Hertz
  • Concierge service

Also, while not exclusive to the Platinum, Amex Offers (which are special discounts and rebates given to Amex cardholders) can add up quickly if used efficiently and can certainly act as a considerable benefit to having the Platinum.

Sapphire Reserve

  • Priority Pass airport lounge access (worth $400 per year)
  • $300 annual travel credit (essentially reducing the annual fee to $150)
  • $100 statement credit for Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check 
  • Add authorized users for $75 per person
  • Rental car benefits with National Car Rental, Avis, and Silvercar
  • Visa Infinite concierge service
  • Elite Hotel Benefits at Relais & Châteaux

Primary rental car insurance 

Platinum Card 

  • Excess rental car insurance (may cover what your insurance company doesn’t cover), subject to exceptions such as no coverage for exotic cars and cars with retail value over $75,000. 

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • The Sapphire Reserve offers primary rental car insurance covering up to $75,000. This benefit comes with fewer restrictions than the Sapphire Preferred had.  

Primary rental car coverage is a huge benefit offered by the Sapphire Reserve because it can save you from having to file a claim with your insurance company and keep your premiums down.

Travel protections

Lost or damaged Luggage

Platinum Card 

  • Will pay a benefit for the Replacement Cost, up to $3,000, for each Covered Person on a Covered Trip for Loss of carry-on Baggage.
  • Will pay a benefit for the Replacement Cost, up to $2,000, for each Covered Person on a Covered Trip for Loss of checked Baggage

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • For checked or carry-on bags are damaged or lost by the carrier, you’re covered up to $3,000.00 for each Insured Person for each Common Carrier Covered Trip and up to $500.00 for each Insured Person for each Common Carrier Covered Trip for jewelry, watches, cameras, video recorders, and other electronic equipment.

Additional Benefits

The Sapphire Reserve has many other travel benefits, too. These include:

  • Trip Interruption: If your trip is canceled or cut short by covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, 
  • Trip Delay Reimbursement: If delayed more than 6 hours you are covered for expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per ticket. (upgrade from the Sapphire Preferred which required 12 hours). 
  • Baggage Delay Reimbursement: If delayed more than 6 hours, you are covered for essential expenses, such as toiletries and clothes for up to one hundred ($100.00) dollars per day for a maximum of five (5) days.

For the Platinum, you’d have to purchase travel insurance before your trip to get these benefits. Thus, the Sapphire Reserve is a far superior travel credit card in this regard.

Purchase protections

A) Purchase protections

Platinum Card 

  • Covers your new purchases for 90 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per Card Member account per calendar year.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  •  Covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account. (This is a significant upgrade from the previous $500 limit of the Sapphire Preferred.)

B) Extended Warranty Protection

Platinum Card 

  • Provides one additional year if the original manufacturer’s warranty is between one year and five years limited up to a maximum of USD $10,000 per occurrence

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • Extends the time period of the original manufacturer’s written U.S. repair warranty by one (1) additional year on eligible warranties of three (3) years or less, up to a maximum of ten thousand ($10,000.00) dollars per claim

C) Price Protection

Platinum Card 

  • No price protection offered

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • If a card purchase you made in the U.S. is advertised for less in print or online within 90 days, you can be reimbursed the difference up to $500 per item, $2,500 per year.

D) Return Protection

Platinum Card 

  • You can be reimbursed for eligible items that the store won’t take back within 90 days of purchase, up to $300 per item, $1,000 per year.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • You can be reimbursed for eligible items that the store won’t take back within 90 days of purchase, up to $500 per item, $1,000 per year.

Travel accident insurance

Platinum Card 

  • Up to $500,000 for loss of life

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • Up to $1,000,000 for loss of life

Roadside assistance 

Platinum Card 

  • Free for up to 4 times per year for the following services: towing up to 10 miles, winching, jump starts, flat tire change when Card Member has a workable spare, lockout service when key is in vehicle and delivery of up to 2 gallons of fuel.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • Free for up to $50 and up to 4 times per year

Foreign Transaction Fees

  • Both cards have no foreign transaction fees.

Annual Fee

Platinum Card

  • $450, not waived (more like $250/year with airline credit)

Chase Sapphire Reserve

  • $450, not waived (more like $150/year with airline credit)

While the annual fees are the same one aspect where the Reserve comes out on top is that you should be able to downgrade it to a no annual fee card like a Freedom or regular Sapphire. With the Platinum, the best you can do aside from canceling it is to downgrade it to a Green Card with a $95 fee.

Highlighting the Differences 

Lounge Access and hotel status

The Platinum card has a leg up on the Reserve when it comes to lounge access and hotel perks. The access to Centurion lounges (and free entry for up to two guests or immediate family members) and Delta SkyClub lounges (when you fly with them) can be huge for those who frequent them. In addition, having complimentary gold hotel status with Hilton and SPG (and now Marriott) is a nice perk that’s afforded me several upgrades. Thus, if you’re concerned primarily about lounge access and will actually frequent Centurion and Delta lounges, the Platinum card might be better suited for you to hold on to in the long-term. 

I’m still awaiting confirmation of the guest policy of the Priority Pass with the Reserve. Early indications are that guests will be allowed subject to the discretion of the lounge. (I will update when facts emerge.) 

Update: It’s now confirmed that the Sapphire Reserve Priority Pass access allows complimentary access to you and the guests in your “travel party.” Which means all the guests accompanying you can enter subject to availability and the rules of the lounge (some lounges restrict guest access to always try to check ahead of time). 

Travel credit

The Sapphire Reserve stands out for its $300 travel credit. This travel credit can be applied to anything that falls under the travel category. This is extremely broad and makes it ridiculously easy to take advantage of the travel credit.

The Platinum, on the other hand, limits this travel credit to incidentals for one single domestic airline. While there are easy ways to get around this with gift cards or through the MPX app, for many people it still doesn’t compare to the ease and breadth of the Sapphire Reserve travel credit (not to mention it’s $100 more).

The travel credit on expensive credit cards like these is important because it allows you to offset the annual fee making what you effectively pay for the card much more reasonable. In this case, you’re essentially paying $150 for the Sapphire Reserve and $250 for the Platinum, making the Reserve a better card to hold onto it the long term for people primarily concerned with paying the lowest annual fee possible. 

Bonus categories

The Platinum earns 5X on purchases made directly with an airline and 1.5X on purchases of $5,000 or more, but the Sapphire Reserve earns 3X on dining and travel. The 1.5X on huge purchases probably doesn’t mean much to most consumers and you can always pair the Reserve with the (no annual fee) Freedom Unlimited and earn 1.5X on all purchases, so it’s not a huge win for the Platinum there. 

The 5X on airfare can be nice but it still won’t be worth it to ditch the Reserve’s 3X on travel for a lot of people (see my article here on keeping both the Sapphire Reserve and the Platinum). 

Overall, the Reserve’s 3X on dining and travel huge for people like myself who spend well over $3,000 each year in dining and travel. That’s because it only takes about that amount of spending to make it worth keeping the Sapphire Reserve over the Sapphire Preferred. Furthermore, these bonus earnings just bring even more value to the Reserve that the Platinum card simply can’t compete with. Thus, based on your spending habits, the bonus categories alone can make the Reserve the more economical option over the Platinum in the long-run.  

Authorized users

The Platinum card requires you to pay a flat fee of $175 to add an authorized user but allows up to three to be added for that price, while the Reserve requires you to pay $75 for each authorized user. The authorized users receive the key benefits like lounge access, status, etc. This means that if you just want to add one authorized user the Reserve will save you $100 but if you’re going to add 3, you’ll be paying more out of pocket with the Reserve ($225) than you would with the Platinum ($175).

Protections

Both cards offer great protections for purchases but the Reserve definitely trumps the Platinum overall. First, the primary rental car coverage is a huge point in favor of the Reserve. Second, the Platinum doesn’t even offer complimentary travel/baggage delay protection. Also, when you run down the list of other travel/purchase protections the Reserve wins in just about everything except for extended warranty coverage.

Final Word 

The Reserve outshines the Platinum Card in almost every category. I really think that that only reason to hold onto the Platinum over the Reserve is if you’re going to get your money’s worth out of frequent visits to Centurion lounges or Delta lounges. Otherwise, the Sapphire Reserve is the better option almost all the way across the board. With that said, if you can swing a 100K bonus for both of these cards, I think it’s worth to get them both but maybe only hold on to the Reserve for the long-term. 

 

Chase Ultimate Rewards Adds Flying Blue And That’s A Good Thing

Chase Ultimate Rewards adding Flying Blue is great news for a lot of people. I’ll run down some of the benefits and highlight some of the best redemptions for Flying Blue. 

flying blue LOGO

It’s Progress

First, it’s good because it shows progress that Chase is adding members. I think a lot of people right now are of the mindset that most changes to reward programs are going to be negative, so it’s good to see a positive change with the list of transfer partners growing.

Here’s a new complete  list of airline partners for Chase Ultimate Rewards.

chase_ultimate_rewards

Airlines

  • British Airways Executive Club
  • Flying Blue
  • Korean Air SKYPASS
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
  • Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
  • United MileagePlus
  • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Flying Blue is now easier than ever to accumulate points 

You can accumulate Flying Blue miles from the following reward programs:

  • American Express Membership Rewards
  • Chase Ultimate Rewards
  • Starwood Preferred Guests
  • Citi Thankyou Points

That means you have tons of possibilities for earning miles from sign-up bonuses now! 

There’s a new Sky Team alliance partner 

Before the addition, in order to book Sky Team partners, such as Delta, you’d have to go through Korean Air SKYPASS. Many people didn’t like doing this because there are no one-way redemptions available and SKYPASS requires you to jump through a lot of hoops to complete bookings and places restrictions on who you can redeem award tickets for (limits to family members, etc.). 

However, now you can use Flying Blue to book Delta awards — if you live near a Delta hub, this is really good news for you! 

Best use of Flying Blue miles

Flying Blue offers some pretty solid redemptions including:

  • North America to Israel and North Africa for 50,000 in economy
  • North America to Europe for 50,000 in economy
  • North America to Mexico, Netherlands Antilles (Aruba, Bonaire, etc.) and the U.S. Virgin Islands for 25,000 in economy
  • North America to the Caribbean for 30,000 in economy
  • North America to (north) South America for 35,000
  • North America to Hawaii for 30,000 in economy

If you fly Flying Blue metal (KLM, Air France, etc.) the fees can be a little high and really cut into your savings, but if you’re able to book Delta with Flying Blue the fees can be as low as $5! 

Screen Shot 2016-04-13 at 2.46.16 PMOnly 30,000 miles and $5 via Delta to get to Hawaii!

If you want to find out more about Flying Blue, see my guide to Flying Blue awards for more.

Cover Photo by Can Pac Swire via Flickr

The Chase Ink Plus vs The Chase Sapphire Preferred

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® and the Chase Ink Plus® are two premier credit cards offered by Chase that offer some of the best sign-up bonuses, earning potential, and benefits that travelers can take advantage of. It can be a little tough to decide which card to apply for over the other so here’s a comparison of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® vs the Chase Ink Plus®.

Key to Transferring Ultimate Rewards

One important thing to know is that the Chase Sapphire Preferred® and the Chase Ink Plus® are the only two cards that allow you to transfer Ultimate Rewards to travel partners. Without having at least one of these cards, you’re restricted to only redeeming your Ultimate Rewards for things like cash back and gift cards. 

chase_ultimate_rewards

Getting Approved

Both cards generally require good to excellent credit to get approved. However, the Chase Ink Plus® is known for being a black box and is most often harder to get approved for than the Sapphire Preferred®.  In addition, the Ink Plus® is a business card meaning that you need to have some form of a business when applying for it. For those reasons, I tend to give the nod to the Sapphire Preferred® because it is typically going to be the more practical option for most consumers to get approved for.

Tip: Because the Ink Plus® is harder to get approved for, consider applying for the Sapphire Preferred® first and using that card to build up some credit history before going for the Ink. I would shoot for establishing payment history for about 3 to 6 months, is possible. This can be an especially useful credit card application strategy if you have no prior banking or credit card history with Chase.

For more tips, check out my article on tips for getting approved for the Chase Ink Plus®.

Sign-up Bonus

The Sapphire Preferred®

  • Earn 50,000 Ultimate Rewards when you spend $4,000 within the first 90 days of opening your account.
  • Earn an additional 5,000 for a total of 55,000 Ultimate Rewards when you add an authorized user.

Chase Sapphire Preferred 50,000

The Ink Plus®

  • Earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards when you spend $5,000 within the first 90 days of opening your account.

Chase Ink Plus sign up

 

The Chase Ink Plus® has the higher offer of 60,000 Ultimate Rewards but it also requires spending an additional $1,000 to obtain the bonus. Also, you don’t get an added 5,000 Ultimate Reward bonus for adding an authorized user, so this bonus is essentially only 5,000 points better. 

Another thing to remember is that with this higher offer, the Ink Plus® does not waive the annual fee the first year like the Sapphire Preferred® does. (Sometimes, when you apply for the Ink Plus® in-branch at the bank they will give you the offer with the annual fee waived but if you apply online, chances are you will be stuck with the $95 annual fee the first year).

Thus, when you consider that the Ink will often not waive the annual fee the first year (unless you apply in-branch) and will only net you an additional 5,000 Ultimate Rewards, the better sign-up bonus, in my opinion, will often be the Sapphire Preferred®.

Earning Potential 

The Sapphire Preferred®

  • 2X on travel
  • 2X on dining 
  • 1X on all other purchases

The Ink Plus®

  • 5x on on the first $50,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on cellular phone, landline, internet and cable TV services
  • 2X on the first $50,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and hotel accommodations
  • 1X on all other purchases

These cards offer very different earning potential. There’s some overlap between them with hotels (which count as travel) but that’s about it (gas doesn’t count as travel for the Sapphire Preferred®). Thus, determining which card will be best for you will depend on you personal spending habits. 

If you consistently pay cell phone, internet, and cable bills each month the 5X earning on those expenses, along with the 2X earned on gas, can add up very quickly and make the Ink Plus® the better earner. On the other hand, if you dine out like crazy and spend a lot on things like parking, public transportation, and airfare, you might be better off with the Sapphire Preferred®.

I can’t reiterate enough how great of a combo these cards make in terms of earning potential, so don’t rule out applying for both cards or at least making a plan to eventually obtain both cards. In addition, you should look into applying for one of the Chase Freedom cards to complete the Chase Trifecta and maximize your Ultimate Reward earning potential. 

No foreign transaction fees

  • Both cards offer no foreign transaction fees

Primary rental car insurance 

Both cards offer primary rental car insurance usually covering the full lost value of the automobile (subject to certain exceptions, of course). This can be a tremendous benefit as you don’t have to pay for insurance with the rental car company or risk raising your insurance premium when you would otherwise have to file a claim with them. 

Unfortunately, the primary car rental insurance for the Chase Ink Plus® only kicks when you are traveling on business. Therefore, the Sapphire Preferred® provides broader coverage for rental cars.

Protections

Both of these cards have great purchase and travel protection. Below are some of the key protections offered by both cards. They appear to be almost completely identical aside from a difference on the Trip Interruption. 

Travel protection

  • Lost or damaged Luggage: If you or your immediate family members’ checked or carry-on bags are damaged or lost by the carrier, you’re covered up to $3,000.00 for each Insured Person for each Common Carrier Covered Trip and up to $500.00 for each Insured Person for each Common Carrier Covered Trip for jewelry, watches, cameras, video recorders, and other electronic equipment.
  • Trip Interruption: If your trip is canceled or cut short by sickness, severe weather and other covered situations, you can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per trip for your pre-paid, non-refundable travel expenses, including passenger fares, tours, and hotels.
    • The Chase Ink Plus® has a limit of $5,000
  • Trip Delay Reimbursement: If your common carrier travel is delayed more than 12 hours or requires an overnight stay, you and your family are covered for unreimbursed expenses, such as meals and lodging, up to $500 per ticket.
  • Baggage Delay Reimbursement: covers up to one hundred ($100.00) dollars per day for a maximum of five (5) days and is limited to emergency purchases of essential items needed as a result of the delay including but not limited to: clothing, toiletries, and charging cables for cellular telephones,
  • Travel and Emergency Assistance: provides a wide range of emergency services available twenty-four (24) hours a day, three hundred and sixty-five (365) days a year

Purchase protection

  • Purchase Protection: Covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $500 per claim and $50,000 per account.
  • Extended Warranty Protection: Extends the time period of the original manufacturer’s written U.S. repair warranty by one (1) additional year on eligible warranties of three (3) years or less, up to a maximum of ten thousand ($10,000.00) dollars per claim, and
  • Price Protection: If a card purchase you made in the U.S. is advertised for less in print or online within 90 days, you can be reimbursed the difference up to $500 per item, $2,500 per year.
  • Return Protection: You can be reimbursed for eligible items that the store won’t take back within 90 days of purchase, up to $500 per item, $1,000 per year.

Final Word

Both of these cards are top-earning cards for travel rewards. I personally give the edge to the Sapphire Preferred® because it is the easier of the two cards to get approved for. However, you might want to go with the Ink if you think you can get more from the 5X categories and don’t mind losing out a bit on the primary rental insurance for non-business travel.

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