Chase Ultimate Rewards points make an excellent foundation for an award traveler’s portfolio.
Like other transferable loyalty currencies, these points can be redeemed for highly valuable awards through airline and hotel transfer partners.
As with any transferable points program, an essential aspect of using Chase Ultimate Rewards points is knowing how long it takes to transfer them to whichever partner you want to utilize. Long transfer times make planning and booking awards more difficult, especially when availability is limited. American Express Membership Rewards offers some instant transfers, while Citi ThankYou Rewards transfers can take up to a week.
Here’s what you can expect with transfer times for your Chase points.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees): Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer times
We enlisted the help of numerous TPG teammates to determine the time it takes for Chase Ultimate Rewards points to transfer to partners.
We gathered data points from staffers who transferred points to their corresponding airline and hotel partner accounts over the last several months. We then tracked how long it took for them to show up. Here’s what we found:
*New Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees) cardholders who apply on or after June 15, 2026, can transfer Chase points to World of Hyatt at a 4:3 rate. Existing cardholders of either card can transfer Chase points to Hyatt at a 1:1 rate until Sept. 30, 2026 and then at a 4:3 rate from Oct. 1, 2026 onward.
Out of the 14 programs, Ultimate Rewards transferred to 13 partners instantly, and we never waited more than two days for points to appear in any program. In most cases, any applicable transfer bonuses are also posted instantly.
Of course, these transfer times represent our experiences and shouldn’t be considered hard-and-fast rules. However, others have reported a similar timeline when transferring points from Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Your transfers may be faster or slower — especially if it’s your first transfer or you just recently signed up with a loyalty program — but you can use them as guidelines when planning your trips.
Related: Chase Ultimate Rewards sweet spots: From international business class to domestic travel
Things to consider before transferring Ultimate Rewards
While these results set a high bar for any transferable points program, there’s still some risk that award availability can change while waiting for points to appear in your account. Transfers in the majority of cases are irreversible, so you could be stuck with thousands of points in a program you have little use for if the flight or hotel room you were banking on disappears.
One former TPG credit card writer transferred points to Aeroplan to book a Turkish Airlines award ticket online, but kept receiving an error during payment.
A quick call to Aeroplan revealed a disconnect between their systems and Turkish Airlines regarding availability, and because of this, Aeroplan offered to reverse the transfer, as the phantom availability showing was their mistake.
Even though Ultimate Rewards points transfer almost instantly, consider the following tips to help you avoid a situation in which award availability disappears while waiting for points to transfer.
- Make sure the name on your Chase credit card matches exactly the name on your loyalty program account.
- If the program allows, place your award reservation on hold before transferring your points.
- Choose flights that have more than one available award seat. This is helpful if someone else books before your points or miles post. You can run a single search for three or four passengers to get an idea of how many seats are available.
- Have a backup plan. If your original itinerary is kaput because availability has dried up, consider another option (or multiple options) so you can still book when your points arrive.
If your original flights disappear, don’t panic. Remember that award availability changes frequently and can increase dramatically as your departure date approaches. Check regularly, and be ready to act quickly when seats do open up.
Related: These 14 apps and websites make award redemptions easier to find
Can you transfer Ultimate Rewards to someone else’s account?
Chase allows you to transfer points freely among your own accounts. You can even convert cash-back rewards earned with a card like the Chase Freedom Flex® (see rates and fees)or the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (see rates and fees) into transferable Ultimate Rewards points, but you’ll need an Ultimate Rewards-earning card to be eligible for this transfer option.
You can also transfer your points to another Ultimate Rewards account belonging to your spouse or household member. If you have a business card like the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, you can transfer your points to an Ultimate Rewards account belonging to a company co-owner.
How to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points
If you’re looking to give your Ultimate Rewards account a boost, there are currently three Chase cards offering generous rewards and substantial welcome bonuses:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees): Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (see rates and fees): Earn 200,000 bonus points after spending $30,000 on purchases within the first six months from account opening.
- Ink Business Preferred: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Just keep in mind that Chase enforces the 5/24 rule, meaning that if you’ve opened five (or more) cards at any bank in the last 24 months, you will likely not be approved by Chase.
Bottom line
Transferring Ultimate Rewards points to airline and hotel partners is often the best way to get the most value out of your points.
Whether you’re looking to book a cheap domestic ticket through Southwest Airlines or a first-class Star Alliance adventure, this program can help you get there. With points transferring instantly at a 1:1 ratio to nearly all transfer partners, earning Ultimate Rewards points is worth it for almost any traveler.
