Chase Ultimate Rewards Sweet Spots: Best Airlines to Transfer Points in 2025

Chase Ultimate Rewards points are arguably the most valuable flexible currency in travel. You earn them on the Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, and Ink business cards — and the key to unlocking their full potential isn't spending them in the Chase Travel Portal. It's transferring them to airline partners.

At 1.25–1.5 cents each in the portal, you're leaving money on the table. Strategic transfers to the right airline programs regularly yield 2–4 cents per point — sometimes more. Here's where the real value lives in 2025.

How Chase Transfers Work

Every Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer moves at a 1:1 ratio — 1,000 Chase points becomes 1,000 airline miles. Transfers are instant for most partners and, crucially, cannot be reversed. Only transfer when you have a specific award booking in mind.

Chase transfers to 11 airline partners:

Airline Program	Alliance	Best For
United MileagePlus	Star Alliance	International premium, domestic
Southwest Rapid Rewards	—	Domestic US, Caribbean
British Airways Executive Club	Oneworld	Short-haul, Iberia partners
Air France/KLM Flying Blue	SkyTeam	Europe, Africa, transatlantic
Emirates Skywards	—	Premium cabin luxury
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer	Star Alliance	Luxury long-haul
Aer Lingus AerClub	Oneworld	Transatlantic from Europe
Iberia Plus	Oneworld	Spain, Latin America
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club	SkyTeam (Delta partner)	Delta, ANA, VS premium
Air Canada Aeroplan	Star Alliance	Star Alliance global
Air Canada (Aeroplan)	Star Alliance	Flexible partner redemptions

The Sweet Spots Worth Knowing in 2025

1. United MileagePlus — Domestic Saver Awards

United's Excursionist Perk is one of the most underused domestic sweet spots: when you book a multi-city international award, you can add a free domestic one-way segment within the US as long as it's not the last flight home.

But the everyday workhorse is the saver domestic rate: 12,500 miles one-way for any US domestic flight under 700 miles. United has dropped a lot of its saver space, but early bookings (5+ months out) often surface excellent availability.

Best use case: Business travel on the East Coast. Boston–New York–Washington or Chicago–Minneapolis at 12,500 miles versus paying $250–350 cash.

Value realized: ~2–2.8 cents per mile

2. Air France/KLM Flying Blue — Promo Awards

Flying Blue runs monthly "Promo Awards" that slash miles requirements by 25–50% on specific routes. These change every month on the 1st and often include transatlantic routes at jaw-dropping rates.

Recent examples from 2024–2025 promo windows:

• New York (JFK/EWR) → Paris (CDG) in economy: 18,000–25,000 miles one-way (normally 30,000+)
• US cities → Amsterdam in business: 50,000–55,000 miles (vs. 85,000+ elsewhere)

How to find them: Check flyingblue.com/en/spend-miles/promo-awards around the 1st of each month. Set a calendar reminder.

Value realized: 2.5–4 cents per mile during promo periods

3. British Airways Executive Club — Short-Haul US Domestic (on Alaska and Iberia)

British Airways prices awards based on distance, and the sweet spot is under 650 miles: 4,500 Avios one-way for any flight in that band. This applies to American Airlines flights (BA partners with AA on Oneworld), which means you can book domestic AA flights for as little as 4,500 Avios.

Distance Band	Avios Required (One-Way)
0–650 miles	4,500
651–1,151 miles	7,500
1,152–2,000 miles	10,000
2,001–3,000 miles	12,500

Best use case: Los Angeles → San Francisco (SFO–LAX = 337 miles). 4,500 Avios beats a cash fare that often runs $120–180 at peak times. Or Boston → New York on AA.

Caveat: Fuel surcharges on long-haul BA flights are brutal. Stick to short-haul domestic for best value.

Value realized: 2.5–3.5 cents per Avios on short-haul

4. Air Canada Aeroplan — The Star Alliance Workhorse

Aeroplan is arguably the best all-around Star Alliance redemption tool right now. Key advantages:

• Stopover-friendly: You can book a stopover for free on one-way awards
• No fuel surcharges on most partner redemptions (unlike BA)
• Distance-based pricing with sweet spots at lower mileage bands

Example redemptions:

• North America → Europe (economy): 30,000–35,000 Aeroplan points one-way
• US → Japan/Asia (economy): 35,000–40,000 points (with availability on ANA, Singapore, Lufthansa)
• US → Europe (business): 70,000–80,000 points one-way on Lufthansa or Swiss

Aeroplan charges minimal or no carrier surcharges on United, ANA, Turkish, and Singapore metal — an important advantage over some competing programs.

Value realized: 1.8–3.5 cents per point depending on route

5. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club — Delta One Business Class

This is the most well-known Chase sweet spot, and it still works in 2025. Virgin Atlantic is a Delta partner, and you can book Delta One business class (flat-bed seats on long-haul routes) through Flying Club at significantly lower rates than Delta charges directly.

Delta One pricing through Flying Club:

• US → Europe (Delta One): 50,000–60,000 miles one-way
• US → Tokyo/Asia (Delta One): 60,000–75,000 miles one-way

Delta charges 120,000+ SkyMiles for the same redemptions. The savings are real.

How to search: Find availability on delta.com first (switch "My Dates Are Flexible" and search 1–2 months out). Then call Virgin Atlantic or book on their site with the flight info.

Value realized: 3.5–5+ cents per mile on Delta One

6. Singapore KrisFlyer — Cathay Pacific and ANA

KrisFlyer is expensive on Singapore metal but offers excellent value on partner airlines. Two worth knowing:

• Cathay Pacific business (HKG routing): US → Asia at 70,000–80,000 KrisFlyer miles via Cathay — solid value when Cathay award space is available
• ANA First Class: The legendary 88,000 KrisFlyer miles for ANA Round-The-World business/first class routing still technically exists, though availability has tightened considerably

More realistically: use KrisFlyer for short-haul intra-Asia flights (5,000–15,000 miles) once you're already in the region.

The Decision Framework: Which Partner to Use?

Before transferring, ask three questions:

1. What route am I booking? Domestic US → lean toward BA or United. Transatlantic → Flying Blue or Aeroplan. Premium trans-Pacific → Virgin Atlantic (for Delta) or Aeroplan (for ANA/Lufthansa).

1. Is the award space confirmed? Never transfer speculatively. Find the specific flight and confirm partner award availability before moving a single point.

1. Am I in economy or premium? Economy redemptions narrow the value gap between portal and transfer. Premium cabin (business/first) is where transfers shine — often 3–5x the portal value.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Transferring without confirmed space. Airlines can drop award inventory between when you checked and when you return with your points. Confirm space, then transfer.

Using transfers for economy short-haul domestic. Paying 12,500 United miles for a $89 flight is a waste. The portal at 1.5x is often better for cheap domestic flights. Save transfers for high-value redemptions.

Ignoring surcharges. British Airways long-haul and some European carriers stack fuel surcharges that can hit $400–700 per round-trip. Factor these into your "cents per mile" math.

Waiting for more points. Many people accumulate points for years without redeeming. Points devalue slowly over time as programs reset award charts. Once you have enough for a target redemption, book it.

Building Your Itinerary Around Award Flights

Award travel planning goes: find the flights first, then plan the trip around what you can book. It's the reverse of how most people do it. Once you've nailed your award flights, you need a solid ground plan — Faroway can build a personalized itinerary for your destination in seconds, so you spend your energy on the flight hacking and let the AI handle the day-by-day logistics.

Quick Reference: Chase Partners and Best Uses

Partner	Best Use	Typical Value
United MileagePlus	Domestic saver, Star Alliance partners	1.5–2.5¢
Flying Blue	Transatlantic promos, Europe routes	2–4¢
British Airways Avios	Short-haul domestic on AA (<650 mi)	2.5–3.5¢
Aeroplan	Star Alliance global, no fuel surcharges	1.8–3.5¢
Virgin Atlantic	Delta One business class	3.5–5¢
Singapore KrisFlyer	ANA, Cathay Pacific, intra-Asia	1.5–4¢
Emirates Skywards	Emirates First Class	2–4¢

Chase Ultimate Rewards are only as valuable as the redemptions you make with them. Keep this guide bookmarked, check Flying Blue promos monthly, and remember the golden rule: confirm availability before you transfer. Do that, and your points will routinely outperform anything the Chase Travel Portal can offer.

Ready to plan the trip you're saving those points for? Faroway builds personalized travel itineraries — tell it your destination, travel dates, and what you're into, and it handles the planning while you focus on the fun parts.