How to Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Airlines (Step-by-Step Guide)

Booking a flight through Chase's travel portal gives you roughly 1.25–1.5 cents per point, depending on which card you hold. That's decent. But the travelers who get outsized value from their Chase points — think business class to Tokyo for the price of a domestic coach ticket — don't book through the portal. They transfer.

Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to airline partners is where the real leverage lives. Done right, you can easily extract 2–5 cents per point in value, sometimes more. Done wrong, you burn points on redemptions that aren't much better than just paying cash.

Here's how to do it right.

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Which Chase Cards Can Transfer Points to Airlines

Not all Chase cards earn transferable Ultimate Rewards. Only these four earn "true" Ultimate Rewards that can move to airline partners:

Card	Annual Fee	Transfer Access	Bonus Categories
Chase Sapphire Preferred	$95	✅	3x dining, 2x travel
Chase Sapphire Reserve	$550	✅	3x dining, 3x travel
Chase Ink Business Preferred	$95	✅	3x travel, shipping, ads
Chase Ink Business Cash + Freedom (linked)	$0	✅ (when linked to Preferred/Reserve)	5x office supplies, 5x internet

The Freedom, Freedom Unlimited, and Freedom Flex cards earn "partial" Ultimate Rewards that cannot be transferred to airlines on their own — but link them to a Sapphire or Ink Preferred card, and those points become transferable. This is the "Chase trifecta" move.

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Chase's Airline Transfer Partners

Chase has 11 airline transfer partners as of 2025, all at a 1:1 ratio (1,000 Chase points = 1,000 airline miles), with the exception of Virgin Atlantic which also transfers 1:1.

Airline	Program	Alliance	Best Uses
United Airlines	MileagePlus	Star Alliance	Domestic economy, Lufthansa first class
Southwest Airlines	Rapid Rewards	None	Domestic US, Caribbean
Air France / KLM	Flying Blue	SkyTeam	Business class to Europe, promo awards
British Airways	Avios	Oneworld	Short-haul Europe, Japan Airlines
Iberia	Avios	Oneworld	Business class to Spain, Latin America
Singapore Airlines	KrisFlyer	Star Alliance	Singapore Suites, Star Alliance premium
Virgin Atlantic	Flying Club	None	Delta One, ANA, Virgin Atlantic Upper Class
Aer Lingus	AerClub	Oneworld	Transatlantic Avios redemptions
Air Canada	Aeroplan	Star Alliance	Flexible, good Star Alliance coverage
Avianca	LifeMiles	Star Alliance	United flights, low fuel surcharges
Emirates	Skywards	None	Emirates first/business class
Marriott Bonvoy	(Hotel, 3:1 to airlines)	—	Points pooling

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How to Transfer Chase Points: Step by Step

Step 1: Log into Chase Ultimate Rewards

Go to ultimaterewards.com or find it under "Use Points" in your Chase account dashboard.

Step 2: Select "Transfer to Travel Partners"

In the rewards portal, click "Use Points," then navigate to "Transfer to Travel Partners." You'll see the full list of airline and hotel partners.

Step 3: Choose Your Airline Program

Click the airline partner you want. Make sure:

• Your frequent flyer number is already linked, OR you enter it here
• The name on your frequent flyer account exactly matches the name on your Chase card (even minor discrepancies can cause failed transfers)

Step 4: Enter the Transfer Amount

Transfers must be in increments of 1,000 points. There's no minimum beyond that.

Enter the number of points you want to transfer. Chase shows you the equivalent in airline miles (most are 1:1).

Step 5: Confirm the Transfer

Chase shows a confirmation screen. Read it carefully. Point transfers are one-way and irreversible — you cannot pull miles back from an airline program into Chase.

Click confirm. Done.

How Long Does It Take?

Most Chase transfers complete in 1–3 business days, though United and Southwest often post within minutes. Singapore Airlines and some international carriers can take up to 5–7 business days. If you're chasing a specific award space, transfer first, then book.

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The Best Chase Transfer Partner Sweet Spots

This is where it gets interesting. Each airline program has different award charts — and some have redemptions where Chase points are worth dramatically more than portal booking.

United MileagePlus — Great for Saver Economy

United's award chart is distance-based. Key sweet spots:

• North America saver economy: 12,500 miles one-way on United (or partner airlines like Air Canada, ANA)
• Europe economy saver: ~30,000 miles one-way
• Transatlantic business class: 57,500–70,000 miles one-way (on Lufthansa via United, that's a ticket worth $3,000+)

Flying Blue — Monthly Promo Awards

Air France/KLM Flying Blue runs monthly "Promo Awards" with 25–50% discounts on select routes. Prices fluctuate, but business class to Europe for 40,000–50,000 miles one-way is regularly achievable. Sign up for their promo alerts.

Avianca LifeMiles — No Fuel Surcharges on Star Alliance

Avianca charges no fuel surcharges and prices United flights using the old United award chart. You can book:

• US domestic first class on United: 17,500 LifeMiles one-way
• Business class to Europe on United: 63,000 LifeMiles one-way

The catch: LifeMiles have a reputation for technical issues. Transfer only what you need, when you have the award space locked.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club — Delta One Business Class

Delta SkyMiles is notoriously inflation-prone. But Virgin Atlantic sells Delta One business class awards at fixed prices:

• US to Western Europe on Delta One: 50,000 Virgin miles one-way
• Delta One suites, if you can find them, at similar pricing

Transfer Chase points to Virgin → book Delta business class. This route can save you 30,000+ miles vs. booking directly in SkyMiles.

British Airways Avios — Short-Haul Gems

Avios is distance-based, which makes it terrible for long-haul but exceptional for:

• Short domestic US flights on American: as low as 4,500 Avios one-way
• Intra-Europe flights on British Airways, Iberia, Vueling: 4,500–8,000 Avios
• Tokyo on Japan Airlines in business class: 58,500 Avios one-way (limited, but bookable)

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

Transferring before you find award space. Award availability can disappear between when you search and when you transfer. Always confirm award space exists, then transfer. Miles are not refundable.

Mismatched names. If your Chase card says "Michael R. Johnson" and your frequent flyer account says "Mike Johnson," your transfer may be rejected or delayed. Call the airline to fix it before transferring.

Ignoring fuel surcharges. Some programs (looking at you, British Airways on longhaul routes) pass through brutal carrier-imposed fuel surcharges. A 60,000-Avios business class ticket to Singapore might still cost $700 in fees. Check before you get excited.

Forgetting about partner award availability. United shows "saver" and "everyday" award space. "Saver" is the price you want. The fact that United can fly a route doesn't mean saver space exists on that flight — especially for partners like Lufthansa.

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How to Find Award Space Before Transferring

You can't transfer points to hold a spot. You need to find confirmed award space, then transfer. Here's how:

• United.com — search for partner award space without being logged in (sometimes shows more options)
• British Airways executive club search — shows American Airlines space well
• Air Canada Aeroplan search — excellent for Star Alliance award availability
• Point.me and AwardHacker — paid tools that search multiple programs simultaneously

Once you find the space and confirm pricing, immediately transfer your points and call to book (for partner awards, calling the airline directly often unlocks inventory not visible online).

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Planning the Trip Around Your Points

Finding the right redemption is only half the work — you still need to build the rest of your trip around those award flights. That's where tools like Faroway help. Once you've locked your flights using points, plug your destination and dates into Faroway's AI trip planner to get a day-by-day itinerary for the on-the-ground portion. Hotels, transport, activities — all personalized to your travel style and budget.

Points get you there for less. Good planning makes the trip worth going.

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The Bottom Line

Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers best when you:

1. Know exactly which award you're chasing before you transfer
2. Use partners with sweet spots (United, Avianca, Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic)
3. Move points for specific confirmed redemptions — not to park them for later
4. Double-check fuel surcharges and name matching before confirming

The 1:1 transfer ratio is the foundation. What you build on top of it — knowing which partner has the best deal for which route — is where the real value comes from.

Once you've sorted your award flights, head to faroway.ai to build the rest of the trip. Tell it your destination, travel style, and how many days you have — and it generates a full personalized itinerary so you're not improvising once you land.