I'm so convinced Chase Ultimate Rewards is a great deal that I have 4 credit cards just to take advantage

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I'm so convinced Chase Ultimate Rewards is a great deal that I have 4 credit cards just to take advantage

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  • Chase Ultimate Rewards points are incredibly valuable because they can be transferred to airline and hotel travel partners at a 1:1 ratio.
  • I think the program is so valuable that between my wife and I, we have four cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points, including the powerhouse Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.
  • With Chase Sapphire Reserve, points are worth 1.5 cents each when redeemed for travel in the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.
  • However, it's important to remember that credit card points are only valuable if you use them. There's no value in racking them up to sit in your account forever.

Chase Sapphire Preferred was my gateway to the Chase Ultimate Rewards program.

I have since upgraded the card to the premium Chase Sapphire Reserve, which makes my points worth even more. Let's take a look at why Chase's travel rewards points are one of the best, if not the very best, of any travel rewards today.

Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which can far outweigh the value of any rewards.

When you're working to earn credit card rewards, it's important to practice financial discipline, like paying your balances off in full each month, making payments on time, and not spending more than you can afford to pay back. Basically, treat your credit card like a debit card.

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The Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve are the best ways for most people to earn points

Credit card rewards are only useful if you can earn them. The Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve cards are the best way for most people to earn Ultimate Rewards. The Preferred gives you 2x points per dollar on travel and restaurant purchases and 1x everywhere else. The Reserve version gives you 3x in those bonus categories and the same 1x everywhere else.

Those are not the only cards in the program, however. The Ink Business Preferred Credit Card offers Ultimate Rewards as well. But if you have one of these Ultimate Rewards cards, you can turn cash back rewards from the Chase Freedom, Freedom Unlimited, and Ink Business Cash Credit Card at a rate of 1 cent = 1 point. Between me and my wife, we have four of these cards.

Don't forget about the big sign-up bonuses when getting started with a new card. Those can easily bring you 50,000 points or more if you meet minimum purchase requirements.

You can transfer points to a huge list of airline and hotel partners to book nearly any flight or hotel

You can convert Ultimate Rewards into airline miles or hotel points at a 1:1 ratio with nine airline programs and three hotel programs. While transferring to hotels usually yields a relatively low value per point, airline programs can offer huge value per point.

Some of my favorite partners for my own travel are United, Southwest, and British Airways. Last year, I transferred points to United to take my dad to Israel on business class! That was my best redemption ever in terms of value per point.

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I only transfer points to partners like Marriott when I need to top off my account for an award redemption. Otherwise, you may be able to get a better deal on hotels with another booking method.

A few months ago, I took a trip to England and stayed in three hotels owned by Millennium Hotels & Resorts. Millennium isn't a transfer partner, but that doesn't mean you can't book a stay there with Ultimate Rewards.

Through the Ultimate Rewards portal, you can book a huge number of flights and hotels, among other travel, directly using your points. If you have Chase Sapphire Preferred, you get 1.25 cents per point. With Sapphire Reserve, you get 1.5 cents per point.

The booking engine is powered by Expedia, so you can book anything with points that is listed there. At The Bailey's Hotel, one of the properties I visited, you would pay around 10,000 points for a night. That's a better deal than I would get transferring to a comparable partner hotel and booking directly.

Again, travel rewards are only valuable if you actually use them. While it may be fun to stockpile points and watch your balance grow, you should use them when you want to jet off or book a weekend getaway.

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Learn more about Chase Sapphire Preferred at our partner The Points Guy »

Learn more about Chase Sapphire Reserve at our partner The Points Guy »

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Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Personal Finance Insider team. We occasionally highlight financial products and services that can help you make smarter decisions with your money. We do not give investment advice or encourage you to adopt a certain investment strategy. If you take action based on one of our recommendations, we get a small share of the revenue from our commerce partners. This does not influence whether we feature a financial product or service. We operate independently from our advertising sales team.

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Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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