How to book travel and save money with the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal

Chase Ultimate Rewards? is a valuable credit card rewards program that offers its members flexible travel rewards points that can be transferred to a variety of loyalty programs. Many Chase card holders also have the option to book travel and redeem Ultimate Rewards points through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal.

Like its counterparts at American Express, Capital One and Citi, Chase operates a robust travel booking platform that lets members book flights, hotel stays, rental cars, cruises and more right through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal. These reservations can be paid for with a Chase credit card or with Ultimate Rewards points.

The portal includes a portfolio of high-end hotels called the Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection, which provides eligible guests a host of perks like upgrades and free food and drinks — no elite status necessary.

Booking through Chase Travel might not always be your best option as you can often get more value from your points by transferring them to an airline or hotel loyalty program. However, there are still times when booking through Ultimate Rewards makes sense.

Here’s everything you need to know about booking travel through Chase’s travel portal.

Which cards have access to the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal?

Not every Chase card is eligible for booking travel through Ultimate Rewards, butquite a few give members access. This includes the bank’s higher-end travel credit cards, business credit cards and even some cash back and cobranded retail cards.

Keep in mind, if you have multiple cards that earn Ultimate Rewards, Chase will allow you to combine your points into one account. For example, if you have a Chase Freedom Flex and Chase Sapphire Reserve?, you can transfer the cash back earned with your Freedom Flex to the Sapphire Reserve, effectively converting it to points that can be transferred to travel partners or redeemed at higher rates.

Cards eligible to use Chase’s travel portal include:

However, Chase’s premium credit cards will get you much better value than others when it comes to redeeming points for travel. As a general rule, Chase credit cards with no annual fee can redeem at 1 cent per point towards travel.

On the other hand, Chase Sapphire Reserve ($550 annual fee) cardholders can redeem Ultimate Rewards for travel at a rate of 1.5 cents per point on bookings made through the Chase portal. Meanwhile, Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95 annual fee) and Ink Business Preferred ($95 annual fee) card holders get 1.25 cents per point.

Traditional cash back Chase cards can redeem their cash back through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal as well, but without a multiplier.

How to book travel with the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal

To book a trip through Chase, you’ll need to first log into your Ultimate Rewards account. Then, navigate to the Ultimate Rewards portal and click the “Travel” button at the top of the screen and select “Book travel” from the drop-down menu.

From here, you can select the type of travel you’d like to book at the center of the screen.

If you’re booking a flight, you’ll type in your origin, destination and dates just like you would on any airline or online travel agency booking site.

Since Chase’s booking platform can book tickets on most major airlines, you’ll typically have quite a few to choose from once the results pop up. Note that you have to call Chase to book Southwest Airlines tickets.

Once you select your flight, you’ll have the option to pay using your Chase credit card, redeem Ultimate Rewards or a combination of the two. Again, how much bang for your buck (or points, in this case) you get depends on the card you have.

It’s a similar process if you’re booking hotel a hotel. You can search by a city, or even plug in a particular landmark or destination — such as an airport or tourist attraction — to narrow down to a more precise destination you’d like to be near.

Similar to how the portal will show you many different airlines, when you book through Ultimate Rewards it’s not just the well-known brands (Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, etc) that you’ll see — you’ll have your pick of many different independent hotels, too.

Once you’ve finalized your reservation, you should see the trip listed in your Ultimate Rewards portal and get an email confirmation.

Do you earn points and miles on travel booked with Chase?

If you’re hoping to earn points with a hotel loyalty program or make use of hotel elite status benefits, tread carefully when booking through Chase (or just about any third-party booking sites). You typically only earn points when booking directly with the hotel chain.

That said, you can earn airline miles and tap into elite status perks when booking flights through Chase, though — just be sure to add your airline loyalty number to your Ultimate Rewards profile.

Benefits of booking through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal

Quite often, your best bet to get the most value of your Ultimate Rewards points is to transfer them to one of Chase’s transfer partners.

In all, Chase has 14 travel partners that allow customers to transfer points at a 1:1 ratio (meaning, if you transfer 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points, you end up with 1,000 miles or points with the airline or hotel).

Popular transfer partners for Chase customers include Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, British Airways Executive Club, United MileagePlus and World of Hyatt, among others.

However, there are instances in which booking through Chase directly can be a good idea.

Simple way to redeem points for travel

If you don’t want to worry about about transferring points, keeping it simple can be helpful: You earn Ulimate Rewards, and then book using your points via Chase Travel. There’s no searching partner websites for award space or other hassles.

It’s an option when there’s no award space

It can be deflating when you’re hoping to book a trip using points or miles, only to run into roadblocks. The airline or hotel might not have award space if it’s a high-demand date or property, or it could be extremely expensive due to dynamic award pricing.

These are times where booking through Chase Ultimate Rewards can come in handy. You’ll almost always have the option to book using Chase’ portal, and typically at a predictable rate that’s proportional to the cash prices.

Keep in mind, of course, if the price of your flight or stay is high (i.e. a Thanksgiving trip) you’ll likely pay a premium in points just like you would when booking in cash.

Earn bonus points on paid bookings

One of the more compelling reasons to book directly through Chase is the bonus points some Ultimate Rewards members can earn in the process.

For instance Sapphire Preferred card holders earn 5 points per dollar on hotels and car rentals purchased through Ultimate Rewards.

Meanwhile, Sapphire Reserve card holders earn 10 points per dollar on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase (though, this doesn’t apply to Luxury Hotels & Resorts Collection bookings) and 5 points per dollar on flights booked through Chase.

Other cards may earn more rewards when booking through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal too. Check your card holder agreement for more information.

Redeem statement credits

There are also some cost-saving benefits for some cardholders that can only be used on travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards.

Most notably, Chase Sapphire Preferred members get a $50 annual statement credit for hotels booked through the portal. This partially offsets the card’s $95 annual fee.

The much more generous $300 annual travel credit for Sapphire Reserve cardholders can also be used on Ultimate Rewards bookings, but also on other non-Chase travel purchases, too.

Other notable Chase travel perks

Access Sapphire Lounges

Chase recently unveiled a first-of-its-kind airport lounge, with plans to open more in the future. The Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) features a premium bar, restaurant qualify food and even a pub with locally-sourced craft beer.

The company plans to open a handful of other lounges in the US and around the world. Access is free for Chase Sapphire Reserve card holders as well as those with a couple other premium credit cards. Plus, Priority Pass members get one complimentary visit per calendar year.

Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection

Certain Chase card holders can access the company’s Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection, which has similarities to upscale portfolios like American Express’ Fine Hotels and Resorts and Capital One Travel’s Luxury Hotels and Resorts.

The portfolio, which includes more than 1,000 luxury hotels, resorts, lodges and spas worldwide, including a variety of boutique properties, carries perks for customers who book with their eligible Chase card.

Members can enjoy benefits like a daily breakfast for two, free Wi-Fi, room upgrades, early check-in and late checkout when available, and a special property-specific benefit (such as a food and beverage credit) of up to $100.

Eligible Chase cards include:

Note that while those with a United card get access to the Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection, they cannot access the Ultimate Rewards travel portal.

Bottom line

Many Chase Ultimate Rewards members may find more value in transferring their points to an airline or hotel loyalty program to get the best value.

However, the company’s travel portal is a great option customers have at their disposal, whether it’s to take advantage of certain statement credits and perks or to earn a nice haul of points on travel.

That said, when booking travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal — or any third-party travel site — you should always price-shop. Compare the price you see on the Ultimate Rewards portal to booking with the airline directly and with other online travel agencies as prices may vary.

Looking for a new travel credit card? Check out CNN Underscored’s list of the?best credit cards?currently available.