There are many reasons why Chase Ultimate Rewards points are one of the most popular transferable rewards currencies. With travel costs seemingly always increasing, redeeming points, specifically for hotel stays, can save you serious dough.

Best-ever offer: Add 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points plus a $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit to your balance with this offer on the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees).

TPG values Chase points at 2.05 cents each as of June 2025, and you can often get at least this much — if not more — out of your points by booking hotels through one of the program’s transfer partners or the Chase Travel℠ portal. Here, we’ll cover tips and tricks to help you maximize your Chase points on a hotel stay.

To redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points through these partners, all you have to do is enter your loyalty program information into your Chase Ultimate Rewards account and transfer the points you need. Transfers are usually instant, allowing you to book your hotel stay with points almost immediately.

You can also book virtually any hotel worldwide using Ultimate Rewards points through the Chase Travel portal.

Chase’s secret maximization weapon is the lucrative World of Hyatt loyalty program. While most advice about redeeming flexible points for maximum value centers around airline transfer partners, Hyatt’s very reasonable award chart is a compelling exception. You’ll find sweet-spot redemptions at both the upper and lower ends of the chart, with award rates starting at just 3,500 points per night for Category 1 properties on off-peak dates.

Category 7 hotels are a great option for Chase Hyatt redemptions; you can often get well above TPG’s June 2025 valuation of 1.7 cents apiece at these properties, which cost 25,000 points per night on off-peak dates.

You can also redeem Hyatt points at all-inclusive resorts, which follow a separate award chart. For example, an off-peak night for two guests at a Category A property would set you back only 12,000 points.

Finally, it’s worth considering the Mr & Mrs Smith boutique hotels and Under Canvas glamping properties that have now been integrated into the World of Hyatt program, though these don’t offer as much value for your points. Instead of using Hyatt’s award chart, Mr & Mrs Smith properties are dynamically priced and cannot be booked with free night certificates. Still, there may be some worthwhile redemptions to be found, especially if you have your eye on an ultraluxurious property that would be out of reach with cash.

Related: Best Hyatt hotels in the world

Marriott Bonvoy did away with its award chart in 2022 and has since undergone multiple devaluations, resulting in much higher redemption rates. While the most you’d ever pay for a night at a top-tier Hyatt hotel is 45,000 points, Marriott’s dynamic pricing model means there are no limits to how many points a hotel can cost. In fact, six-figure redemptions are not uncommon.

For example, basic rooms at Marriott’s Courtyard Bali Seminyak Resort go for around $200 or 31,000 points per night. Instead, you could use 35,000 Chase points to book a peak night at the Category 7 Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa, worth $800 or more.

So, should you ever transfer Chase points to Marriott Bonvoy? Here are a few scenarios where it might make sense:

• If you have a Marriott redemption in mind but are short a few points, you may want to top up your account by transferring points from Chase.
• If your Marriott points are set to expire, transferring 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points is a quick way to keep them alive.
• If Chase is running a transfer bonus, you can transfer points to Marriott Bonvoy at a better ratio.
• If you plan to stay five nights, Marriott’s fifth-night-free perk can save you tens of thousands of points.
• If you need more miles at one of Marriott’s airline transfer partners, you can transfer some of your Ultimate Rewards points to reach the number of miles required for your redemption.

Related: Ways to maximize Marriott Bonvoy award night redemptions

TPG values 31,000 Chase points at $635.50, per our June 2025 estimates, but the cash rate for this room is just $162. In other words, the value you’ll get for your Chase points by transferring and redeeming them through IHG is far below average.

However, you may find value in transferring Chase points to IHG to keep your IHG points from expiring or if you’re just short of a redemption, especially if you have access to the fourth-night-free perk provided by select IHG credit cards. Otherwise, it’s almost always a bad idea.

Related: IHG elite status: What it is and how to earn it

If you’re a free-agent traveler and not loyal to a single hotel chain, you might find the best use of your Chase points is through the Chase Travel portal. This allows you to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for many independent hotels that would otherwise not be bookable with points.

Instead of paying with cash for your hotel stay, you’ll have the option to pay with points at a rate that varies depending on which card you hold. (Note that these rates have recently changed with the introduction of Chase’s Points Boost.)

The information for the Chase Freedom Flex has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Alternatively, you can book paid stays through the Chase Travel portal and earn bonus rewards on those purchases. The Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 8 points per dollar spent on hotels purchased through Chase Travel, while the Chase Sapphire Preferred, the Chase Freedom Flex and the Chase Freedom Unlimited earn 5 points per dollar (or 5% cash back). This also would allow you to take advantage of the Sapphire Preferred’s annual $50 hotel credit, which is only valid on Chase Travel bookings.

Keep in mind that since Chase Travel is a third-party online travel agency, you generally won’t earn hotel points or elite night credits on these bookings or be able to access any elite status benefits you may have. The exception is The Edit by Chase Travel, which allows you to double-dip with the hotel’s loyalty program at some properties.

Related: Things to consider when choosing to book via a portal vs. booking directly

You can earn Ultimate Rewards points by spending on select Chase credit cards. Here are the cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points, along with their current welcome bonuses:

The above Ultimate Rewards-earning options are great all-around travel credit cards, offering no foreign transaction fees, travel insurance and a variety of other travel perks.

The following four cards are technically billed as cash-back credit cards. However, if you have an Ultimate Rewards-earning card, you can effectively convert your cash-back rewards into Ultimate Rewards points. For this reason, it can make sense to have more than one Chase card to maximize your earning and redeeming potential.

Even better? None of these cards charge annual fees.

• Chase Freedom Flex: Earn $200 after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Chase Freedom Unlimited: Earn $200 after spending $500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Ink Business Cash Credit Card: Earn up to $750: $350 bonus cash back after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months from account opening.
• Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card: Earn $750 bonus cash back after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

One of the best uses of Chase Ultimate Rewards points is transferring them to Hyatt and redeeming them at low-category or high-end hotels. But with Chase’s new Points Boost, you can also get solid value when redeeming points through the Chase Travel portal, depending on the redemption.

With the Chase Sapphire Reserve offering a best-ever welcome bonus, now is a great time to apply for this premium travel card. Once you earn the welcome bonus, check out our favorite ways to use 100,000 Chase points.