How to Use Chase Ultimate Rewards for Holiday Flights

You can use Chase Ultimate Rewards for holiday flights by booking through Chase Travel with points, your Chase card, or a mix of points and cash, or by transferring points to an airline partner for an award ticket. Ultimate Rewards is Chase's credit card rewards program, and comparing both paths for each trip helps you use fewer points. Holiday fares change fast and award seats are limited.

Start with the cash price, check boosted redemption value in the portal, then check partner award prices before you move points.

Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 03, 2026.

What can you book through Chase Travel?

Chase cardmembers can book flights directly in Chase Travel using points, their card, or points plus cash, according to how Chase Ultimate Rewards works from Chase. That mix-and-match choice helps when you are short on points for a December flight. Redemptions start at 1 cent per point.

Rotating Points Boost listings can be worth more on select flights and hotels. For cheap domestic cash fares, the portal is often simpler because it needs fewer points. You pay the listed fare and avoid hunting for award space.

How does Points Boost change holiday value?

Points Boost raises the value of points on select flights and hotels above the base rate. The exact boost depends on your card and the listing. Sapphire Preferred and Ink Preferred cardholders can get up to about 1.5-1.75 cents per point on boosted bookings.

Sapphire Reserve cardholders can get up to 2 cents per point on select premium flights and hotels. Holiday tip: search your exact dates first, then filter for boosted options. If your flight is not boosted, compare the base portal price with an airline transfer before you book.

When should you transfer points to an airline?

Eligible cardholders can transfer points to 14 Chase airline and hotel partners, made up of 10 airlines and 4 hotels, usually in 1,000-point increments. Transfers let you book award flights directly with the partner airline. Transfers to United MileagePlus and Southwest Rapid Rewards are 1:1 and usually near-instant.

That speed helps for domestic holiday trips when you find an award seat and need to book it right away. Transferring often works better for premium-cabin seats or partner award seats. The portal often works better for low cash fares because the points cost stays low.

How can families cover peak holiday tickets?

Chase allows pooling points across your own eligible Chase cards and transferring points to a household member, according to ways to use Chase points from Chase. Pooling helps families combine balances for one expensive ticket. This matters around holidays when one account may fall short.

Move points together first, then book from one balance. Watch one hotel limit if you also need a stay: Sapphire Reserve transfers to World of Hyatt remain 1:1, but Sapphire Preferred and Ink Preferred transfers are 4:3, so 1,000 Chase points yield 750 Hyatt points. Check the transfer ratio and 1,000-point increment before you confirm.

• Check each card balance in your Chase account
• Combine points onto the card with the higher Boost value
• Add a household member for transfers when needed
• Confirm the final points total before booking