Feb 14, 2017, 7:47 am
Last edit by: beltway
This thread is for discussing the mechanics of points transfer: qualifying Chase cards, eligible partners, and typical speed of transfer. For advice on which partner to transfer to for a given travel goal, see Ultimate Rewards - Which airline/hotel should I transfer points to? and the master threads compiled there.
Holders of non-premium Chase UR cards,
Q. What airline or hotel programs can I transfer UR points into?
A. UR points may be transferred at no charge to these airline programs at a 1:1 exchange rate:
ONEWORLD
Transfers to Amtrak were previously available, but ended permanently on December 8, 2015. See Announcement regarding Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Q. Are transfers instant?
A. In many cases, yes, although transfers to at least one partner (Marriott) may take several days. A summary:
Q: After I transfer, when will my miles expire at that airline/hotel program? Is there anything I can do to avoid expiration there?
The Miles/Points that Do and Don't Expire wiki now lists all of the above Chase UR airline/hotel transfer partners and their respective expiration policies.
Q. Can I transfer to another person's airline or hotel program account?
A. Ultimate Rewards rules explicitly permit transfers to a spouse or domestic partner's frequent traveler account, and prohibit all other transfers. On November 13, 2015, Chase announced the further complication (and perhaps additional restriction) that effective November 15, 2015, as a holder of a UR-earning business card "you can only transfer points to yourself or an owner of the company who is listed as an authorized user on your card account." For discussion of this policy statement and its impacts, see this thread.
Transferring UR points from one household member to another's FF account:
If, for instance, you'd like to transfer UR points from your spouse to your United Airlines account, here are the rules: To transfer directly from [her] UR account to your UA account you would have to be members of the same household -and- you would have to be an Authorized User on [her] Chase card account.
Points can only be transferred to yourself, or one additional household member who is listed as an authorized user on your card account. Once you transfer points to an authorized user, that person will be the only authorized user on your account eligible to receive point transfers.
Combining UR point accounts: To combine points from a UR account with your UR account you would have to be members of the same household. Here are the rules:
You can move your points, but only to another Chase card with Ultimate Rewards belonging to you, or one member of your household. If we suspect that you've engaged in fraudulent activity related to your credit card account or Ultimate Rewards, or that you've misused Ultimate Rewards in any way (for example by buying or selling points, moving or transferring points with or to an ineligible third party or account, or repeatedly opening or otherwise maintaining credit card accounts for the sole purpose of generating rewards) we may temporarily prohibit you from earning points or using points you've already earned. If we believe you've engaged in any of these acts, we'll close your credit card account and you'll lose all your points.
Q. I heard that Chase has closed accounts for unauthorized transfers. What's the story?
A. Those reports involve sharing (aka combining) points from one Ultimate Rewards account to another Ultimate Rewards account. Ultimate Rewards rules explicitly permit combining points with a spouse's or domestic partner's UR account, and prohibit all other internal sharing of UR points. See this thread:
Chase closed my Sapphire Preferred account due to transfers to other UR accounts.
Credit card and rewards accounts may also be closed if Chase decides to close your personal or business bank accounts for any reason.
For the pre-2017 version of this thread, go here.
Q. Can I transfer UR points to airline/hotel programs?
A. Yes, but only from a UR account tied to one of the following premium (i.e., fee-based) Chase cards:
Q. Can I transfer UR points to airline/hotel programs?
A. Yes, but only from a UR account tied to one of the following premium (i.e., fee-based) Chase cards:
- Sapphire Reserve
- Sapphire Preferred
- JP Morgan Reserve
- JP Morgan Palladium (discontinued)
- JP Morgan Select (discontinued)
- INK Preferred
- INK Plus (discontinued)
- INK Bold (discontinued)
Holders of non-premium Chase UR cards,
- Freedom
- Freedom Unlimited
- Freedom Flex
- Sapphire (discontinued; different from Sapphire Preferred)
- INK Cash
- INK Classic (discontinued)
- INK Unlimited
Q. What airline or hotel programs can I transfer UR points into?
A. UR points may be transferred at no charge to these airline programs at a 1:1 exchange rate:
ONEWORLD
- British Airways Executive Club (BA)
- Iberia (IB)
- Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) (AF)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (VS)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (SQ)
- United Airlines MileagePlus (UA)
- Air Canada Aeroplan (AC)
- Chase Aeroplan credit cardmembers get a 10% transfer bonus after transferring 50,000 or more Ultimate Rewards points in a single transaction from an eligible Chase credit card to their Aeroplan account. Maximum of 25,000 bonus points per calendar year. This offer was previously scheduled to end on 12/31/23, but has now been made permanent.
- 20% bonus on transfers ended Jan. 15, 2024
- Aer Lingus (EI)
- Emirates Skywards (EK)
- JetBlue (B6) - 25% bonus on transfers ended on Jan. 10, 2024
- Southwest Rapid Rewards (WN)
- IHG Rewards Club - 60% bonus on transfers through March 1, 2024
- Marriott Bonvoy
- World of Hyatt
Transfers to Amtrak were previously available, but ended permanently on December 8, 2015. See Announcement regarding Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Q. Are transfers instant?
A. In many cases, yes, although transfers to at least one partner (Marriott) may take several days. A summary:
- AC: Variable. Generally posts instantly (as noted in this July 2023 post). On the other hand, a report from August 2021 indicated a delay of 72-96 hours and a June 2023 post reflects a delay of roughly 30 hours.
- BA: usually Instant
- SQ: "Most Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer point transfers process within 2 business days." Several reports suggest it takes 24-48 hours, although there appears to be a lot of variation.
Post #128 reports 7 business days; post #214 reports a turnaround of 2hrs 15mins. NOV 2017 - 24 hours - WN: Normally Instant but see posts starting at #451 about delays
- UA: Normally instant, but see this thread: UR to United transfer is not reliably instant
- AF: Instant
- VS: Instant.
- Hyatt: Occurs within a minute or less (numerous reports)
- IHG:
One business day.Instant on 10/30/19. Instant on 9 March 2022. - Marriott: Transfers "will process by the next business day"; actual experience is approx. 2 business days
- Ritz:
Q: After I transfer, when will my miles expire at that airline/hotel program? Is there anything I can do to avoid expiration there?
The Miles/Points that Do and Don't Expire wiki now lists all of the above Chase UR airline/hotel transfer partners and their respective expiration policies.
Q. Can I transfer to another person's airline or hotel program account?
A. Ultimate Rewards rules explicitly permit transfers to a spouse or domestic partner's frequent traveler account, and prohibit all other transfers. On November 13, 2015, Chase announced the further complication (and perhaps additional restriction) that effective November 15, 2015, as a holder of a UR-earning business card "you can only transfer points to yourself or an owner of the company who is listed as an authorized user on your card account." For discussion of this policy statement and its impacts, see this thread.
Transferring UR points from one household member to another's FF account:
If, for instance, you'd like to transfer UR points from your spouse to your United Airlines account, here are the rules: To transfer directly from [her] UR account to your UA account you would have to be members of the same household -and- you would have to be an Authorized User on [her] Chase card account.
Points can only be transferred to yourself, or one additional household member who is listed as an authorized user on your card account. Once you transfer points to an authorized user, that person will be the only authorized user on your account eligible to receive point transfers.
Combining UR point accounts: To combine points from a UR account with your UR account you would have to be members of the same household. Here are the rules:
You can move your points, but only to another Chase card with Ultimate Rewards belonging to you, or one member of your household. If we suspect that you've engaged in fraudulent activity related to your credit card account or Ultimate Rewards, or that you've misused Ultimate Rewards in any way (for example by buying or selling points, moving or transferring points with or to an ineligible third party or account, or repeatedly opening or otherwise maintaining credit card accounts for the sole purpose of generating rewards) we may temporarily prohibit you from earning points or using points you've already earned. If we believe you've engaged in any of these acts, we'll close your credit card account and you'll lose all your points.
Q. I heard that Chase has closed accounts for unauthorized transfers. What's the story?
A. Those reports involve sharing (aka combining) points from one Ultimate Rewards account to another Ultimate Rewards account. Ultimate Rewards rules explicitly permit combining points with a spouse's or domestic partner's UR account, and prohibit all other internal sharing of UR points. See this thread:
Chase closed my Sapphire Preferred account due to transfers to other UR accounts.
Credit card and rewards accounts may also be closed if Chase decides to close your personal or business bank accounts for any reason.
Ultimate Rewards - Airline and Hotel Transfer Partners, Rules, Timelines, (2017 on)
Jul 15, 2018, 12:52 pm
#211
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Benicia, California, USA
Programs: AA PLT,AS,UA PP,J6,FB,EY,LH,SQ,HH Dmd,Hyatt Glbl,Marriott Plat,IHG Plat,Accor Gold
Posts: 10,820
What is the real benefit of transferring your UR miles to a airline partner over booking your flights through the chase app? Won't all of airlines that you are transferring the points to show up on the app? I'm new to the credit card world and I'm trying to figure out how your points are worth more if you do it this way and why.
Thanks!
Thanks!
The value is in the transfer. Say you find award space through a partner in business class, and it will run you 150k of their points/miles. So you put the award on hold, transfer the points from UR, and get your ticket.
Now if you go through the chase portal, your points are worth 1.5¢ (sapphire reserve) or 1.25¢ (sapphire preferred) each. So 100k points would be worth $1500 (reserve) or $1250 (preferred) through the portal. If that ticket cost above is $3000, you would need 200k points (reserve) or 240k points (preferred) to get the same ticket. So you end up saving 50k or 90k in points by using a partner. Thus you get a better value per point (2¢/point with the transfer on that $3k ticket) than through the portal.
For some people the extra leg work involved to save those points is worth their time. Others prefer to make it simple and just book through Chase.
Maybe you need something specific, and can’t find the award space with a partner? Then the portal may have value if that’s the only way to use points.
Now if you go through the chase portal, your points are worth 1.5¢ (sapphire reserve) or 1.25¢ (sapphire preferred) each. So 100k points would be worth $1500 (reserve) or $1250 (preferred) through the portal. If that ticket cost above is $3000, you would need 200k points (reserve) or 240k points (preferred) to get the same ticket. So you end up saving 50k or 90k in points by using a partner. Thus you get a better value per point (2¢/point with the transfer on that $3k ticket) than through the portal.
For some people the extra leg work involved to save those points is worth their time. Others prefer to make it simple and just book through Chase.
Maybe you need something specific, and can’t find the award space with a partner? Then the portal may have value if that’s the only way to use points.
1. Basically, transferring/converting (I use both terms because folks often use them interchangeably) points from UR to an airline partner, such as Korean or Singapore, gets you far greater value than going through the Chase portal. IF there is availability to book a Korean or Singapore flight in business or first class, you get a ticket that otherwise might cost, say, $5,000 or more for, say, 100,000 UR points/airline miles. (I'm speaking hypothetically here: I haven't checked the airlines' award charts for the precise value.) If you instead go through the Chase portal, those 100,000 UR points are only worth $1,250 or $1,500 toward a ticket purchase.
2. BUT, and this is crucial, award availability via converting your UR points to airline miles can be tough to find for premium (first and business class) tickets. Very generally, it is best when the airlines open up their award charts from 330 days to a year in advance (it varies from airline to airline) of the flights. But it can come and go throughout the year, and in some cases becomes better again one to two weeks before a flight. Korean is a relatively good exception to this rule, but has a complicated (though workable) process for booking tickets.
3. Having said this, I always go the transfer/conversion route to score overseas first or business class vacation tickets for my wife and myself. But basically it involves a lot more work than simply using your UR points through the Chase portal, since that route means you're basically using your points as cash.
4. thunderlounge offered the useful advice that you if you go the transfer/conversion route, you can put the award flights on hold while your UR points transfer into your airline account. In my experience, this varies from airline to airline - some let you do this, some don't.
5. One other thing to be aware of in transferring your points from UR to the airlines is that you can in turn use those airline miles to book on partner airlines of the one into whose account you've transferred your UR points. For example, once your miles are in your Singapore Airlines account, you could use them to book award flights on Star Alliance partners of Singapore, such as United (including for domestic flights), Air Canada and Lufthansa (with the important caveat that Lufthansa usually opens up award availability for its flights using partner miles only about 10 days in advance of its flights, if then). Having said that, the best use of your Singapore miles is usually on Singapore itself, given the high quality of the airline.
6. To echo thunderlounge's advice: The bottom line is that transferring UR points to an airline gets you far better value if you can put the time and work into figuring all this out, but simply going through the portal is far easier.
Hope I haven't muddied the waters even further and that this helps. And if what I've written needs corrections or clarifications from folks, I'd welcome that.
Last edited by Thunderroad; Jul 15, 2018 at 1:08 pm
Jul 25, 2018, 12:46 am
#214
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: HaMerkaz/Exit 145
Programs: UA, LY, BA, AA
Posts: 13,167
The actual language is “Most point transfers process instantly. Marriott Rewards®, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® and IHG® Rewards Club point transfers usually process by next business day. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer point transfers process within 2 business days.” The clear inference is that transfer other than Marriott, Ritz, IHF, and singapore are instant. And it is instant from AMEX to Air France. And in any event I am now into day 4 without the miles having made it. Still waiting ...
Also, in 25 years of doing business with them, I have always been able to reach a competent person at American Express, so Chase does compare unfavorably.
Also, in 25 years of doing business with them, I have always been able to reach a competent person at American Express, so Chase does compare unfavorably.
Jul 26, 2018, 5:49 pm
#215
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 37
Has anyone else had a delayed transfer into Southwest Airlines recently? I transferred points last night and while Chase has already debited them, nothing has shown up yet in SWA. Conventional wisdom says this is usually instant, which has been my previous experience.
Jul 29, 2018, 2:03 pm
#216
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 37
Chase says "Point transfers to partners are processed within one to seven business days from the date the request is submitted."So, the wait continues.
I've never had to do this for any UR transfers to any partners in the past, including SWA. Have I just been lucky?
Aug 11, 2018, 9:28 pm
#217
Join Date: Nov 2010
Programs: IHG Platinum
Posts: 1,066
I have just added a household member as an authorized user of my CSP. The automated message says he will be added on my account in 24 hours.
When I went to my UR points section, it says "Ultimate Rewards® is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements. Thanks for your patience. Please check back later."
I'm wondering when can I transfer my UR to his FF account -- Do I wait 24 hours or wait until the authorized user credit card arrives?
When I went to my UR points section, it says "Ultimate Rewards® is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements. Thanks for your patience. Please check back later."
I'm wondering when can I transfer my UR to his FF account -- Do I wait 24 hours or wait until the authorized user credit card arrives?
Aug 12, 2018, 8:13 am
#218
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,954
Aug 14, 2018, 6:57 pm
#221
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 8,315
One mile at a Time is reporting that Korean Air transfers may be gone in a day or two.
https://onemileatatime.com/ultimate-...korean-ending/
https://onemileatatime.com/ultimate-...korean-ending/
Aug 14, 2018, 7:18 pm
#222
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,954
Aug 26, 2018, 6:53 pm
#224
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: STL
Posts: 1,546
I've been trying to transfer URs to BA for the first time and was getting this error message: "Special handling required. We are unable to process this transfer online. Please call the number on the back of your card for assistance"
The first time I called Chase, she tried to do it on her end and said the error message she got was "Customer not found" but their system was undergoing updates and to try again after 5 PM EST. I did, same error. I called back again, and the CSR got the same "Customer not found" message. She suggested I call BA to verify the number is right. The Exec Club office is closed for the day, but I've verified it's the right number, I've copied and pasted it off of BA's website, so how could it be wrong? This should not be a name mismatch - I confirmed what Chase has on record for my name matches my BA profile, and my name is nothing fancy. No shortened versions or nicknames, no spaces or apostrophes in my last name, nothing. My name is about as plain as you can get. Any suggestions?
The first time I called Chase, she tried to do it on her end and said the error message she got was "Customer not found" but their system was undergoing updates and to try again after 5 PM EST. I did, same error. I called back again, and the CSR got the same "Customer not found" message. She suggested I call BA to verify the number is right. The Exec Club office is closed for the day, but I've verified it's the right number, I've copied and pasted it off of BA's website, so how could it be wrong? This should not be a name mismatch - I confirmed what Chase has on record for my name matches my BA profile, and my name is nothing fancy. No shortened versions or nicknames, no spaces or apostrophes in my last name, nothing. My name is about as plain as you can get. Any suggestions?
Aug 31, 2018, 1:50 pm
#225
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 728
UR Transfer to Partner Problems
I have been trying for 2 days to transfer UR points to Southwest and they keep telling me that the system is down and they are working on it. Anybody else having problems transferring points to airlines? Trying to book tickets for spring break and worried that lower point tickets will be gone by the time they get this fixed. Is there any workaround that the average phone rep wouldn't be aware of. Getting around 1.7c per point so buying tickets at 1.25c per point would be a 22k point loss I don't want to take.