Last edit by: 747FC
This thread covers how to use Ultimate Reward points for booking all types of travel via the Ultimate Rewards portal.
In 2018 Chase changed the outsourced booking portal operator from Connexions to Expedia. Posts from January to mid-October 2018 have been archived to a separate thread. Those posts discussed the portal as operated by Connexions, -and- the transition process to Expedia.
There is another thread to discuss booking by transferring to airline of hotel programs: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chas...tc-2017-a.html
Pay special attention to booking via Chase UR/Expedia with regard to rewards and benefits. Chase UR + Expedia is considered OTA (Online Travel Agency). Travelers purchase or pre-pay travel with the OTA and is subject to the T&C from the OTA. In general, travelers receive miles rewards on flights, but do not receive night credit on hotel stays. Also, in general, travelers lose the airline or hotel status and do not receive the associated benefits (free breakfast, room upgrade etc).
1) How do I book a ticket? Choose my airfare class?
Login to ultimaterewards.com
Click: Use points > Explore and Book Travel
Click the button that defaults to [1 Traveler, All]
Change "Class" (the first entry in the pull-down) from All to Business
Click: Close
2) How far in advance can I book?
In mid-November 2017 it was reported that airline reservations are available only 270 days in advance. Read HERE.
3) How do I book hotels?
Follow the steps above to log on. There are standard looking search engines offered for airfare, hotel, etc at that point.
3.5) How to book cruises?
Chase outsources this to a travel agency specializing in cruises. (I believe they are available solely by telephone.) Agents there can book cruises for you using your URs for payments from initial deposit to final payment. It's also possible to transfer an existing cruise booking to that travel agency. That agency can then make payments (full or partial). However, to transfer a booking, there are some constraints to be aware of. A) The booking and deposit has to be made directly with the cruise line. If you use another agency, you're out of luck. B) The cruise lines limit the window when you can transfer a booking from their control to an agency's. It closes as early as 30 days after initial deposit up to final deposit due date (typically 75-120 prior to sail date) depending on the particular cruise line's rules (which are subject to change).
4) How do I get the better redemption rate offered on some Chase cards?
The upper left corner of the UR page will show you which card you are logged in with. If you hold a Chase Sapphire Reserve or JPMR card, you will be shown a better price on points bookings, as a 1.5 redemption rate is offered as one of the benefits of this card. If you log in to the UR portal from a different UR card, such as the Ink, you will not be offered this rate.
4.5) How do Refunds Work?
When cancelling a booking (and a refund is due), points will be added back to your UR balance and dollars will be refunded to the credit card account used.
5) Where else can I find information?
This thread is a consolidated resource which covers topics including:
Fare buckets, here
Price differences between open market air fares and UR bookings, here
Selecting seat classes
Using cash and points to pay for tickets
and more.
The previous discussion, through 2017, can be found here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chas...14-2017-a.html
In 2018 Chase changed the outsourced booking portal operator from Connexions to Expedia. Posts from January to mid-October 2018 have been archived to a separate thread. Those posts discussed the portal as operated by Connexions, -and- the transition process to Expedia.
There is another thread to discuss booking by transferring to airline of hotel programs: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chas...tc-2017-a.html
Pay special attention to booking via Chase UR/Expedia with regard to rewards and benefits. Chase UR + Expedia is considered OTA (Online Travel Agency). Travelers purchase or pre-pay travel with the OTA and is subject to the T&C from the OTA. In general, travelers receive miles rewards on flights, but do not receive night credit on hotel stays. Also, in general, travelers lose the airline or hotel status and do not receive the associated benefits (free breakfast, room upgrade etc).
1) How do I book a ticket? Choose my airfare class?
Login to ultimaterewards.com
Click: Use points > Explore and Book Travel
Click the button that defaults to [1 Traveler, All]
Change "Class" (the first entry in the pull-down) from All to Business
Click: Close
2) How far in advance can I book?
In mid-November 2017 it was reported that airline reservations are available only 270 days in advance. Read HERE.
3) How do I book hotels?
Follow the steps above to log on. There are standard looking search engines offered for airfare, hotel, etc at that point.
3.5) How to book cruises?
Chase outsources this to a travel agency specializing in cruises. (I believe they are available solely by telephone.) Agents there can book cruises for you using your URs for payments from initial deposit to final payment. It's also possible to transfer an existing cruise booking to that travel agency. That agency can then make payments (full or partial). However, to transfer a booking, there are some constraints to be aware of. A) The booking and deposit has to be made directly with the cruise line. If you use another agency, you're out of luck. B) The cruise lines limit the window when you can transfer a booking from their control to an agency's. It closes as early as 30 days after initial deposit up to final deposit due date (typically 75-120 prior to sail date) depending on the particular cruise line's rules (which are subject to change).
4) How do I get the better redemption rate offered on some Chase cards?
The upper left corner of the UR page will show you which card you are logged in with. If you hold a Chase Sapphire Reserve or JPMR card, you will be shown a better price on points bookings, as a 1.5 redemption rate is offered as one of the benefits of this card. If you log in to the UR portal from a different UR card, such as the Ink, you will not be offered this rate.
4.5) How do Refunds Work?
When cancelling a booking (and a refund is due), points will be added back to your UR balance and dollars will be refunded to the credit card account used.
5) Where else can I find information?
This thread is a consolidated resource which covers topics including:
Fare buckets, here
Price differences between open market air fares and UR bookings, here
Selecting seat classes
Using cash and points to pay for tickets
and more.
The previous discussion, through 2017, can be found here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chas...14-2017-a.html
Booking Flights, Rooms, Cars, Cruises, Activities through Chase/Expedia portal.
#691
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,791
In the past it is called Look No Further. I do not know under BonVoy whether this is still the same name.
But you cannot use UR site as comparison because that is not a rate available to the Public since you must be a Chase card holder to be able to use UR portal which is NOT the same as Expedia even though it is operated by Expedia. This part must be not confused, despite many, self included, tend to refer it as Expedia but it is NOT the same sense as you go to Expedia own website.
Without a detailed direct comparison, it is hard to give advice but the above option would be very obvious the first thing to check / pursuit.
Besides, I am truly amazed that you would equate the UR pts to BonVoy pts - to begin with, they do not have same implied value, plus BonVoy is NOT on revenue based pt booking, unlike Hilton or IHG - Marriott still has a chart...
You will find not just BonVoy but Hilton and Hyatt, if you do not care about the benefits from booking direct, very often 3rd party bookings / using airline miles to book, etc often is quite a bit cheaper.
That is why you always have to do the hard $ comparison to see which way makes more sense to you.
#692
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: san francisco
Programs: No airline status whatsoever, Chase URs, HHonors Diamond, IHG Platinum
Posts: 567
#693
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: san francisco
Programs: No airline status whatsoever, Chase URs, HHonors Diamond, IHG Platinum
Posts: 567
Is there any possibility of showing a thread for just Chase UR hotel bookings? I'm now on the tenth page of this thread and fear that I'll be dead before I find anything on booking/cancelling hotels with URs. I'm having an issue with a Canadian hotel booked for September. Or perhaps I don't know where to look; I've always read FT for airline stuff. Thanks for any assistance.
#694
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,965
If you are trying to cancel a September booking in July, I am not surprised that there is a problem. Chase says: If you have travel booked after July 31, 2020, please wait and check back closer to your departure date because travel provider cancellation policies may change between now and then.
#695
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,206
President's Circle via Chase
I hate to start a new thread, but I could not find an answer - either over at the Chase forum or in the Hertz forum.
I have President's Club through a Chase CC. I booked (cash) a rental through Chase's travel portal (and a better cash deal than I could find anywhere else). The Chase rep informed me that she could NOT add my President's Club number to the reservation. I called Hertz. The Hertz rep told me because I booked it through Chase, she could not add my President's Club number, but Chase could contact Hertz and have it added.
Has anyone had any experience with this?
Thanks and stay safe!
Steve
I have President's Club through a Chase CC. I booked (cash) a rental through Chase's travel portal (and a better cash deal than I could find anywhere else). The Chase rep informed me that she could NOT add my President's Club number to the reservation. I called Hertz. The Hertz rep told me because I booked it through Chase, she could not add my President's Club number, but Chase could contact Hertz and have it added.
Has anyone had any experience with this?
Thanks and stay safe!
Steve
#696
Company Representative - AutoSlash and HotelSlash
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: autoslash.com | hotelslash.com
Posts: 5,670
That is correct. Prepaid bookings of any type (cash, points, cash and points combination) booked through a third party are not eligible for Hertz Gold benefits. Hertz has always done it this way and it's quite annoying, but there's no way around it.
#697
Moderator, Hertz; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: KRK
Programs: UA 1MM, BA GGL, Hyatt Glob, Hilton Diamond and others
Posts: 12,692
As per OP's request I moved this thread to Chase.
Thanks
Jason8612 Hertz Mod
Thanks
Jason8612 Hertz Mod
#698
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,206
I hate to start a new thread, but I could not find an answer - either over at the Chase forum or in the Hertz forum.
I have President's Club through a Chase CC. I booked (cash) a rental through Chase's travel portal (and a better cash deal than I could find anywhere else). The Chase rep informed me that she could NOT add my President's Club number to the reservation. I called Hertz. The Hertz rep told me because I booked it through Chase, she could not add my President's Club number, but Chase could contact Hertz and have it added.
Has anyone had any experience with this?
Thanks and stay safe!
Steve
I have President's Club through a Chase CC. I booked (cash) a rental through Chase's travel portal (and a better cash deal than I could find anywhere else). The Chase rep informed me that she could NOT add my President's Club number to the reservation. I called Hertz. The Hertz rep told me because I booked it through Chase, she could not add my President's Club number, but Chase could contact Hertz and have it added.
Has anyone had any experience with this?
Thanks and stay safe!
Steve
I needed a car for ORD->DEN. Checked all available options to me. The travel portal offered the best rate by far; a Dodge Challenger was less than any other vehicle of any other type found (including my corporate Enterprise rate). Didn't need a Dodge Challenger, but hey. ORD Hertz had no record that I reserved a Dodge Challenger (or similar). I was offered a 'full-size' without prompting. I showed her my reservation. She stated 'there are rarely standard sports cars available from this location'. She told me the best that she could do was the full-size sedan or a mid-size SUV (Jeep Compass); in my mind, not even close to being equivalent. Since it was 9 PM, and I had a 3 hour drive, I told her I'd take the Jeep and deal with it later.
Walking to the lot, I noticed my President's Circle number was on my reservation. I also noticed a Chrysler 300 on the President's Circle lot. I went back to the counter and asked her if I could have it. She changed it out for me. She also stated that my President's Circle was recognized via my credit card number. Hmmm...
As an aside, it's been years since I did a one-way. Of course I knew about the drop off fee. But additional fees and taxes increased the drop off fee by 50%. That is in really fine print (and I suspect this is for any car rental company). But there is NOTHING in the fine print from the Chase travel portal reservation 'fees and taxes' extra.
#699
Join Date: May 2019
Location: RTW
Programs: Delta PM, AA PlatPro
Posts: 407
I'm not seeing any Turkish Airlines flights available via Chase Ultimate Rewards at the moment. (or Amex MR fwiw)
I'm in Europe goofing around at the moment:
Trying to book a TGD-IST next week
And IST-LHR end of September.
Google Flights shows it.
I've used Chase UR to book Turkish Airlines flights - recently.
I don't see anything for Turkish with UR right now.
Am I going crazy, did I miss a memo while I've been traveling?
I'm in Europe goofing around at the moment:
Trying to book a TGD-IST next week
And IST-LHR end of September.
Google Flights shows it.
I've used Chase UR to book Turkish Airlines flights - recently.
I don't see anything for Turkish with UR right now.
Am I going crazy, did I miss a memo while I've been traveling?
#700
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,965
#701
Join Date: May 2019
Location: RTW
Programs: Delta PM, AA PlatPro
Posts: 407
Looks like Turkish has pulled all inventory from OTAs (at least the ones I use)
I chatted with an Amex Travel agent, and they confirmed same thing - Turkish pulled most (all?) int'l inventory.
So, Turkish Airlines is not available on Chase/Expedia, or Amex MR.
I booked direct on this flight since they are only carrier - but will use other carriers to get from Turkey to Europe as we fly around.
I chatted with an Amex Travel agent, and they confirmed same thing - Turkish pulled most (all?) int'l inventory.
So, Turkish Airlines is not available on Chase/Expedia, or Amex MR.
I booked direct on this flight since they are only carrier - but will use other carriers to get from Turkey to Europe as we fly around.
#702
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2009
Programs: DL, UA, AA, VS
Posts: 5,226
So has anyone been using the UR portal for hotel bookings a lot?
How does it compare to other booking sites in terms of availability and prices?
How does it compare to other booking sites in terms of availability and prices?
#703
Join Date: May 2019
Location: RTW
Programs: Delta PM, AA PlatPro
Posts: 407
I've done about 150 hotel nights this year so far, used UR portal for about 60% of them.
It's been amazing, as it is every year.
It's fine in most places. Eastern Europe is a little light on properties, but, I always find a place.
I don't worry about prices, the points didn't cost anything to get, so, it's not something I check.
It's my #1 way to burn maybe 1M UR points a year - booking boutique hotels in crazy places in the world.
Love it.
It's been amazing, as it is every year.
It's fine in most places. Eastern Europe is a little light on properties, but, I always find a place.
I don't worry about prices, the points didn't cost anything to get, so, it's not something I check.
It's my #1 way to burn maybe 1M UR points a year - booking boutique hotels in crazy places in the world.
Love it.
#704
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,965
#705
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Omaha Nebraska
Programs: United, delta, AA, Alaskan, Frontier, Hilton Gold, Hyatt, Chase Sapphire
Posts: 318
Points for car rental/insurance?
If I use points do I qualify for car insurance? Thanks