How & Why to Transfer Points From Your Chase Freedom

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At the recent Frequent Traveler University at Tampa, one of the more common questions was:

How do I transfer Ultimate Rewards points from one account (say my Chase Freedom) to my Chase Sapphire Preferred?

Many folks think that points earned from the Chase Freedom can only be used for cash back.

But that’s not entirely true!

You can instantly transfer Ultimate Rewards points earned from one Chase credit card that earns Ultimate Rewards to another Chase credit card Ultimate Rewards account for free. And then transfer those (transferred) Ultimate Reward Points to  airlines and hotels!

Not all Ultimate Rewards Points transfer directly to partner airlines and hotels.  And often times, the best way to squeeze the most out of your Ultimate Rewards points is transferring points to, say, Southwest for flights within the US or United for flights to Europe or to Hyatt for a stay in Paris!

Only Ultimate Rewards Points earned on the Chase Ink Bold, Chase Ink Plus, and Chase Sapphire Preferred transfer directly to partner airlines and hotels.

Ultimate Rewards Points earned on the Chase Freedom, Chase Ink Classic, Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card, and Chase Sapphire can’t be directly (directly is the key word!) transferred to partner airlines and hotels.  These cards have no annual fee, so they are worth keeping to build a long credit history with Chase.  And the Chase Freedom has rotating categories where you can earn 5X Ultimate Rewards points per $1.

But you *can* transfer Ultimate Rewards from, say, the Chase Freedom to either your Chase Ink Bold, Chase Ink Plus, or Chase Sapphire Preferred and from there to airlines or hotels!

You will also get 1.25 cents per Ultimate Rewards point instead of 1 cent towards any travel redemption via the Ultimate Rewards portal if you redeem points from your Sapphire Preferred or Ink Bold/Plus accounts, compared to your Chase Freedom account.

Transfer Partners

Ultimate Rewards Points transfer on a 1:1 ratio to the following travel programs:

• British Airways Executive Club
• Hyatt Gold Passport
• Korean Air SKYPASS
• Marriott Rewards
• IHG Rewards
• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
• The Ritz-Carlton Rewards
• United MileagePlus
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
• Flying Blue

But that’s only if you have a Chase Ink Bold, Chase Ink Plus, and Chase Sapphire Preferred.

If you earn Ultimate Rewards points from any other credit or debit card, you have to first transfer them to your Sapphire Preferred, Ink Plus, or Ink Bold.

Transferring Ultimate Rewards Points Between Accounts

Link:   Ultimate Rewards

Ultimate Rewards Points earned through, say, the Chase Freedom can’t be directly transferred to partner airlines or hotels.

You have to first transfer them to your Chase Ink Bold, Chase Ink Plus, or Chase Sapphire Preferred account.

There are two ways to transfer Ultimate Rewards points between accounts:

• Via the Chase website
• Via the Ultimate Rewards website

Transfer Ultimate Rewards Points Via Chase.com

Step 1 – Sign Into Ultimate Rewards 

 Sign into your Chase account.

Step 2 – Go To Ultimate Rewards

Click on “Go to Ultimate Rewards.”

If you have two personal Ultimate Rewards accounts such as a Chase Sapphire Preferred and a Chase Freedom, you’ll see a popup box with your 2 accounts each with a link to “Go to Ultimate Rewards.”  

You can choose either link.  Because you want to transfer Ultimate Rewards points out of your Freedom account, you can click on the Chase Freedom “Go to Ultimate Rewards” link.

Step 3 – Click on “Combine Points”

You’ll be taken to your Chase Ultimate Rewards account for your Freedom card.

Click on the “Combine Points” link at the top of the screen.

Step 4 –  Select Accounts

From the dropdown menu box, select the account you want to transfer Ultimate Rewards points from.

Then select the account you want to transfer Ultimate Rewards to.

I transfered points out of my Freedom account (because they can’t be directly transferred to airlines and hotels) and into my Sapphire Preferred account.

You can choose to transfer all your points or pick a different amount.

Step 5 –  Confirm The Transfer

Click “Submit” to confirm the transfer.  Your points will be immediately transferred from your Chase Freedom account to your Chase Sapphire Preferred account.

And once the points are in your Chase Sapphire Preferred account, you can transfer them to airlines or hotels!

Transfer Ultimate RewardsPoints Via the Ultimate Rewards Portal

You can also transfer your Ultimate Rewards points directly through the Ultimate Rewards portal.  It just depends how you prefer logging on to your Chase account.

Step 1 – Sign into your Ultimate Rewards Account

 Sign into your Ultimate Rewards account.

Step 2 – Choose An Ultimate Rewards Account

If you have more than one Ultimate Rewards account, select which account you want to make the point combination from.

I chose my Chase Freedom account.

Step 3 – Click on “Combine Points”

Click on the “Combine Points” link at the top of the screen.

Step 4 –  Select Accounts

Select which account you want to transfer Ultimate Rewards points from (say your Chase Freedom) and select the account you want to transfer points to (say your Chase Sapphire Preferred).

I selected to transfer points out of Freedom account (because they can’t be directly transferred to airlines and hotels) and into my Sapphire Preferred account.

Step 6 –  Confirm The Transfer

Click “Submit” to confirm the Ultimate Rewards Points transfer.

Your points will be immediately transferred from your Chase Freedom account to your Chase Sapphire Preferred account.  And there’s no fee!

Bottom Line

You can transfer Ultimate Rewards points from a card which doesn’t let you transfer Ultimate Rewards points to airlines and hotels (say the Chase Freedom) to a card which does let you transfer to airlines and hotels (say the Chase Sapphire Preferred).

And from there you can  transfer those Ultimate Rewards points to partner airlines and hotels in a 1:1 ratio!  Or redeem the points for 1.25 cents (instead of 1 cent) towards travel in the Ultimate Rewards mall.

Remember that only Ultimate Rewards points in the Chase Ink Bold, Chase Ink Plus, and Chase Sapphire Preferred accounts can be transferred to partner airlines and hotels.

If you have the Chase Freedom, Chase Ink Classic, Chase Ink Cash and Chase Sapphire, to use Ultimate Rewards on travel, you have to first transfer those points to the Chase Ink Bold, Chase Ink Plus, or Chase Sapphire Preferred.