Cheap Flights to Hawaii, Tesla, and Frank Lloyd Wright: Top 3 Most Fun Ways I’ve Used Chase Points

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Before I stumbled into the miles and points hobby, I used to look at traveling as a luxury that I might be able to do only once every several years.  After all, between the airfare, hotels, and car rentals, those costs can very quickly add up to several thousand dollars!

But miles and points have given me the freedom to travel more than I ever thought possible, and my most enjoyable travel experiences have been thanks to Chase Ultimate Rewards points!

Chase Ultimate Rewards points are my favorite type of flexible points to earn and redeem, and they’re perfect for both beginners and experts.  That’s because you can transfer the points to a number of great airline and hotel partners!

I’m far from the most extravagant traveler, but I’m excited to be able to share 3 of the most fun ways I’ve used miles and points to travel for nearly free!

Here’s How to Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card – Our favorite card for folks just starting out in our hobby!
• Ink Business Preferred Credit Card – Our favorite business credit card for travel
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® – Our favorite travel credit card for folks who know they’ll travel a lot

And once you have one of the powerful premium cards above, consider adding 2 of these:

• Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card – Our favorite no-annual-fee business credit card
• Ink Business Unlimited℠ Credit Card – Another great no-annual-fee business credit card
• Chase Freedom® – No annual fee
• Chase Freedom Unlimited® – No annual fee

3 Fun Ways I’ve Traveled for Free Thanks to Miles and Points

My definition of fun may be different than most.  I get a thrill out of just booking a vacation entirely on miles and points, even if it is just a few hundred miles away from home!  It makes me feel free as a bird being able to frequently go on short weekend trips without having to worry about the out-of-pocket cost!

Here are 3 ways I’ve used Chase Ultimate Rewards points for short weekend getaways.

Free Round-Trip Flight to Hawaii by Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to British Airways

Hawaii was by far was one of the most memorable place I’ve traveled to.  Snorkeling in clear blue waters, taking in the scenic views, and enjoying the local cuisine was absolute bliss!

If you’re departing from the West Coast, using British Airways Avios points to get to Hawaii is very affordable!  That’s because British Airways uses a distance-based award chart.

Departing from Los Angeles, I transferred my Chase Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways Avios points.  Because they have a distance-based award chart, I only needed 25,000 British Airways Avios points for a round-trip flight to Hawaii!  It certainly beat having to pay ~$500 in cash instead!

You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways at a 1:1 ratio to British Airways, and the transfer happens instantly.  So you’ll be able to book your flight after completing the transfer from your Chase account online.

And you can use your British Airways Avios points to book flights on their partner airlines, like American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.

Besides saving money on the airfare, I also had a great airport experience thanks to my Chase Sapphire Reserve®.  I was able to get expedited security clearance through TSA PreCheck, and I also had a nice quiet place to relax with airport lounge access!

Free Hotel Stay in Arizona

As an early adopter of the Tesla Model S, I am a huge fan of road trips because I get free unlimited nationwide charging for as long as I own the car!  So naturally, I decided to go on a road trip to Arizona.

I went with a few friends to visit a number of places in Phoenix and Tempe, like the Saint Mary’s Basilica, the Phoenix Convention Center, and the Taliesin West home built by the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Because I drove my electric Tesla Model S and had free charging, we really only needed to worry about booking a hotel.  We went with a more economical approach and decided to book the category 1 Hyatt Place Phoenix-Mesa for 3 nights at just 5,000 Hyatt points per night, saving us ~$300 in cash!

Hyatt is a Chase Ultimate Rewards partner, and you can transfer points instantly at a 1:1 ratio.  And because Hyatt has an award chart, you can easily see how many points you’ll need for each of their hotels!

Visit to the San Francisco Tesla Factory

San Francisco was another easy pick for a weekend getaway.  It gave me an opportunity to go on another road trip without any cost (thanks to the free charging I received as an early adopter of the Tesla Model S).  I had also been wanting to visit an old friend from college who lives in San Francisco, as well as tour the Tesla factory!

Because I had a few things planned for this trip, I decided to splurge a bit more by booking a nicer hotel.  I ended up staying at the category 5 Grand Hyatt San Francisco.  Room rates are typically around ~$275 per night, but I paid nothing out of pocket because I transferred my Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt.

So for a 3-night stay at the hotel, I ended up saving ~$825 cash!

Bottom Line

Even if you’re not an extravagant traveler who jets off to exotic places for weeks at a time, miles and points can save you a lot of cash!  Chase Ultimate Rewards are also one of the easiest to earn and redeem.

You can find some great deals on the Chase travel portal for airfare, hotels, or renting a car.  You can also transfer your points to any of Chase’s travel partners directly to potentially get even more value from your points.

So if you dream of being able to afford short weekend getaways, or long overseas trips for weeks or months at a time, miles and points can help make that dream come true!

Let us know what trips you’ve made possible by using Chase Ultimate Rewards points!