Whoa! Chase Adds Brand New Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partner
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Hot on the heels of losing Korean Air redemptions, Chase has added JetBlue as its newest Ultimate Rewards transfer partner. This is especially exciting if you fly a lot domestically, live in a JetBlue focus city, or enjoy reasonably-priced lie-flat Business Class seats.
Some folks might already see the option to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to JetBlue in their account. Transfers are at a 1:1 ratio and should be instant, like most other Ultimate Rewards transfer partners.
It’s great to have a new transfer option for folks who have Chase Ultimate Rewards points-earning cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card, or Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Here’s what you should know.
Chase Ultimate Rewards Transfers to JetBlue
You’ll now be able to transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to JetBlue at a 1:1 ratio. Like other partners, transfers must be made in 1,000-point increments and should be instant.
This is a better ratio than transferring points to JetBlue from American Express Membership Rewards or Citi ThankYou. In those programs, the standard transfer ratio is 5:4, although until October 1, 2018, there’s a 25% bonus when you move AMEX Membership Rewards points to JetBlue.
Because the price of a JetBlue award flight is tied to the cost of a paid ticket, transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to JetBlue can make a lot of sense if there’s a cheap fare or seat sale. For example, I found non-stop flights between New York (JFK) and Los Angeles in coach for 17,800 JetBlue points round-trip. Most other US airlines would charge 25,000 miles round-trip for this route.
JetBlue points are typically worth ~1.4 cents each toward paid airfare, although there are instances where you might do slightly better. This isn’t the best way to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points, because in many cases, you’d be able to get a LOT more value by moving Chase Ultimate Rewards points to other partners, like Hyatt or United Airlines.
That said, this could be a good option if you need to top-off your account for an award or find a very cheap fare. And the good thing about redeeming JetBlue points is that there aren’t any blackout dates – if there’s a seat for sale, you can book it with points!
Big caveat: If you’re a Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholder, you’ll get 1.5 cents per point when you book paid flights through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal (and you’ll earn JetBlue points for your flight). So be sure to do the math before you transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to JetBlue for an award flight, because booking through the portal will likely be a better deal!
Who Can Transfer Points to JetBlue?
If you have one of the following cards, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to JetBlue and other airline and hotel partners:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
And you can pool the Chase Ultimate Rewards points you earn with the following no-annual-fee cards onto the “premium” cards listed above, and then transfer them to Chase’s travel partners including JetBlue:
- Chase Freedom
- Chase Freedom Unlimited
- Ink Business Cash Credit Card
- Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card
Remember, as with any Chase Ultimate Rewards partner, once you transfer your points to JetBlue you can NOT move them back. Here’s our video guide showing how to easily transfer points to Ultimate Rewards partners.
Bottom Line
There’s a new Chase Ultimate Rewards partner on the block! Starting today, Chase is adding JetBlue as a points transfer option.
You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to JetBlue (and other partners) if you have one of these cards:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
Like other partners, transfers are at a 1:1 ratio and must be made in 1,000-point increments. While this isn’t necessarily the best use of your Chase Ultimate Rewards points (because JetBlue points are typically only worth ~1.4 cents each), it can make sense if you need to top-off your account for an award or if there’s a cheap seat sale.
Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders should keep in mind that they’ll likely get a better deal booking paid JetBlue flights through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal, because they’ll get a value of 1.5 cents per point towards their ticket. Always run the numbers before you book!
What do you think of Chase adding JetBlue as an Ultimate Rewards transfer partner? Let us know in the comments!
Hat Tip: The Points Guy
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