By Cami Sauder
Did you know that Chase Sapphire Preferred has a wide range of possible uses for its Chase Ultimate Rewards points?
While Lyn often touts its points for use with Southwest Airlines, since Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer instantly at a 1:1 ratio, there are lots of other ways to use the points.
In fact, you can use the points to book flights on other airlines, as well as for hotels, rental cars, cruises and more to get you traveling nearly free. That’s why you’re here, right?! 🙂
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Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is Lyn’s FAVORITE travel credit card.
She advises getting the Southwest Airlines credit cards that you want first and then the Chase Sapphire Preferred card comes next.
Read Lyn’s full review on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card to see if it’s for you.
When you apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you’ll earn the current bonus of 60,000 points after a $4,000 minimum spend.
There are even MORE benefits, including:
- 3X points on dining (including delivery)
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (including grocery delivery services)
- 2X points on travel
- 1X points on all other purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
- Points transfer to all participating frequent travel programs at 1 to 1 travel ratio
- Primary auto collision damage waiver
- 25% MORE VALUE when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal (That makes 60,000 points worth $750 toward travel)
[10 Hidden Benefits of Chase Sapphire Preferred That You Need to Know]
All for a low $95 annual fee! Whew, how’s that for benefits?!
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Why I Use Chase Sapphire Preferred to Book FREE Hyatt Stays
When Lyn asked me to write this article, I had to think about how I’ve actually used Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
I looked in my portal, and in every single instance, I had used them to book Hyatt hotel stays!
Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer 1:1 to members of World of Hyatt, Hyatt’s loyalty program, INSTANTLY.
Since I got serious about the “travel for nearly free” game a few years ago, my husband stopped traveling for work, so he was no longer racking up hotel points.
I read tons of articles about which hotel chain seemed to give the best bang for buck, and Hyatt exceeded them all by far in my eyes!
Living in a smaller Midwest town that has an 8-gate airport is not my best bet for getting “nearly free” flights.
We need to fly out of an airport serviced by Southwest, the nearest one to me is Indianapolis, which is 2 hours away (with no traffic or construction), which means we often need to stay the night at a hotel in Indianapolis before or after our travels.
We enjoy staying at a nearby Hyatt Place, which has rooms that include a “separate” seating and desk area, as well as a wet bar with a mini-fridge.
It serves a delicious hot breakfast to loyalty members, has a fitness room and outdoor pool, a free shuttle to the airport and lets you park your car for 14 days for $30 all for only 5,000 points!
The cheapest rate at this hotel is $121 for two people and $145 for four people, but it’s STILL only 5,000 points whether you have two or four.
Translate that 100,000 points you just earned into 20 hotel nights (a value of ~$2,000).
That’s why I consider transferring points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to World of Hyatt a fantastic deal!
We’ve also stayed a few times at the Hyatt Place within shuttle distance of the Chicago O’Hare airport when on our way out of the country.
With a mere 8,000 points, four of us eagerly anticipated our flight to Ireland!
For us, Hyatt Place has everything we need and more for a short stay.
The Hyatt brand encompasses more than 850 hotels around the world, including 15 different brands. These include:
- Andaz (Lyn’s a fan of the Andaz Napa in California)
- Hyatt Centric (Hyatt Centric Santa Barbara is a beautiful property)
- Park Hyatt (try the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek in Colorado)
- Miraval
- Grand Hyatt
- Hyatt House and more
Our family has also stayed at the Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort and Spa in an oceanfront gulf-view room with full kitchen for 25,000 points per night and NO resort fees!
If you’re in the mood to splurge, they have a hotel for that, too! 🙂
Personally, my husband and I are both saving points to be able to visit the Hyatt Zilara, their all-inclusive (all food and beverages included) adults-only property in Cancun, for 25,000 points per night, using our Southwest Companion Pass.
You can also read how Nancy used points to book a stay at Hyatt Ziva Cancun.
How to Use Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to Book Hyatt Stays
1. Sign up for World of Hyatt
Before you can take advantage, you’ll need to sign up for a World of Hyatt membership.
This will get you free breakfast at some of their brands, and it’s what you need in order to transfer points.
2. Check Number of Points
While logged in, check the number of points you will need to make a reservation by checking the box “Use Points.”
Fill in the rest of the information and hit “Find Hotels.”
You’ll see how many points to transfer in order to pay with points.
3. Log into the Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal
Log into the Ultimate Rewards portal on Chase and click the arrow next to “Earn/Use” at the top of the screen and select “Transfer to Travel Partners.”
For World of Hyatt, you must transfer in 1,000-point increments and know your membership number.
4. Transfer Your Points
Click to continue and if everything looks fine, hit submit.
5. Reserve Room with Points
Go back to the Hyatt website and while logged in, check your point balance and then reserve your room with points. So easy!
Do you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred card? How have you used your Ultimate Rewards points?
Read more about Chase Sapphire Preferred…
- Do Points From Chase Sapphire Preferred Qualify for the Southwest Companion Pass?
- 7 Ways Chase Sapphire Preferred Can Get You Free Travel
- 4 Ways to Use Chase Sapphire Preferred to Earn Southwest Airlines Points
- 10 Hidden Benefits of Chase Sapphire Preferred That You Need to Know
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Review: Why This Is Hands-Down My Favorite Travel Credit Card
- Reader Question: Which Card Should I Use for Purchases: Southwest or Chase Sapphire Preferred?
- How I Use Chase Sapphire Preferred to Book Travel in the Chase Portal
