Most credit card point holders never realize the full value of what they've earned. They redeem through the Chase Travel portal at 1.25-1.5 cents per point, or worse, cash them out at 1 cent each. The problem isn't the points. It's the redemption method. Transfer partners are where the real value lives.
Both Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards allow 1:1 transfers to airline and hotel loyalty programs. When you transfer points to the right partner and book the right award, your effective redemption rate jumps from 1 cent to 3, 4, or even 5+ cents per point.
Why Transfer Partners Deliver More Value Than Travel Portals
Travel portals price award flights at the cash fare divided by a fixed point value. A $500 flight costs 33,000 points in the Chase portal (at 1.5 cents per point with the Sapphire Reserve). Transfer partners price flights on their own award charts, which are disconnected from cash fares. A business class seat that costs $4,000 in cash might only require 60,000 miles through an airline partner, giving you 6.7 cents per point in value.
The gap between portal value and transfer value is widest on premium cabin flights (business and first class) and long-haul international routes. Economy redemptions typically show smaller advantages, making portal bookings reasonable for short domestic flights.
Best Transfer Partners for Chase Ultimate Rewards
World of Hyatt
Consistently delivers 3-5 cents per point for hotel stays. Park Hyatts and luxury properties in destinations like Tokyo, Paris, and the Maldives offer exceptional value. The best hotel transfer in any program.
United MileagePlus
Strong for Star Alliance partner bookings. Book ANA business class to Tokyo, Lufthansa to Europe, or Singapore Airlines across Asia using United miles.
British Airways Avios
Excellent for short-haul flights. Domestic American Airlines flights can be booked for as few as 6,000-11,000 Avios, often beating portal pricing by 3-4x.
Southwest Rapid Rewards
Points are worth a flat 1.3-1.5 cents each with no blackout dates. Best for domestic travel where flexibility matters more than premium cabins.
Best Transfer Partners for Amex Membership Rewards
ANA Mileage Club
Book ANA first class from the U.S. to Japan for as few as 55,000-75,000 miles one-way (round-trip from 150,000). One of the best value redemptions in the world.
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
Regular promo rewards with 25-50% discounts on partner flights. Business class to Europe for 50,000-62,000 miles one-way during promotions.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Access Singapore's legendary Suites and first class products. Transfer from Amex at 1:1 and book premium awards across Star Alliance.
A business class seat that costs $4,000 in cash might require 60,000 miles through an airline partner. That's 6.7 cents per point instead of 1.
How to Find Award Availability for Transfer Partner Bookings
The biggest challenge with transfer partners isn't the transfer itself. It's finding award availability. Airlines release a limited number of award seats per flight, and popular routes can be fully booked months in advance.
Start by searching on the airline partner's website directly. For Chase transfers to United, search on united.com. For Amex transfers to ANA, search on the ANA website. Tools like seats.aero aggregate availability across multiple programs, making it easier to spot open award seats without checking each airline individually.
The golden rule: always confirm availability before transferring points. Transfers are instant with most partners but are irreversible. Once your Chase points become United miles, you can't move them back.
Never transfer points speculatively. Find the award seat you want first, confirm it's available, then transfer exactly the number of points needed and book immediately. Award inventory can disappear in minutes.
When Portal Booking Is Actually the Better Choice
Transfer partners aren't always the answer. For economy domestic flights under $200, portal booking through the Sapphire Reserve (at 1.5 cents per point) is often simpler and comparable in value. The same applies to refundable bookings, last-minute domestic travel, and situations where award availability doesn't exist.
The transfer strategy shines on international premium cabins, high-value hotel stays (especially Hyatt), and routes where airline award charts haven't caught up to cash fare inflation. For everything else, the portal is a perfectly acceptable fallback.
- seats.aero Award availability search engine
- Chase Trifecta Strategy Earn the points to transfer
- Hotel Status Match Stack hotel elite status with point transfers
- Book Hotels Direct When direct booking beats point transfers
For informational purposes only, not financial or professional advice. Card offers and program terms are subject to change. This site may earn compensation through affiliate links at no cost to you.