How to Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to United Airlines
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are highly valuable across credit cards and travel systems due to their ability to be transferred to a variety of high-value travel partners, including Southwest Airlines, Hyatt Hotels, and JetBlue. While Hyatt is typically considered Chase’s best hotel partner, United Airlines is easily one of Chase’s best partners for flights.
In case anyone is somehow unfamiliar with the airline, United is a USA-based carrier with an extensive network of destinations and routes both within the domestic United States as well as internationally to three continents. Not only does United cover more destinations than any almost other airline, but it also comes with an easy-to-use rewards program that allows for flexible bookings with airline miles instead of cash!
Compared to many airline reward programs that fly internationally from the US, United’s frequent flyer program (MileagePlus) is known for offering flights with very low fees. While these flights will sometimes force you to pay with slightly higher point totals, it’s a great system for avoiding cash high cash payments.
United Airlines is also part of the Star Alliance airline network, therefore allowing you to book all sorts of different flights using your United miles. While these code-share flights tend to be more slightly expensive than the flights United operates directly, the added flexibility and additional destinations offered by booking alliance flights is extremely valuable.
The full list of Star Alliance airline members
Therefore, building up your United mileage totals is extremely important to be able to frequently travel on United (and partners) without having to use your cash. And outside of frequently flying on United, one of the best ways to accumulate MileagePlus Miles is by transferring points from Chase Bank’s Ultimate Rewards portal! Not only is this process easy and almost instantaneous, but it allows you to get good value out of your points with minimal work and research.
For instance, look at flights from Boston to Los Angeles. If you book with cash, you’re likely going to pay $250 for an economy ticket, and $1200 for a business/first-class ticket. However, if you pay with your United Miles, you’ll pay only 10,000 Miles for the same economy ticket or 50,000 Miles for business/first-class. This is excellent value for a flight, giving you ~2.5 cents per point for an economy ticket and ~2.2 cents per point for a business/first-class ticket.
It’s easy to get great value out of United flights using your Chase points and United Miles!
The best part? Finding these high-value redemptions on United is extremely easy! All you need to do is adjust your search from “money” to “Miles” and you’ll see the same as is pictured above.
Now that we’ve showcased why flying on United with points is so valuable, let’s jump into how to transfer your points between the ecosystems. However, before we begin, It’s important to keep some things in mind when going about transferring points from Chase to United Airlines:
In order to transfer points to your United MileagePlus account, you will need a Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning credit card and an active account.
The transfer ratio is 1:1—one Chase Ultimate Reward point is equivalent to one United MileagePlus Mile.
There are no fees associated with transferring points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to your United account (unlike with AmEx/Delta)
It's worth noting that only one person can usually transfer points to one specific United account, so sharing with friends or family is typically not allowed
Soon, you’ll be able to take United flights to amazing locations all over the world!
With that out of the way, let’s jump into the guide on how to transfer Chase Ultimate Reward Points to your United MileagePlus account!
How to Transfer Points/Miles from Chase to United Airlines
1. If you don’t already have a United Airlines log-in, go to the United website here and create a new one (this is completely free). Keep a note of your MileagePlus number as it will be important for transferring later.
2. Log in to your Chase Ultimate Rewards account (alternatively, login to your Chase account and navigate to the Ultimate Rewards home screen pictured below). For this example, we will be transferring from an account holding the Chase Sapphire Preferred; however, a variety of different Chase cards will let you make this transfer.
The Chase Ultimate Rewards Hub
3. Click on the upper left sidebar to open up the options and then on the "Transfer to Travel Partners" link.
Look for “Travel to Transfer Partners” at the bottom
4. Navigate to find the Airlines section from the list, and then select "United Airlines" from the list of transfer partners.
Click on “Airlines” at the top to limit the transfer partners to just airlines
You should see the description for United transfers here
5. Link your United MileagePlus account to your Chase Ultimate Rewards account by entering your MileagePlus membership number. It is essential that this number is correct—to be sure you’re entering it correctly, we recommend copying this number and pasting it directly from the United website.
6. Enter the number of points you want to transfer. Typically, this has to be done on an even thousands quantity of points (i.e., increments of 1,000).
7. Click on the "Transfer Points" button and complete any required confirmation.
While Chase says that your points will be transferred to your United MileagePlus account in 1-7 business days, don’t be too worried: transferring points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to United MileagePlus normally only takes a few minutes. However, If for any reason you aren’t seeing your points or your points must get moved immediately, consider calling Chase directly to expedite the process. However, from personal experience, it’s never taken more than 10 minutes for my Chase points to be transferred to United!
By following these tips, you can be sure to maximize the value of your Chase Ultimate Rewards points when using them for your United flights. If you’re interested in using your Chase points for hotel stays, make sure to check out our guide for transferring your Chase points to Hyatt!
Summary
Transferring points from Chase to United can be a great way to save money on your air travel and take luxury trips that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford. By following the steps above, you can easily transfer your points and start booking your next United flight within minutes.
As well, here are some tips for getting the most out of your Chase Ultimate Rewards points when transferring to United:
Look for promotions that offer bonus points for transferring points to United. While these promotions don’t come around too often, it's worth always keeping an eye out before you transfer your points. There’s nothing better than saving an additional 20% on your point transfers!
Consider getting a United-branded credit card to earn free checked bags and bonus United miles. Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the United MileagePlus Explorer card are popular options for earning United Miles.
We hope this was helpful, and make sure to leave a comment down below with any questions or issues!
