Maximize Your Sapphire Preferred & Reserve Points
Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer 1:1 to six airline loyalty programs: United MileagePlus, British Airways Avios, Air Canada Aeroplan, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Singapore KrisFlyer, and Southwest Rapid Rewards. Every transfer is instant and at a flat 1:1 ratio, meaning 1,000 Chase points becomes 1,000 miles or points in the partner program. This makes Chase UR one of the most versatile point currencies for booking award flights.
Why transfer instead of booking through the Chase travel portal? The Sapphire Preferred portal values your points at 1.25 cents each, and the Sapphire Reserve at 1.5 cents. Those are decent floor values, but transferring to partners regularly delivers 2 to 5+ cents per point on premium cabin redemptions. A $2,500 business class ticket that costs 50,000 miles through a transfer partner gives you 5.0 cpp — more than triple the portal rate. The key is understanding which partner offers the best value for your specific route.
The trade-off is flexibility: portal bookings work like cash tickets (changeable, refundable to your points balance), while award transfers are irreversible. Always confirm award availability on the airline's website before transferring your Chase points. Once transferred, they cannot be moved back.
Cards that earn Chase UR: Sapphire Preferred (1.25x portal), Sapphire Reserve (1.5x portal), Ink Business Preferred
Only showing programs reachable via Chase UR transfer. CPP = Cash Price ÷ Miles × 100 (higher = better value).
| Program | Economy OW | Business OW | First OW | Best CPP |
|---|
It depends on your route. For transatlantic flights, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club consistently delivers the highest value — you can book Delta One business class for 50,000 miles one-way, often worth 5+ cpp. For Asia-Pacific routes, Singapore KrisFlyer gives access to Singapore Suites (A380 First Class) for 95,000 miles one-way, which is the most luxurious flight product in the world. On short domestic hops, British Airways Avios charges as little as 6,000 points one-way on American Airlines routes under 650 miles. Air Canada Aeroplan is the most versatile overall, with access to the entire Star Alliance network and no fuel surcharges on many partners like Lufthansa and EVA Air.
Economy one-way starts at just 10,000 miles via Virgin Atlantic or 13,000 via British Airways Avios. United MileagePlus and Aeroplan both charge 30,000 for economy one-way. For business class, the sweet spot is Virgin Atlantic at 47,500 miles one-way (booking on Delta metal), followed by British Airways at 50,000 Avios and Aeroplan at 60,000 miles. First class ranges from 57,500 (Virgin Atlantic) to 92,000 (Singapore KrisFlyer). The best deal depends on fuel surcharges, availability, and which airline you actually want to fly.
For premium cabins (business and first class), transferring to partners nearly always wins. A $2,500 transatlantic business class seat costs 47,500 Virgin Atlantic miles (5.3 cpp) versus 166,667 points through the Reserve portal at 1.5 cpp. That same seat would cost even more through the Preferred portal. However, for cheap economy tickets under $200, the portal can actually be the better option — if an economy fare is $150 one-way, you'd use just 10,000 points at 1.5x on the Reserve, whereas the cheapest award chart redemption might cost 10,000-30,000 miles. Use the portal as your floor, and transfer when the math works out to 2+ cpp.
All three Chase UR earning cards — Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, and Ink Business Preferred — transfer to the same six airline partners at the same 1:1 ratio. The difference is in earning rates and perks. The Sapphire Reserve earns 3x on travel and dining, includes a $300 travel credit, Priority Pass lounge access, and a 1.5 cpp portal floor. The Sapphire Preferred is more affordable, with 2x-5x on travel and dining and a 1.25 cpp portal floor. If you spend heavily in business categories like shipping and advertising, the Ink Business Preferred adds 3x on those purchases. Many points enthusiasts hold both a Sapphire Reserve and an Ink Business Preferred to maximize earning across categories.
The best published CPP values come from international premium cabin redemptions. Virgin Atlantic for Delta One transatlantic flights routinely yields 5-9 cpp. Singapore KrisFlyer for Singapore Suites can exceed 7 cpp on the JFK-Frankfurt-Singapore route. British Airways Avios on short American Airlines domestic flights can hit 3-4 cpp. As a benchmark, anything above 2 cpp is a solid redemption, and anything above 5 cpp is exceptional. Your absolute floor should be 1.25 cpp (Preferred portal) or 1.5 cpp (Reserve portal) — never transfer points if the math doesn't beat that.
Enter your specific route and dates for a personalized CPP comparison.
Try the Full Tool →