Moving Chase Points to Hotels: The Steps and the Traps

Transferring Chase points to a hotel program is quick to do and easy to mess up. Here's exactly how it works, straight from Chase, plus the handful of things that cost people points.

The four steps (about two minutes)

1. Log in and open your card. At chase.com or in the Chase Mobile app, sign in and open the card that earns your points.
2. Open the rewards center and choose "Transfer to travel partners." Click your Ultimate Rewards points balance to open the rewards center, then select "Transfer to travel partners" from the menu.
3. Choose your hotel partner and enter the amount. Pick the program and enter your points in increments of 1,000. If you don't already have a loyalty account with that hotel, create one on the hotel's own site first, then link it. Make sure the account is in your name.
4. Confirm. Chase says most transfers land by the next business day, though some can take up to seven, so never cut it close to a booking.

Burn this into your brain: transfers are final

Once your Chase points become Hyatt or Marriott points, they cannot come back. Not by asking nicely, not ever. So the golden rule is simple: confirm the award night is actually available to book first, then transfer, then book. Never move points just to "have them ready."

Chase's hotel partners

Chase transfers to four hotel programs: World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, and Wyndham Rewards. Most transfer at 1 to 1, but the rate can depend on your specific card, so check it in your own portal before you count on it.

Here's the trap: 1 to 1 doesn't mean every partner is equal

A Chase point transfers at the same rate to Hyatt as it does to Wyndham, but it buys a wildly different amount of hotel once it lands. Hyatt points go a long way. Dynamically-priced programs often don't. The transfer rate tells you almost nothing. What matters is the actual points price of the night you want. Check that first, every time.

The transfer that's almost always worth it: Hyatt

If you take one thing from this, take Hyatt. Hyatt still runs a mostly fixed award chart, so your Chase points stretch further there than just about anywhere. The all-inclusive Hyatt resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean (Ziva, Zilara, Secrets, and Dreams) run roughly 20,000 to 25,000 points a night with food and drinks included. It's the redemption we'd reach for first.

IHG, Marriott, and Wyndham: fine, but do the math

These can be solid when you've found a specific award you want. Just know they lean on dynamic pricing, so a night that's a steal one week can be pricey the next. Compare the points price to the cash rate before you commit. Sometimes paying cash, and earning points instead of burning them, is the smarter move.

Before you hit transfer, run this check

• Do I have a specific booking in mind? If no, stop.
• Is the award actually available for my dates, right now?
• Is the points price good for this program, or am I just chasing a rate?
• Am I moving only what this booking needs, into an account in my name?

Four yeses and you're good. Any no, and you wait.

Points are only worth what you redeem them for. Transfer them like it.