How to Transfer Chase Points to United

With all its destinations, United Airlines can be a valuable travel partner for your Chase Ultimate Rewards points. You can transfer Chase points to United and book a trip to Hawaii, Europe, Asia, or almost anywhere within the continental United States, to name just a few options. Chase offers a 1:1 transfer ratio, so each Chase Ultimate Rewards point is worth one United MileagePlus mile.

It's simple enough to transfer Chase points to United, but if you haven't done it before, this guide will explain the process. We'll also go over how to maximize the value of your Chase Ultimate Rewards points when you send them to United to book award airfare.

What you need to transfer Chase points to United

The main requirement to transfer Chase points to United is one of the card issuer's travel rewards credit cards in the Ultimate Rewards program. These are your options:

In addition, you're going to need at least 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points and a United MileagePlus account for the transfer. You can register for an account on the enrollment page for the airline's loyalty program.

How to transfer Chase points to United

Here are the steps you need to follow to transfer Chase points to United:

Go to the Chase Ultimate Rewards site and log in.

This is the fastest option, although you can also reach the Ultimate Rewards site from your Chase credit card account.

Note that if you have multiple Chase credit cards, you must choose the Chase card with the points you want to transfer right after you log in.

Select "Transfer to Travel Partners."

This redemption method is listed in the dropdown menu under the "Earn / Use" heading.

Go to the United listing and select "Transfer Points."

You'll find it in the Airlines section listed as United MileagePlus.

Pick a transfer recipient.

You can select your recipient from a dropdown menu, and then punch in their MileagePlus account number. The recipient must be either yourself or an authorized user on your account who is also a member of your household.

Decide how many points to transfer.

The minimum is 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points, which will get you 1,000 MileagePlus miles. Transfers must be made in 1,000-point increments.

Submit the transfer.

You'll see all the transfer details on this final review screen. When you're ready, you can click "Submit" to transfer Chase points to United.

Transfers are instantaneous, so you should see the miles in your United MileagePlus account immediately. But keep in mind that there's no way to undo a transfer later, so once you transfer Chase points to United, you can't cancel or send the miles back to your Chase account. To avoid a transfer you regret, it's best to find a United award ticket first, and then transfer Chase points to United so you can book it.

How to book an award ticket with United miles

To book travel on United using miles, go to the airline's website. Before you search for flights, simply check the "Book with miles" box on the booking form. You can then search for airfare to book with miles instead of cash.

If you haven't logged in to your MileagePlus account already, United will prompt you to do so before showing you flight results. You can close the login box to see results without logging in, although you would then need to log in after selecting flights.

Each award ticket will include the price in miles plus any extra cash fees. To book a ticket, click "Select." You'll then choose a flight for each leg of your trip.

When you're done selecting flights, you'll go through the checkout process and confirm your trip.

Maximizing value when you transfer Chase points to United

The value you get from United miles depends heavily on the airfare you book. Some award tickets will get you over $0.03 per mile, whereas others could net you under $0.01 per mile. Here's how to get the best value from United miles:

Stick to Saver award tickets. These cost two to three times less than the alternative, Everyday award tickets. They also have limited availability. You can see which dates have Saver tickets available in the award calendar United offers for each flight search.
Redeem your miles for premium cabin award tickets when possible. Business class and first class tend to offer much better values than economy tickets.
Start shopping for flights as early as possible, because award availability often decreases as it gets closer to your travel dates.

There's also a great benefit United offers if you're flying to a different region of the world. It's called the Excursionist Perk, and it allows you to add a free one-way award flight within that region to your trip.

Let's say you're traveling from the continental United States to Europe. You could book a free one-way award flight within Europe on your itinerary using the Excursionist Perk, saving you miles.

Finally, it helps to keep United's hubs in mind. These hub airports have the most United flights, which gives you the best chance at a high-value redemption. United has hubs in the following cities:

Chicago, IL: O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
Denver, CO: Denver International Airport (DEN)
Guam: Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM)
Houston, TX: Houston/George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
New York, NY/Newark, NJ: Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
San Francisco, CA: San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Washington, D.C.: Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

Should you transfer Chase points to United or redeem through Chase's portal?

Thanks to Chase's Ultimate Rewards program, you don't need to transfer points to book a flight with United; you can also redeem points toward cash travel purchases through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal.

You get $0.0125 per point this way if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card. If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, the rate is higher at $0.015 per point. Since you're essentially paying in cash from United's perspective, you earn miles on the purchase, which you don't earn on award tickets.

The best way to decide between the two options is to compare their respective prices. If an award ticket costs fewer points, then you should transfer Chase points to United and book that way. If you could spend fewer Chase points with the Ultimate Rewards travel portal, then that's the way to go.

Chase's United credit cards

United has a few credit cards of its own with Chase. If you travel with United often, then you may want to consider one of these cards:

The United airline credit cards earn miles on every purchase. They also offer extra perks with the airline. Depending on which United card you choose, you could get a free checked bag on every flight, airport lounge access to United Clubs, and discounts on inflight purchases. Benefits like those can make a United credit card worthwhile for the airline's frequent flyers.

However, if you want more flexible travel points, you're better off with a Chase Ultimate Rewards card. You can transfer Chase points to United and several other travel partners, plus you can redeem them for all kinds of travel purchases in the Ultimate Rewards travel portal. You can only redeem United miles with the airline.

Traveling with United using Chase points

There's no shortage of redemption opportunities when you transfer Chase points to United. With all United's destinations and its many partner airlines, you can go just about anywhere. Plus, its Excursionist Perk is perfect for seeing more of the world without paying extra. If you'd like to take a big trip this year, look into flights with United to see where you could go with your Chase points.