5 Excellent Ways to Utilize the Chase Sapphire Preferred Introductory Bonus

Dinogo collaborates with CreditCards.com and may earn a commission from card issuers. This site does not cover all financial companies or every financial offer available. Compensation may affect how offers are displayed. Our coverage remains independent and objective, having not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by any of these entities. The views expressed here are solely those of the Dinogo editorial team.

In mid-April 2022, Chase brought back its previously record-breaking offer for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, increasing the introductory bonus to 80,000 points. (In case you missed it, here’s a quick summary: Earn up to 80,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which has an annual fee of just $95 and offers fantastic earning rates, including triple points on dining, streaming services, and online grocery purchases.)

With many new cardholders gaining a significant amount of points, you might wonder: What are the top ways to use 80,000 points? There are plenty of choices, but here are our top five recommendations.

Redeem points as $1,000 to support relief efforts in Ukraine

Chase points can be redeemed for 1.25 cents each in select categories under Chase’s “Pay Yourself Back” feature. These categories typically change every quarter (previous ones have included Airbnb, dining, and groceries), but “Select Charities” will be available until December 31, 2022. At this rate, 80,000 Chase points are worth $1,000 for charitable donations. You can donate directly through the national websites of International Medical Corps, International Rescue Committee, UNICEF USA, and World Central Kitchen, all of which are aiding relief efforts in Ukraine, and then apply for statement credits through the “Pay Yourself Back” feature days later. Note: You don’t have to donate $1,000 to receive a credit; even smaller contributions can be offset as statement credits.

Redeem points for $1,000 toward any travel of your choice

When redeeming points through Chase’s online travel portal, they are also valued at 1.25 cents each. This means that 80,000 Chase points equate to $1,000 for travel expenses. The Chase Travel portal functions like popular travel sites such as Expedia, Orbitz, and Kayak. Simply search for your desired flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, or vacation rentals, and when it's time to pay, select the points option. It’s that simple! And remember, you don’t need to use all your points in one go.

Transfer points to international airline partners

Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to eight international airline partners at a 1:1 ratio: Aer Lingus AerClub, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, British Airways Executive Club, Emirates Skywards, Iberia Plus, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

While finding great mileage deals with U.S. legacy carriers can be challenging, it’s often easier with international legacy airlines. Although this may mean familiarizing yourself with a new frequent flyer program—something that might seem complex at first—it can be highly rewarding. For example, I recently transferred 88,000 of my Chase points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue and secured a round-trip business-class ticket from Miami to Paris. How did I do it? By taking advantage of a recent promotion that allowed transfers of Chase points to Flying Blue at a 1 to 1.25 ratio, I converted my 88,000 points into 110,000 Flying Blue miles. With business-class tickets available for as little as 55,000 miles each way between the U.S. and Europe, I found dates that suited my schedule and, just like that, I had my round-trip business-class ticket. When I booked, that same flight for 110,000 miles was listed at over $4,000. Talk about maximizing those points!

Transfer points to hotel partners

Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to three hotel partners at a 1:1 ratio: IHG One, Marriott Bonvoy, and World of Hyatt. Each loyalty program’s points can be considered different currencies, with World of Hyatt being the most valuable by far. The best redemptions within Hyatt’s extensive portfolio (think: Park Hyatt, Small Leading Hotels, and Alila) can go up to 40,000 points per night. Referring back to my Paris trip, I booked two nights at the Park Hyatt Paris for 40,000 points per night. Rooms at this hotel start at €1,080 per night. What a deal!

Transfer points to domestic airline partners

Chase Ultimate Rewards points can also be transferred to three domestic airline partners at a 1:1 ratio: JetBlue TrueBlue, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, and United MileagePlus. Among these, the best value is found in the programs of JetBlue and Southwest, both of which are valued at approximately 1.3–1.4 cents per point. This means that transferring an entire 80,000 bonus (and remember, you can transfer any amount in 1,000-point increments) could yield up to $1,120 in value for JetBlue or Southwest flights. (Pro tip: If you’ve taken advantage of Chase’s Southwest credit card offers and received a coveted Companion Pass, you can turn that $1,120 into $2,240 since passholders can fly with a companion for free, aside from mandatory taxes.)

Key Takeaways: Combine, accumulate, or utilize

It's essential to remember that Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be combined among the options listed above (sometimes in increments of 1,000 points or even less), and there's no need to rush to spend them since they don’t expire. These are just a few of our favorite examples showcasing the countless possibilities available for anyone with 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points (or more). We hope this has illuminated the potential of Chase Ultimate Rewards points and the current 80,000-point introductory offer of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.

While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they may change at any moment and could have been altered or may no longer be available.