| Written by: Allie Johnson

Chase Points Boost

Chase is replacing the 1.25- and 1.5-cent-per-point redemptions their premium cards offered on all Chase Travel bookings with its new “Points Boost” feature. With Chase Points Boost, cardholders will be able to redeem their Ultimate Rewards points for up to 2 cents per points on select flights and hotels in the bank's travel portal. It's among several major changes Chase unveiled recently, including a revamp of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card with a higher annual fee and new benefits, the launch of its new Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business card, and new welcome offers on its most popular, premium travel cards. Update 12/19/25: Chase will be removing the guaranteed 2 cents per point on Edit hotel bookings on 12/22. I have updated that in the article below too.

Issues With Last Minute Point Combinations

If you combined points to your legacy credit card on October 25th then you may be seeing an error on your Ultimate Rewards page. It may appear like the points didn't get put in the right bucket. This is an error that Chase is aware of. It should be showing properly on your Ultimate Rewards account by the next billing cycle. Even though it shows wrong on the initial page, it should be accurate on following pages during the booking process right now. This is what Chase had to say about it on Reddit:

We know some customers are attempting to combine points today (Oct. 25) due to benefit changes. Don't worry, if you combine points today and they do not appear in your “Eligible Points,” they'll be shifted to your Eligible Points bucket automatically within 1 billing cycle. if you need your points sooner, please call us using the number on the back of your card.

What Is Changing

One of the biggest selling points of Chase premium travel cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve, was that your points were always worth 25% – 50% more when redeeming them for flights and hotels through Chase Travel, no matter what. Going forward, all cards will get a standard rate of 1 cent per point on Chase Travel redemptions, with the potential to redeem points for 1.25 – 2 cents per point only if the flight or hotel has a Points Boost offer available.

But these changes aren't going into effect right away. There will be a transition period for existing cardholders. We break down what to know about Chase Points Boost, and how to redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards points through Chase Travel going forward.

What is Chase Points Boost?

It used to be that how much your points were worth in the Chase travel portal depended on which card you held. If you had the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Chase Ink Business Preferred, you could redeem your points for 1.25 cents apiece on all Chase Travel bookings. For Sapphire Reserve cardholders, Ultimate Rewards points were worth 1.5 cents each when redeemed through the travel portal.

Chase is doing away with that 25-50% bonus for premium cardholders. Instead, Chase will also offer a Points Boost on select flights and hotels booked through Chase Travel, where points will be worth between 1.25 and 2 cents per point. On all other travel bookings, points will be worth just 1 cent per point, regardless of the Chase card you hold.

Chase Points Boost

The Points Boost feature went live on June 23rd. New and existing cardholders should see flights and hotels eligible for a Points Boost when they search in the Chase travel portal. New cardholders who opened their account on or after June 23rd will have their points be worth a flat rate of 1 cent per point when redeemed through Chase Travel, unless there's a Points Boost offer.

Legacy Cardholders Get A Reprieve

But Chase isn't ending those 1.25- and 1.5-cent-per-point redemptions for legacy premium cardholders just yet. If you're an existing Chase cardholder (held the card prior to June 23rd), you can continue redeeming your points for higher value through October 26, 2027. That is true any for points earned before October 26, 2025. Points earned after that date can only be redeemed for 1 cent per point in the Chase Travel portal, and potentially up to 2 cents per point if the flight or hotel has a Points Boost offer. Chase says it will automatically give you best offer available, whether its the Points Boost or the 1.5- or 1.25-cent-per-point rate.

These are the Chase Travel redemption rates for each card, based on when you earned your points:
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Ink Business Preferred
    • Ultimate Rewards points earned prior to October 26, 2025:
      • Redeem for 1.25 cents per point through Chase Travel, unless there's a higher Points Boost offer.
      • The automatic redemption is available on points earned prior to 10/26/25 until 10/26/27
    • Ultimate Rewards earned after October 26, 2025:
      • Redeem for 1 cent per point, or up to 2 cents per point with a Points Boost promotion.
  • Chase Sapphire Reserve
    • Points earned prior to October 26, 2025:
      • Redeem for 1.5 cents per point through in the Chase Travel portal, unless there's a higher Points Boost offer.
      • The automatic redemption is available on points earned prior to 10/26/25 until 10/26/27
    • Ultimate Rewards earned after October 26, 2025:
      • Redeem for 1 cent per point, or up to 2 cents per point with a Points Boost offer

This is true even for points transferred to a card from another card. If you have a legacy card (opened prior to June 23, 2025) then you may want to move your points from other cards over to the legacy card before late October. That would lock in the old redemption rates on those points until October 26, 2027. You would still get the Points Boost booking option if it is a better rate versus the old flat 1.25 or 1.5 cents per point. You essentially get the best of both worlds for two years by combining your Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Edit By Chase Travel Automatic Points Boost

Cardholders will also get a Points Boost on all bookings for The Edit by Chase Travel, Chase's exclusive collection of hotels and resorts where certain cardholders enjoy extra perks like free breakfast and property credits. These are the Points Boost rates for the different Chase credit cards.

  • Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Ink Business Preferred:
    • Points are worth up to 1.5 cents apiece when redeeming for The Edit by Chase Travel bookings.
  • Chase Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Reserve for Business:
    • Points are worth up to 2 cents apiece when redeeming for The Edit by Chase Travel bookings.

Chase says Points Boost offers will vary depending on which card you have. That means Sapphire Reserve cardholders will likely see different flight and hotel options with Points Boost than those with the Sapphire Preferred card. It remains to be seen whether cardholders with the Sapphire Reserve (either the personal or business version) will see more Points Boost offers than other Chase cardholders, but one can assume this will be the case.

How Points Boost works

Start by searching as normal through Chase Travel. Flights and hotels with a Points Boost offer will have a rocket ship icon and Points Boost tag. These may also appear at the top of the search results.

Chase Points Boost Portland, Maine hotels search

For the one-night stay in Portland, Maine in July above, for example, I could get up to 1.5X more for my Chase points by booking a hotel with a Points Boost offer, compared to the standard 1.25 cents-per-point rate I get for holding the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

You'll also have the option of filtering the search results for only those with a Points Boost offer.

Chase Points Boost for a Minneapolis to Portland flight

The Points Boost appears to be available mostly for luxury hotels and premium cabin flights on select airlines. For roundtrip flights from Minneapolis (MSP) to Seattle (SEA) in September, only United flights had a Points Boost offer. And even then, I'd only be getting the standard 1.25 cent-per-point rate for booking economy. But if I booked a first class flight, my points would be worth 1.75 points each.

Chase Points Boost for a Minneapolis to Portland first class flight

Travel Portal Bookings: ToP Thoughts

Chase is changing how you redeem Ultimate Rewards points for flights and hotels booked through Chase Travel. The bank is introducing a Points Boost when redeeming points for select flights and hotels. While your points will be worth up to 2X more on many flights and hotel stays, on others, they'll only be worth 1 cent apiece.

Luckily, Chase is slowly phasing in these changes and existing cardholders will still be able to redeem their points in the travel portal at their current higher rates for now. But getting maximum value for your Chase points through the travel portal will be harder in the future. Silver lining: taking advantage of Chase's transfer partners has always been the most valuable use of your Ultimate Rewards anyway. Let me know what you think of the new Chase Points Boost program over in the ToP Facebook Group.