Chase The Edit Credit
You hear it time and time again: transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards to partners to get outsized value. Generally, this statement is true and one of the many reasons that transferrable currencies are so valuable. However, for every rule there are usually one or more exceptions. One such exception is when you wish to use Chase Ultimate Rewards for hotels. Sure, there is crazy value in the World of Hyatt program, but outside of that, it is hard to get good value by transferring to Marriott or IHG. After the recent changes to the Chase Sapphire Reserve, and the Ultimate Rewards program itself, we break down a way to get outsized value for any hotel chain thanks to Chase The Edit credit.
The Problem: Low Value when Redeeming at IHG and Marriott
Most everyone in award travel loves the World of Hyatt program. With great value in transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards to the World of Hyatt program being the norm, it is often the go-to for many of us. But outside of that redemption, it is difficult to use Chase Ultimate Rewards for hotels and get great value. Most of us value Chase Ultimate Rewards at 2 cents per point or more. Likewise, the absolute floor for redemptions is 1 cent each, as you can always cash out your points for a statement credit at that value. However, if you decide to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to IHG or Marriott, it is usually quite difficult to get even 1 cent per point for Marriott or more than 0.6 cents per point for IHG. Even with a recent 100% transfer bonus to IHG, you're looking at only a 1.2 cents per point maximum return. None of those are good options for your value Ultimate Rewards. The good news is there is now a better option for many hotels within both hotel loyalty programs!
The Solution: The Edit by Chase Travel & Points Boost
In summer 2025, Chase introduced The Edit by Chase Travel. We outlined the program back in July 2025. To recap, these hotel bookings are not traditional online travel agency bookings (“OTAs”) and are usually loyal program-eligible stays, with elite recognition and points/nights earnings possible. Additionally, The Edit gives you lots of perks for your stay, including:
- $100 property credit (dining, spa, or other activities) per stay
- Early Check-in when available
- Room upgrade when available
- Daily breakfast for two
- Late check-out when available
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- Welcome Amenity (This is listed on some hotel bookings but not on the benefits page)
As good as all of these perks are, it gets even better. If you wish to use Chase Ultimate Rewards for hotels, the Points Boost program has also launched. Read all about the Points Boost program here. Rather than transferring your valuable to Ultimate Rewards to IHG or Marriott for less than one cent each, you can oftentimes book luxury properties in either of these programs (along with thousands of other properties worldwide) for two (2) cents per point. Along with the two cents per point redemption, you get all of The Edit's perks described above AND you earn hotel loyalty points, elite nights, and receive all expected loyalty benefits for your stay! This is a win-win-win scenario.
Real World Test Case: Is The Edit Program Too Expensive to Consider?
We hear rumblings all the time that hotels within The Edit program are too expensive to consider booking. Yes, these are mostly luxury and boutique hotels. Also, these properties come chock-full of perks, including daily breakfast and a $100 property credit. This alone can drive up the cost of a stay by several hundred dollars, as a 2-night stay is required. But there must be value SOMEWHERE in the program, right? You betcha there is. While downtown Manhattan or London hotels usually start at $1,000+ per night, there is great value available around the world.
I set out on a quest to use up our $250 credit to The Edit from our Chase Sapphire Reserve Business card, which must be used between July 1 and December 31. Reminder: the Chase Sapphire Reserve personal card also comes with a $250 credit to use every six months (January 1 to June 30 and July 1 to December 31 each year). I began looking for luxury properties in Scotland, as we have a trip planned there next spring. Surprisingly, there were lots of great options for us. Once I did the analysis, it was even greater value that I expected.
Our Hotel Choice in Scotland
We booked the Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel & Spa in Glasgow. This 5-star luxury hotel gets glowing reviews online and checked all of the boxes for our wishes. Thanks to Sarah having the IHG Premier card, she has Platinum Elite status with IHG Hotels. This is our first stay at a Kimpton though, so we're super pumped for that.
The Cash Cost
Had we paid cash, the Kimpton Blythswood was $774.38 for our two-night stay, or an average of $387.19 per night.
The Points Cost
Rather than paying cash, we looked at our points options. If we booked with IHG direct, the cost for the same two-night stay was 135,000 points, for an average of 67,500 per night. That redemption level is on-par for IHG, with a value of 0.574 cents each. Were we to use Chase Ultimate Rewards for hotels by transferring to IHG, this is a major waste of those points.
The Best Booking Option
Far and away the best option in our scenario was using The Edit. The cost via The Edit was only $801.82, meaning free breakfast for 2, a $100 property credit, and many other luxury perks cost only an additional $20.91. On its face, this already sounds like an incredibly good deal.
Even better, since this was a hotel rate from The Edit, we got:
- A $250 credit on our Chase Sapphire Reserve Business card
- Points Boost kicked in and we could redeem our Chase Ultimate Rewards for hotels for 2 cents each.
All in all, we booked this property for 27,500 Ultimate Rewards and $1.82, after the $250 credit was applied. Had we not had a credit to use, we could have used the same Points Boost redemption threshold to book the entire stay for 40,091 Ultimate Rewards. To get the same value from a transfer to IHG, we would need a 236% transfer bonus!
But don't forget all the hidden extras here, too. All of this value is not considering our stay now includes free breakfast for 2 daily, a $100 property credit, upgrades, etc. We'd get none of those, except perhaps late check-out and an upgrade, from Sarah's Platinum Elite status. Additionally, we'll earn 16 points per dollar, absent any promotions, for this cash stay and Sarah's Platinum Elite status. So we used 40,091 Ultimate Rewards and we'll earn back over 11,000 IHG points. Not too shabby.
Chase Ultimate Rewards for Hotels: ToP Thoughts
Outside of the sweet spot of the World of Hyatt program, it is generally difficult to extract great value from Chase Ultimate Reward for hotels. However, with the introduction of The Edit by Chase Travel, Points Boost, and $250 biannual credits on both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Reserve Business cards, we now have more options. When booking IHG and Marriott hotels, especially those that are in the luxury category, you should always consider pricing rates for The Edit properties. While I only highlighted one example where there is incredible value in the IHG program, similar deals abound worldwide and via all hotel programs. Have you booked a hotel through The Edit at Chase Travel? If so, come over to our Facebook Group and let us know how much value you got for your points!
