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Best Ways to Book Delta Flights with Chase Ultimate Rewards
In recent years, Chase has been the largest credit card issuer in the United States by market share, meaning more U.S. residents are using the Chase Ultimate Rewards program than any other credit card rewards program. Likewise, Delta Air Lines is a popular U.S. airline that operates more than 5,000 flights daily. The post Best Ways to Book Delta Flights with Chase Ultimate Rewards appeared first on MileValue.
In recent years, Chase has been the largest credit card issuer in the United States by market share, meaning more U.S. residents are using the Chase Ultimate Rewards program than any other credit card rewards program. Likewise, Delta Air Lines is a popular U.S. airline that operates more than 5,000 flights daily. So, it’s safe to assume that a large number of people are using Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book Delta-operated award flights.
However, there are several ways to book Delta flights with Chase points, some of which offer more value per point than others.
First of all, you can book flights directly through Chase Travel℠, which gives you a value of 1.5 cents per point if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, 1.25 cents per point with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and 1 cent per point if you have any other Chase credit cards. This is undoubtedly the most convenient way to book flights with Chase points.
However, if you’re willing to take an extra step, you can often find several cents per point in value by transferring Chase points to partner frequent-flyer programs and then booking flights through those programs. So even though Delta SkyMiles isn’t a transfer partner with Chase, several transfer partners allow you to book Delta flights.
So, since different Chase transfer partners offer different rates on Delta-operated award flights, let’s identify the best transfer partners through which to book Delta awards. We’re also going to explain how to transfer Chase points to partner airline rewards programs.
How to Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
As mentioned above, Chase points can be transferred to a number of loyalty programs, all of which offer a 1:1 transfer ratio. So, if you were to transfer 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points to any of Chase’s transfer partners, you’d receive 100,000 points or miles in that program. There are also no fees for making these transfers.
Here’s the full list of frequent-flyer programs to which you can transfer Chase points:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- British Airways Executive Club
- Emirates Skywards
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
- United Airlines MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
To transfer Chase points to partner programs, you’ll need to visit the Chase Ultimate Rewards website and sign in using your account credentials.
Once you’ve logged in to your account, you’ll be able to see your points balance and an account summary. From there, navigate to the “Transfer to Travel Partners” section of the site, which you can find near the top of your account dashboard.
Next, select the transfer partner that you want to transfer to and enter the number of points that you wish to transfer. Finally, complete the transfer.
According to user testimony, transfers to almost all of Chase’s partner programs happen instantly, which means the rewards should land in your frequent-flyer account within seconds. The one exception is Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, for which it’s been reported that transfers can take up to 48 hours.
The Best Chase Transfer Partners to Book Delta Award Flights
Not all of Chase’s partner programs allow you to book Delta award flights. Additionally, among the programs that partner with Delta, not all offer the same value per point on average when it comes to booking Delta flights.
So, let’s identify the Chase transfer partners that tend to offer the best rates for Delta-operated award flights.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
In most cases, the Chase transfer partner that offers the best award rates for Delta flights is Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Unlike the other Chase transfer partners through which it’s possible to book Delta flights, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club prices Delta awards according to fixed award charts. This means that you can sometimes find several cents per point in value.
There are three award charts that dictate the price of Delta flights with Virgin points: one for flights between the U.S. and the U.K., one for flights between the U.S. and Europe (excluding the U.K.), and another for all other Delta flights.
Here’s the award chart for Delta-operated flights between the U.S. and the U.K.:
Route Season Main Cabin Delta One East Coast U.S. Off-peak 15,000 47,500 Peak 25,000 57,500 Central U.S. Off-peak 17,500 47,500 Peak 27,500 57,500 West Coast U.S. Off-peak 20,000 67,500 Peak 30,000 77,500
Here’s the award chart for Delta-operated flights between the U.S. and Europe (excluding the U.K.):
Route Season Main Cabin Delta One East Coast U.S. Off-peak 30,000 47,500 Peak 30,000 57,500 West Coast U.S. Off-peak 30,000 67,500 Peak 30,000 77,500
The rates shown in the two award charts above are for one-way flights. If you wish to know the price of a round-trip itinerary between the U.S. and Europe, double the applicable rate from the award charts above.
Unlike these two charts above, the award chart that applies to all other Delta-operated award flights (excluding any flights to or from Europe) is based on distance rather than regions.
Here’s the award chart for all other Delta flights:
Flight distance (in miles) Main Cabin Delta One 0 – 500 7,500 21,000 501 – 1,000 11,000 41,500 1,001 – 1,500 16,500 59,500 1,501 – 2,000 18,500 66,500 2,001 – 3,000 22,000 70,000 3,001 – 4,000 35,000 80,000 4,001 – 5,000 44,000 105,000 5,001 – 6,000 49,500 130,000 6,001+ 65,500 165,000
The award chart above applies to all Delta flights (apart from flights to or from Europe), including flights within the U.S. as well as to flights between the U.S. and Canada and between the U.S. and the Caribbean. Since this award chart is distance-based, you can typically find good value on flights that are short in distance but cost a lot of money. In general, award flights in Delta One tend to offer higher value per point than flights in the main cabin.
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
Another good Chase transfer partner through which you can purchase Delta award flights is the Flying Blue program, which is used by both Air France and KLM. This program uses a dynamic pricing model for all partner-operated award flights (as opposed to the fixed award charts used by the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club program), which means that the prices of partner awards are typically tied to the cash prices of those flights.
While dynamic pricing models tend to make it more difficult to find high-value award flight redemptions, some of the Delta awards available through Flying Blue still offer solid value. In many cases, Flying Blue may actually offer the best available award rate for a particular Delta flight out of all of Chase’s transfer partners.
You can book Delta flights with Flying Blue miles either through the Air France website or the KLM website. In general, you can often find good value for your miles through this program by booking Delta award flights to Europe, particularly in Delta One.
However, you should be aware that these flights (as well as many other partner award flights available through the Flying Blue program) tend to have high fuel surcharges. So, before you complete a Delta award flight booking through the Flying Blue program, make sure that you double-check the taxes and fees for your itinerary and factor them into your value-per-mile calculation.
Chase Travel℠
In many cases, the simplest way to book Delta flights with Chase points is also the most value-savvy way. If you hold the Chase Sapphire Reserve® ($550 annual fee), your Chase points are worth 1.5 cents apiece when redeemed for flights through Chase Travel℠. And if you hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card ($95 annual fee), then your points are worth 1.25 cents apiece when redeemed this way. In some cases, these values exceed the value per point that you’ll be able to get for the same flight through any of Chase’s transfer partners.
In general, if you have your sights set on a specific Delta flight, we recommend checking the redemption rates for that flight through both Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Air France-KLM Flying Blue and calculating the value per point offered in both cases. If either of these redemption rates exceeds 1.5 cents per point, you should probably book through that program.
However, if both the Flying Club and the Flying Blue programs offer a maximum value of less than 1.25 cents per point for your desired Delta award flight and you’re a Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholder, then you should book that flight through Chase Travel℠ because you’d get a value of at least 1.25 cents per point.
As another example, if you find a Delta award flight through one of these programs that offers 1.4 cents per point in value but you’re a Chase Sapphire Reserve® member, then you’re still better off booking through the Chase Travel℠ portal where you can get 1.5 cents per point in value.
Plus, as mentioned earlier, Chase Travel℠ is a simpler way to book award flights with Chase points that doesn’t involve making any transfers and earns you redeemable miles. So, this redemption method also has the advantages of saving you some time and earning rewards.
The Best Chase Ultimate Rewards Cards
In terms of credit cards that are advertised as earning Chase Ultimate Rewards points, there aren’t a ton of options. However, most of the credit cards marketed by Chase as cashback cards actually earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points as long as you also hold an Ultimate Rewards-earning card that charges an annual fee.
For instance, if you hold the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (which is a cashback card), you’ll earn Ultimate Rewards points, but you’ll be able to redeem these rewards for cash back only. However, if you had both the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (which is an Ultimate Rewards card) and the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card, then any points you earned with your Freedom Unlimited card could be redeemed through transfer partners, the Chase Travel℠ portal and more.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the best credit cards that Chase has to offer that can help you book your next Delta award flight.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a favorite among points and miles enthusiasts for its manageable annual fee of $95 and its excellent spending bonuses and other benefits. Truly, it’s hard to find a card with an annual fee under $100 that offers better benefits.
With Chase’s impressive list of transfer partners and the fact that you’ll get 1.25 cents per point in value through Chase Travel℠ with this card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a great card for booking award flights.
The following table includes all of the most important information about the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card:
Annual fee $95 Spending bonuses Other benefits
In addition to all of the valuable benefits listed above, the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a welcome bonus to new cardmembers, which could potentially be large enough to purchase several Delta-operated award flights.
Here’s the current welcome bonus from the Chase Sapphire Preferred:
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
With this welcome bonus, the elevated earning rates in certain spending categories, the $50 annual statement credit toward hotel stays and other partner benefits, you can easily offset the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card’s annual fee of $95 and get a ton of value from this card.
Plus, the $95 annual fee is manageable and won’t put you in a pile of debt when it’s charged on your cardmember anniversary.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
If you’re looking for a premium credit card with excellent travel benefits like statement credits for travel, TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, and access to airport lounges, then the Chase Sapphire Reserve® might be the best Chase card for you.
This card has an annual fee of $550, which can be burdensome when it’s charged on your cardmember anniversary. However, with the welcome bonus, spending bonuses and other benefits offered by this card, you can offset that annual fee and get lots of value from this card (including enough points for many Delta award flights).
The following chart includes all of the necessary information about the Chase Sapphire Reserve:
Annual fee $550 Spending bonuses Other benefits
In addition to all of the bonuses and benefits listed above, the Chase Sapphire Reserve includes a welcome bonus for new cardmembers, which can quickly help you earn enough points for your next Delta award flight.
Here’s the current welcome offer from the Chase Sapphire Reserve:
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Although the $550 annual fee charged by the Chase Sapphire Reserve is definitely on the higher end, this card makes up for it by offering a generous welcome offer, some of the best spending bonuses you’ll find with any credit card on the market and a suite of statement credits and other benefits that are worth hundreds of dollars if you use them to the fullest.
So, if you’re willing to pay this card’s high fee once per year, you can get access to some excellent travel perks and rack up a ton of Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which can then turn into lots of free Delta flights.
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
If you’re looking for a Chase credit card that doesn’t charge an annual fee, then the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is perhaps the best credit card in Chase’s lineup.
This card offers impressive cashback spending bonuses for a card with a $0 annual fee. And if you also hold an Ultimate Rewards credit card from Chase, you can use any cash back you’ve earned with this card through transfer partners or through Chase Travel℠.
The following chart includes the most important information about the Chase Freedom Unlimited card:
Annual fee $0 Spending bonuses Other benefits
On top of the benefits and bonuses listed above, the Chase Freedom Unlimited card offers a welcome bonus for new cardmembers, which might be enough to get you one or two inexpensive Delta award flights:
Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Limited Time Intro Offer: Earn a $250 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
As mentioned above, the Chase Freedom Unlimited is a cashback card. So, unless you hold a premium Ultimate Rewards credit card as well (a card with an annual fee), the Freedom Unlimited won’t help you purchase Delta award flights at a rate higher than 1 cent per point.
However, if you do have a premium Ultimate Rewards card in your wallet, this card could be a great $0 annual fee addition to your credit card strategy as it offers 1.5% cash back on all purchases. So, whenever you make a purchase that doesn’t fall into a specific spending bonus category, you can earn a higher baseline rate with this card.
Plus, since this card doesn’t charge an annual fee, the Chase Freedom Unlimited can be an essentially free way for you to earn another welcome bonus and have more points toward your next Delta award flight.
The Bottom Line
The Chase Ultimate Rewards program is a favorite among U.S.-based travelers because of the excellent credit cards in its lineup and the wide variety of point redemption options that it offers. Among these redemption options are several ways to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for award flights operated by Delta (one of the largest carriers in the United States).
The simplest way to redeem Chase points for Delta flights is by purchasing them with points through Chase Travel℠. If you have the Sapphire Preferred Card, then your points will be worth 1.25 cents apiece when redeemed this way, and if you have the Sapphire Reserve, they’ll be worth 1.5 cents apiece. Oftentimes, using Chase Travel℠ is both the easiest and most frugal way to book Delta award flights with Chase points.
However, when searching for a Delta award flight, it’s still worth checking the rates offered by some of Chase’s transfer partners. Specifically, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Air France-KLM Flying Blue, both of which frequently offer better rates for Delta award flights than you’ll find through Chase Travel℠.
So, any time you’re looking to book a Delta award flight (or an award flight on any airline) with Ultimate Rewards points, we recommend first checking the rates available from Chase’s transfer partners and comparing them to each other as well as to the rate available through Chase Travel℠. That way you can ensure that you’re getting the most possible value out of your Chase points.
The post Best Ways to Book Delta Flights with Chase Ultimate Rewards appeared first on MileValue.
