When my friends and family ask what best starter travel card Yes, I always switch to my trusty Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.
No one just starting with points and miles want to pay an exorbitant annual fee—and it’s easy to justify the $95 annual cost of the Chase Sapphire Preferred when you review its long list of benefits.
What makes Chase Ultimate Rewards Program the ability to book travel in two very valuable ways. First, you can book flights, hotels, car rentals, etc. through the Ultimate Rewards portal at the rate of 1.25 cents each.
While it’s a great value, you’ll find the highest value from Chase’s 11 airlines and three loyalty partnersas you can transfer your points for these programs at a 1:1 ratio. This way, TPG . value The ultimate bonus points are worth more than 2 cents each.
Since I opened the Chase Sapphire Preferred about a year ago, I have redeemed over 300,000 Final bonus points that I have accumulated from sign up bonus And daily expenses. Even so, I still have close to 90,000 points in my prize balance waiting to be used.
By that measure, I received and effectively used about $6,000 in travel bonuses in a year — making that $95 annual fee understandable in comparison.
As I celebrate my first card purchase, here are my top five favorite redemptions I’ve made, in no particular order. Hopefully this post will inspire you to redeem this year’s Ultimate Rewards points for your dream trip.
Costa Rica
It’s unlikely you’ll take advantage of each of Chase’s transfer partners, but a good place to start is knowing which programs offer the best value.
Hyatt’s World is one of my favorites, as the program calculates fair rates for notable properties — including Los Altos . Resorta five star hotel in Costa Rica.
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The cash rate was about $450 a night, but I transferred my Ultimate Rewards points to my Hyatt balance instead and booked my stay for just 25,000 points per night. I have a wonderful apartment that has 3 bedrooms, 2 and a half bathrooms, a large kitchen, living room, and multiple balconies overlooking the Costa Rican rainforest.
I also love the infinity pool, the free morning yoga classes, and the hiking trails that stretch across the resort.
Related: Welcome to the jungle: How I redeemed 100,000 Chase points to book the Costa Rica trip of a lifetime
Iceland
While you can usually find some great flight deals to IcelandIt’s a whole different story when you’re on the ground.
That’s why my strategy for the Iceland trip is to pay cash for the plane ticket and find accommodation through the point. Hyatt was a great success this time around.
With 25,000 Hyatt points per night, I stay at the cozy apartment Rangá Hotel in southern Iceland. It’s close to must-see tourist attractions but away from light pollution (so you can hopefully catch northern lights in winter) is one of the reasons why I love my vacation.
Related: Iceland on a Budget: Why You Should Seriously Consider Renting a Campervan
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Another World of Hyatt success story is one of my most recent trips: to a All-inclusive resorts in Jamaicathe Hyatt Zilara . Rose Hall.
While I rarely take package vacation, I appreciate that all the restaurants and amenities are in the hotel, making for a great last minute winter getaway. I also feel like I got a particularly big deal for using my travel rewards (25,000 Hyatt points per night) on this resort as all the food and drinks were taken care of. lengthen my point value further than is normally possible.
Related: Why I was denied boarding a plane to Chile – and Christmas in Jamaica instead
Spain
One of the cheapest ways to fly business class to (or from) Europe is to take advantage Iberian Avios . Program. Just for 34,000 Avis and under $300 in taxes and fees, you can win a comfortable seat to Madrid.
Unfortunately, I had a stomach ache on the way home, so I slept the whole journey. While I can’t attest to the quality of the meals or in-flight entertainment, the ability to sleep during the eight-hour flight made this ransom well worth it to me.
Related: Flight carrier seats: Iberian business class review on the A350, New York to Madrid
Maroc
Last year, I got to try Air France’s business class for the first time — on its 777-300ER aircraft. I flew to Morocco over Business Class of TAP Air Portugal and want to fly home in comfort and style.
By transferring my Ultimate Rewards points to Air France/KLM fly green, I scored a flight home, with a stopover in Paris, for 53,000 Flying Blue miles and about $300 in taxes. It was nice to take a hot shower in the Air France lounge and enjoy a nap as we flew across the Atlantic.
bottom line
As you can see, World of Hyatt is one of my transfer partners of choice. On the other hand, I like to save my points on business class flights, as I can often find even more value than 2 cents per point.
Going forward, my strategy is to keep accumulating as many Ultimate Rewards points as possible with my Chase Sapphire Preferred so I can look back in a year and reflect on some of the more amazing rewards ( and travel memories).
Official app link: Chasing my favorite Sapphire with a signup bonus of 80,000 points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months of account opening.
Additional reporting by Ryan Wilcox.
