Chase’s Ultimate Rewards® program is arguably the best of the transferable points rewards programs. One of the reasons is its flexibility. Chase allows you to transfer points to another person (although there are restrictions on who that person can be). This post gives you a tutorial on how to transfer your points and why you’d want to do so.

For more information on the program, check out The Complete Guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

There are actually two different transfers you can perform:

1. Transfer points between accounts where you’re the primary cardholder
2. Transfer points between an account where you’re the primary cardholder of one account and another person is the primary cardholder of the other account

Before you begin, make sure you’re following Chase’s rules for transferring points to another person.

You can move your points, but only to another Chase card with Ultimate Rewards belonging to you, or one member of your household or owner of the company, as applicable. If we suspect that you’ve engaged in fraudulent activity related to your credit card account or Ultimate Rewards, or that you’ve misused Ultimate Rewards in any way (for example by buying or selling points, moving or transferring points with or to an ineligible third party or account, or repeatedly opening or otherwise maintaining credit card accounts for the sole purpose of generating rewards) we may temporarily prohibit you from earning points or using points you’ve already earned. If we believe you’ve engaged in any of these acts, we’ll close your credit card account and you’ll lose all your points.

Transferring Points Between Accounts

The transfer process is pretty straightforward and this tutorial assumes you’ve already created an online account with Chase.

1. Once you’ve logged into your Chase account, click on “Redeem Rewards” to access the Ultimate Rewards site.

2. If you have more than one account, select the one which you want to transfer your points from (skip to the next step if you only have one account):

  This brings you to the Ultimate Rewards homepage.

3. From the homepage, click on “Combine Points” in the upper left hand corner.

4. On the Combine points page, if you are transferring between your own accounts, you would select the account you want to transfer points from and the account where you want the points deposited (and then skip to step 7 to continue). If you are transferring to a household member’s account, you first need to add their account information, so it becomes a transfer option for you. Click on “Add household member”.

5. It will ask for the cardholder’s account number and last name for the household member you are transferring points to.

6. In this case my wife, Annie, is transferring her UR points to me. Since she only has one Chase account, the only option she has is to transfer to a household member. Once the account has been added, it will appear for any future transfers.

  Enter the required information and click “Continue”.

7. On the next page you have the option to move all or some of your available points.

  You can transfer any number of points you like between accounts.

8. After reviewing the details and reading the terms and conditions, click “Review” and then “Submit”.

  Your new balance will be reflected immediately.

When Should You Think About Transferring Points

Now that you know how to transfer points, here are a few scenarios where you might want to utilize this feature:

Converting Points from a Cash Back Card to a Premium Card

Cards like the Chase Freedom® or Chase Freedom Unlimited® are not simply cash-back cards. The cash you earn with those cards are actually part of the Ultimate Rewards program. If you also own one of Chase’s premium UR cards, then you can transfer points to boost the overall redemption value, when redeemed through Chase’s travel portal.Example: If you have 40,000 points from the Chase Freedom card, that’s worth $400 in travel on Chase’s travel portal. However, if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, each point is worth 1.25, so transferring your points increases the travel value to $500. The value further increases to $600 if you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve card, since those points are worth 1.5.

Boosting Household Value

If you don’t have enough points to book the travel redemption you want, combining points is a great option. There are some really wonderful redemptions you can book with Ultimate Rewards points, so if you’re short, consider moving some points to a household member to book that trip.

Cancelling a Card

If you’re considering cancelling a card, for whatever reason, you need to make sure you’ve transferred the points first. Upon cancellation, any points not yet transferred will be forfeited, so you must move your points to another one of your accounts or to a household member.

Bottom Line

Chase Ultimate Rewards® points are so flexible. Besides the great airline and hotel partners, a great feature of this program is the ability to transfer points between accounts and to household members. Take advantage of this feature to further extend the value of your points!

If you’re interested in applying for a Chase credit card, you can use my referral links so we both get bonus points!

Apply here for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Apply here for the Chase Freedom® Card.