Chase Travel Redemptions Will Vary in Value With New ‘Points Boost’ Feature

Chase is adjusting redemption rates on its travel portal, with good news and bad news for cardholders.

The good news is that you might get more value from your points. The bad news is that you might not — some Chase Travel portal redemptions will only yield 1 cent per point in value.

With this new ambiguity thrown in, is this upcoming change a win for cardholders? Let’s check out the details of “Points Boost” to learn more.

Chase Travel’s New ‘Points Boost’ Feature

Until now, knowing what your points were worth in the Chase Travel portal was very easy. Your Ultimate Rewards points were always worth a fixed amount, based on the card you have:

• Points were always worth 1.5 cents apiece if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®
• Points were always worth 1.25 cents apiece if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card, Ink Business Preferred^® Credit Card, or Ink Business Plus^® Credit Card
• Points were always worth 1 cent apiece from other credit cards, such as the Chase Freedom Unlimited^®

Starting Monday, June 23, Chase will roll out its new Points Boost feature, in which some cardholders “redeem Ultimate Rewards points at a rate of up to 2x on rotating offers through Chase Travel.” Again, the exact rate depends on the card you have:

• Up to 2 cents per point for premium airline tickets or hotels with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card or the new Chase Sapphire Reserve Business Card
• Up to 1.75 cents per point for premium airline tickets with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or the Ink Business Preferred card
• Up to 1.5 cents per point on hotels and participating airlines with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card or the Ink Business Preferred card

How Chase Points Boost Works

As you can see, using points for select high-end airfare or luxury hotels will only result in the highest possible redemption values. Fortunately, all hotels available in The Edit by Chase Travel portfolio will also be eligible for the highest redemption value, according to a Chase spokesperson.

For all other hotels and flights, the exact redemption value won’t appear until you search on the portal. That said, Chase promised that the value would be made immediately clear when you start the booking process.

Chase has indicated that it plans to roll out a filter for “Points Boost only” options in the search results. While that can help narrow down your results, it can’t help you plan strategically, such as focusing your attention on airlines or hotels you know are offering top value for your points.

A spokesperson for Chase also confirmed that the following airlines will be available for Points Boost: United Airlines, Air Canada, Southwest Airlines, Emirates, Qantas, and Singapore Airlines, among others. Seats ranging from economy and premium economy to business and first class will be available, but basic economy will not be eligible for Points Boost, per a Chase spokesperson.

However, for all other bookings on the Chase Travel portal — such as activities and cruises — points will only be worth 1 cent each when redeemed.

When Does Points Boost Launch for Current Cardholders?

The Chase Travel portal will display Points Boost options starting June 23, 2025, but what does this mean for existing cardholders? There are a lot of dates to be mindful of.

Chase cardholders who signed up for their accounts before June 23, 2025, and earned points through October 26, 2025, can continue to redeem those points on the Chase Travel portal at the current rates (1 cent, 1.25 cents, or 1.5 cents per point) until October 26, 2027.

After October 26, 2027, Points Boost will be the only redemption option available on the Chase Travel portal for these existing cardholders.

Is This Good News for Chase Cardholders?

You always used to know exactly what your points were worth on the Chase Travel portal. That consistency offered peace of mind — you could rely on those redemptions when transfer partners didn’t offer good value, award flights weren’t available, or you wanted to book a boutique hotel without a loyalty program.

While existing cardholders can access Points Boost and their current fixed-value redemptions through October 26, 2027, the fixed-value option will eventually be phased out.

With Points Boost, the list of participating airlines and hotels will rotate, so the value you got with Airline X a few months ago might not be the same when you try to book a flight today. Plus, there’s a guaranteed devaluation with cruises and activities.

There are clear tradeoffs here. You’re trading a surefire value for your points (maxing out at 1.5 cents per point with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card) for a roll of the dice that might result in 2 or 1.75 cents under the Points Boost feature, depending on your card.

The lack of transparency or concrete examples from Chase’s spokespeople also makes us cautious. Since there’s no clarity about how cardholders can find redemptions that maximize their points, it would be easy for Chase to shrink the list over time, providing fewer and fewer options worth 2 cents per point until they’re almost nonexistent — creating a devaluation while touting the ability for cardholders to sometimes get 2 or 1.75 cents in the portal.

Final Thoughts

Chase is launching a new “Points Boost” feature on June 23, available for those with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, the Ink Business Plus card, and the Ink Business Preferred card.

Previously, points were always worth a fixed amount in the travel portal, no matter what you were booking. For those who find these elevated redemption values, this can be a win, but there are some clear tradeoffs with this new feature, and cardholders need to understand them so they can make a judgment call about whether this change benefits them.