You have Chase Ultimate Rewards points sitting in your account. You want to fly. You have heard that transferring to United MileagePlus is worth it. But nobody actually explains how the whole thing works, what can go wrong, or why sometimes it is a trap. This guide covers all of it.
Whether you are new to points transfers or you have done it before and lost value doing it wrong, this is the guide that fills in the gaps. Real numbers, real redemption math, and a few things you genuinely will not find in the standard Google results.
What Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Actually Are (And Why Most People Use Them Wrong)
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are the most flexible travel currency in the US market right now. They sit in your Chase account and can go multiple directions: cash back, travel portal bookings, or transfers to airline and hotel partners. Most people stop at the portal and never get the full value out of their points.
Here is the problem: the Chase travel portal gives you 1.25 cents per point on Sapphire Preferred and 1.5 cents on Sapphire Reserve. That sounds fine until you realize transferring those same points to United can get you 2 cents, 3 cents, or even higher per point on the right redemptions. A lot of people leave money on the table every year by skipping the transfer step entirely.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred earns 2X on travel and dining, 3X on dining at restaurants, $95 annual fee
• Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 3X on travel and dining, $550 annual fee, $300 travel credit offsets most of it
• Ink Business Preferred earns 3X on travel, shipping, advertising, and telecom up to $150,000 per year, $95 annual fee
• Chase Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited earn on everything else but need a premium card to unlock transfers
The thing most guides skip: if you only have a Freedom card, you cannot transfer points to airlines. You need at least one Sapphire or Ink Preferred card open to unlock that feature. Freedom points alone are stuck at cash back value. You combine them through the portal and then transfer.
How to Transfer Chase Points to United MileagePlus: Every Step Actually Explained
This is the part that trips people up. The process looks simple but there are details that can cause your transfer to fail, go to the wrong account, or sit in limbo for hours.
1. Log in to Chase.com and select the card that earns Ultimate Rewards. Not all Chase cards participate, so confirm your card is eligible before going further.
2. Click ‘Go to Ultimate Rewards’ on your card dashboard. This opens the rewards portal, which is separate from your regular account view.
3. On the portal homepage, find ‘Transfer to Travel Partners’ in the navigation menu. It is not always front and center, so look for it under ‘Use Points.’
4. Select United Airlines MileagePlus from the partner list. Double check the spelling of your MileagePlus number before typing it. A single digit error sends your miles to a random account and Chase cannot reverse the transfer.
5. Enter the number of points you want to transfer. Minimum is 1,000 points, transfers happen in 1,000-point increments only. You cannot transfer 1,500 points, it rounds down.
6. Hit confirm. You will get an on-screen confirmation and a confirmation email from both Chase and United. Save both.
Here is something that barely anyone mentions: if you are transferring a large amount, say 100,000 points or more, Chase may flag the transaction for a manual review. This is rare but it happens, especially if you have not done a large transfer before. In that case it can take 3 to 5 business days. Call Chase if it sits more than 48 hours without any update.
Chase to United Transfer Ratio and Timing Breakdown
| From | To | Ratio | Standard Transfer Time | Large Transfer Flag Risk |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | United MileagePlus | 1:1 | Usually instant to 24 hrs | Possible above 100k pts |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | Air Canada Aeroplan | 1:1 | Usually instant | Low |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | Singapore KrisFlyer | 1:1 | Up to 48 hours | Low |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | Virgin Atlantic | 1:1 | Up to 48 hours | Medium |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | Air France Flying Blue | 1:1 | Usually instant | Low |
United and Air Canada Aeroplan are the fastest partners Chase has right now. If you are booking a last-minute award, United is your safest bet on transfer speed. Singapore Airlines is great for long-haul premium cabin value but the 48-hour window is real and it has caught people off guard before a trip.
For a deeper look at how airline cabins stack up and what your miles can realistically upgrade you into, the premium economy vs first class guide breaks down exactly what you get at each level before you commit to a transfer.
Is Transferring Chase Points to United Actually Worth It? The Real Math
This is where most blog posts either oversimplify or give you a number with no context. Let us be specific.
United charges miles based on distance zones and cabin class, not a flat rate per flight. Economy awards on short domestic routes can be as low as 5,000 miles one-way. Business class to Europe on United flights or Star Alliance partners runs 70,000 to 88,000 miles round-trip in their saver level. The math on those premium redemptions is where the real value unlocks.
| Redemption Type | Miles Required | Approx Cash Price | Value Per Point | Worth Transferring? |
| US domestic economy, short haul | 5,000 one-way | $100-150 | 2.0-3.0 cents | Yes, for convenience |
| US domestic economy, cross-country | 12,500 one-way | $200-350 | 1.6-2.8 cents | Depends on cash price |
| Europe economy, United saver | 30,000 one-way | $600-900 | 2.0-3.0 cents | Yes |
| Europe business, United saver | 44,000 one-way | $2,000-3,500 | 4.5-7.9 cents | Strong yes |
| Asia business via ANA (Star Alliance partner) | 88,000 round-trip | $4,000-7,000 | 4.5-7.9 cents | One of the best uses |
| Short-haul domestic economy, portal instead | Any | $100-200 | 1.25-1.5 cents | Portal is better here |
The transfer is not worth it for every redemption. If you are booking a $120 domestic flight, use the portal and keep your transfer options open. Where the transfer earns its keep is on international premium cabins, partner airline award redemptions, and situations where United has saver-level space on flights that are expensive in cash.
The Things Nobody Tells You About Transferring Chase Points to United
These are the parts that experienced points travelers have figured out through trial and error. You will not find most of this in a standard beginners guide.
United Changed Its Award Pricing in 2023 and It Matters
United moved to dynamic award pricing in 2019 and has been adjusting mile costs upward at peak periods ever since. A flight that used to cost 12,500 miles one-way can now show 20,000 or 25,000 miles during busy travel weeks. The saver award level still exists and is significantly cheaper, but availability is limited. Before you transfer, search for saver space first. If it is not available, do not transfer. You will overpay in miles for standard award pricing on many routes.
You Can Book Partner Airlines Through United and the Value Is Often Better
United MileagePlus lets you book award flights on all Star Alliance partners, including Lufthansa, ANA, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, and Turkish Airlines. Here is the part that is genuinely underutilized: Lufthansa business class to Europe and ANA business class to Japan can be booked with United miles, and you get United’s saver pricing rather than the partner airline’s own award program pricing, which is often higher. ANA First Class to Japan is available for 110,000 miles round-trip through United, which is substantially less than booking through ANA’s own program.
Transfer Bonuses Can Increase Your Miles by 20 to 40 Percent
Chase occasionally runs transfer bonuses to specific partners, including United. During a bonus period, 10,000 Chase points might become 12,000 or 14,000 United miles instead of the usual 10,000. These bonuses are not advertised loudly. They show up in the Ultimate Rewards portal and run for a few weeks. If you are not in a rush to book, waiting for a bonus window can meaningfully increase your mile balance without putting in any extra spend. Check the portal regularly in Q1 and Q3, when bonuses have historically appeared more often.
The Excursionist Perk Is Free Miles Most People Miss
United MileagePlus has a lesser-known feature called the Excursionist Perk. When you book a multi-city award itinerary with at least two one-way awards in the same region, one segment can be free. Specifically, if you are flying from the US to Europe and back, a connecting flight within Europe can be added at no extra mile cost. This is a real free leg that most travelers never claim because they do not know it exists. It does not apply to every routing but on qualifying itineraries it is effectively a free flight appended to your booking.
If you are planning an award trip and want to avoid surprise fees at the airport, it helps to understand exactly what United allows before you fly. The carry on luggage rules guide covers current size limits and airline-specific rules for 2026 so you are not caught off guard at the gate.
Which Chase Cards Give You the Best Return Before You Even Transfer
The transfer ratio is always 1:1 and that never changes. But the number of Chase points you accumulate before the transfer depends entirely on which card you carry and how you spend. Getting more points on the front end means more miles in MileagePlus on the back end.
| Card | Annual Fee | Best Earning Categories | Sign-Up Bonus | Best For |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred | $95 | 3X dining, 2X travel | 60,000 pts after $4k spend in 3 months | New to points travel |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve | $550 | 3X travel & dining, 10X hotels via portal | 60,000 pts after $4k spend in 3 months | Frequent travelers who use perks |
| Ink Business Preferred | $95 | 3X on travel, shipping, ads, telecom | 100,000 pts after $8k spend in 3 months | Business owners, highest bonus |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited | $0 | 1.5X on everything | N/A standalone for transfers | Supplemental earner, pair with above |
| Chase Freedom Flex | $0 | 5X on rotating categories quarterly | N/A standalone for transfers | Rotating bonus spend |
The Ink Business Preferred currently has the highest sign-up bonus of any Chase card at 100,000 points after meeting the spending requirement. That is 100,000 United miles with a single transfer, enough for a round-trip business class flight to Europe with miles to spare. If you have a business, even a small one, this card is worth serious attention before any big trip you are planning.
For a deeper look at how credit card rewards and fees stack up across travel programs, check out this breakdown of
For a deeper look at how credit card rewards stack up across travel programs, read the premium travel credit card fees guide on TalkTravel for a clear comparison before you apply.
Combining Chase Points From Multiple Cards Before You Transfer
This is a feature that Chase makes possible but does not explain loudly. If you have multiple Chase cards, you can pool the Ultimate Rewards points from all of them into a single account before transferring. This is incredibly useful when you need a large mile balance quickly and you have points spread across a Sapphire Reserve, a Freedom Flex, and an Ink card.
To do it: log in to the primary card you want to transfer from, go to the Ultimate Rewards portal, and use the ‘Combine Points’ feature to pull in points from your other eligible cards. Once combined, you do the transfer from that single card. You cannot combine across different household accounts unless it is a spouse or domestic partner.
• Points from Freedom cards cannot be transferred directly, they need to be moved to a Sapphire or Ink Preferred account first
• Combining is instant and does not count as a transfer
• You cannot move points back once combined, so plan which account to consolidate into
• Household point pooling between spouses requires each person to have their own Chase account and call Chase directly to set up
A lot of travelers who think they do not have enough points for a premium redemption actually do once they pool across their household cards. It is worth doing the math before writing off a redemption as out of reach.
How to Search United Award Space Before You Commit the Transfer
Transferring before you confirm award availability is one of the most common and painful mistakes in the points game. Once Chase points hit your United account, they are gone. You cannot move them back. If the flight you wanted has no saver award space, you are stuck either paying high standard award pricing or saving the miles for later.
Search United.com for award availability first using a dummy account if you have one, or create a free MileagePlus account just for searching. Use the ‘flexible dates’ calendar to see which days have saver award space marked in blue. If you are targeting a partner airline like Lufthansa or ANA, note that partner space does not always show on United’s website. Call United’s phone line to ask about partner availability before transferring, especially for premium cabins on partner carriers.
If you are trying to book around flight delays or want to understand your passenger rights in case the award flight gets disrupted, this guide on flight delays and cancellations rights 2026 is worth reading before you finalize your booking.
What Happens If Your Transfer Fails or Disappears
It is rarer than it used to be but transfers do occasionally fail to land. You confirm on Chase’s end, the points leave your account, and nothing shows up in United MileagePlus. Before you panic, wait 24 hours. Most cases resolve on their own.
If nothing has appeared after 24 hours, call Chase customer service with your confirmation number. They can trace the transfer and either confirm it is processing or initiate a recovery. In genuine failure cases, Chase has historically reversed the transfer and returned points to your account, though this can take 7 to 10 business days. Keep your confirmation email. It has the transaction ID you need to make the call productive.
• Check your MileagePlus account activity log first, miles sometimes appear without an email notification
• Log out and back in to refresh your MileagePlus balance before concluding it failed
• Contact Chase first since they initiate the transfer and hold the record
• United’s customer service can confirm if miles are in transit on their side
Chase Ultimate Rewards vs. Other Points Currencies for United Miles
Chase is not the only way to top off a MileagePlus account. United also partners with other credit card programs that allow transfers. Knowing how Chase stacks up helps you decide where to concentrate your spending going forward.
| Points Currency | Transfer Ratio to United | Transfer Time | Annual Fee Cards | Best For United Miles? |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | 1:1 | Instant to 24 hrs | $95 to $550 | Yes, most flexible overall |
| Citi ThankYou Points | 1:1 (via Citi Premier) | Up to 48 hours | $95 | Good secondary option |
| Bilt Rewards | 1:1 | Instant | $0 annual fee | Best no-fee option for renters |
| Capital One Miles | Not available | N/A | N/A | No, Capital One does not partner with United |
| Amex Membership Rewards | Not available | N/A | N/A | No, use for Delta or international carriers instead |
The Bilt Rewards card is a genuinely underrated option that most people overlook because it targets renters. It transfers to United at 1:1 with no annual fee, meaning every dollar you spend on rent earns United miles at zero annual cost. For people who pay rent anyway, this is effectively a free points accumulation mechanism that Chase does not compete with directly.
How to Actually Use Your United Miles Once the Transfer Goes Through
Getting the miles into MileagePlus is step one. Getting real value out of them is step two, and most guides stop after step one.
The Best United Award Redemptions Right Now
• ANA Business Class to Japan: 88,000 miles round-trip, tickets cost $5,000 to $8,000 in cash, one of the best redemptions in any points program globally
• Lufthansa Business Class to Europe: varies by availability, look for 60,000 to 88,000 miles round-trip, cash prices are $3,000 to $6,000
• United Polaris Business Class to Europe: 44,000 miles one-way at saver level, worth targeting if you can find availability
• Turkish Airlines Business Class (Star Alliance): 45,000 miles one-way to Europe, Turkish has an excellent product and miles bookings do not include fuel surcharges through United
• US domestic first class upgrades: 3,500 to 15,000 miles depending on route, useful for topping off existing paid bookings
If you are flying into a major hub as part of your award trip, be aware that airport wait times and customs can vary significantly by airport. The JFK experience specifically is worth reading about before you plan your arrival timing. Check this JFK customs wait times guide to set accurate expectations.
Booking Tips That Protect the Value of Your Miles
• Never transfer without confirmed saver award availability. Always verify space before the transfer.
• Book as early as possible. United releases partner award space 11 to 14 months out and the best inventory disappears quickly.
• Use United’s flexible date calendar. Off-peak dates often have saver space even when peak dates are gone.
• Call United for partner availability. Some Star Alliance partner space only appears over the phone, not online.
• Watch for United’s excursionist perk qualifying routings. It is free mileage when the itinerary qualifies.
Maximizing Your Miles Once You Land: Loyalty Program Stack
If you are going to earn United miles, it makes sense to build status at the same time. United PlusPoints, the currency for systemwide upgrades, starts flowing when you reach Premier Gold status, which requires 40 qualifying flights or 50,000 Premier Qualifying Points in a calendar year.
For a full picture of how United’s loyalty program compares to the competition in 2026, the best airline loyalty programs 2026 guide breaks down which programs are actually worth your loyalty right now.
One thing that changed in 2023 and still catches people off guard: United now counts credit card spend toward Premier Qualifying Points. Holding a United co-branded card and spending on it contributes to your status chase, which means even if you do not fly often, consistent spending can move you up a status tier. This is a meaningful shift from how legacy airline loyalty programs used to work.
When Transferring Chase Points to United Is the Wrong Move
This section does not appear in most guides because it is not great for engagement, but it is genuinely important if you want to keep your points strategy sound.
• If the only award space available is standard pricing, not saver, compare the miles cost to the cash ticket price. Standard pricing often costs more in miles than the equivalent cash price is worth.
• If your travel dates are flexible and a cash ticket is under $300, the math rarely favors a transfer unless you are deeply committed to the experience of using points.
• If you are not sure when you are going to book, do not transfer speculatively. Miles do not earn interest. Chase points sitting in your account keep their flexibility. Miles transferred to United are locked in.
• If another Chase partner airline has better availability or pricing for the same route, consider that instead. Air Canada Aeroplan can often book Star Alliance partners with different pricing structures that work out cheaper in miles.
For official confirmation of current United MileagePlus transfer partners and any updated terms, the United MileagePlus partners page is the primary source and worth checking before any major transfer decision.
Bottom Line
Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United MileagePlus is one of the most powerful moves in US travel rewards. The 1:1 ratio is clean, the transfer is usually instant, and when you land on the right redemption, the value per point can be four to eight times what the Chase portal offers. But it is not automatically a good deal on every itinerary.
Search for saver award space before you transfer anything. Understand that standard pricing exists and costs more miles. Know that partner airlines like ANA and Lufthansa often offer better redemption value than United metal itself. Use the Excursionist Perk when your routing qualifies. And never transfer speculatively unless you have a specific booking in mind.
When you are ready to explore more about airline programs, fees, and making the most of your travel budget,TalkTravel’s forums covers everything from carry-on rules to first class upgrades in the same detail-first, no-fluff format.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United Airlines?
Yes. Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to United MileagePlus at a 1:1 ratio. 10,000 Chase points become 10,000 United miles. There is no fee and the minimum transfer is 1,000 points.
How long does it take to transfer Chase points to United MileagePlus?
Most transfers are instant and appear in your MileagePlus account within minutes. Occasionally it takes up to 24 hours. Very large transfers above 100,000 points may be flagged for manual review and take 3 to 5 business days. If nothing appears after 48 hours, contact Chase with your confirmation number.
Can I reverse a transfer from Chase to United?
No. Transfers to airline partners are permanent and cannot be reversed. Chase explicitly states this in the transfer confirmation screen. Only transfer when you have confirmed saver award availability and are ready to book.
Is it worth transferring Chase points to United for domestic economy flights?
It depends on the ticket price. For short domestic routes under $150 cash, the math rarely favors a transfer. For cross-country routes priced above $300, transferring can yield good value. The transfer becomes genuinely compelling for international economy and premium cabin redemptions where cash prices are high.
Can I transfer Chase points to United from a Freedom card?
Not directly. Chase Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited points cannot be transferred to airline or hotel partners on their own. You need to first move those points to a Sapphire or Ink Business Preferred account, which unlocks the transfer feature. Once moved, the transfer to United works normally.
Do Chase points expire if I do not transfer them?
Chase Ultimate Rewards points do not expire as long as your credit card account remains open and in good standing. United MileagePlus miles, once received, also no longer expire under current United policy as of 2023, regardless of account activity. This policy has changed before, so verify current terms on United’s website.
What is the best Chase card to earn points for United flights?
The Ink Business Preferred currently offers the highest sign-up bonus at 100,000 points after meeting spend requirements, which is the equivalent of 100,000 United miles in a single transfer. For personal cards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 3X on travel and dining and comes with a $300 travel credit that offsets most of the annual fee for regular travelers.