Chase Rewards And American Airlines: A Partnership For Travelers

American Airlines is not a direct Chase travel partner, meaning you cannot transfer Ultimate Rewards points to the American Airlines AAdvantage loyalty program. However, there are several ways to book American Airlines flights using Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Firstly, you can book through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal, where your points will be worth 1.25 cents each if you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred card, or 1.5 cents each with a Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Secondly, you can transfer your points to British Airways or Iberia, who are part of the Oneworld Alliance, and book American Airlines flights through their websites. This is because British Airways and Iberia are partners with American Airlines, so you can use their Avios points to book flights with American Airlines.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be used to book American Airlines flights

Transfer to British Airways or Iberia

British Airways and Iberia are partners of American Airlines and are part of the Oneworld Alliance. You can transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to either of these airlines and then use their websites to book flights on American Airlines. This method allows you to bypass the American Airlines website and the need to earn AA miles. When transferring points to British Airways or Iberia, keep in mind that the process can take some time, and you should triple-check the availability of your desired flight before initiating the transfer.

Book through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal

Another option is to book your American Airlines flights directly through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal. This method is similar to booking through online travel agencies like Orbitz or Expedia. However, the value of your Chase points may vary depending on the specific Chase card you hold. For example, with the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred cards, your points are worth 1.25 cents each, while with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, your points are worth 1.5 cents each.

Chase Credit Cards with Rewards for American Airlines Flights

While American Airlines is not a direct partner of Chase, there are several Chase credit cards that offer rewards specifically for booking American Airlines flights. These include the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and Ink Business Preferred cards. Keep in mind that with most of these cards, you may be required to book your American Airlines flight through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal to earn the additional rewards.

Chase Sapphire Preferred, Reserve, and Ink Business Preferred cards earn Ultimate Rewards points

Although American Airlines is not a Chase travel partner, there are still several ways to earn Ultimate Rewards points that can be used for American Airlines flights. The Chase Sapphire Preferred, Reserve, and Ink Business Preferred cards are three credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3x points on dining, and 2x points on other travel purchases. New cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card provides similar benefits, including 10x points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Travel, 10x points on dining, and 5x points on flights booked through Chase Travel. The sign-up bonus for this card is 50,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months.

The Ink Business Preferred Credit Card is a small business credit card that also earns Ultimate Rewards points. It offers 3x points on travel, shipping purchases, internet services, cable services, phone services, and advertising with social media and search engines. New cardholders can earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 in the first three months.

While these cards do not directly earn points for American Airlines, cardholders can take advantage of the fact that British Airways and Iberia are partners with both American Airlines and Chase. By transferring Ultimate Rewards points to either of these partner airlines, you can then use their websites to book flights on American Airlines. This method allows you to bypass the dynamic award pricing of American Airlines and enjoy a fixed number of points needed for your desired route.

Additionally, Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal, where you can book flights directly with American Airlines. The value of your points will depend on the specific Chase card you hold. For example, with the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred cards, your points are worth 1.25 cents each, while the Chase Sapphire Reserve card offers a higher value of 1.5 cents per point.

In summary, while American Airlines is not a direct partner of Chase, cardholders of the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Reserve, and Ink Business Preferred cards can still earn and utilize Ultimate Rewards points for flights with American Airlines through various strategies.

British Airways and Iberia are Chase partners, and can be used to book American Airlines flights

British Airways and Iberia are Chase partners, and you can use Avios points to book American Airlines flights. Avios is the shared award currency of a group of international airlines, including British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Qatar. Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to Avios at a 1:1 ratio, making them an attractive option for US-based flyers.

To transfer Chase points to British Airways, you need to have an account with the airline's loyalty program, the British Airways Executive Club. Then, log in to your Chase Ultimate Rewards account, select "Transfer to Travel Partners," choose British Airways from the list of partners, and select "Transfer Points." You can only transfer points to yourself or an authorized user living in the same household. Transfers are in increments of 1,000 points, and they process instantly.

You can also transfer Chase points to Iberia Plus, the loyalty program of Iberia, a Spanish airline and British Airways partner. Iberia Plus members can redeem Avios points for reward flights or discounts on flights with partner airlines. The Iberia Visa Signature Card allows cardholders to earn Avios on every purchase, including eligible Iberia, British Airways, and LEVEL purchases, hotel accommodations, and all other purchases.

By transferring Chase points to British Airways or Iberia, you can take advantage of excellent redemption rates for award flights on American Airlines. For example, you can book a domestic flight within the US for just 7,500 Avios each way, or fly business class for as few as 16,500 Avios each way on select routes. Additionally, you can book a round-trip flight between the US West Coast and Hawaii for only 26,000 Avios.

In summary, British Airways and Iberia are valuable Chase partners that provide opportunities to redeem Avios points for award flights on American Airlines, including some fantastic sweet spots for short-haul and business-class redemptions.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to 11 airline programs

Chase Ultimate Rewards points are some of the most valuable transferable points available. While they can be redeemed for travel through the Chase travel portal, you can also transfer them to one of Chase's 11 airline partners. These include:

• Aer Lingus AerClub
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• British Airways Executive Club
• Emirates Skywards
• Iberia
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
• United Airlines MileagePlus
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

By transferring your points to one of these airline programs, you can often maximise their value. For example, you can book American Airlines flights by transferring your points to British Airways or Iberia, both of which partner with American Airlines.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed for travel through the Chase portal

Through the Chase Travel Portal, you can book flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises, and other activities. When booking flights, you can filter your search by cost, airline, departure/arrival time, and departure airport. You can also choose to pay for your flight using your Chase card, your Ultimate Rewards points, or a combination of both.

Booking hotels through the Chase Travel Portal is similar to booking flights. You can search by destination and narrow your search by filtering for price, amenities, ratings, type of property, and more. You can then confirm your booking using your Chase card or by redeeming your Ultimate Rewards points.

It is important to note that American Airlines is not a direct partner of Chase. However, you can still use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book American Airlines flights through British Airways or Iberia, which are partners of American Airlines.

Frequently asked questions