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Not too long ago, Chase Ultimate Rewards used to be the absolute best transfer currency; unfortunately when Chase lost Korean Air as a transfer partner they took a bit of a hit. That being said they are still somewhere in the mix of the top 4 with American Express, Capital One, and Citi.
Since the loss of Korean Air, Chase has been diligently working to add in new transfer partners. They recently added JetBlue and now effective immediately, Emirates is now a transfer partner for your Chase Ultimate Rewards as well.
Points can be transferred at a 1:1 ratio, in 1,000 point increments.
Chase Current Transfer Partners
With this newest addition, Chase now has 10 airline transfer partners and 3 hotel partners. The most valuable partners being United MileagePlus and World of Hyatt
| List of All Chase Transfer Partner |
| Aer Lingus Aer Club |
| Air France/KLM Flying Blue |
| British Airways Executive Club |
| Emirates Skywards |
| Iberia Plus |
| JetBlue TrueBlue |
| Singapore KrisFlyer |
| Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards |
| United MileagePlus |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |
| IHG Rewards Club – Hotel |
| Marriott Bonvoy – Hotel |
| World Of Hyatt – Hotel |
Uses for Emirates Points
While everyone loves flying with Emirates, there is limited value in transferring your points directly to Emirates. This is because Emirates loves to pass on carrier imposed surcharges to award tickets. Just take a look at the estimated costs to fly from JFK to DXB round-trip:
| Route – JFK-DXB | Miles | Surcharge |
| Economy | 72,500 | ~$550 |
| Business | 145,000 | ~$1700 |
| First | 217,500 | ~$1700 |
When you consider that round trip tickets can cost as little as $804 today, spending 72,500 miles and $550 in surcharges for an Economy ticket is a silly proposition.
When Does it Make Sense to Transfer to Emirates Skywards?
Upgrades
If you were to use that exact same $804 JFK-DXB example from above and purchase a “Flex” level Economy ticket instead of the “Saver” level, it would cost you ~$1400 round trip. With a Flex ticket you can upgrade from Economy to Business Class for 70,200 miles one way and you will not pay any additional fuel surcharges.
I know what your thinking, a round trip ticket for $1400 and 140,400 miles isn’t much of a deal for a Business Class ticket, and your right. At the end of the day, it still beats spending 145,000 miles and $1700 in fuel surcharges. Additionally, you will earn miles on your Economy ticket, while on that 145,000 mile award ticket you wouldn’t earn anything.
Check out some of Sam’s many reviews of the AWESOME Emirates products!
In Conculsion
At the end of the day having more options is a great thing. While I’m not in love with Emirates Skywards program in general, I actually have upgraded a flight using Skywards miles and found them as a useful transfer partner.
Would you use Your Points to Transfer to Emirates Skywards?
Want to Earn Points Transferable to Emirates Skywards? Sign Up for one of the Credit Cards Below!
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Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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