4. Pick a transfer recipient
You can select your recipient from a dropdown menu, and then punch in their MileagePlus account number. The recipient must be either yourself or an authorized user on your account who is also a member of your household.
5. Decide how many points to transfer
The minimum is 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points, which will get you 1,000 MileagePlus miles. Transfers must be made in 1,000-point increments.
6. Submit the transfer
You'll see all the transfer details on this final review screen. When you're ready, you can click "Submit" to transfer Chase points to United.
Transfers are typically instantaneous. Chase sets a timeframe of by the next business day for most transfers, while saying that they can take up to seven business days, but reports indicate that they normally process immediately.
Keep in mind that there's no way to undo a transfer later, so once you transfer Chase points to United, you can't cancel or send the miles back to your Chase account. To avoid a transfer you regret, it's best to find a United award ticket first, and then transfer Chase points to United so you can book it.
How to book an award ticket with United miles
To book travel on United using miles, go to the airline's website. Before you search for flights, simply check the "Book with miles" box on the booking form. You can then search for airfare to book with miles instead of cash.
If you haven't logged in to your MileagePlus account already, United will prompt you to do so before showing you flight results. You can close the login box to see results without logging in, although you would then need to log in after selecting flights.
Each award ticket will include the price in miles plus any extra cash fees. To book a ticket, click "Select." You'll then choose a flight for each leg of your trip.
When you're done selecting flights, you'll go through the checkout process and confirm your trip.
Maximizing value when you transfer Chase points to United
The value you get from United miles depends heavily on the airfare you book. Some award tickets will get you over $0.03 per mile, whereas others could net you under $0.01 per mile. Here's how to get the best value from United miles:
- Use the 30-day calendar if you have flexible travel dates. You can use the calendar to quickly find the dates with the cheapest award airfare.
- Redeem your miles for premium cabin award tickets when possible. Business class and first class tend to offer much better values than economy tickets.
- Start shopping for flights as early as possible. Award availability often decreases as it gets closer to your travel dates.
There's also a great benefit United offers if you're flying to a different region of the world. It's called the Excursionist Perk, and it allows you to add a free one-way award flight within that region to your trip. To take advantage of this perk, use United's multi-city flight search option and book using miles.
Let's say you're traveling from the continental United States to Europe. You could book a free one-way award flight within Europe on your itinerary using the Excursionist Perk, saving you miles.
Booking with United hubs
Finally, it helps to keep United's hubs in mind. These hub airports have the most United flights, which gives you the best chance at a high-value redemption. United has hubs in the following cities:
- Chicago, IL: O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
- Denver, CO: Denver International Airport (DEN)
- Guam: Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM)
- Houston, TX: Houston/George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
- Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- New York, NY/Newark, NJ: Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
- San Francisco, CA: San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Washington, D.C.: Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
Should you transfer Chase points to United or redeem through Chase's portal?
Thanks to Chase's Ultimate Rewards program, you don't need to transfer points to book a flight with United; you can also redeem points toward cash travel purchases through the Chase Travel portal.
You get $0.0125 per point this way if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, the rate is higher at $0.015 per point. Since you're essentially paying in cash from United's perspective, you earn miles on the purchase, which you don't earn on award tickets.
The best way to decide between the two options is to compare their respective prices. If an award ticket costs fewer points, then you should transfer Chase points to United and book that way. If you could spend fewer Chase points with the Chase Travel portal, then that's the way to go.
Chase's United credit cards
United offers a few credit cards of its own through Chase. The United Airline credit cards earn miles on purchases. They also offer extra perks with the airline. Depending on which United card you choose, you could get:
- A free checked bag on every flight
- Airport lounge access to United Clubs
- Discounts on inflight purchases
Benefits like those can make a United credit card worthwhile for the airline's frequent flyers. If you travel with United often, then you may want to consider one of these cards: