Earlier this year, before I joined Daily Drop, my friend Vicki and I booked our first big trip together: a nine-day Mediterranean cruise on MSC, sailing out of Civitavecchia, Italy.
I had just gotten my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and earned the 75,000-point welcome bonus. So, I used my points to book my flight to Rome, one hotel night in Civitavecchia before the cruise, and my flight home. It felt great. I thought I'd done something clever.
Then I started working at Daily Drop and learned how much I'd left on the table.
Not because I did anything wrong. I just didn't know the full range of options. Nobody had ever laid them out plainly.
Here are three strong ways to use 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points, from simplest to most powerful. I've also added a section at the end about something Vicki and I both completely forgot about that would have saved us real money on that trip. If you're an AARP member, read that part twice.
What 75,000 points are actually worth
The answer depends entirely on how you use them. Here's the full range:
Redemption Method | Value Per Point | 75K Points Worth | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
Cash back | 1 cent | $750 | When you just want money back |
Chase Travel portal | Up to 1.5 cents* | $937 | Easy travel, no transfers needed |
Airline & hotel transfer | 1.5-2.5+ cents | $1,125-1,875+ | International flights, highest ceiling |
*Points used in the portal are valued at 1 cent per point. You can get up to 1.5 cents per point on some flights and hotels via Chase’s Points Boost feature.
That gap between $750 in cash back and $1,875 in airline transfers isn't a typo. We’re talking the same 75,000 points. The only difference is how you redeem them.
You don't need to hit the ceiling on day one. But you should know it exists.
Option 1: Use the Chase Travel portal
Best for: First timers and anyone who wants to book travel without learning a new loyalty program.
You find the Chase Travel portal the same way you'd find your account balance or pay your bill. Log into chase.com, look at the top navigation, and it's right there:
Once you're in, it works like any travel booking site. Search for flights, hotels, rental cars, or cruises. At checkout, choose Pay with Points. Your point balance adjusts automatically.
What 75,000 points get you through the portal:
$937 in flights, hotels, car rentals, or cruise offsets
A round-trip economy flight to Europe on many routes
3-4 nights at a solid mid-range hotel in most cities
A meaningful dent in a cruise booking
What this looked like on my Rome trip A round-trip basic economy flight from Columbus (CMH) via New York (JFK) to Rome (FCO) and back costs around $800, depending on timing. Through the Chase Travel portal, my 75,000 points covered that, with points left over for one night at a hotel in Civitavecchia before boarding the cruise. That was a real trip, real value, zero complicated transfers. For a first-time redemption, it worked. |
One credit most people forget to use Your Sapphire Preferred includes a $50 annual hotel credit for stays booked through Chase Travel. You get it automatically each anniversary year. If you are booking a hotel anyway, book it through Chase Travel and let that credit do its job. I did use this for Civitavecchia. That part I got right. |
Option 2: Transfer to a Hotel Partner
Best for: Anyone with a hotel stay on the itinerary who wants dramatically better value without a steep learning curve.
Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to World of Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio. 10,000 Chase points become 10,000 Hyatt points, immediately. For years, this was one of the single best redemptions in the world of travel rewards. That is still true in certain situations. But something recently changed that you need to know about before you transfer a single point.
Hyatt announced a massive overhaul of its award chart coming in mid-2026 (some changes to take effect in April, some in May). The short version is this: luxury properties will get significantly more expensive. A Park Hyatt that used to cost 45,000 points per night will cost up to 75,000. That same room in cash might run $1,500+. The math still works, but you need far more points to make it work. Mike covered this in detail twice, and both of these newsletters are worth a read before you plan any aspirational Hyatt redemption.
Where Hyatt transfers still make sense with 75,000 points:
Mid-tier properties (Category 1-4) where pricing holds relatively steady. A Category 3 hotel still runs 8,000-20,000 points per night and often represents strong value against the cash rate.
Points + Cash bookings, which is now one of the smartest moves in the Hyatt program. You pay half the points of the standard award rate, and the cash portion is often much less than half the cash price. A hotel costing 9,000 points or $178 cash might cost only 4,500 points + $53 in cash on Points + Cash. Those 4,500 points are doing real work.
Properties that will drop in category during the restructuring. Yes, some will – we just won’t know which ones until the category changes drop. Sometimes, category changes work in travelers’ favor. For example: Last year, The Park Hyatt Jakarta dropped from a Category 4 to Category 3, which means you can spend as few as 9,000 points per night at a property that has no business being that cheap. Those gems exist if you look for them.
The Civitavecchia example, specifically There is a Hyatt Regency in Rome that is a Category 4 property in Hyatt's award chart, meaning 12,000-18,000 Hyatt points per night for a standard room. That same room in cash runs roughly $250-$350, depending on the season. I booked my pre-cruise night through the Chase Travel portal and spent around 20,000-28,000 points. If I had transferred to Hyatt instead, I could have spent 8,000-16,000 fewer points for the same night. That's not a tiny difference. |
How to transfer points to Hyatt
If you don’t have one already, you'll need to set up a free World of Hyatt account first. It’s super easy and just takes a minute (we promise):
Log into your Chase account and go to Ultimate Rewards in the sidebar:
Select Travel: Transfer Points and choose World of Hyatt:
If you’re new to World of Hyatt (or haven’t transferred points there before), you’ll need to connect your accounts first. Again, super simple. Just input your World of Hyatt account number, and voila! (You’ll find it in your welcome email when you signed up, or in your WoH dashboard when you’re logged in).
Next, enter the number of points you want to transfer (minimum 1,000, in 1,000-point increments), then confirm. Points typically arrive within minutes. In rare cases, it may take up to 7 business days, but our team has always seen them arrive almost instantaneously.
The one rule that matters here Transfers to travel partners are permanent. You cannot reverse them. Find the specific hotel, confirm award availability, and then transfer exactly what you need. Do not move points speculatively. Chase points sitting in your account stay flexible. Hyatt points do not. |
Option 3: Transfer to an airline partner
Best for: Travelers willing to do some research before booking, especially on international flights. This is where your points can stretch the furthest.
Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers 1:1 to 11 airline loyalty programs. This is the highest ceiling for your points, but it requires the most legwork. For an international trip though, the math can be significant.
You don't need to learn all 11 programs. For most travelers flying between North America and Europe, three programs carry most of the value:
Partner | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
Air Canada Aeroplan | Great value for transatlantic flights. Book Star Alliance flights, including United. Rome premium economy: around 60,000 points. |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | Book Delta flights to Europe at far better rates than Delta offers directly. Most people have never heard of this. |
Air France / KLM Flying Blue | Runs monthly Promo Rewards sales, sometimes 50% off standard pricing. Value is excellent even without using a promo deal. |
The JFK to Rome route, specifically New York to Rome (JFK to FCO) is one of the busiest transatlantic routes. Air Canada Aeroplan regularly prices this at around 60,000 points round-trip in economy. The same 75,000 points that gets you $937 through the Chase portal could cover that entire round-trip, with 15,000 points left over. I did not know this when I booked. Now I do. And so do you. |
Two rules before you transfer a single point
• Find the flight first, then transfer. Go to the relevant program website (i.e. Aeroplan.com, FlyingBlue.com, etc.) and confirm award availability on your specific dates before moving any points. Award space disappears. Transfer only after you have the flight in your cart and ready to book.
• Watch for carrier surcharges. Some airline programs add fees on top of the miles. British Airways is the most notorious. Aeroplan on Star Alliance flights and Virgin Atlantic for Delta flights tend to have lower added fees. Always check the total cost, not just the miles required.
The section I wish someone had handed me before I booked
Vicki and I… are old. That’s right. We’re old and proud! And we’re both AARP members. We booked a nine-day Mediterranean cruise together, and neither one of us thought about our AARP membership for a single second during the entire planning process.
AARP has a full travel benefits program, and we left every bit of it sitting on the table.
If you are 18 or older and do not have an AARP membership yet, the annual fee is $16.
Yes, you read that right.
While AARP has traditionally been for folks aged 50+, anyone over the age of 18 can join and take advantage of its benefits. Some insurance benefits are age-restricted, and the focus obviously is for everyone who is 50+, but you don’t have to be of a certain age to love a good discount 😉
Anyways, back to the annual fee of just $16. It’s a no-brainer. That membership pays for itself several times over on just one car rental, hotel night, or cruise booking.
You can see full list of benefits for AARP members here, but this is what was available to us and what we should have used:
Category | Savings | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
Car rental | Up to 35% off | Avis and Budget both offer 35% off base rates with Pay Now. On a one-week rental at $350, that's up to $122 back. |
Hotel night | Up to 10% off | Best Western, Choice Hotels, Wyndham brands, Radisson brands, and dozens more. That Civitavecchia pre-cruise night qualifies. |
Cruise onboard credit | Up to $100 | Book select cruises through the AARP Travel Center (powered by Expedia) and get up to $100 onboard credit. Applies to multiple cruise lines. |
Medical evacuation | Up to 20% off | Medjet travel protection. If you need emergency medical evacuation overseas, this is the coverage that gets you home. Discount applies to both MedjetAssist and MedjetHorizon memberships. |
Expedited passport services | 15% off | RushMyPassport. Small savings but real. Passports expire when we least want them to! |
Vacation packages | $50 gift card | Book any flight package through the AARP Travel Center and receive a $50 gift card of your choice. |
Most of these stack. Book your rental car through Avis at 35% off and pay with your Sapphire Preferred to earn 2x points on travel. Both benefits fire at the same time.
The cruise onboard credit specifically The AARP Travel Center (powered by Expedia) offers up to $100 onboard credit on select cruises. Vicki and I both qualified as AARP members. We booked directly through MSC's website and received none of it. On a nine-day cruise, $100 in onboard credit covers a shore excursion, a spa treatment, or several nights of drinks. It is not a trivial amount. Check the AARP Travel Center before you book any cruise. |
The before-you-book AARP checklist
Run through this list before you finalize any travel booking:
Car rental: Check Avis or Budget through AARP before booking anywhere else. Up to 35% off with Pay Now rates.
Hotel: If your hotel is a Best Western, Choice Hotels, Wyndham, or Radisson brand, the AARP member rate is usually 10% off the best available rate. It takes 30 seconds to check.
Cruise: Visit the AARP Travel Center before booking directly with any cruise line. Up to $100 onboard credit on select cruises.
Travel insurance: If you are traveling internationally and do not have medical evacuation coverage, look at Medjet through AARP, which offers up to 20% off for members. This is the coverage that gets you home if something goes seriously wrong overseas.
Passport: If yours is expiring, RushMyPassport gives AARP members 15% off expedited processing.
The bottom line
Here is the version you can save and come back to:
• New to this? Use the Chase Travel portal. Your 75,000 points are worth $937 in travel. Find the Travel tab in your Chase account, book your trip, and feel good about it.
• Got a hotel on the itinerary? Check whether there is a Hyatt property on your route. Focus on mid-tier properties (Category 1-4) and look at Points + Cash rates. You will likely still come out ahead of the Chase Travel portal for the right properties, even after the Hyatt award chart changes.
• Flying internationally? Find award space on your route by searching the top programs mentioned above, then transfer. The difference could be a free business class seat or a round-trip flight for far fewer points than you expected.
• AARP member? Run the checklist above before you book anything. Car rental, hotel, cruise credit, travel protection. Each one takes a few minutes, but the savings add up fast.
Transferable points do not expire as long as your account stays open, so you have time to get this right. I did not know any of this a year ago. Now you do. Time to get planning! 👀
