Chase is currently offering a 60% bonus when transferring UR points to IHG. In other words, the transfer ratio has changed from 1:1 to 1:1.6. As most people know, IHG points are worth only about 0.5 cents per point, and you can often effectively buy them for 0.5 cpp through Points + Cash-style booking tricks. Meanwhile, UR points can be redeemed for cash at 1 cpp. When you do the math, it’s basically like spending $100 to buy $80 worth of IHG points. So don’t fall for it.
Chase rarely offers transfer bonuses. The previous bonus for transferring UR to BA miles was actually pretty decent, and now IHG has become only the second transfer partner to get one. Hopefully in the future we’ll see transfer bonuses for more valuable programs like UA and Hyatt.
Of course, if you have the Sapphire Reserve, it’s still better to go ALL IN on groceries, dining, and home improvement! 1.5 cpp is still a great value.
