How to Use Chase Ultimate Rewards Points for Rental Cars

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You can get free flights and hotels in Hawaii. You can also get free rental cars. Here’s how to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points for rental cars in Hawaii.

Imagine cruising along the Pacific Ocean in a convertible. The sun shining on your face, the cool breeze blowing through your hair as the waves crashing softly into the white sand beach. Sounds great, right?

What if that rental car was free?

Even better.

You can use Chase Ultimate Rewards points to pay for your rental car in Hawaii.

Pro-tip: You can also redeem points to rent cars throughout the world.

How to Use Chase Ultimate Rewards Points for Rental Cars in Hawaii

You can get a free trip to Hawaii by using miles and points for airfare and hotels AND car rentals.

Here’s how to use points for free rental cars.

Some point programs let you redeem your travel expenses as statement credits. While others like Chase Ultimate Rewards, let you pay for your car rental with points.

In this post, you’ll learn how to redeem Ultimate Rewards for rental cars in Hawaii and other cities.

This is the third post in the four-part series on how to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points for Hawaii.

• Flights
• Hotels
• Rental Cars
• Tours and Activities

It’s easy to rent a car using Chase Ultimate Rewards points. There are lots of ways to earn Ultimate Rewards points, so redeeming them for car rentals makes a lot of sense. Because you can save cash and book a rental car for points.

Cards That Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

These are all the cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

With the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, you can earn an additional 1.5% cash back on all your purchases your first year up to $20,000, 5% cash back on travel booked through the Chase travel portal, 3% cash back at drugstores and restaurants, and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases without an annual fee. Plus you can transfer points to cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card.

Learn more about the Chase Freedom Unlimited® and how to apply

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earns a 60,000 point bonus when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of opening your account.

You earn 5X points on travel when booked through the Chase portal (2 when booked direct), 3X points on dining, and 1 point on all other purchases.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer on a 1:1 basis to 13 participating partners like Hyatt, United, and Southwest. There are no foreign transaction fees on purchases outside the US.

Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and how to apply

Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card earns a 60,000 point bonus when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

You get a $300 annual travel credit, 10X points on car rentals and hotels booked through the Chase portal (3X booked direct), 5X points on airfare, 3X points on dining, and 1 point on all other purchases. You also get free airport lounge access and can redeem points for 1.5 cents on travel purchases. You can transfer points on a 1:1 basis to 13 partners like Southwest and Hyatt. Plus there are no foreign transaction fees.

Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card and how to apply

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card earns a 120,000 point bonus when you spend $8,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. This equals $1,500 in travel when you use your points through the Chase Travel Portal or $1,200 cash back.

You get 3X points on up to $150K on select categories and 1 point on all other eligible purchases. Points are worth 1.5 cents towards travel. Or you can transfer to 13 participating partners like Hyatt and United.

Learn more about the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card and how to apply

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card

With the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card, you can earn a $750 bonus when you spend $6,000 in purchases in the first 3 months of opening your account. This is worth 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

You earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on purchases made for your business and can transfer points to cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card, all without an annual fee.

Learn more about the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card and how to apply

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card earns a bonus of $750 when you spend $6,000 in purchases in the first three months of opening your account.

You get 5% cash back at office supply stores, internet, cable, and phone services on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases, 2% cash back at restaurants and gas stations on the first $25,000 spent on combined purchases, and 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases.

Maximize the value of your points by transferring points to cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Learn more about the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card and how to apply

How to Book a Rental Car in Hawaii With the Chase Travel Portal

You can use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book a hotel in Hawaii through the Chase portal. Here’s how…

Step 1. Log In

Log in to your Chase account.

Choose your Chase card with the highest value when redeeming points. Click the “redeem” link under “Ultimate Rewards” on the right side of your screen.

Or click the blue “Ultimate Rewards” box and choose your Chase card with the highest point redemption value.

Step 2. Choose Travel or Redeem for Travel

Choose Travel from the top menu or “Redeem for travel” in the dashboard in the Ultimate Rewards portal.

Then click on the “Cars” link.

Step 3. Search for a Rental Car

Enter the pickup and drop off location, travel dates, and times.

Use the Advanced Options link if you have a preferred car type and/or rental car company.

Click the green “Search” box.

Step 4. Choose Your Rental Car

Chose your rental car from the options provided.

You can narrow the search by using the “filter cars by” feature on the left side of the screen. You can filter by car type, price, rental car company, and specifics like manual transmission, and air conditioning.

For faster sorting, click the “Price” link in the Sort by section to filter by lowest price.

Pro-tip: Be sure and compare rental car prices from other sites like Expedia and Costco.

Step 5. Pay With Points

Once you’ve selected your rental car you can pay with points, cash, or points plus cash. Both the cash rate and the points rate are shown.

When you check out, you choose how many points you want to redeem for your car rental.

There’s no minimum amount of points required. You can use 1 Chase Ultimate Rewards point to pay for your rental car.

Choose your payment option and confirm your rental car booking.

Pro-tip: When you use points to pay for your rental car in Hawaii, your credit card auto insurance policy usually won’t cover the rental.

Because you’re paying with points vs paying with cash. Your personal auto insurance policy will cover rentals in the United States.

If you rent outside the US and pay with your points, you’ll have to pay for insurance coverage.

Pro-tip: When not renting in Hawaii, here’s how to get $5 car rentals.

Credit Cards that Provide Insurance for Rental Cars

You can save a lot of money by declining the optional insurance on rental cars. But only do so if you have a personal auto insurance policy or have a credit card that provides insurance for car rentals.

Some credit cards offer collision damage waiver (CDW) insurance. This means they’ll reimburse you if you damage the rental.

But coverage can vary depending on the credit card.

Some cards offer primary coverage which pays for everything. While others offer secondary coverage which requires your personal auto insurance, homeowners, or other insurance to pay first before the credit card company will pay.

These credit cards offer primary insurance on car rentals:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card
• JP Morgan Reserve
• Ritz-Carlton Visa Infinite
• United℠ Explorer Card
• The Platinum Card® from American Express – (up to $24.95 for primary coverage)*

Pro-tip: Some countries prohibit credit card companies from providing primary coverage. Check with your credit card before your rental to make sure you have the right coverage.

*Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered, and geographic restrictions apply. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for details. Policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

These business credit cards also provide primary CDW insurance:

• Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
• Ink Plus
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

You have to pay for the rental with your business card and be on a business trip. Otherwise, you void the CDW policy

Conclusion

You can get a free Hawaii vacation using miles and points for flights, hotels, and car rentals. You can use Chase Ultimate Rewards points for rental cars in Hawaii and other cities.

Redeeming points for car rentals is easy through the Chase Travel Portal. In less than 5 minutes you can book and pay for your rental car with Ultimate Rewards points.

There are lots of ways to earn points. But the fastest way is from a bonus on cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and the Ink Preferred.

You have the option to pay for your rental using all points, a combination of points and cash, or cash. There’s no minimum amount of points required. So you could use as few as 1 point!

Where have you used Chase Ultimate Rewards points for rental cars?

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Capital One Venture X Business

With the Capital One Venture X Business the welcome offer is 150,000 mile bonus after spending $30,000 on purchases in the first three months.

 

My favorite perks about this card are free Capital One Lounge access, earning 2X points on all purchases, and transferring miles to over 15 travel loyalty programs.

 

Learn more about the Capital One Venture X Business and how to apply

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Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the best card to get started in the world of miles and points. It is the first card you should get to start traveling for free because the welcome offer is 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months.You can get up to $1,050 in Chase Travel value: the 60k points are worth $750 when booked through the Chase Travel portal. And you get up to $300 in statement credits on travel booked through the Chase portal your first year.

 

My favorite perks about this card are earning 5X points on travel when booked through the Chase portal (2X if direct purchase), 3X points on dining, $50 yearly credit on hotels booked through the Chase portal, no foreign transaction fees, and transferring points to 13 airline and hotel partners like Hyatt, United, and Southwest.

 

Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and how to apply