We are headed to Aspen, Co for winter break, 2019. We used Chase Ultimate Rewards points for 2/3 of the cost of our flights.
The America Airlines flights that I booked cost $620 each for flights from Laguardia to Aspen (not direct).
For each $620 flight, I needed 41,333 Ultimate Rewards points. Points can be redeemed for travel through the Ultimate Rewards site at a value of .015 cents per point when you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve card, like I do. ($620/.015)
So in total, I needed about 206,000 points. However, I only had 130,000 points. I was able to apply these 130,000 points to yield $1950 in dollars. (130,000 *.015). I charged the remaining $1150 to my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, where I will earn 3X Ultimate Rewards per $1. I wish I would have had the whole amount to pay with points, and maybe I could have waited till I accumulated more points. However, I have often watched Colorado flights in the past, and they rarely come down. I decided to take advantage of the price now.
So in the end I saved $1,950 using Chase points. Also note, since I booked through the Chase site, I will still earn American AAdvantage Miles on the flights because my travel counts as a paid fare.
One last thing, I completely depleted my Chase Ultimate Rewards points booking these flights. But I use my Chase cards all the time. I am sure my balance will be flush once again quite soon…..