Why I call this one bank my “favorite”
By Rachel Lipson
Oct 2, 2025
-
Brooklyn Family Travelers is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as bankrate.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers.
It might sound odd to hear someone tell you they have a favorite bank. When it comes to banking, it’s usually pretty straightforward and not that common to have a very strong opinion about which one they like best!
When I talk about which bank is my favorite, it’s a shorthand way of saying, this bank can get you tremendous value with points and travel — oftentimes, beyond the others out there.
On top of this being a favorite bank, they also have my favorite card! It’s the #1 card for all points travelers and essential to have in order to get the most out of your points.
And finally, as an affiliate of the major banks, there are rules around when I can mention the names on social media and in newsletters, so there are times when I just can’t say the name outright.
Just following the rules :)
The bank:
Chase!
Why:
There are a few banks that have a currency of points called “transferable points”. These are points that can be transferred to a hotel or airline to book travel directly. Chase has some of the best transfer partners out there (think: Air France, Virgin, United, Air Canada and more and on the hotel side… Hyatt!
How:
Rather than using points in Chase Travel℠, the points can also be transferred out and used to book travel directly on the hotel or airline website. A huge advantage!
The three ways I use these the most:
To book hotels: Hyatt has the best hotel program for points travel. The amount of points needed for stays with Hyatt are typically a small fraction of those compared to the other major hotels brands.
To book Delta flights: Booking Delta “saver fares” using Virgin and Air France is an excellent way to save a ton of points on a booking. (This means booking a Delta flight on the Virgin or Air France website).
To book United: Rather than booking United flights in Chase Travel℠ or through United directly, I often will transfer my points to Air Canada and book the same flight for a fraction of the cost.
If you don’t already have one of these cards, this is where you want to start:
These cards both unlock the ability to transfer Chase’s Ultimate Rewards Points to airlines and hotels allowing you to book travel directly with partners. Because this isn’t something all Chase cards can do, and because Chase has excellent travel partners, having a card that makes this possible is extremely important.
All of the Sapphire cards offer this capability, so just choose the one that feels right to you!
Park Hyatt Milan, Summer 2024 by Rachel Lipson (booked on points of course!)
Editorial Disclosure: The information in this article has not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. All opinions belong solely to Brooklyn Family Travelers and are not those of any other entity. The details on financial products, including card rates and fees, are accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information. This site doesn't include all currently available offers. Credit score alone does not guarantee or imply approval for any financial product.
