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Traveling Europe on Points: My 100,000 Points Chase Strategy

As I started planning my dream trip to Europe, there was a big asset in my travel kit: over 100,000 Chase Ultimate Reward Points Chase Sapphire Priority® Card (See rates and fees).

Some strategic redemptions turned these points into flights and hotels across Paris, Switzerland, Slovenia and Italy while also making my out-of-pocket expenses surprising.

If you recently earned 100,000 Chase Ultimate Reward Points from your daily expenses or popular bonuses, you might be wondering: How far can they be real Take you?

This is exactly how I book a trip and a tip for getting the most value from your points.

Related: You can book 12 trips with 100k Chase Ultimate Rewards points

How much is the value of 100,000 chase points?

First, let’s review the actual value of 100,000, as their value depends on how you redeem them:

Dejan Marjanovic/Getty Images

Related: The complete guide to Chase Ultimate Rewards: How to Earn, Redeem, and Transfer Points

How do I earn 100,000 Chase Points?

The fastest way to net 100,000 chase points is to win them with a huge welcome bonus.

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For example, Chatong Sapphire Reserve Currently, spending $5,000 in the first three months of opening an account, currently offers 100,000 bonus points and a welcome offer for Chase Travel Travel Credit of $500.

at the same time, Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business- (See Interest Rates and Fees) The ability currently offered is spent $30,000 in the first six months of opening an account, earning 200,000 bonus points.

Young Asian woman with suitcase walking by windows in airport terminal. Young Asian female traveler waiting for boarding at the airport. Business travel. Travel and vacation concept
D3Sign/Getty Images

Earlier this year, new applicants with sapphire favored spent $5,000 in purchases (no longer available) in the first three months of opening an account, offering new applicants a welcome bonus of 100,000 points.

Personally, I have won the balance by combining the sapphire’s 60,000 welcome bonus with daily travel and dining expenses.

this Sapphire prefers Currently, $5,000 spent in the first 3 months of opening an account, and 75,000 bonus points are currently being offered. This is a great start to build a 100,000-point hiding place.

Booking flights at the chase point

Finding reward flights that fit my itinerary and budget is the first step in turning points into an unforgettable European adventure. That’s how I turned some perspectives into three flights.

Fly to Europe for 15,000 chase points

When I started planning my trip, my first priority was to lock in transatlantic flights from Washington, D.C. to Europe. I turned to the seat. Aero, a handy tool that scans for reward availability across multiple plans and found the Air France-klm Blue Award in Paris, with only 18,750 blue miles flying, as well as taxes and fees.

Even better, Chase offered a 25% transfer bonus to Flying Blue that month. This means I only need to transfer 15,000 Chase Ultimate Reward Points to cover the flight.

Air France aircraft
A French plane in Paris. Sean Cudahy/Sean guy

Such transfer bonuses are one of the best ways to expand points. In this case, I saved nearly 4,000 points, and I could save nearly 4,000 points without the bonus.

Related: Current Credit Card Transfer Bonus

How many chase points do you need to fly to Europe?

The number of chasing ultimate reward points required to fly to Europe can vary significantly depending on the airline, travel date and reward availability. On the lower end, you may find one-way economic flights of about 15,000 to 20,000 points when using transfer partners, such as off-peak hours or transfer rewards.

At the high end, uninterrupted or last-minute economic flights can run over 40,000 miles in one-way, while business and first class require more.

The best strategy is to keep travel dates and routes, using tools like SEAT. Planning ahead and patience often pays off.

The chase point within Europe

I knew I wanted to visit at least four countries on this trip, so I started looking for short-haul flights within Europe. Use the seat again. I found the United Airlines Award again from Switzerland to Slovenia, with an economic range of just 6,000 miles.

Of course, this isn’t the most jaw-dropping redemption value in an hour of flight, but it adds another exciting destination to my trip and puts the trip entirely on points.

seat

Related: How I use the seat.

Flight from Rome to DC

For my return flight, I wanted something simple and straightforward. Manchester United received a savings-grade reward from Rome’s Fimicino Ledado da Vinci Airport (FCO) to Dulles International Airport (IAD) near DCE.

While this redemption doesn’t have the same shocking factor as my Paris flights, uninterrupted flights from Rome to the United States sometimes climb over 60,000 miles in the economy, especially during peak summers, so finding the fare to save is like a win.

Book hotels at Chase Point

Chase Ultimate Rewards points can keep hotels much cheaper, whether it’s overnight or longer. This is how I use them.

Easy points redemption airport stay in Zurich

After three days of hiking in Switzerland (and magical days) I needed a convenient place to stay before flying to Slovenia in the early morning.

Enter: Airport Hotel. Using Chase Points to transfer to Hyatt’s world, I booked 15,000 points in the Surrich Airport.

It wasn’t the most charming hotel redemption, but was able to walk from my room to my door without stress.

Related: Why the best point redemption is sometimes the most practical

Stayed in Florence, Italy for 3 nights, and your points increased

One of my best redemptions was staying at the Florence Hotel for three nights and the property had nearly $800 in cash. Thanks to Chase’s points in the travel portal, I booked over 49,000 points and charged.

To make this deal sweeter, I applied for a $50 credit line (provided by any sapphire-priority card holder for purchases made through Chase Travel in June 2025) Pay taxes and fees to save more cash.

The points increase, coupled with this honor, makes Florence feel like a real point win.

Chase

Related: Chase sends an extra $50 to some sapphire-favorite cardholders

How to use Chase’s point boost

Chase’s points boost allows you to get more from redemption when booking through Chase Travel. Point boosts can apply extra value to certain attributes instead of the fixed redemption rate associated with your card (such as 1.25 or 1.5 cents), which means you can lock in more nights in less time.

Related: Why Chase Points Improvement is an excellent new way to book hotels on points

Turn travel expenses into more points

Not every part of my trip is covered by reward bookings, so for things like Airbnb stays and car rentals, I turned to mine Chase Sapphire’s preferred card. These fees are not eligible for full points redemption, but they still earn 2 points per dollar of travel.

This means every dollar I pay for accommodation and transportation sets up my points balance for future adventures – turning the necessary expenses into my investment for my next trip.

PixelSeffect/Getty Images

Why Chasing Sapphire Like My Favorite Travel Cards More

this Chase Sapphire’s first choice Thanks to its per dollar travel and catering purchases, generous travel protection and a per dollar income rate without foreign transaction fees, it has become my favorite travel companion, ideal for international travel.

Whether I’m booking a flight, dining out or paying for a fee that cannot be fully covered, I’m still earning rewards. And have the flexibility to chase the flexibility of traveling or transferring to travel partners, I gained the greatest value.

Related: Why Chase Sapphire’s top pick should still be your first reward card

Bottom line

My trip was not entirely booked, but it would be impossible without these redemptions.

With just over 100,000 Chase Ultimate Reward Points, some strategic plans and some flexibility, I turned my dream European itinerary into reality. Hopefully these tips can help you do the same thing and unlock your own multinational adventures in Europe.

Related: 10 Best Ways to Use 100k Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

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