I've been in the points game for about 6 years now and if someone asked me to pick ONE currency to earn forever, it's Chase Ultimate Rewards without hesitation. Not Amex. Not Citi. Chase. And for Florida and Texas flyers specifically, the transfer partners line up perfectly with where you actually want to go.
Why Chase Wins for FL/TX Flyers
Chase points transfer 1:1 to United, Southwest, JetBlue, British Airways, Air France/KLM, Singapore Airlines, Hyatt, and more. That sounds like a generic list until you realize:
- United has hubs in IAH (Houston) and connects everywhere from FL
- Southwest dominates Florida and Texas domestic routes
- JetBlue flies Mint class from FLL to Europe
- British Airways Avios can book American Airlines flights from MIA and DFW
- Hyatt has properties all over the Caribbean and Mexico
That's basically every route a Florida or Texas flyer cares about, covered by one point currency.
Our Favorite Redemptions Right Now
Here's where our team is getting the best value from Chase points in 2026:
Domestic (via Southwest):
Transfer to Southwest Rapid Rewards for domestic flights. Particularly good for FL/TX routes because Southwest dominates. 8,000-15,000 points for one-way domestic flights. No blackout dates, no games.
Caribbean (via Hyatt):
Transfer to World of Hyatt for 5,000-8,000 points/night at all-inclusive resorts in Cancun, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic. The Hyatt Zilara and Ziva properties are incredible value at these point levels. They'd cost $400-$600/night in cash.
Europe (via British Airways):
Transfer to BA Avios and book American Airlines flights from MIA or DFW to London, Madrid, or Paris. Off-peak economy starts at 26,000 Avios round trip to Europe. That's wild.
Asia (via United):
Transfer to United MileagePlus for MCO or IAH to Tokyo at 55,000-70,000 miles round trip when saver availability exists.
The Cards Worth Having
- Chase Sapphire Preferred: 60k bonus, $95/year. Best starter card.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve: 60k bonus, $550/year. 3x on dining and travel, lounge access.
- Chase Ink Preferred (business): 100k bonus. Even if you have a side hustle, this works.
Combined earn rate across all three can hit 200,000+ points in the first year. That's multiple international trips.
The Trap to Avoid
Don't redeem Chase points through the Chase travel portal at 1.25 or 1.5 cents each. That's the lazy option. Transfers to partners consistently yield 2-4 cents per point. The portal is fine for simple domestic bookings but for anything international or premium, always transfer.
We include points deal alerts in our Premium Plus membership. we'll tell you when transfer bonuses happen (Chase occasionally offers 25-30% bonus transfers) and when award availability opens up on premium routes.
Sign up for Early Bird Air and start getting points-optimized deal alerts from your Florida or Texas airport.