Chase Ultimate Rewards is our most valued point system.

• These points are the most flexible of any credit card points. You can book travel items directly through the Chase portal, including cruise, car rental, or speciality hotel. (Or transfer points to their partners).
• The quality of their transfer partners (Hyatt, United & Southwest) is unmatched. As is the value you can get when you transfer.
• You can get a “multiplier effect” (either 1.5x or 1.25x) on your Chase Ultimate Rewards points when you have either of Chase’s Sapphire cards.
• We view Ultimate Rewards as the points “savings account” to top off a partner reward system for a flight or hotel. Or to book travel items directly through the Chase travel portal.

Hyatt is our favorite hotel point system.

• The value of their points is exceptional.
• The quality of the hotels is consistently high.
• There’s no nickel-and-diming cardholders. As a Hyatt cardholder, you’re instantly a VIP
• They’re a part of our top partner rewards system (Chase Ultimate Rewards) , making top offs from Chase, both easy and a good value.
• The only downside of Hyatt is they have fewer locations than Hilton, Marriott, or IHG, so smaller or international cities may not have one.

Southwest airlines carries the most passengers in North America.

• Their points are among the easiest to earn, plus they have solid value.
• They’re partnered with Chase Ultimate Rewards, our favorite point partner ecosystem.
• Southwest’s boarding is polarizing (though it is updating to reserved seating in early 2026)
• Southwest Rapid Rewards aren’t the most glamorous, but they’re the utility points that just work.

American Airlines is a great utility point system.

• Points are relatively easy to collect, though we don’t love the bank partners or transfer options as much.
• We love direct flights, and American can be a good option for finding those with points.

Amex points are great in theory. We just find them harder to collect and more expensive to hold than Chase points.

• If you’re in the points game long enough, you’ll dabble in both main systems (Chase & Amex).
• Amex has a one card bonus per lifetime rule, so ultimately, there will be more of a limit to how many you can collect via sign-up bonuses. Plus you’ll need to keep a “fee” card to hold them.
• Delta and Hilton are solid transfer values and having Amex points gives you top-off flexibility if you are invested in either of those systems.
• We do find Amex travel a higher quality of service over the Chase travel portal.

United is our favorite point system for international flights, especially for business class.

• United has ample cards for collecting large sums of points.
• International business class seats can be found for as low as 120,000 points.
• They’re a partner in our favorite rewards system, making top offs from Chase Ultimate Rewards both easy and a good value.
• United is also a decent option for domestic flights and standard international fares, but we generally use Southwest, American or Delta for those.
• We save our United points for those long international flights where business class is a difference maker.

Capital One is a flexible point system that we like to reserve for items other systems don't cover

• Car Rentals, cruises, and vacation home rentals top our list of uses for Capital One Miles
• Partner transfers are more niche than mainstream
• Points are so similar to cash that they can be less satisfying for the hobbyist
• Capital One is particularly attractive to businesses with large spends

Delta is a good point system for both domestic and international flights.

• Delta offers many cards making initial collection relatively easy. But Amex’s “one bonus per card per lifetime” limits that ability over time.
• Delta is part of the Amex partner reward system and is a decent transfer value.
• We save Delta points for specific flights, perhaps direct domestic or best value international.
• We use easier-to-collect point systems such as Southwest and American ahead of Delta.

IHG is our “utility” hotel points system. If you just need a night or two, and aren’t looking for glitz and glamor, IHG points go a long way.

• The IHG brand consists mostly of Holiday Inns. So they are in nearly every small town or international city you might want to stay. We use it as the Hyatt’s “not there” filler.
• The generous sign-up bonuses (especially if you wait for a special offer) will cover 6-8 nights per card.
• IHG is part of the Chase partner rewards system, but the transfer value is poor, so we don’t recommend transferring anything more than a few thousand points to top off your balance for a stay.

JetBlue is particularly attractive if you live in New York City and it’s a convenient hub to your frequent destinations.

• More limited routes that all run through one hub make it a less attractive utility airline option than American or Southwest.
• Points are relatively easy to collect with good transfer options and a nice airline. We just hate layovers.

Their poor points redemption value leaves Bonvoy near the bottom of our rankings.

• There are multiple cards with great point transfer options. In theory, this is good.
• Finding a solid value for a Marriott stay is a challenge. A one night stay at desirable destinations can match the number of points from one card bonus.
• Values can be found, and points don’t expire, so it isn’t a terrible system. It just doesn’t have the usefulness of many of the other hotel systems.

Quality hotels but points go fast with high per night point cost.

• Amex’s one-card-per-lifetime rule makes it difficult to accrue Hilton points using Hilton cards exclusively.
• Hilton is part of the Amex partner reward system and at 2:1 is a decent transfer value.
• Hilton has high quality hotels and excellent coverage both in the US and internationally.
• We recommend this system as more of a filler. Either as a specific destination or an upscale IHG when no Hyatt stays are available.

Wyndham is towards the bottom of our hotel points list. It’s not a good utility point system to just hold points.

• Questionable room quality and cleanliness.
• Their points expire – even when you’re a cardholder.
• Difficulty in collecting points for more than a few stays.
• If you love a specific Wyndham hotel (including resorts), getting a card might be worth it.