Credit Card Points Rankings

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.

Citi points have limited utility; we don’t generally collect them without a clear use in mind

• Choice Hotels and niche airline partners are the best transfer values.
• If you need to take a break from Chase, already have the top Cap One cards, and Amex isn’t offering elevated SUBs, only then should you consider a Citi card.
• Only the Strata Premier card is worth the trouble as it’s the only Citi card with transferable miles and a 60-80k point SUB
• Points are flexible with a breadth of airline partners, some exclusive to Citi (like Avianca, Cathay Pacific, Turkish, and Singapore, amongst others)

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.
• You’ll need to keep a “fee” card to hold your points.
• 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.

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.

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.
• Rewards flights start at 7500 miles each way.
• You can use AA miles to travel with eligible Oneworld partner airlines worldwide.

Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines have some great sweet spots, but understanding their award charts is key.

• A key factor in their value is whether either airline flies from your home airport.
• Alaska often has the best pricing available for international business class. Using an award search tool will help maximize.
• Their award chart also allows for some great finds on short-haul domestic flights.
• The one downfall of the program is that only Bilt and Marriott are transfer partners, making collecting points or topping up more difficult
• One-way award tickets with a stopover allows you to visit two destinations for the price of 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.

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.

Capital One is a flexible point system we use for travel items that other systems don't cover

• Partner transfers are niche airlines and hotel brands, making the points more difficult to maximize
• Using an award search tool such as PointsYeah makes finding flights with those airlines more realistic
• Simple redemptions for erasing travel can be useful for cruises & rental cars (value isn’t maximized)
• Capital One is particularly attractive to businesses with large spending

Bilt Rewards are quickly becoming valuable in the points and miles world, but only if you’re a renter.

• Earn up to 100,000 points in rewards from your monthly rent payments by putting it on the Bilt Mastercard
• There is no annual fee or extra charge for doing this as Bilt acts as an intermediary and sends a check if your landlord doesn’t accept credit cards or charges a fee for using one
• You can then cash those points in for high value redemptions
• Bilt has an impressive array of transfer partners that rivals Chase and American Express, so you can turn that rent payment into free airfare and/or hotel stays pretty easily

United is a solid option 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.

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.

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, which are in nearly every small town or international city you might want to stay. We use it as the Hyatt’s “not there” filler.
• There are also several luxury hotels part of IHG’s umbrella, and while redemptions can be high, there is plenty of variety in IHG properties
• 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 IHG redemptions can be very high, so this isn't usually a great transfer option except for topping off.

If you live in the United States, Air Canada is a complicated alternative to United Airlines, though better value can be found.

• Similar to United, you can access Star Alliance international flights through Air Canada, but sometimes at lowerr point totals
• You cannot book flights between two U.S. cities
• Air Canada can be useful for international flights that naturally route through Canada.
• Aeroplan allows up to two stopovers per flight for 5,000 points each

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, but they can be frustrating to find, so it isn’t a terrible system. It just doesn’t have the usefulness of many of the other hotel systems.

We don’t recommend actively collecting Flying Blue points, but their monthly Promo Rewards are worth monitoring

• They are partners with all major point systems, making it easy to jump on a Promo Reward or top off
• You can transfer Flying Blue Rewards to all SkyTeam partner airlines
• Flying Blue offers free stopovers to Paris or Amsterdam to maximize your point redemption
• United is still our go-to for international flights, but Flying Blue Rewards offer competitive redemptions on long haul flights

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 1:2 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.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club can offer solid value, but only in specific cases.

• Virgin adds fuel surcharges to many awards, especially on its own metal and transatlantic routes.
• ANA Business Class roundtrips between the U.S. and Japan are among the cheapest in points — but require round-trip bookings and can be hard to find.
• You can transfer points from Amex, Chase, Citi, Capital One, and Bilt, which makes miles easy to earn.

The greatest value when using Avios for rewards travel is the ability to transfer them to one of their many partners

• American Airlines is only a transfer partner of Citi, but you can use Avios to book an AA flight, even a domestic one in the US through a partner that uses Avios
• By tapping into their extensive transfer partner network, you can avoid BA’s hefty surcharges, which is the program’s biggest pain point
• Using Avios for short haul flights, anywhere in the world BA or a partner flies, offers tremendous value with its distance based award chart
• The British Airways Club partners with Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, and Wells Fargo, adding to the value of the program

Avianca LifeMiles has good value, especially for international premium cabin flights.

• LifeMiles often has the lowest business class pricing to Europe and Asia
  
• Domestic short-haul flights also have some sweet spots, as does travel between the U.S. and South America
• Flexible dates and using an award tool will be key to finding these hidden gems
• Transfers from Amex, Citi, Capital One, and Bilt make LifeMiles easy to accumulate.

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.

KrisFlyer is best used when booking Singapore Airlines’ own premium cabins, including Suites.

• U.S. to Asia in business or first can be solid value, especially if you book early.
• Short-haul flights in Asia can be excellent value with low surcharges.
• A stopover on round-trip awards adds flexibility for just a small fee.
• You can transfer points from Amex, Chase, Citi, or Capital One, often instantly.

There are no credit card transfer partners for Miles and More, making it a program we rarely recommend

• While Miles and More miles are difficult to earn, they can be redeemed on Lufthansa or any of its 40 partner airlines
• Fuel surcharges on Lufthansa are amongst the highest of airline loyalty programs
• If you have Miles and More miles, they are best used on United or Air Canada flights within North America or flights within Europe
• You cannot even search award availability unless you have at least 7000 miles in your account

Miles&Smiles has some solid value, but the booking process can be clunky.

• One of the best uses is long-haul domestic U.S. flights on United for 10,00 miles one-way.
• Business class to Europe on Turkish is a solid deal at 45,000 miles, though fuel surcharges apply.
• Partner awards often require manual booking by phone or email, and the online search tool is unreliable.
• Miles&Smiles transfers from Bilt, Capital One, and Citi, but transfers are not instant and can take a few days.

The U.S. Bank Loyalty System is a fixed-value travel program with limited upside.

• Points redeem at 1.5 cents each toward travel when booked through their portal with certain cards (this is being changed to 1 cent per point on the Altitude Reserve on December 15, 2025).
• U.S. Bank does not currently have transfer partners, but they announced the Altitude Reserve will have some starting in December, 2025 (they have not announced who)
• U.S. Bank points work fine for people who want a simple rebate toward flights, but it’s not a strategic program for maximizing travel value.

Wells Fargo Rewards should only be considered when you've exhausted Chase, Amex, or Capital One

• One unique feature of Wells Fargo Rewards is that they can be transferred or gifted to another Wells Fargo customer
• The Autograph cards are the only cards with transferable miles to partners
• Wells Fargo doesn’t have the same robust list of transfer partners as other Rewards programs like Chase or Amex
• But there is still value to be had, like transferring to Flying Blue and redeeming miles for one of their monthly Promo Rewards

Asia Miles has value, but it's more complex than most programs.

• You can book partners like American and British Airways, but partner awards can be tough to find online.
• Fuel surcharges apply on many carriers, especially British Airways and Cathay itself.
• Award pricing is distance-based, not region-based, which makes it harder to plan optimal redemptions.
• Transfers from Amex, Citi, Capital One, and Bilt make miles easy to earn, but transfers can take 1–2 days.

Etihad Guest is mostly valuable for partner redemptions, but they’ve become harder to use.

• Etihad has separate award charts for each partner, with good value on select sweet spots like Royal Air Maroc and Air Serbia.
• Many of the best deals — like U.S. to Japan on ANA — must be booked by phone and often involve long hold times.
• This program can be useful for niche redemptions but is not user-friendly for casual travelers.
• Transfers from Amex, Citi, Capital One, and Marriott, but not all are instant.
• Etihad flights themselves tend to have high surcharges and inconsistent availability.

Qatar now uses Avios, which makes it flexible — but not always cheap.

• QSuites redemptions (especially U.S. to Doha) can offer solid value, particularly during transfer bonuses.
• However, Qatar charges high surcharges, sometimes adding $500+ to business class redemptions.
• Award pricing is segment-based, which makes long itineraries expensive.
• Transfers from Amex, Citi, Capital One, Chase, and Bilt, with near-instant transfer speeds.
• Not bad for one-off premium redemptions, but fees and pricing structure limit day-to-day usefulness.

The Discover It Miles program is straightforward and easy, but the lack of significant welcome offers makes this a poor program to invest in

• Discover does not offer transferable miles either, making the program even less valuable
• You can only open one Discover card in 12 months, which significantly limits your ability to collect miles
• The best way to use Discover It Miles for travel is by using them to cover any travel purchase made in the last 180 days

High fees and inflated partner pricing reduce Qantas points appeal.

• Best value is typically on domestic Australian flights or select short-haul Oneworld routes.
• Points pricing is distance-based, and business class awards are generally expensive, especially to/from the U.S.
• Booking American Airlines or British Airways flights often comes with massive fuel surcharges.
• Transfers from Amex, Citi, Capital One, and Bilt are available, but Qantas is rarely the best use of those points.

Barclay Arrival Miles died out over time due to poor competitiveness and lack of flexibility.