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

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.

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.

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.

• Car Rentals, cruises, and vacation home rentals top our list of uses for Capital One Miles
• Partner transfers are niche airlines and hotel brands, making the points less attractive
• Point redemptions are so similar to cash that they can be less satisfying for the hobbyist
• Capital One is particularly attractive to businesses with large spends

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.

Alaska Airlines has a niche rewards program best suited for people on the West Coast or planning trips to Alaska or Hawaii.

• The key factor in their value is whether the airline flies from your home airport.
• No major bank points transfer directly to Alaska, but you can go through Amex: transfer to Hawaiian Airlines first, then to Alaska.
  
• One-way award tickets with a stopover allows you to visit two destinations for the price of one.

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

• 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)

If you live in the United States, Air Canada is a complicated alternative to United Airlines.

• Similar to United, you can access Star Alliance international flights through Air Canada, but generally at higher 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

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

• American Airlines isn’t a transfer partner of any major credit card rewards program, but you can use Avios to book an AA flight, even a domestic one in the US
• 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
• Executive Club partners with Chase and Amex, adding to the value of the program
  
  

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

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.

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

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

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