Best U.S. Domestic Flights Point Systems

Southwest Rapid Rewards are one of those steady, significant reward systems that doesn’t get caught up in a lot of extravagance. While they do cover some international stops, their biggest presence is domestic. Their most attractive offering is the Southwest Companion Pass. Earning rewards is super easy with 5 different cards to choose from -- each with significant sign-up bonuses that contribute to your Companion Pass. Chase issues these cards, and there are rules regarding getting 2 of the same cards within a 24-month period (ex: 2 personal cards or 2 business cards), so you just need to be careful when applying. Once you get your Companion Pass, your loved one can travel with you for free (plus taxes). If you’re a solo traveler, Rapid Rewards is still a great domestic option. You still get great flights through their low fare calendar; you can book one-way or round trip; and you can book in segments. Basically, have a ton of different options. Once you book your flight, you can check in up to 2 bags for free; you can choose your seat; and if something goes wrong, you can change or cancel your flight up to 10 minutes before take-off and get your points and even your taxes reimbursed.

The list wouldn’t be complete without Ultimate Rewards. Here's why it's great for domestic flights. Some of the best domestic airlines are part of their transfer partners, including JetBlue, Southwest and United Airlines, all of which offer a plethora of different routes to get you from sea to shining sea. You can even book some awesome short-haul options with British Airways, which is distance-based, making bouncing around the states a great alternative for this London-based airline. You can also use British Airways to book American Airlines flights and take advantage of their web specials for crazy cheap flights. Or use Virgin Atlantic airlines to book a domestic Delta flight right through the Virgin Atlantic website. We love recommending any of the Chase cards that offer Ultimate Rewards as a sign-up bonus because they’re some of the most versatile, useful rewards available.

Amex Rewards are a wonderful alternative for flying domestic. With flexible rewards, you can use the “pay with points” option when booking through the membership travel portal. Or you can utilize some of the very diverse transfer partners. Delta is a direct Amex transfer partner based in the U.S., which is a good option because Delta offers a lot of direct routes. There are no close-in booking fees, and you can search and book your flights with ease on Delta.com. Air Canada and Singapore Airlines are great transfer alternatives because through these partners, you can actually book a domestic United flight. American Airlines is another one of those round-about bookings. You can transfer rewards to British Airways or Etihad and book AA flights. Alternatively, rewards can be transferred to JetBlue, but keep your eyes peeled for a promotional transfer ratio of 1:1 -- otherwise it’s not going to be worth it. There are a lot of different ways you can use your Amex membership rewards to travel within the U.S. And the best part about this is that it isn’t a Chase card, so you can still collect and use valuable points even if you’ve been tipping the rules.

Most people think “international” when they hear American Airline Miles. But they are actually quite exceptional for domestic flights, too. The miles are really easy to accumulate. And they’re part of OneWorld, so you can use miles to fly partner airlines, too. But we think the real gem is in their Economy Web Specials. Just to give you an idea, we’ve flown from New York to L.A. for 5,000 miles one-way economy, and from New York to Las Vegas for 15,000 miles one-way first-class. You should know that not all first-class seats are the same, especially when flying domestic. So for AA, you want to look for Flagship First seats on their Airbus A321T and Boeing 777-300ER. But if you’re simply interested in a good domestic seat that you can actually select the day before you travel (with an airline that has a solid reputation), then this is a great option for you. Plus, you can pool miles with friends and family, helping you accumulate points just that much faster.

TrueBlue points pack a lot of punch for domestic use. And who can argue with an airline that operates over 1,000 flights daily and serves over 100 domestic destinations? TrueBlue award redemptions start as low as 3,500 points, making them one of the more economical ways to fly domestic. All flights have free wi-fi, entertainment and snacks. And they boast more leg room in their economy seats than any domestic airline. Not too bad for points plus a flat $5.60 in taxes. Thankfully, they’ve kept their miles and points spending simple. Searching and booking through their website is super easy. And if you have friends and family who are JetBlue setters, you can pool points together for no extra fees, up to 7 people.

We like saving our Delta miles for international flights, but they can have some really inexpensive (points wise) business class options, especially if you are flying to one of their hubs.

If you are on the east coast, this probably isn't the system for you. But if you are on the west coast and fly frequently to an Alaska Air destination, this can be a great niche system to help your needs.

We would save these points for international flights unless you don't have any planned in the foreseeable future... then we'll begrudgingly add them to this list for you.