International Airfare Points Rankings

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 is moving to reserved seating in early 2026 and now charges for bags, two features that once made them unique.
• Southwest Rapid Rewards aren’t the most glamorous, but they’re the utility points that just work.

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.

Aer Lingus uses Avios, a flexible and easy-to-use rewards currency.

• You can transfer Avios freely between all airlines that use them — British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, Qatar, Vueling, and Loganair.
• Aer Lingus miles offer the best value on flights between the U.S. and Ireland.
• Use Aer Lingus on similar routes to British Airways to avoid high surcharges on award bookings.
• They partner with American Express, Bilt, Chase, and Wells Fargo, making it easy to top off your balance.
• A limited route network and fewer premium cabin options are the main drawbacks.

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.

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.

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

Iberia Plus offers the best option when using Avios for business class between the U.S. and Europe.

• Using Avios as its currency adds flexibility since you can transfer Avios between all seven airlines that use them.
• Taxes, fees, and surcharges are often lower than what you’ll see when booking similar routes through British Airways.
• Iberia partners with Amex, Bilt, Chase, and Wells Fargo, making top-ups easy.
• Award availability can be limited, and partner redemptions may come with higher surcharges and the inability to cancel or change your ticket.

JAL Mileage Bank is ranked as a top airline in the world, but earning miles can be difficult.

• Premium cabin redemptions to Japan are among the cheapest compared to most other airline programs.
• Japan Airlines uses a distance based award chart for all flights, both on its own metal and with partners.
• There can be great value on oneworld partner awards, especially in premium cabins.
• Partner transfer options are improving with Bilt and Capital One.
• Availability for award flights opens 360 days in advance.
• Expect high surcharges on some partner award bookings.

Finnair is one of seven airlines that use Avios as their currency.

• Earning Avios lets you transfer freely between Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Qatar, Vueling, and Loganair.
• You can find strong value on flights between Europe and Asia or when connecting from the U.S. to Europe to Asia.
• Finnair is useful for booking partner flights on Alaska or American to Hawaii.
• Downsides include no co-branded U.S. credit card and only Capital One as a transfer partner.

LATAM Pass is best for travel to and from South America.

• LATAM has solid coverage throughout South America and much of Latin America.
• You can often find good deals from the U.S. to South America.
• Lack of transfer partners makes earning miles harder, with no major credit card transfer options and only two weak co-branded cards.
• Award prices fluctuate wildly, and partner awards don’t always align with the published award chart.

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

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands is geared towards premium class passengers:

• You can find excellent redemptions on business class flights to Asia.
• EVA is part of Star Alliance, giving members access to partners like United, Air Canada, ANA, and Singapore Airlines.
• Lack of co-branded cards and only a couple of credit card transfer partners hurts its popularity.
• The award booking process can be frustrating and tedious, especially for multiple passengers.

TAP Portugal is a decent program for Star Alliance flights to Europe:

• The best redemption is business class between the U.S. and Europe
• Partner award availability is not great, and better value is often found with other Star Alliance airlines
• There is only one co-branded credit card to earn miles with
• They only partner with Bilt, Capital One, and Marriott for transferable miles

Aeromexico Rewards is an alternative SkyTeam option with good potential

• It is the SkyTeam program with the strongest coverage across Mexico and Central and South America
• They have award charts, but only a limited amount of reward tickets are priced this way
• Aeromexico has strong transfer partners but no co-branded credit cards available to U.S. customers
• Partner sweet spots can be found but are not bookable online (you must call to book)
• You can use points to pay for extras like seats and bags

Bank of America Travel Rewards is a low tier program in the points and miles hobby:

• There are one or two cards worth getting, but only in the right situations
• Having an existing relationship with the bank or needing a break from the big credit card issuers are the main reasons you might want to get into this system
• Redeeming rewards is simple and straightforward, but you’ll only earn 1 cent per point at best
• Many cards only offer cash back rewards
• Its lack of any transfer partners puts this system near the bottom of our rankings

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

Since Loganair adopted Avios as its currency, it should be on your radar:

• It shares the same currency as British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, Finnair, Qatar, and Vueling
• You can transfer Avios easily between all seven airlines
• All redemptions on Loganair are a flat 6500 Avios, no matter the distance of the flight
• A valuable program for frequent flyers within Scotland and the U.K.