CHASE POINTS
Ultimate Rewards Points can be used on almost anything in the Chase portal but you’ll get the best value out of travel redemptions. Depending on which Chase card you hold you’ll get a extra 25-50% of value out of your points. If you are considering booking a flight with Chase points on one of Chase’s travel partners I would advice you to check out how much the flight will cost you in miles when purchased through the partner’s site.
All point transfers with Chase carry a 1:1 ratio and must be made in increments of 1,000 points. Two partners that stick out are JetBlue and Southwest. American Express membership points carry a 4:5 ratio when transferring the to JetBlue points. Chase is the only bank out there that offers a point transfer to Southwest, which can be some of the best airline miles out there.
If you carry the Sapphire Preferred your points carry a value of 1.25 cents per point and if you carry the Sapphire Reserve your points are worth 1.50 cents each in Chase’s travel portal. I’d stay clear of transferring your Chase points to Avios and the hotel partners, except for Hyatt, as those points tend to carry a value of less then a penny a point.
BANK OF AMERICA POINTS
Bank of America Travel Points carry a hard $.01 per point value. You can only redeem these points for statement credit on travel purchases made with one of your Bank of America travel cards. These points are super straightforward to use and there isn’t even a dedicated travel portal on the Bank of America website.
If you click on your travel card in the Bank of America app or online portal it should show your points balance a little beneath your balance and spending tools. Once you click redeem Bank of America will show you the recent travel purchases you’ve made and how many points you can apply to receive a statement credit. My favorite way to use Bank of America points is on airbnbs.
AMERICAN EXPRESS POINTS
Amex doesn’t offer many bonuses for redeeming points in their travel portal. There is a small discount from time to time on American Airlines flights but generally you’re using points for an economy ticket and can find a ticket in basic economy for half the price if you book directly through the airline. The same goes for point redemption on hotels in the Amex travel portal.
You’ll have a hard time getting $.01 per point if you redeem your membership reward points for gift cards (although Olive Garden gift cards are a good value) or in the Amex travel portal. A huge bonus of the membership reward points is the transfer portal that Amex offers. Unlike Chase points, Amex offers promos every so often such as 3000 Hilton points for every 1000 membership reward points and 2000 Delta Skymiles for every 1000 membership reward points.
Point transfer is the best way to get the most out of your membership reward points especially if the transfer promotions align with your desired award travel program. Pay attention to those transfer promotions!
CITI THANKYOU POINTS
Get an extra 25% more value out of your ThankYou points when you redeem them for airfare at thankyou.com, but only if you have the Citi Premier card. ThankYou points seem to carry a stronger value when redeemed through thankyou.com then membership reward points when booking through amextravel.com especially when redeeming ThankYou points on hotels.
If you are working with the Citi Prestige you can redeem your ThankYou points at thankyou.com for a 3 night hotel stay and get the fourth night free at almost any hotel in the world. Citi offers point transfer to 17 different airlines for a 1:1 transfer in increments of 1,000 points. You won’t get as good of value out of transferring your ThankYou points as you would with Chase or Amex points.
Best way to use ThankYou Points is on airfare if you have the Citi Premier. If you have the Citi Prestige, which doesn’t include a 25% credit if you use your ThankYou points on airfare, use those points to take advantage of the fourth night free hotel benefit.
CAPITAL ONE POINTS
Similar to the Bank of America point redemption value but with more options. You can redeem miles in Capital One’s travel portal, transfer to partner airlines, redeem for statement credit on travel purchases and normal purchases (worst value capture), or redeem for gift cards. There is no added benefit for redeeming miles through the travel portal.
Transfer partners are limited and most carry a 2 capital one miles to 1.5 partner miles ratio with the exception of Emirates, Singapore, and Accor Live Limitless which carry a 2:1 ratio. The easiest redemption is by far the miles to statement credit on travel purchases. You’ll get a guaranteed $.01 for every point.
But you can create added value by looking for high end flights on Capital Ones travel partners. Can get your miles all the way up to $.014 each. Not all travel partners of Capital One offer instant transfer though so be wary of that when transferring miles.
US BANK ALTITUDE POINTS
Altitude points have a similar redemption style to Capital One and Bank of America. You can redeem your points for any statement credit but get 50% more out of your points when you redeem them for credit on travel purchases. With the option to redeem for any statement credit you are guaranteed $.01 per point.
Keep in mind that in order to redeem your points for a car rental charge it must be at least $250 and if you want to redeem points for a hotel charge it must be at least $500. Travel charges are by far the best way to use your Altitude points. You’ll get a 50% increase in value on your points when you redeem them on travel purchase upping your point value to $.015 per point.
Altitude points cannot be transferred to any partners.
WELLS FARGO POINTS
Points have a flat value of $.01 each. Must redeem in increments of $25 for a statement credit or $20 when redeemed at Wells Fargo ATMs. You have the option to redeem on the Wells Fargo Go Far Reward Portal for $.01 a point.
If you have the Wells Fargo Visa Signature card you can pool these points among other Wells Fargo cards so you can take advantage of the 50% more in value when redeeming points on airfare. No Wells Fargo cards carry an annual fee so if you’re going to get one you should get the other at least 6 months after to take advantage of the enhanced redemption benefits.
US BANK FLEX POINTS
Customer’s can redeem FlexPoints through the US Bank’s travel portal or as a statement credit for purchases. The US Bank travel portal is Orbitz affiliated and you’ll get the best value redeeming your points for flights through it.
One FlexPoint, when redeemed for airfare, can be worth as much as $.02. Unfortunately when redeeming for other travel (hotels, rental cars, etc) you will have to redeem FlexPoints for a statement credit dropping their value to a flat $ .01 per point.
DISCOVER MILES
Each mile is worth $.01. You can redeem them via a cash deposit into your linked bank account or a statement credit for a travel purchase made in the past 180 days. Travel purchases include the normal airfare and hotel but also taxis, commuter trains, car rentals, and more. There is no minimum amount required for redemption and there are no travel partners are ways to get more value out of your miles.