Flexible points currencies like Chase Ultimate Rewards offer more protection against airline and hotel award program changes.
Avianca LifeMiles can be a cheaper way to book Star Alliance award flights and help you save other
flexible points currencies for future redemptions.
Three different
flexible points currencies transfer to Asia Miles: American Express Membership Rewards, Citi Thank You, and Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints.
Unfortunately, unlike some other
flexible points currencies, transfers from SPG points to miles are not instantaneous so there is a risk the award you would like to book will be gone by the time the transfer goes through.
First, though, think about what other
flexible points currencies you earn.
It's also worth noting, in addition to the value that each program offers, Singapore Airlines and Flying Blue (Air France / KLM) are transfer partners for all 4
flexible points currencies.
Last week I promised that I would bring you the second part of my three - part series on the downsides of
flexible points currencies.
Most travel hackers take advantage of the loyalty programs of foreign airlines through
flexible points currencies, like transfers of Chase Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways Executive Club Avios, American Express Membership Rewards points to Singapore KrisFlyer, or Citi ThankYou points to Air France KLM Flying Blue.
Despite a lot of moaning and groaning (including by me) about bad award availability the opportunities are absolutely still there if you have
flexible points currencies, and persistence.
In this case, you should look at cards that offer more
flexible points currencies and / or cash back.
Long considered one of the most valuable and
flexible points currencies, miles and points enthusiasts are always happy to earn more of these!
In this case, you should look at cards that offer more
flexible points currencies and / or cash back.
In the rewards card world, they are known as a «
flexible points currency» — meaning you can redeem points for a variety of options, including travel, merchandise, gift cards and cash back.
They lack
a flexible point currency that ties their travel partners together.
Love
the flexible points currency feature it offers.
Chase Ultimate Rewards are the best all around
flexible point currency.
Similar to transferring points to airline partners in other
flexible point currencies like Amex Membership Rewards, you'll need to select the transfer partner and enter your loyalty program membership details.
Bottomline, if you want to earn
a flexible points currency that you can transfer to different partners, rather than earning points with one specific partner, and are a big spender, the Chase Sapphire is a strong option.
Starpoints are incredible versatile, and are probably my favorite all - around
flexible points currency.
There are also
no flexible point currencies that convert into Air Algerie.
Like the Reserve card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is an Ultimate Rewards card, and Ultimate Rewards cards, as mentioned above, have the most
flexible point currency.
Not exact matches
Not only is it easy to earn lots of Ultimate Reward
points with the combination of the Chase Sapphire Preferred ®, Ink Plus, and Chase Freedom, this
flexible rewards
currency is very easy to use and can get you anywhere on your travel bucket list.
-- Starwood
Points, or Starpoints that can be earned through the Starwood Hotel's Preferred Guest Program are a very valuable and
flexible award
currency for travelers.
While the fixed - rate cards offer the ultimate in flexibility because you can use
points for whatever travel you want, the
flexible currency cards can offer substantially more value if you're shrewd when you redeem.
Ultimate Rewards
points are one of the most
flexible and valuable rewards
currencies on the planet.
Citibank deserves kudos for working hard to improve their program, even though I wrote a takedown of it a few months ago as part of my series on the downsides of
flexible reward
currencies (see «Just How Terrible Are Citi ThankYou
Points?
In fact, I already covered a lot of the negatives of Starpoints in my series last year on the downsides of all the
flexible loyalty
currencies (see «Wait, Maybe SPG Starpoints Are The Worst
Points Ever «-RRB- and I don't want to repeat myself here, even though that would make things super easy and I would be able get back to my primary task of waiting impatiently for football season to start.
These category bonuses and
flexible redemptions really make Chase Ultimate Rewards the go - to
points currency when you need to book with Southwest.
Like other
flexible currencies, ThankYou
points can also be redeemed directly for airfare instead of transferring them to partners.
Chase Ultimate Rewards
points are one of our favorite rewards program
currencies, for a combination of reasons: Ultimate Rewards
points are far more valuable than the average rewards
point, you have many options for racking up bonus
points — including several credit cards that offer generous sign - up bonuses and a diverse array of bonus categories — and your redemption options are extremely
flexible.
And taking the analysis even further, is it ever worth transferring a
flexible bank
currency to a hotel chain like Hilton or Marriott or IHG when their
points are usually worth less than 1 cent each at best?
Not only is it easy to earn lots of Ultimate Reward
points with the combination of the Chase Sapphire Preferred ®, Ink Plus, and Chase Freedom, this
flexible rewards
currency is very easy to use and can get you anywhere on your travel bucket list.
Remember, if you're transferring from one of your
flexible mileage
currencies, you're giving up the possibility of using those
points on a potentially much more valuable international premium cabin redemption.
I loved this option as it meant that I could keep the
points for this booking in the form of Ultimate Rewards
points (a very
flexible currency) until I was 100 % sure that we wouldn't be cancelling the reservation.
It also helps maximize the value of your
points relative to a less
flexible rewards
currency.
Now the 40,000 miles are neither airlines miles or hotel
points but they are what I call «
flexible currency» or simply cash that can be redeemed for any sort of travel expense such as hotels, airline fees, baggage charges and many more.
From the desk of the Devil's Advocate... Today we continue our three - part series on the downsides of the major
flexible miles
currencies — Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership... [Read more...] about Wait, Maybe SPG Starpoints Are the Worst
Points Ever
Membership Rewards
points are a valuable and
flexible currency.
Conventional Wisdomers in the
points and miles community universally sing the praises of the three major
flexible miles
currencies — Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Starpoints.
Both of these cards earn Ultimate Rewards
points, a valuable
points currency that is extremely
flexible when you are looking to redeem them.
Citi ThankYou
points transfer over to a good number of other loyalty programs (including Singapore Airlines) and they're a good,
flexible currency to collect.
Amex Membership Reward (MR)
points are one of the highly valued
flexible currency in the
points and miles world.
Points earned through the Starwood Hotel's SPG loyalty program are a very valuable and
flexible award
currency for travelers.
When it comes to cards that will help you travel, 50,000
points of
flexible mileage
currency can go a long way.
Which option is best for you depends on what frequent flyer
currency or
flexible bank
points you have.
Even with
flexible currencies, you'll often have redemptions worth closer to 2 - 3 cents per
point unless you're doing nothing but traveling internationally in business class (and I agree there are some people like that, but not most people).
Since monetizing these
points will yield a maximum value of 1 cent per
point, you'll probably be best - served earning these
flexible currencies with the intention of redeeming them for flights through their airline transfer partners.
«Just because some partners have devalued doesn't make Ultimate Rewards
points less valuable relative to other
flexible currencies.»
The Chase Freedom card has an advantage in terms of paying out a
flexible rewards
currency (either cash back or Ultimate Rewards
points, if you also have a Sapphire Preferred or Ink Plus card).
Secondly, you may ultimately decide to close or downgrade a card if you feel it's not worth the annual fee, but may want to keep the
points in the
flexible Ultimate Reward
currency.