Why We Like It: The complimentary airport lounge access will come in handy since this card offers among
the highest point redemption values for airfare.
Not exact matches
Bottom Line: Sign - up bonus has relatively
high required spend, but
points carry very
high value for business class
redemptions
These
points are
valued higher by Chase than other competitors; basically, the end result is a 20 % discount on travel
redemptions.
Of course, if you prefer one of these
redemption options to the
higher value rewards, feel free to redeem your ThankYou ®
Points here.
Rather, a hotel
point redemption that is a relatively
high value will be around one cent per
point.
The
redemption value of using
points at Hyatt is very
high, but of course it's not necessary to stay at a 5 star hotel just to get a nice
redemption value.
Chase Sapphire
points accrue in the lucrative Ultimate Rewards program which you can transfer for
high value redemptions on United, British Airways, Korean Air, Hyatt and many more partners.
I usually advise my clients to aim for at least 3 cents per mile /
point in
redemption value for domestic tickets, and of course much
higher than that for international premium class tickets.
Because of the
high variability in their
value, the actual rewards rate for credit cards using ThankYou ®
Points may not be as lucrative if you're not willing to use them for their best
redemption options.
Redeeming JetBlue
points for the
highest value after earning them with this card is a little more challenging than on some other airlines, since there are no fixed -
value awards for flight
redemptions.
When you consider the sign - up bonus, annual 5,000 bonus
points, and 10 % bonus
points returned on
redemptions, there is no question of
value in the
higher tier card.
Of course, to get the
higher values you'll have to transfer your
points to one of the travel partners available in American Express, and then use those miles or
points for a loyalty
redemption.
Each
redemption in these categories offers the standard
redemption value of 1 cent per
point, with a
higher value in specific areas.
It competes favorably with other premium travel cards, and the generous rewards rate paired with the better
points redemption value more than justify the
high annual fee.
Both the Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Preferred let you transfer
points into travel partners at the same rate, and if you take advantage of travel
redemptions which have a
higher value than cash back you need to spend even less to get yourself even with the $ 55 a year.
However, a
redemption rate of 1 cent per
point is as
high as it gets, with many merchants offering an even lower
value.
However, if you transfer these
points to partners like United and Hyatt, you can earn
higher redemption value.
«You've got to keep an eye on where the
redemption value for your
points is
highest, and then only use your
points where your bang for buck is greatest,» says McCarthy.
For some of these programs, the
value can be as
high as 7 cents per
point depending on your
redemption!
It is possible to find
higher redemption rates for your
points, but in some cases (especially with lower cost flights or hotel nights), the 1.5 cents per
point value can be better than redeeming for an award directly through the airline or hotel programs.
Earning transferable
points with Ultimate Rewards is an ideal strategy to maximize the
high -
value redemptions in the MileagePlus program.
Rather, a hotel
point redemption that is a relatively
high value will be around one cent per
point.
However, a
redemption rate of 1 cent per
point is as
high as it gets, with many merchants offering an even lower
value.
If you have a specific
high -
value redemption planned, then it may be worth manufacturing spend at 5 HHonors
points per dollar.
These benefits include a 20 % discount off flights purchased through the travel portal plus the ability to transfer
points to your favorite loyalty programs, which is generally where the
highest value redemptions are earned.
Those
points are already worth 2 cents if redeemed for cash back, 2.5 cents if used for airline bookings using the Ultimate Rewards portal (these paid tickets also earn frequent flyer miles), or potentially much more than that if transferred to a loyalty program like United MileagePlus, Hyatt Gold Passport, or Amtrak Guest Rewards for a
high -
value redemption.
Opening up the
higher value redemptions takes the limited
points you've earned and instantly makes them more valuable.
These fees help offset the cost of
higher value redemption options, including transferring
points to airlines and hotels.
Higher levels of
redemptions can result in a better
value per
point.
Our mainstay for
high value hotel
redemptions — Hyatt — doesn't have a property on island, so this is a time when pay - with -
points points like ThankYou offer a better
value than the Marriott or IHG options.
But you'll get more bang for your buck if you redeem
points for gift cards and travel, which offer a
higher redemption value.
But the
value of
points is
high for most fares and across all fare levels, so most airfare
redemptions are a good
value.
If you
value Delta Skymiles at 1 cent each, you should
value your Starpoints at no less than 1.25 cents, which would make a Cash &
Points redemption a good deal for category 5 and 6 hotels during
high season.
Of course, to get the
higher values you'll have to transfer your
points to one of the travel partners available in American Express, and then use those miles or
points for a loyalty
redemption.
Redeeming JetBlue
points for the
highest value after earning them with this card is a little more challenging than on some other airlines, since there are no fixed -
value awards for flight
redemptions.
For example, you could earn 1.5
points per dollar on a Freedom Unlimited card and transfer them to a Sapphire Reserve account to take advantage of the
higher redemption value, but that would be identical to simply earning the
points at 1
point per dollar via unbonused spend on the Sapphire Reserve card in the first place.
Chase Sapphire
points accrue in the lucrative Ultimate Rewards program which you can transfer for
high value redemptions on United, British Airways, Korean Air, Hyatt and many more partners.
This allows you to use your
points at a much
higher value than other
redemption options.
For all of these deals we found dates where
redemption value was at least.55 cents per
point with some as
high as 2 + cents.
Points can be easily transferred to dozens of airlines, the value of these points is quite high for hotel redemptions (except for the most expensive properties), and status offers generous guaranteed benefits such as suite upgrades (with availability) and free brea
Points can be easily transferred to dozens of airlines, the
value of these
points is quite high for hotel redemptions (except for the most expensive properties), and status offers generous guaranteed benefits such as suite upgrades (with availability) and free brea
points is quite
high for hotel
redemptions (except for the most expensive properties), and status offers generous guaranteed benefits such as suite upgrades (with availability) and free breakfast.
Now, the
redemptions won't always amount to such
high value, but even at 2 cents per
point, you're still getting over $ 1,000 in
value from the sign - up bonus on this card.
Other flexible travel rewards cards might offer the
highest redemption value for plane tickets or a flat
redemption value of one penny ($ 0.01) per
point.
It competes favorably with other premium travel cards, and the generous rewards rate paired with the better
points redemption value more than justify the
high annual fee.
I
value World Of Hyatt
points higher than most of the other hotel loyalty
points on offer (I
value Starpoints
highest) and, thanks to generous category bonuses on the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Ink credit cards, I find it reasonably straightforward to gradually build up enough Ultimate Rewards
points for some very nice
redemptions.
On the other hand, if you're diligently keeping your flexible balances as low as possible, and especially if you're planning trips involving
high -
value Hyatt
redemptions (or if you have a Southwest companion pass), you may well find that buying up the Avios you need to complete a
redemption makes sense compared to transferring the
points in from Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Unless you are short on
points for a
high -
value redemption, I'd pass on this sale!
Some of the best include the following: United Airlines, which opens up access to the huge Star Alliance network of carriers; British Airways, offering great
value on short - haul nonstop flights due to their distance - based award chart; Korean Airlines, with amazing award availability in their first class cabins; and Hyatt, which is widely recognized as offering some of the
highest value point redemption opportunities of any hotel chain.
I
value Hyatt
points at 1.5 ct / p, so it's not a great deal and I'd only purchase them if you have a
high -
value redemption in mind!
In particular, the Chase Sapphire Reserve ℠ is a part of the popular Ultimate Rewards ®
points program, which many travel experts applaud for its
high -
value points and flexible
redemption options.
They are also one of the easiest
point currency to straight out buy — frequent promotions allow you to buy
points for 0.5 ct / pt, making it easy to top up your account for a
high -
value redemption!