But you're going to get the most value
out of travel redemptions directly through the loyalty programs for award flights and stays.
Not exact matches
Therefore, if you are looking for greater spending freedom and more
redemption flexibility
out of your
travel rewards credit card, the AeroMexico Visa Card is not a good option.
For my short story collection, Paths Less
Traveled, my collection releasing today, Shots at
Redemption, or a host
of other amazing stories in just about every genre, please check
out Musa Publishing.
For my short story collections, Paths Less
Traveled and Shots at
Redemption, or a host
of other amazing stories in just about every genre, please check
out Musa Publishing.
Among premium
travel cards, check
out Chase Sapphire Reserve ($ 450 annual fee), with an initial bonus
of 50,000 points (worth $ 750 in
travel bookings through Chase) if you spend $ 4,000 in the first three months, and American Express's Platinum card ($ 550 annual fee), which offers 60,000 points (worth $ 600 in certain
travel redemptions) if you spend $ 5,000 in the first three months.
Despite its high annual fee, the Citi Prestige ® Card beats it with great rewards for
travel, dining
out and entertainment, as well as with good
redemption rate for
travel and list
of additional exclusive
travel benefits.
However, it is possible to squeeze extra value
out of the points through
travel redemptions.
Bottom Line: Despite not having a welcome bonus and having a very limited
redemption window, we believe the new Citi Costco credit card is still highly valuable --- especially on purchases
of gas,
travel, and dining
out.
Therefore, if you are looking for greater spending freedom and more
redemption flexibility
out of your
travel rewards credit card, the AeroMexico Visa Card is not a good option.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards ® (UR) points, which can be used for
travel booked through the UR website or by transferring points
out to one
of the many UR
travel partners, or used for non-
travel redemptions such as statement credits, merchandise, or exclusive events like concerts, dinners, or sporting events.
With a one cent per point value when redeeming for
travel and 5 percent back on those
redemptions, you can get a lot
out of this card quickly.
To get the most value
out of them, stick with
travel redemptions!
In the crowded luxury card space, as issuers push benefits and sign - up bonuses to the extreme to try to lure in wealthy cardholders, the new luxury card that Bank
of America has been touting for months has emerged — and it turns
out to be more
of a mid-level
travel card with simplified
redemption options, more appropriate for casual rewards card users.
With a one cent per point value when redeeming for
travel and 5 percent back on those
redemptions, you can get a lot
out of this card quickly.
If the latter was the case, it is possible to get even more value
out of the Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card by using points to purchase international
travel rewards, which are typically a much better value for points
redemption.
50,000 Ultimate Rewards points are worth $ 500 in cash or credit card statement credits (not my preferred
redemption method), $ 625 in
travel through the Ultimate Rewards
travel portal, or you can stretch
out the value
of your points by transferring them
out to one
of the many Ultimate Reward
travel partners.
Thanks to the card's 10 %
travel redemption bonus, if Mike applies the 37,300 miles needed to wipe
out the $ 373
of taxes and fees in their entirety, he'd immediately receive a rebate
of 3,730 miles good toward other
travel expenses in the future.
When the Sapphire Reserve came
out, the blogosphere went crazy about the ability to put an effective floor
of a 2.25 % return under Ultimate Rewards
travel redemptions.
Marriott Flight & Hotel packages (or Marriott
Travel Packages) can be a great use
of Marriott Rewards points... but they're not the always - amazing
redemption some make them
out to be.
Some people prefer making value
redemptions to maximize on luxury (like spending miles
travelling business class), while others simply want to increase their
travel frequency and reduce
out of pocket expenses.
If you
travel enough, though, the Ink Business Preferred will be more lucrative since you'll be able to squeeze more value
out of your points through
travel redemptions.
I recommend reading this
Travel Is Free post about Asia Miles to learn some
of the ins and
outs of the program as well as some
of the better
redemptions.
I believe that part
of most airlines game plan for award
redemption is to intentionally make award
travel difficult to book in order to discourage travelers from getting the most
out of their miles.
To find
out more about some other great Flying Blue
redemptions, check
out this article by
Travel is Free for a thorough review
of the program.
For more on
redemptions, check
out the following article from one
of my favorite blogs,
Travel is Free, to get a sense
of the locations
of different Hilton hotels around the world and their corresponding categories.
Summary: IF you look for deals, you plan on
travelling and will be using the card to book flights and are smart about how you plan
out your miles
redemption (i.e. you take advantage
of special mile offers, both in ticket
redemption AND for bonuses when you book with your card), miles credit cards can offer you the best return.
British Airways Avios are some
of the most valuable miles
out there for their «sweet spot»
redemptions on short - haul flights on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, so they make up an essential part
of any well - rounded
travel rewards strategy.
Therefore, if you are looking for greater spending freedom and more
redemption flexibility
out of your
travel rewards credit card, the AeroMexico Visa Card is not a good option.
Using various tips and tricks while searching for award
travel saved me loads
of time and I really try to squeeze as much value
out of my award
redemptions as possible.
Keep in mind that since I know many
of the tips and tricks in searching for award
travel and I know how to extract as much value
out of my
redemption options, I can find award
travel relatively quickly.
To figure
out which program is best for you, consider your typical
travel patterns and compare how each one would perform in terms
of mileage and status earned, as well as
redemption options.
We reached
out to the following
travel rewards experts for their advice on choosing a
travel card, maximizing rewards, and making the most
of points or miles at
redemption.
In general,
travel redemptions are the best use
of Citi ThankYou points, and — if you want to squeeze the most value
out of your points — redeeming them for airfare through the Citi ThankYou portal is your best bet.
Now, to be fair, not all
travel is going to work
out — certainly some
of the really great
redemptions (like Los Angeles to Seattle all in one zone) will no longer be as great.
You couldn't even swim in Red Dead
Redemption but a glimpse
of a character
out on the open water in a kayak in the trailer for the sequel has people wondering if you'll be able to
travel across water or maybe even swim this time around.