Those miles can be used for award
redemptions on that airline as well as any partner airlines.
There are numerous sweet spots in these programs, and I will research and write more on how to optimize
redemptions on these airlines.
Both the Citi ThankYou Premier card and the Platinum card from American Express allow
redemptions on any airline, while the Delta and Alaska cards limit redemptions to their respective airlines and their partners.
First off, each of the co-branded airline cards can only be used for flight
redemptions on that airline.
Not exact matches
Premier holders get a 25 percent bump
on redemptions for cash fare travel, while Prestige card holders can use their points for any
airline at a 1.33 cent value per point.
The other TrueBlue
redemption options include magazine subscriptions as well as points
redemption towards flights
on Hawaiian
Airlines.
The advantage of a regular, non co-branded card is that you can redeem your rewards
on any
airline, any hotel brand, or any other travel expense — and there won't be blackout dates or other restrictions
on redemption.
However, these can change depending
on the
redemption, and United
airlines award travel value depends
on the person.
Additionally, the first class and business class experiences
on partner
airlines (with low fuel surcharges) make United MileagePlus miles some of the best
redemptions out there.
It's great to have choices when it comes to
redemption options, so having the ability to transfer miles earned
on your card to
airline partners is positive in that respect.
From the east coast, using American AAdvantage miles during their off - peak timeframe is still a solid
redemption but, if you have a lot of SPG Starpoints, considering transferring them to JAL Mileage Bank to book the same flight
on American
Airlines for 39,000 miles.
With a meaty sign - up bonus, solid reward rate of 2x points per dollar
on travel and dining, and flexibility in
redemption through the Ultimate Rewards portal, the Chase Sapphire Preferred has established itself as one of the best credit card options not only for
airline ticket purchases but all things travel.
When comparing
airline cards, keep an eye
on the fine print for restrictive
redemption policies, stingy rewards, or miles with a low
redemption value.
Remember that when you use your SkyMiles towards flights
on Delta or any of their partner
airlines the
redemption values can vary.
Unfortunately, Delta Air Lines does not publish an award chart, and instead provides the
redemption rate based
on a number of factors that the
airline decides.
As you can see, Flying Blue requires 5,000 more miles to fly Delta than Korean Air SkyPass, but it has the same
redemption rate for award flights
on Alaska
Airlines.
You can redeem your Points for tickets
on most major
airlines by calling our Rewards
Redemption Center at 1-866-960-7975 or online at the Travel Rewards section of this website.
> Value: Award travel starts at just 20,000 FlexPoints (up to a $ 400 ticket value)
on over 150
airlines with no blackout dates or
redemption fees.
Here are some sample
redemption rates that include either flights
on Qantas or American
Airlines (not both):
Double miles
on restaurants and gas and the
redemption bonus are nice, but other large
airlines pony up benefits this card does not.
Airlines are changing their frequent flier programs in other ways as well: American
Airlines AAL, -0.57 % changed its rewards structure in April (for travel beginning in June) so that for about half the year it will increase its
redemption rate to 30,000 miles, up from the previous 25,000 miles, and
on the busiest days will charge 50,000 miles; however, during less busy times, it will lower the rate to 20,000 miles.
Is there another way to check award seats availability
on One World partner
airlines for
redemption through AA?
Maximize credit card rewards miles
redemption with partner
airlines —
On most award charts you will find «sweet spots» where a particular award is priced very competitively and offers a better value.
In true
airline fashion, there are multiple «
redemption levels,» depending
on the type of security hole you find.
Redeem your miles for travel
on any
airline or at any hotel at the
Redemption Center.
You'll get the best
redemption value for the miles earned with your United MileagePlus Club card for award tickets
on United
Airlines and its
airline partners.
The vast majority of world
airlines have frequent flyer programs, and while they differ widely, each of their
redemption schemes is based
on one of the three underlying principles: region - based, distance - based or revenue - based.
Another great option is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card which allows you to transfer Ultimate Rewards points to both Southwest and United — covering your bases
on both the budget
airline and the fixed price
redemption front.
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.
Unfortunately, these programs are difficult to use for
redemption on partner
airlines, and there are no advantages to using them anyway since their award charts are quite stingy.
The $ 120 travel credit can not be used towards
airline redemptions on the Flight Rewards Chart.
Unlike most other
airlines, Southwest award flight
redemptions are based
on the cost of the ticket in most cases.
While the Sun Country
Airlines Visa is the only card above that requires
redemptions through a specific
airline, those who spend and fly
on Sun Country can find value in having the card.
Unfortunately, the
redemption rate will drop to 1.25 cents per point, no matter the
airline,
on July 23, 2017, which will reduce the value of the sign - up bonus to $ 500.
And oddly enough, the needlessly complicated 5 - tier Delta award chart (which of course doesn't actually exist, wink, wink) means that when lowest - level
redemptions aren't available
on any
airline and you're considering a more expensive award, Delta may actually be cheaper than the others thanks to all their intermediate award tiers.
With ANA Mileage Club, you will find the best
redemption rates for economy class and business class to Australia
on United
Airlines.
These aren't the best premium cabin
redemptions out there, especially if you are looking to connect
on to a further destination (since British Airways charges separately for all flights), but it's not a bad option if you want to experience Japan
Airlines or American
Airlines business or first class.
The following chart is applicable for
redemptions on Etihad Airways, Singapore
Airlines, Air New Zealand (New Zealand domestic and long - haul services only), SilkAir, Airberlin, Hawaiian
Airlines, and South African Airways.
If you're short
on Amex points for a particular
redemption, consider an
airline partner that has multiple transferable point options.
The distance - based award chart can be great for short - haul flights and sweet - spot
redemptions on partner
airlines.
While the Sun Country
Airlines Visa is the only card above that requires
redemptions through a specific
airline, those who spend and fly
on Sun Country can find value in having the card.
Out of the cheapest options for
redemption on this route, you probably have the best chance of finding first class availability with British Airways and Alaska
Airlines.
The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card unfortunately falls short
on its
airline lounge offering, but it does feature an extensive list of luxury benefits and an excellent rewards program that includes a generous travel credit, a bonus
on travel purchases and a 50 percent boost in point value for travel
redemptions.
Another great
redemption option is for first class saver awards
on partner
airlines.
Taxes, fees, and carrier charges apply
on British Airways and its oneworld partner
airlines redemption flights and upgrades.
In this case, using a bank card that allows you to buy a ticket
on virtually any
airline using points — such as a Capital One Venture or a Barclaycard Arrival card — is going to make less sense than it might in other situations, because the airfares are relatively high this time of year, and
redemption levels for flights
on in those cards» programs are based
on the dollar price of the flight.
If the
airline thinks it can sell those seats for cash, it's much less likely to release the seats for cheap mileage
redemptions — making award space extremely limited
on the most popular travel dates.
Their LifeMiles program has been known in the past for having some amazing sweet spot
redemptions, especially
on partner
airlines.
Redeem your miles for travel
on any
airline or at any hotel at the
Redemption Center.
The
airline's distance - based domestic awards allows for some excellent
redemptions on short hops
on Air India.