Bank cards
with flexible points programs seem to be gaining steam and are adding more perks all the time.
Not exact matches
With that said, here are our estimates for what miles and
points in major U.S. airline and hotel
programs are worth for travelers willing to be
flexible when making a redemption.
A credit card that does more than the basics is becoming a must - have for a lot of people, and
with this product, you can look forward to a
flexible rewards
program, a lot of opportunities to earn bonus
points and no annual fee.
With programs changing their partners and transfer rates at different times throughout the year, it can be difficult to know what your best
flexible point transfer options are at any one time.
Chase's rewards
program is likely the most
flexible one in existence,
with options to redeem your
points for travel, merchandise and cash back.
The Chase Ultimate Rewards
program is one of the most
flexible with many ways to redeem your
points.
Ideal for smaller businesses and frequent fliers, the Blue Business Plus card stands out from the competition by offering a solid 2 -
point bonus on every purchase, a
flexible credit limit and a transfer
program that lets you pool your rewards
with other travel loyalty
programs.
This will be easiest to do
with miles or
points you've earned in the airline
program through a co-branded airline credit card or transferred from a
flexible rewards
program directly to the airline.
Also, consider «
flexible»
points, such as through SPG — which allow you to transfer miles to almost any airline
program on a 1:1 basis
with a 5,000 bonus for every 20,000 miles transferred.
While Starwood Preferred Guest
points are very
flexible and can be transferred to over 30 different frequent flyer
programs, the miles and
points you earn
with Delta and Hilton are much more restricted.
The Membership Rewards
points you earn
with the American Express Premier Reward Gold card can be transferred to 17 frequent flyer
programs, making it the second most
flexible award
program.
You can avoid this fee, If your spouse has
points with a
flexible rewards
program (Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest) that allows transfer to the frequent flyer
program of your interest.
Flying Blue doesn't partner
with only Chase so you can also pool
points from other programs because the frequent flyer program actually partners with all major flexible point programs, including American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points and Starwood Preferred
points from other
programs because the frequent flyer
program actually partners
with all major
flexible point programs, including American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou
Points and Starwood Preferred
Points and Starwood Preferred Guest.
«The new structure of iPrefer extends the undeniable value of frequent stay
programs to independent hotels worldwide, allowing them to better compete
with hard brands by incentivizing travellers
with points, status, and a
flexible redemption process,» said Lindsey Ueberroth, President of Preferred Hotel Group.
Amex Membership Rewards is the most
flexible among rewards
programs with transferable
points.
* Ability to earn Hertz Gold Plus Rewards ™
Points, Hertz's free membership rewards
program that provides a wide range of
flexible rewards including
Points that never expire, «AnyDay» reward options
with no blackouts, easy online redemption, and international
point accrual.
You can earn more Outdoor Rewards
with the Pro Shops credit card, but you could use another cashback card that offers more
flexible rewards and earn
points in both
programs instead.
Hilton has announced 45 major changes to its rewards
program, starting
with a name change from HHonors to Honors, the chance to pool
points among family and friends, a
flexible «Slider» to use cash and
points at all their hotels, the chance to use Honors
points at Amazon and the ability to keep your Diamond membership in a year of less travel!
See related: Making the most of
flexible travel rewards
programs, Saving on a spa getaway
with credit card
points
Because if you look at the other
flexible points programs,
with the exception of the never - ending devaluations by Delta (who basically don't even want a loyalty
program anymore), no one else has suffered the kind of massive devaluation at the heart of their
program that United, Southwest, British Airways, and Amtrak have inflicted on Ultimate Rewards.
It's a bit of a stretch to compare this
program with the others in this list but the SPG airline transfer feature has always effectively made it a
flexible point program.
You could, then, double dip by earning
points through Torrid's loyalty
program while simultaneously earning cash back
with a different and more
flexible credit card.
That leaves Hyatt, which is still somewhat valuable if you're a Hyatt fan and can use their limited footprint in your travels, and also British Airways and Singapore Air, both of whom are partners
with multiple
flexible points programs.
Or, for those of you short on American Airlines miles, SPG is the only
flexible points program with American as a transfer partner.
Why We Like It: Starpoints ® are valuable and quite
flexible, meaning this hotel - branded card is good for a lot more than just earning free hotel stays — like free flights since you can redeem your
points with more than 150 airlines or transfer your
points directly to one of about 30 frequent flyer
programs (transfer 20,000 Starpoints ® and receive 5,000 bonus
points).
Points from all 3
flexible travel
programs transfer to British Airways and Chase also offers its own credit card (British Airways Visa Signature Card)
with a good sign up bonus.
Bank
points programs are more
flexible — you can combine
points with your spouse in Chase Ultimate Rewards or Citi ThankYou
points (but not Amex Membership Rewards).
Generally, you earn more
points with flexible reward
programs than
with airline branded credit cards.
That's true whether you want a card that's part of a
flexible program with transferable
points or if you're interested in a co-branded airline card.