Which cards give the best redemption value?
72% FrequentMiler
22% Points with a Crew
6% Other
When you’re looking for the highest redemption value, the cards that stand out fall into two groups: cash‑back or points‑earning cards that excel on everyday spend, and transferable‑points cards that shine when you cherry‑pick premium hotel awards.
Cash‑back and points cards with the strongest per‑dollar value
- American Express Gold delivers about 6.2 cents per dollar on U.S. supermarket purchases. 🔗
- American Express Blue Cash Preferred offers roughly 6.0 cents per dollar back on the first $6 K of grocery spend each year. 🔗
- American Express Hilton cards (Surpass and Aspire) provide around 5.4 cents per dollar when the temporary 12× bonus is active. 🔗
- Citi Premier earns about 4.35 cents per dollar on groceries with its permanent 3× bonus. 🔗
- Marriott Bonvoy cards (Chase or Amex) give roughly 4.32 cents per dollar during the limited‑time 6× promotion.🔗
Transferable‑points cards that excel for hotel redemptions
- Citi’s “I Prefer” program (Preferred Hotels & Resorts) approaches 4 cents per point, breaking the 3‑cent barrier and delivering the highest cherry‑picked hotel value in the analysis. 🔗
- Marriott’s fifth‑night‑free benefit lifts its effective value to about 1.75 cents per point when you book a five‑night stay. 🔗
- Hilton points earned through Amex rise to roughly 1.58 cents per point under the same five‑night calculation. 🔗
- Hyatt‑linked cards (e.g., Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Business, Chase Ritz‑Carlton) provide about 1.74 cents per point for restaurant, airline and car‑rental spend.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve’s Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1.5 cents per point when redeemed through the Chase travel portal.🔗
General guidance on maximizing value
- Transferable points generally outperform cash‑back or statement‑credit redemptions, which range from 0.6 cents to 0.8 cents per point for statement credits and gift cards, and up to ~1.3 cents per point in travel portals. 🔗
- Prioritize cards with higher Reasonable Redemption Values (RRVs) for the categories you spend most in, then move points to transfer partners like Citi I Prefer or Hyatt for the biggest boost in hotel bookings.🔗
FrequentMiler 30%
12x Hilton vs 6x Marriott
A question that we have seen repeated in our Frequent Miler Insiders Facebook group, on our Frequent Miler Ask Us Anything live Youtube broadcast, and in blog comments has been which temporary grocery bonus to use, specifically between the 12x offered by the Hilton cards at US Supermarkets and the 6x being offered by Marriott cards at grocery stores, both through the end of July. While I’ve noted that I’m not picking one over the other but rather using both, a question in Frequent Miler Insiders the other day prompted me to think about this more from the perspective of
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FrequentMiler 35%
Which transferable credit card points are most valuable for lodging?
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Running with Miles 5%
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FrequentMiler 6%
Best credit cards for everyday spend (2025)
Which are the best cards for everyday spend? Many credit cards are great for spend within certain categories, but not great for spend everywhere else. For example, the American Express Gold card offers 4X Membership Rewards for US supermarkets and worldwide dining and 3x on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel. That’s great. But, I don’t recommend using the card for spend outside of those categories where it only earns 1 point per dollar. You can do better. Separately we posted: Best Category Bonuses: Which card to use where? There, you’ll find the best cards to
Miles for Family 1%
Can Southwest Rapid Rewards visa outrun Starwood American Express ?
I usually recommend that a regular family focuses on cash back for everyday spending. Yet as I mentioned in this post, there are instances when it can make sense to collect SPG points instead. But what about Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards card? I said that its usually not worth keeping past the bonus. How does it compare to Amex SPG, in case you have to pick which one of those 2 cards to renew and pay an annual fee? Assuming you can’t churn for whatever reason. I am a big fan of Southwest. IMO their points are quite valuable
Points with a Crew 22%
Mesa Homeowners Card Review – 50,000 points and tons of perks with no annual fee (Offer Ends Wednesday)
KEY LINK: Mesa Homeowners Card – 50,000 points after spending $12,000 in the first 3 months with code SEPT50. $0 annual fee. Offer expires October 15, 2025 Mesa’s new credit card aims to serve homeowners in a way few cards have: by rewarding your mortgage payments (yes, really). We have heard of a card that gives points for rent payments (Bilt) but this is really the first card that attempts to reward homeowners by giving points for mortgage payments. Mesa’s setup is unusual: you don’t literally charge your mortgage to the card. Instead, you tell Mesa how much