What’s the best use of my points?
44% Points Miles and Bling
23% FrequentMiler
33% Other
The highest‑value way to spend points usually comes from redeeming them for travel‑related purchases, though the exact best option can differ by program.
BMO Rewards
- Travel gives the strongest return at 150 points = $1, or about 0.67 cents per point Points Miles and Bling .
- Gift cards or merchandise can be decent if you wait for a 15 % discount and aim for at least 0.5 cents per point, but they’re still below travel value Points Miles and Bling .
- Statement credit is the least efficient, delivering only half the travel rate (15 000 points = $50) and should be avoided Points Miles and Bling .
Aeroplan
- Using the hotel promotion (10 000 points back on a 50 000‑point spend) creates a 20 % rebate and a cash‑price conversion of roughly 2.3 cents per point, which the author rates as “worth it” Points Miles and Bling .
- Past promos (15 000 points back on 60 000‑point spends) offered an even larger 25 % rebate, making hotel redemptions especially valuable when combined with HotelSavers and a free 4th night Points Miles and Bling .
Air Miles / Blue Rewards
- Gift‑card redemptions provide the best fixed value at about 10.5 cents per point, while travel redemptions typically fall below 10 cents per point and are less attractive Points Miles and Bling .
Scotiabank Scene+
- Points are most valuable when used for travel charged directly to the card, delivering a flat 1 cent per point as a statement‑credit offset Points Miles and Bling .
Rove Miles
- Redeeming for hotel stays yields roughly 1.3 – 1.5 cents per point, which is higher than many other uses and also earns hotel points and elite status credit View from the Wing .
Wells Fargo Rewards
- The preferred redemption is to transfer to Choice Hotels at a 1:2 ratio, which is the best available transfer option compared with other partners Travel with Grant .
Choice Privileges
- Stays at Choice properties start at 6 000 points per night, but the program’s strongest value comes from occasional gift‑card promotions (8 000 points for a $50 card, doubling the usual rate) FrequentMiler .
- Regular gift‑card redemptions (8 000 points for $25) are low‑value (≈0.31 cents per point) and generally not recommended.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- While points can be moved to Virgin Red for cruises, hotels, and other experiences, the program’s history of sudden devaluations makes it a riskier choice for high‑value redemptions FrequentMiler .
Bottom line: For most programs, travel redemptions deliver the highest cent‑per‑point value, but specific promotions—like Aeroplan hotel rebates, Rove Miles hotel stays, or Air Miles gift cards—can outshine travel in certain cases. Choose the option that offers the greatest cents‑per‑point return for your particular points balance.
How to Redeem BMO Rewards for Max Value
BMO has an entire ecosystem of credit cards dedicated to earning BMO Rewards, its in-house points currency. The earn rates across BMO’s credit cards are strong, so let’s take a look at how to redeem BMO Rewards for maximum value. Lucky for those of us who earn points to travel, the best use case for BMO Rewards is redeeming directly for travel. The redemption rate is 150 points = $1 or 0.67 cents per point (CPP). BMO retired its in-house travel portal back in August 2022, which was great news. The redemption rate for travel stayed the same
Should You Use Aeroplan Points for Hotels Instead of Flights?
While we talk extensively about how to use Aeroplan to book premium cabin flights, we have yet to discuss an alternative redemption: redeem Aeroplan for hotel stays. It doesn’t immediately come to mind when redeeming points, but it is a growing redemption category for Aeroplan. Let’s look at how much value you can extract and whether it’s actually worth redeeming Aeroplan points for accommodation. Put simply, it’s redeeming your Aeroplan points for a hotel stay through the Aeroplan portal. Aeroplan makes it pretty simple: you can pay entirely with points, entirely with cash, or split the cost 50/50.
Redeeming Wells Fargo Rewards Points: My Plan of Attack
Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday! This morning, I was looking at my Wells Fargo account and trying to decide what my long-term strategy (aka my plan of attack) should be for my stash of 62,320 Wells Fargo Rewards Points. If you were a former Bilt Card 1.0 member, then there is a good chance your card was converted to the no annual fee Wells Fargo Autograph Credit Card. I also currently have the $95 annual fee Here are the bonus categories for the Wells Fargo Autograph: Here are the bonus categories for the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey:
The Killer Wyndham Rewards Redemption Right in Front of You
Wyndham’s loyalty program annoys me more than any other. But it does just enough to keep the wife and me hanging around. The program ranked #6 out of 8 in my Noncents Hotel Loyalty Program Rankings, and it would probably go down a slot if I could just get approved for a Best Western credit card. (Who saw that proclamation coming?) My wife and I definitely won’t be earning any more Wyndham points (more on that in a future article), but we still have a considerable amount rattling around in our accounts. We’ll continue redeeming them for what we consider
Air Miles Moves to Expedia for Travel, But Redemptions Still Disappoint
Air Miles is transitioning to Blue Rewards this summer, and the biggest question revolves around redemptions. We know 95 Air Miles is worth $10, equivalent to 10.5¢ per mile, when redeeming in-store or for gift cards. However, what will redemption rates be like when redeeming for travel? The new Air Miles travel portal powered by Expedia is live, so let’s take a look for some clues. In this article, we’ll continue using Air Miles, since that’s the currency name today. However, the transition to Blue Rewards is simple: 95 Air Miles = 1,500 Blue Points, with the $10 value
Rove Miles May Have The Best Hotel Trick In Points — Burn Miles, Earn Hotel Points And Elite Credit
Rove Miles is worth paying attention to. The program lets you earn points for booking travel and for online shopping. Their earn rates are often at top of market. They’ll even award points for prepaid hotel bookings right away (rather than waiting until you stay), so you can use the points for airfare on the same trip. And they offer rewards on direct book hotels as well, where you earn hotel loyalty credit in addition to Rove Miles. Rove has a 50% transfer bonus to their new partner Japan Airlines through March 31. And I set myself a calendar
No FX Fees + 3X Abroad: Why Scotiabank Passport Wins
In Scotiabank’s suite of cards that earn Scene+ points, all are actually very powerful in their own right, but the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege and the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite still manage to stand out in a few key ways. Let’s take a quick glance at the welcome offers and card perks before diving into why these two are my go-to credit cards for spending abroad. I’ve held both in the past and will switch between them depending on my travel needs. If you apply by April 30, 2026, the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Privilege is offering
Choice Privileges Complete Guide (2026)
Choice Privileges is the loyalty program of Choice Hotels International, Inc. and incorporates more than 20 different hotel brands and ~7,500 properties worldwide. Historically, it’s tended to fly under the radar as far as hotel loyalty programs go, with a key reason for that being that elite status benefits aren’t very robust compared to those available through other hotel programs. However, Choice Privileges did improve somewhat in early 2026 following a revamp of the program which added a number of new benefits, Milestone Rewards, and more. Many of Choice’s hotel brands and properties also aren’t what you’d class
30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club from Citi ThankYou Rewards
Over the weekend, a Citi ThankYou Rewards transfer bonus launched for cardmembers transferring points from the Citi Strata Elite, Strata Premier, Prestige, or AT&T Access moe card to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Through April 18, 2026, Citi is offering a 30% transfer bonus when transferring points to Virgin. While that’s not quite as generous as the last couple of 40% transfer bonuses that we’ve seen from other transferable points systems, this bonus nonetheless means that economy class award tickets to London start at just 4,700 Citi points (which is more than enough for a 6,000-mile Virgin award ticket from the