Which cards give the best redemption value?
56% FrequentMiler
20% Live and Let's Fly
24% Other
The cards that tend to deliver the highest cent‑per‑point or cent‑per‑mile redemption values are:
Top‑value cards
- Starwood Preferred Guest American Express – points are valued at about 5 ¢ / point in the author’s experience Live and Let’s Fly .
- Avianca/Taca Life Miles Visa (US Bank) – the author values the miles at roughly 3.65 ¢ / mile Live and Let’s Fly .
High‑value transferable‑points cards (≈ 2 ¢ or more)
- Amex Membership Rewards (Business Platinum) – about 1.5 ¢ / point (and up to 2 ¢ / point with the Centurion card) FrequentMiler .
- Chase Ultimate Rewards – up to 2 ¢ / point when redeemed through Chase Travel℠ with a Sapphire Reserve, and up to 1.75 ¢ / point with Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred FrequentMiler FrequentMiler .
- US Bank Altitude Reserve – automatically 1.5 ¢ / point for travel booked through the US Bank portal FrequentMiler .
Solid mid‑range cards (≈ 1.2 – 1.5 ¢ / point or mile)
- Bilt Rewards / Bilt Mastercard – about 1.25 ¢ / point when booking travel through its portal FrequentMiler FrequentMiler .
- Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite – roughly 1.25 ¢ / point for flight bookings FrequentMiler .
- Capital One Venture Rewards – baseline 1 ¢ / mile (the author personally values them at 1.5 ¢ / mile, and industry estimates range up to 2 ¢ / mile or higher for premium cabin transfers) Traveling for Miles Boarding Area .
Summary of relative values
| Card / Program | Approx. Value (¢ per point/mile) |
|---|---|
| Starwood Preferred Guest (Amex) | 5.0 |
| Avianca/Taca Life Miles (US Bank) | 3.65 |
| Amex Membership Rewards (Centurion) | up to 2.0 |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards (Sapphire Reserve) | up to 2.0 |
| US Bank Altitude Reserve | 1.5 |
| Amex Membership Rewards (Business Platinum) | 1.5 |
| Bilt Rewards / Bilt Mastercard | 1.25 |
| Bank of America Premium Rewards | 1.25 |
| Capital One Venture Rewards | 1.0 – 2.0 (typical 1.0) |
Cards that reach the 5 ¢ / point or 3.65 ¢ / mile marks provide the best redemption value, while the other programs offer solid value in the 1.25 ¢ – 2 ¢ range depending on how you redeem them.
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