Which cards give the best redemption value?
79% FrequentMiler
15% Traveling for Miles
6% Other
Here’s a look at the cards that deliver the highest redemption value based on the data we have.
Top Cash‑Back and Points‑Per‑Dollar Rates
- Amex Gold earns 4× Membership Rewards points on groceries, which at a 1.55 cents per point reasonable redemption value works out to about 6.2 cents per dollar.
- Amex Blue Cash Preferred offers 6 % cash back on grocery spend, equating to 6.0 cents per dollar.
- Amex Hilton cards (Surpass and Aspire) provide 12× Hilton points through July 31, and with a 0.45 cents per point valuation that translates to 5.4 cents per dollar.
- Citi Premier’s permanent 3× grocery bonus, valued at 1.45 cents per point, yields 4.35 cents per dollar.
- Marriott Bonvoy cards (Chase or Amex) give 6× points on grocery spend, valued at 0.72 cents per point, for 4.32 cents per dollar.
Transferable Points Programs with Highest Per‑Point Value
- Citi points transferred to I Prefer (Preferred Hotels & Resorts) achieve a near‑4 cents per point value in the top 10 % of redemptions, making them the best‑valued transferable option.
- Chase Ultimate Rewards points also rank among the highest, though they fall short of the I Prefer ceiling, still delivering strong value above 1 cent per point.
- Capital One Venture earns 2 miles per dollar; with each mile worth about 1 cent, the effective rate is 2 cents per dollar.
Other Notable High‑Value Cards
- The Blue Business Plus Card from American Express provides 2× Membership Rewards points on all purchases (up to $50 K), which at a 1.55 cents per point valuation equals 3.1 cents per dollar.
- Hyatt‑focused cards can deliver 1.74 cents per point when redeeming Hyatt points, a relatively high value among hotel programs.
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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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Other links to products and travel providers on this website will earn Traveling For Miles a commission that helps contribute to the running of the site. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Terms apply to all credit card welcome offers, earning rates and benefits and some credit card benefits will require enrollment. For more details please see the disclosures found at the bottom of every page. There are increasingly more and more credit cards that don’t charge foreign transaction fees
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