Which cards give the best redemption value?
56% FrequentMiler
35% Points with a Crew
9% Other
When it comes to getting the most out of your points, a few cards consistently stand out for their redemption value.
Top Travel Credit Cards
- Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a redemption value of 1.25 cents per point when booking travel through Chase Travel℠, and 1 cent per point for cash redemptions.
- The card also lets you transfer points to 13 travel partners, adding flexibility that can boost value beyond the base rate.
- American Express Gold, while part of the Membership Rewards ecosystem, generally provides lower redemption value for direct travel bookings compared to Chase’s 1.25‑cent rate.
High‑Value Transferable Points for Hotel Lodging
- Citi points transferred to I Prefer (Preferred Hotels & Resorts) deliver some of the highest cents‑per‑point values for hotel stays, often exceeding 2 cents per point in top redemptions.
- Chase Ultimate Rewards points also rank among the top transferable currencies for lodging, especially when used for Hyatt properties, though they typically fall short of Citi’s I Prefer performance.
- American Express Membership Rewards points are not among the top ten transferable options for hotel redemption value according to the cited analysis.
Points with a Crew Chase Sapphire Preferred® or American Express® Gold – Which Card Is Better?
KEY LINKS If you are starting the pursuit of points and miles, you might be looking for a card to get that gives you a good welcome offer, solid earning rates and benefits and perks that you can take advantage of. The Chase Sapphire Preferred and American Express Gold card are two cards that can fit that bill. I’ve had both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Amex Gold cards and so has my wife. The Preferred was one of the first credit cards I ever signed up for. I signed up for the Sapphire Preferred as well
FrequentMiler Which transferable credit card points are most valuable for lodging?
Transferable points like Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, and Amex Membership Rewards are, by and large, the most sought-after currency in points and miles. The primary reason for this is flexibility: rather than being tied to redemptions through a single loyalty program, such as United Mileage Plus or Hilton Honors, they can be transferred to and used for awards with many different airlines and hotel brands. This means you theoretically have a much larger menu of redemptions and, as a result, a much easier path to receiving outsized value for your points. However, although each transferable currency
Live and Let's Fly 2026: $11B+ in Hotel Points Outstanding, Why Devaluations Are Inevitable
Major hotel chains disclose more than $11bn in outstanding points liability. The chains want those points to devalue. You want them to hold value. Guess who’s winning. Marriott’s most recent annual report lists roughly $3.99 billion in deferred revenue tied to Bonvoy’s outstanding points liability. Hilton’s figure is approximately $2.91 billion. Wyndham Rewards sits at around $1.5 billion. The other major chains, IHG, Hyatt, Choice, Accor, add several billion more. Total unredeemed hotel points across the big public chains run north of $11 billion and the number grows every quarter. This is what your loyalty looks like on
FrequentMiler 100K Vacay is coming, the best card to protect your travel investment, pre-10/26 planning and more [Week in Review]
I’ve been running on low sleep all week, including a couple of nights with only about 2 hours of sleep. You could say that I’m in training for our upcoming Frequent Miler Team challenge, 100K Vacay. Those who know how I like to travel understand that I enjoy being on the move and don’t enjoy wasting time on sleep when there’s something better I could be doing (but fear not, I do love to sleep when I have the time!). My sleepless nights this week have been consumed by trying to plan the most epic 100K Vacay possible. This
FrequentMiler Best Cash Back Credit Card Offers
We’re usually all about earning points and miles. The games we play involves acquiring points & miles so that we can then travel as close to free as possible. That doesn’t mean that you turn up your nose at cash, however. You may have more travel rewards points than you can use for the foreseeable future or there may be travel costs you’re planning for that can only be paid with cash. You may be saving for a large purchase, retirement or a kid’s college fund. Towards any of those ends, credit card welcome offers, bank account bonuses, rewards