Amex Membership Rewards vs Ultimate Rewards [2021]

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Amex Membership Rewards vs Ultimate Rewards — which program is better and offers more value?

This is a very difficult question to answer because there are so many variables that go into the answer and many of them depend on your personal preferences.

Below, I will break down the different areas of comparison and highlight the differences between these two programs.

Eligibility concerns

One of the biggest concerns you should be thinking about is the eligibility strategy to earn lots of Amex Membership Rewards or Ultimate Rewards.

All Chase cards are subject to the Chase 5/24 rule which generally means you should prioritize getting approved for Chase cards first. So most people should seek to earn lots of Ultimate Rewards first.

Failing to do this could result in you being unable to earn Ultimate Rewards for quite a while.

Chase also limits you to one Sapphire bonus per 48 month period. (Getting a Sapphire card is the primary way to earn lots of Ultimate Rewards with personal credit cards.)

This usually means you want to go after the Sapphire card with the higher bonus first and then look into potential upgrade/downgrade possibilities.

The big eligibility concern with American Express is the “once per lifetime rule” which states that you can only earn a welcome bonus once per lifetime.

In reality, people are able to earn a bonus a second time after waiting several years (~5 years) after closing a card but that is not always guaranteed.

This means that you want to focus on earning the best welcome bonuses for American Express cards. Basically, you just don’t want to settle for mediocre bonuses because you may not have a second shot at it.

Tip: You can use the mobile app WalletFlo to automate the calculations for all of your credit card eligibility questions.

Earning options

The earning options can be divided up into earning points via: 1) welcome bonuses, 2) bonus spend categories, 3) shopping portals/offers, and 4) referral offers.

When it comes to welcome bonuses I give the edge to American Express but when it comes to earning points with your spend I give the edge to Chase.

I’ll explain why below.

Welcome bonuses

One major advantage that American Express has over Chase is that they offer more opportunities to earn points (in this case Amex Membership Rewards).

Membership Rewards earning cards that stand out include the:

American Express also has a stout lineup of business cards which include the Business Platinum Card and Business Gold Card.

By pursuing a few of these cards you could easily earn 300,000 to 400,000 Membership Rewards pretty quickly.

With Chase, it is a little harder harder to accumulate points (Ultimate Rewards) via bonuses because there are only a couple of personal cards to choose from.

Typically, you will have to choose between the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Chase Sapphire Preferred and you are forced to wait 48 months between getting a bonus for those cards.

You could add on a Chase Freedom Flex and the Chase Freedom Unlimited but the bonuses are often relatively low for those cards.

The good news is that Chase has a solid lineup of small business credit cards.

If you can get on board with cards like the Chase Ink Business Preferred, Chase Ink Unlimited, and Chase Ink Business Cash, you can still come away with tons of Ultimate Rewards.

With Chase, it would be much harder to get to around 300,000+ points on average which is one disadvantage compared to American Express.

Bonus spend categories

You can earn a lot of points with your bonus spend with both American Express and Chase cards.

I would probably give the edge to Chase here because of the potential to earn points with no annual fee cards.

If you were to get the “Chase Trifecta” your earnings could look like this:

  • Sapphire Preferred: 2X on dining and travel
  • Freedom Unlimited: 1.5 X on all purchases + 3X on dining, drug stores, and 5X on Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel portal
  • Freedom Flex: 5X on rotating categories + 3X on dining, drug stores, and 5X on Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel portal

Considering that you can earn those bonus categories while only paying one ($95) annual fee, that is pretty strong.

But you could even sweeten up the deal by getting a business card like the Chase Ink Business Cash which earns 5X at office supply stores, cable, Internet, and phone bills in addition to 2X on dining and gas (spending caps apply of $25,000).

Once again, the Chase Ink Business Cash has no annual fee so the earning-to-fee ratio with Chase is extremely hard to beat.

American Express also offers some fantastic earning opportunities. In fact, they offer some of the highest rates for key categories.

I am a huge fan of earning points with the Amex Gold Card which earns 4X on dining and US supermarkets (up to $25K/year) as well as 3X on airfare.

The Green Card is also a pretty great earner with 3X on dining and travel, similar to the Sapphire Reserve (but with a much lower annual fee).

And finally, the Platinum Card comes in strong on airfare by earning a whopping 5X (it also earns 5X on pre-paid hotels booked through Amex Travel).

Across the board these are very high bonus earning rates that are some of the best you will find out of any credit cards.

The drawback with American Express is that if you start stacking bonus earning opportunities with their best cards you will start racking up big annual fee costs.

For example, the three cards above would cost you over $900 in annual fees!

Most of these annual fees can be offset by utilizing the perks that come with the cards but that is not the case for everybody. So for that reason I think Chase is the winner here — it’s just easier to get more bang for your buck.

Shopping portals

Chase has one advantage over American Express with its shopping portal which allows you to earn additional Ultimate Rewards when you make purchases online.

American Express lacks a shopping portal but they do have Amex Offers. These offers will often save you money but they also can sometimes help you earn additional Membership Rewards. (Chase has a similar offers program but it’s not as developed.)

Referral offers

Both of these programs will allow you to earn points by referring your family and friends to your cards. But American Express has a more robust referral system.

For one, some major cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve have not seen referrals for a while. Second, the referral amounts that you can earn by referring your friends may be much higher with American Express.

Recently, American Express allowed card members of the Platinum and Gold Cards to earn 30,000 points per referral which is pretty insane.

If you think that you will have people who will gladly use your links to apply for cards then you might want to consider American Express which will likely be more rewarding in that regard.

Related: Amex Refer A Friend: How to Get Links (Offers, Bonuses) 

Redemption options

I’ll talk about transfer partner possibilities below but first I will hit on the different types of redemption possibilities.

Cash back

You can always redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards for at least one cent per point which allows all of the Chase cards that earn Ultimate Rewards to become cashback cards (if desired).

For people who don’t travel a lot or have unpredictable travel plans, this cashback option is a huge advantage for Chase.

Chase also has a major leg up because of the Chase Travel Portal. In the Chase Travel Portal, you can redeem your points for increased bonus rates if you have a premium card like the Sapphire Preferred or the Sapphire Reserve.

The Sapphire Preferred can redeem points towards travel at a rate of 1.25 cents per point while the Sapphire Reserve can redeem points toward travel at a rate of 1.5 cents per point.

Being able to redeem your points for 1.5 cents per point is a huge advantage because it allows you to get respectable value for your points for various travel expenses including flights, hotels, etc.

In a number of cases that will offer you better value than transferring your points.

Meanwhile, American Express does not have great all-around redemption possibilities.

If you were to redeem your points for a statement credit you would only get .6 cents per point which is just not great at all.

Note that there have been targeted offers allowing customers to redeem at higher rates. Also, if you have the Platinum Card Schwab version you can cash out your points at 1.25 cents per point.

If you were to utilize your points for hotel stays, rental cars, or cruises via Amex Travel the redemption rate is also pretty abysmal — only .7 cents per point.

The only somewhat decent redemption rate through Amex Travel is for flights which go for one cent per point for standard Amex cards which still is not exceptional.

The exception is if you have a Business Gold Card or a Business Platinum Card and you can take advantage of the airline bonus.

The Business Gold Card will give you a 25% bonus while the Business Platinum Card will give you a 35% bonus which comes out to 1.54 cents per point.

That is a really solid rate for flights but you are limited to select airlines for economy flights (you can get a bonus on any airline for premium cabins).

So overall I would definitely give the nod to Chase when it comes to better options for redeeming points outside of travel partners. American Express still has some great opportunities but they are a bit limited depending on the type of cards you have.

Transfer partners

When it comes to determining the better or more valuable transfer partners this really comes down to personal preference and or geographic location for a lot of people.

Personal preference will affect things like your preference for certain types of airlines, patience for dealing with booking procedures, etc.

Some people don’t mind missing out on super lucrative sweet spots because they find the booking process too time-consuming or difficult.

Geographic location often means considering your nearby airline hubs or proximity to desired destinations (e.g., East Coast to Europe, West Coast to Hawaii, etc.).

For example, if you live in Houston, Chase offers one to one transfer opportunities to both United and Southwest — two airlines that have a huge presence in Houston.

That makes is really convenient to use your points and for that reason, it makes a lot of sense to accumulate Ultimate Rewards for your travels.

Before jumping into who has the stronger partners it’s worth pointing out that both of these programs have a number of overlapping partners.

Not only that but these partners can be phenomenal travel partners with great premium products and experiences.

Here are the transfer partners that belong to both American Express and Chase:

Note: All Chase partners transfer at a 1:1 ratio but that is not the case with Amex.

  • Air Canada Aeroplan (coming to Chase late 2021)
  • Air France/KLM flying blue
  • Emirates
  • JetBlue (Amex ratio 2.5:2)
  • British Airways
  • Aer Lingus
  • Iberia
  • Singapore Airlines
  • Virgin Atlantic
  • Marriott Bonvoy

That is a lot of overlap and so it is pretty easy to build a large balance with these programs since you can optimize earnings across multiple cards with both both American Express and Chase.

Citibank and Capital One also partner with some of these as well.

Now let’s look at the unique travel partners of Chase:

  • Southwest
  • United Airlines
  • Hyatt
  • IHG

Being able to transfer to Southwest and United Airlines is definitely a major advantage for Chase especially if you live near airports that service those airlines heavily.

One area where Chase definitely shines with transfer partners is when it comes to hotel stays.

It’s extremely hard to beat the value that Hyatt offers when compared to other hotel transfer partners like IHG, Hilton, and Marriott.

So if you like to cover your hotel stays with points and still get great value, Ultimate Rewards is going to be a better option for you.

But now let’s take a look to see what unique transfer partners American Express has:

(All ratios are one to one unless indicated otherwise.)

  • Aeromexico (1:1.6)
  • Alitalia
  • ANA
  • Avianca
  • Cathay Pacific
  • Delta
  • El Al (50:1)
  • Etihad
  • Hawaiian
  • Qantas
  • Hilton (1:2)
  • Choice Privileges (1:1)

American Express obviously has a much longer list of travel partners. But it is not just about the quantity — it’s more about quality.

I think American Express has an advantage with the following partners: ANA, Avianca, Etihad, and Cathay Pacific.

So if you are someone really interested in transferring out your points to partners American Express likely offers more opportunities but once again it all comes down to your preference and geography.

Some people might find these exclusive Amex travel partners more difficult to optimize which may turn them away from Amex.

One final advantage with transferring your points that American Express offers is that you can keep the ability to transfer your points to travel partners if you hold the Amex EveryDay Card.

This is significant because this is a no annual fee credit card which means that you don’t have to pay any fees to keep your points and transfer potential alive.

Meanwhile, with Chase you will have to pay an annual fee of at least $95 in order to keep the ability to transfer your points to travel partners.

Related: Amex Membership Rewards Expiration Policy Guide

Transferring options

A lot of times you may need to transfer your points to somebody else in order to make your travel booking. So knowing how that transfer process works is vital for optimizing your rewards.

Chase allows you to combine points with other members of your household.

So for example I can transfer my Ultimate Rewards to my husband because we live in the same household and then he can transfer them to his frequent flyer or hotel accounts

This is a great benefit if one of your household members has a premium card that allows for higher redemptions in the Chase Travel Portal.

American Express does not allow you to combine Membership Rewards between multiple people. Instead, they only allow you to transfer your points to the loyalty programs for authorized users of your cards.

So Chase offers better flexibility when it comes to combining your points.

If you share the same household with someone you don’t have to bother with adding them as an authorized user in order to get points to their account and/or loyalty programs.

Therefore Chase gets a nice bump here.

Final word

Overall, both of these programs have their advantages and disadvantages.

Chase allows you to have better overall redemption possibilities (cash back, travel portal), better earning potential (with lower fees), and they allow you to transfer points efficiently between members.

American Express has better opportunities to earn points with welcome bonuses and they also have a better list of travel partners especially if you are geared more towards airline redemptions.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Value Guide [2021]

Southwest Airlines is one of the most cost-efficient ways to get around the US and even to several international locations.

But how much are Southwest Rapid Rewards really worth and are there ways to get more value by choosing certain types of tickets over others?

In the article, I’ll break down everything you need to know about the value of Southwest Rapid Rewards.

I’ll present you valuations based on recent research that looked at over 70 data points so you’ll have concrete figures to base your decisions on.

How much are Southwest Rapid Rewards worth?

Based on over 70 data points, Southwest Rapid Rewards are worth 1.46 cents per point.

Broken down by class, here are the averages we arrived at after analyzing the data points:

  • Wanna Get Away: 1.63
  • Anytime: 1.37
  • Business Select: 1.37

If you’re not familiar, Wanna-Get-Away fares are the cheapest type of fare you can purchase. Your ticket is nonrefundable but you can always get issued travel funds if you need to cancel your flight.

Anytime fares are the middle-tier fare and they allow you to receive a full refund so long as you cancel with enough time.

And finally, Business Select tickets are the most expensive type and they come with additional perks which include things like:

Because you earn so many Rapid Rewards, booking these tickets often allows you to achieve elite status with Southwest much quicker.

How to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards

It is extremely easy to build up a large balance of Southwest Rapid Rewards if you play your cards right. That’s because there are multiple personal and business credit cards for Southwest.

Here is a rundown of the different cards you can choose from.

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Card

  • $99 Annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 6,000 anniversary points
  • Earn 1,500 Tier-Qualifying Points for every $10,000 in purchases, up to 15,000 Tier-Qualifying Points each calendar year

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus Card

  • $69 Annual fee
  • 3,000 anniversary points

Southwest Airlines Priority Card

  • Bonus spending:
    • 2X Rapid Rewards on Southwest purchases
    • 2X Rapid Rewards on hotel and car rental partner purchases.
    • 1X Rapid Rewards on all other purchases
  • $75 Southwest annual travel credit
  • 7,500 anniversary points each year
  • Four Upgraded Boardings per year when available.
  • 20% back on in-flight drinks, WiFi, messaging, and movies
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Earn tier qualifying points towards A-list Status
  • $149 annual fee applied to your first billing statement

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Business Card

  • $99 Annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 6,000 anniversary points
  • Earn 1,500 Tier-Qualifying Points for every $10,000 in purchases, up to 15,000 Tier-Qualifying Points each calendar year

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Performance Business Card

  • $199 Annual fee
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • 9,000 anniversary points
  • 4 upgrades per year
  • in-flight wifi credits
  • Earn 1,500 Tier-Qualifying Points for every $10,000 in purchases, up to 15,000 Tier-Qualifying Points each calendar year
  • Best sign-up bonus ever: 80,000 Rapid Rewards
  • Full review here

The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus Business Card was discontinued in prior years.

The welcome bonuses for these cards changes all the time so the key is to wait until you come across a great welcome bonus. Typically, I would generally wait to find a bonus on a Southwest card at 50,000 miles or higher.

One of the biggest considerations when seeking out these credit cards is whether or not you want to pursue the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass.

The Companion Pass will allow an individual to fly for free with you for up to two calendar years.

They can fly for free with you when you are paying cash for your ticket or when using points so it’s an extremely valuable travel perk that’s also very flexible.

Typically, you would want to time up your application so that you are earning the welcome bonuses at the beginning of the year.

So be on the lookout for when these cards are offering great bonuses at the end of the calendar year so that you can maximize the time that you and a companion can fly for free.

Tip: Check out the free app WalletFlo so that you can optimize your credit card spend by seeing the best card to use! You can also track credits, annual fees, and get notifications when you’re eligible for the best cards!

Getting the most value

Because Southwest utilizes dynamic pricing that is tied to the revenue of the ticket, you don’t really have opportunities to get outsized value like you do with other programs.

For example, a Delta mile might be worth 1.62 cents per mile with standard redemptions but if you were to utilize your miles for a business class flight from the US to the UK, you could get over 10 cents per mile in value!

That is a very dramatic difference but that is not the case with Southwest. Instead, the value is not going to fluctuate nearly as much.

With that said, you can tell based on the data that we supplied that the best value comes from Wanna Get Away fares.

We even found a redemption worth 1.9 cents per point flying Dallas (DAL) to New York (LGA) and 1.8 cents per point flying Punta Cana (PUJ) to Baltimore (BWI).

So if you are primarily concerned with optimizing the value of your Rapid Rewards consider booking those fares.

Related: 28 Tips for Flying Southwest Airlines

Data points

We always make sure that we back up our valuation claims with hard data so we analyzed over 70 data points involving Rapid Rewards redemptions in the US and abroad.

We did different redemptions for Wanna Get Away, Anytime, and Business Select.

You can check out all of the cash price and award prices that we found below. We also have a chart that breaks down the cents per point per route.

US

Dallas (DAL) to Las Vegas (LAS)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $121
  • Award price: 7,733
  • Cents per point: 1.6

Anytime

  • Cash price: $578
  • Award price: 40,893
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $610
  • Award price: 43,215
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Tucson (TUS) to Chicago (MDW)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $132
  • Award price: 8,532
  • Cents per point: 1.5

Anytime

  • Cash price: $649
  • Award price: 46,045
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $681
  • Award price: 48,366
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Phoenix (PHX) to Orlando (MCO)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $143
  • Award price: 9,330
  • Cents per point: 1.5

Anytime

  • Cash price: $612
  • Award price: 43,360
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $644
  • Award price: 45,682
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Salt Lake City (SLC) to Nashville (BNA)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $141
  • Award price: 8,546
  • Cents per point: 1.7

Anytime

  • Cash price: $633
  • Award price: 44,230
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $663
  • Award price: 46,407
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Albuquerque (ABQ) to Baltimore (BWI)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $143
  • Award price: 9,330
  • Cents per point: 1.5

Anytime

  • Cash price: $676
  • Award price: 48,003
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $707
  • Award price: 50,253
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Austin (AUS) to Indianapolis (IND)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $110
  • Award price: 6,935
  • Cents per point: 1.6

Anytime

  • Cash price: $471
  • Award price: 33,129
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $495
  • Award price: 34,870
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Birmingham (BHM) to Denver (DEN)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $102
  • Award price: 6,355
  • Cents per point: 1.6

Anytime

  • Cash price: $555
  • Award price: 39,224
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $585
  • Award price: 41,401
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Boise (BOI) to San Diego (SAN)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $69
  • Award price: 3,961
  • Cents per point: 1.7

Anytime

  • Cash price: $444
  • Award price: 31,170
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $465
  • Award price: 32,693
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Cleveland (CLE) to Houston (HOU)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $126
  • Award price: 7,748
  • Cents per point: 1.6

Anytime

  • Cash price: $643
  • Award price: 45,246
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $673
  • Award price: 47,423
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Colorado Springs (COS) to Chicago (MDW)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $89
  • Award price: 5,412
  • Cents per point: 1.6

Anytime

  • Cash price: $466
  • Award price: 32,766
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $492
  • Award price: 34,653
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Dallas (DAL) to New York (LGA)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $56
  • Award price: 3,018
  • Cents per point: 1.9

Anytime

  • Cash price: $592
  • Award price: 41,908
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $627
  • Award price: 44,448
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Des Moines (DSM) to Phoenix (PHX)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $130
  • Award price: 7,748
  • Cents per point: 1.7

Anytime

  • Cash price: $524
  • Award price: 36,322
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $548
  • Award price: 38,063
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Hartford (BDL) to Tampa (TPA)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $121
  • Award price: 7,733
  • Cents per point: 1.6

Anytime

  • Cash price: $557
  • Award price: 39,369
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $589
  • Award price: 41,691
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Columbus (CMH) to Las Vegas (LAS)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $152
  • Award price: 9,345
  • Cents per point: 1.6

Anytime

  • Cash price: $675
  • Award price: 47,278
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $705
  • Award price: 49,455
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Washington (DCA) to New Orleans (MSY)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $110
  • Award price: 6,935
  • Cents per point: 1.6

Anytime

  • Cash price: $564
  • Award price: 39,877
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $589
  • Award price: 41,691
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Hawaii

Honolulu (HNL) to Oakland (OAK)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $99
  • Award price: 5,848
  • Cents per point: 1.7

Anytime

  • Cash price: $624
  • Award price: 46,782
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Business Select

  • Cash price: $652
  • Award price: 48,965
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Honolulu (HNL) to San Diego (SAN)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $99
  • Award price: 5,849
  • Cents per point: 1.7

Anytime

  • Cash price: $624
  • Award price: 46,786
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Business Select

  • Cash price: $652
  • Award price: 48,970
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Kahului (OGG) to Sacramento (SMF)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $99
  • Award price: 5,848
  • Cents per point: 1.7

Anytime

  • Cash price: $624
  • Award price: 46,782
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Business Select

  • Cash price: $652
  • Award price: 48,965
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Kona (KOA) to San Jose (SJC)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $99
  • Award price: 5,848
  • Cents per point: 1.7

Anytime

  • Cash price: $624
  • Award price: 46,782
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Business Select

  • Cash price: $652
  • Award price: 48,965
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Honolulu (HNL) to Long Beach (LGB)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $99
  • Award price: 5,849
  • Cents per point: 1.7

Anytime

  • Cash price: $624
  • Award price: 46,786
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Business Select

  • Cash price: $652
  • Award price: 48,970
  • Cents per point: 1.3

International

Aruba (AUA) to Baltimore (BWI)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $207
  • Award price: 9,204 + $69.45
  • Cents per point: 1.5

Anytime

  • Cash price: $522
  • Award price: 33,774 + $69.45
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Business Select

  • Cash price: $550
  • Award price: 35,958 + $69.45
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Cancun (CUN) to Columbus (CMH)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $190
  • Award price: 8,190 + $56.38
  • Cents per point: 1.6

Anytime

  • Cash price: $562
  • Award price: 36,114 + $56.38
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $591
  • Award price: 38,298 + $56.38
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Montego Bay (MBJ) to St. Louis (STL)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $209
  • Award price: 6,552 + $96.99
  • Cents per point: 1.7

Anytime

  • Cash price: $578
  • Award price: 35,334 + $96.99
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $606
  • Award price: 37,518 + $96.99
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Los Cabos (SJD) to Austin (AUS)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $200
  • Award price: 7,410 + $76.66
  • Cents per point: 1.7

Anytime

  • Cash price: $567
  • Award price: 34,944 + $76.66
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Business Select

  • Cash price: $596
  • Award price: 37,128 + $76.66
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Punta Cana (PUJ) to Baltimore (BWI)

Wanna Get Away

  • Cash price: $191
  • Award price: 6,786 + $68.25
  • Cents per point: 1.8

Anytime

  • Cash price: $587
  • Award price: 32,994 + $68.25
  • Cents per point: 1.6

Business Select

  • Cash price: $620
  • Award price: 35,178 + $68.25
  • Cents per point: 1.6
RouteWanna Get AwayAnytimeBusiness Select
Dallas (DAL) to Las Vegas (LAS)1.61.41.4
Tucson (TUS) to Chicago (MDW)1.51.41.4
Phoenix (PHX) to Orlando (MCO)1.51.41.4
Salt Lake City (SLC) to Nashville (BNA)1.71.41.4
Albuquerque (ABQ) to Baltimore (BWI)1.51.41.4
Austin (AUS) to Indianapolis (IND)1.61.41.4
Birmingham (BHM) to Denver (DEN)1.61.41.4
Boise (BOI) to San Diego (SAN)1.71.41.4
Cleveland (CLE) to Houston (HOU)1.61.41.4
Colorado Springs (COS) to Chicago (MDW)1.61.41.4
Dallas (DAL) to New York (LGA)1.91.41.4
Des Moines (DSM) to Phoenix (PHX)1.71.41.4
Hartford (BDL) to Tampa (TPA)1.61.41.4
Columbus (CMH) to Las Vegas (LAS)1.61.41.4
Washington (DCA) to New Orleans (MSY)1.61.41.4
Honolulu (HNL) to Oakland (OAK)1.71.31.3
Honolulu (HNL) to San Diego (SAN)1.71.31.3
Kahului (OGG) to Sacramento (SMF)1.71.31.3
Kona (KOA) to San Jose (SJC)1.71.31.3
Honolulu (HNL) to Long Beach (LGB)1.71.31.3
Aruba (AUA) to Baltimore (BWI)1.51.31.3
Cancun (CUN) to Columbus (CMH)1.61.41.4
Montego Bay (MBJ) to St. Louis (STL)1.71.41.4
Los Cabos (SJD) to Austin (AUS)1.71.41.4
Punta Cana (PUJ) to Baltimore (BWI)1.81.61.6
1.631.371.37

Southwest Rapid Rewards FAQ

What type of Southwest ticket offers the best value for your Rapid Rewards?

Wanna Get Away fares offer the most value for your Rapid Rewards at 1.63 cents per mile. In some outlier cases, you might be able to get as much is 1.9 cents per mile.

What credit cards can I get Rapid Rewards with?

– Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Card
– Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus Card
– Southwest Airlines Priority Card
– Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Business Card
– Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Performance Business Card

How much are 50,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards worth?

Based on the research we did that looked at over 70 data points, 50,000 points used toward flights would be worth $815.

How much are 80,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards worth?

Based on the research we did that looked at over 70 data points, 80,000 points used toward flights would be worth $1,304.

How many Southwest Rapid Rewards are needed for a free flight?

The amount of Southwest Rapid Rewards needed for a free flight will depend on the route and the type of ticket purchased. Check out the data points above for over 70 different prices.

Can I redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards for cash?

No, but if you are a Southwest credit card member you can redeem your points for various items such as gift cards. You will get much less value when redeeming for gift cards (such as .6 or .5 cents per point).

Final word

Typically, Southwest Rapid Rewards offers you a pretty consistent amount of value right around 1.46 cents per point. You can get the most value by using your points to fly Wanna Get Away fares and in some limited cases you might get value up to 1.9 cents per point!

Delta SkyMiles Value Guide [2021]

Over the years, Delta SkyMiles have caught a lot of flak. That’s because many people don’t believe that the miles (or “SkyPesos”) are worth that much relative to other airline programs. But are Delta miles really as worthless as everyone some people say?

In this article, I’ll break down the Delta SkyMiles valuation based on recent data points, and I’ll also show you how to get maximum value for your Delta SkyMiles along with some great redemptions.

How much are Delta SkyMiles worth?

Based on over 60 data points, Delta SkyMiles are worth 1.62 cents per point. However, the value can often range from 1.12 cents per mile to over two cents per mile.

Broken down by class, here are the averages we arrived at after analyzing the data points:

  • Main Cabin: 1.5
  • Comfort+: 1.19
  • Delta One/First: 2.18

How to earn Delta SkyMiles

It is extremely easy to build up a large balance of Delta SkyMiles if you play your cards right. That’s because there are multiple personal and business credit cards for Delta.

In fact, there are seven different Delta SkyMiles co-branded American Express credit cards available for you to grab.

  • Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card
  • Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card (full review)
  • Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card (full review)
  • Delta Reserve® Credit Card
  • Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card
  • Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card
  • Delta Reserve® for Business Credit Card

The welcome bonuses for these cards changes all the time so the key is to wait until you come across a great welcome bonus. Typically, I would generally wait to find a bonus on a Delta card at 60,000 miles or higher.

However, in some cases you might be more interested in the benefits of the Delta card and in that instance it could be worth just jumping on the card immediately.

That’s because you could be earning miles that count toward elite status or taking advantage of other perks like the companion certificate.

The other major way to earn Delta miles is to get an American Express card that earns Membership Rewards. You can then transfer your points to Delta at a one to one ratio which will allow you to stockpile miles even quicker.

I would look into cards like the American Express Gold Card (full review) and the American Express Platinum Card (full review).

Tip: Check out the free app WalletFlo so that you can optimize your credit card spend by seeing the best card to use! You can also track credits, annual fees, and get notifications when you’re eligible for the best cards!

Getting the most value

It’s possible to get much more value with Delta SkyMiles than 1.62 cents per point.

If you use your points on international routes, especially in premium cabins, you can get significantly more value.

For example, I found redemptions on Delta one [Manchester (MAN) to Los Angeles (LAX)] with over 12 cents per point in value. I’ve also used Sky Miles in the past to fly on some great bang for buck business class redemptions like on Virgin Atlantic.

So with Delta, the value is there you just have to search a little bit harder to find it. We put together a list of some of the best Delta redemptions so be sure to check out that list.

Data points

We always make sure that we back up our valuation claims with hard data so we analyzed over 60 data points involving Delta SkyMiles redemptions in the US and abroad.

We did different redemptions for Main Cabin, Comfort Plus, and Delta One/First. We focused mostly on the cheapest award prices available but in some cases we were not able to use those and slightly higher lower prices were factored in.

You can check out all of the cash price and award prices that we found below. We also have a chart that breaks down the cents per point per route.

US

Los Angeles (LAX) to Atlanta (ATL)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $184.10
  • Award price: 16,500 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.1

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $293.10
  • Award price: 26,500 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.1

First

  • Cash price: $553.10
  • Award price: 51,000 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.1

Boston (BOS) to Salt Lake City (SLC)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $133.10
  • Award price: 11,000 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.2

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $232.10
  • Award price: 19,500 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.2

First

  • Cash price: $502.10
  • Award price: 44,000 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.1

Cincinnati (CVG) to Houston (IAH)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $153.40
  • Award price: 10,000 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.5

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $174.40
  • Award price: 11,500 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.5

First

  • Cash price: $222.40
  • Award price: 15,000 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Tucson (TUS) to Houston (IAH)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $199.20
  • Award price: 14,500 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $235.20
  • Award price: 17,500 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.3

First

  • Cash price: $337.20
  • Award price: 33,000 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.0

Las Vegas (LAS) to Chicago (ORD)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $170.20
  • Award price: 12,000 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $238.20
  • Award price: 15,500 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.5

First

  • Cash price: $496.20
  • Award price: 36,500 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Denver (DEN) to Miami (MIA)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $231.20
  • Award price: 14,500 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.6

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $311.20
  • Award price: 23,000 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.3

First

  • Cash price: $499.20
  • Award price: 39,000 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Mexico

Cancun (CUN) to Atlanta (ATL)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $180.36
  • Award price: 11,000 + $50.36
  • Cents per point: 1.2

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $231.36
  • Award price: 16,000 + $50.36
  • Cents per point: 1.1

First

  • Cash price: $293.76
  • Award price: 21,000 + $50.36
  • Cents per point: 1.2

Mexico City (MEX) to Detroit (DTW)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $285.58
  • Award price: 18,000 + $77.58
  • Cents per point: 1.2

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $305.38
  • Award price: 20,000 + $77.58
  • Cents per point: 1.1

First

  • Cash price: $357.38
  • Award price: 26,000 + $77.58
  • Cents per point: 1.1

Puerto Vallarta (PVR) to Atlanta (ATL)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $276.20
  • Award price: 16,000 + $69.90
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $311.60
  • Award price: 19,000 + $69.90
  • Cents per point: 1.3

First

  • Cash price: $566.40
  • Award price: 40,000 + $69.90
  • Cents per point: 1.2

Hawaii

Honolulu (HNL) to Atlanta (ATL)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $462.70
  • Award price: 30,000 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.5

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $663.90
  • Award price: 47,500 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.4

First

  • Cash price: $2,785.29
  • Award price: 187,500 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.5

Honolulu (HNL) to Los Angeles (LAX)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $133.10
  • Award price: 9,500 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $217.10
  • Award price: 16,500 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.3

First

  • Cash price: $487.10
  • Award price: 38,000 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Kona (KOA) to Seattle (SEA)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $218.00
  • Award price: 15,000 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.4

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $292.00
  • Award price: 21,000 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.4

First

  • Cash price: $493.00
  • Award price: 37,000 + $5.60
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Canada

Montreal (YUL) to St. Louis (STL)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $161.13
  • Award price: 11,000 + $59.19
  • Cents per point: 0.9

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $197.02
  • Award price: 15,000 + $59.19
  • Cents per point: 0.9

First

  • Cash price: $290.81
  • Award price: 24,500 + $59.19
  • Cents per point: 1.0

Calgary (YYC) to Salt Lake City (SLC)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $154.85
  • Award price: 12,000 + $51.27
  • Cents per point: 0.9

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $174.42
  • Award price: 14,000 + $51.27
  • Cents per point: 0.9

First

  • Cash price: $215.20
  • Award price: 18,500 + $51.27
  • Cents per point: 0.9

Winnipeg (YWG) to Minneapolis (MSP)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $199.75
  • Award price: 11,500 + $58.41
  • Cents per point: 1.2

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $215.43
  • Award price: 13,000 + $58.41
  • Cents per point: 1.2

First

  • Cash price: $260.82
  • Award price: 17,500 + $58.41
  • Cents per point: 1.2

South Africa

Johannesburg (JNB) to Atlanta (ATL)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $1,192.15
  • Award price: 50,000 + $79.25
  • Cents per point: 2.2

Delta One

  • Cash price: $3,587.15
  • Award price: 115,000 + $79.25
  • Cents per point: 3.1

Cape Town (CPT) to Atlanta (ATL)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $821.15
  • Award price: 145,000 + $49.55
  • Cents per point: 0.5

Premium Select

  • Cash price: $1,509.15
  • Award price: 250,000 + $49.55
  • Cents per point: 0.6

Delta One

  • Cash price: $2,571.15
  • Award price: 465,000 + $49.55
  • Cents per point: 0.5

Johannesburg (JNB) to Los Angeles (LAX)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $980.45
  • Award price: 50,000 + $67.35
  • Cents per point: 1.8

Delta One

  • Cash price: $4,057.45
  • Award price: 115,000 + $67.35
  • Cents per point: 3.5

China

Beijing (PKX) to Seattle (SEA)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $734.81
  • Award price: 74,000 + $30.88
  • Cents per point: 1.0

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $818.89
  • Award price: 80,000 + $30.88
  • Cents per point: 1.0

Delta One

  • Cash price: $3,940.35
  • Award price: 205,000 + $30.88
  • Cents per point: 1.9

Hong Kong (HKG) to Seattle (SEA)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $583.44
  • Award price: 42,000 + $59.84
  • Cents per point: 1.2

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $606.65
  • Award price: 46,000 + $59.84
  • Cents per point: 1.2

Delta One

  • Cash price: $2,346.39
  • Award price: 180,000 + $68.87
  • Cents per point: 1.3

Shanghai (PVG) to New York (JFK)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $728.76
  • Award price: 360,000 + $36.58
  • Cents per point: 0.2

Premium Select

  • Cash price: $1,207.87
  • Award price: 420,000 + $36.58
  • Cents per point: 0.3

Delta One

  • Cash price: $2,420.63
  • Award price: 465,000 + $36.58
  • Cents per point: 0.5

United Kingdom

London (LHR) to New York (JFK)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $1,924.96
  • Award price: 35,000 + $342.94
  • Cents per point: 4.5

Premium Select

  • Cash price: $2,620.24
  • Award price: 70,000 + $476.02
  • Cents per point: 3.1

Delta One

  • Cash price: $9,676.21
  • Award price: 95,000 + $605.03
  • Cents per point: 9.5

Manchester (MAN) to Los Angeles (LAX)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $1,959.54
  • Award price: 35,000 + $317.76
  • Cents per point: 4.7

Premium Select

  • Cash price: $3,644.77
  • Award price: 70,000 + $450.84
  • Cents per point: 4.6

Delta One

  • Cash price: $12,528.55
  • Award price: 95,000 + $579.85
  • Cents per point: 12.6

Australia

Sydney (SYD) to Los Angeles (LAX)

Main Cabin

  • Cash price: $713.42
  • Award price: 80,000 + $86.47
  • Cents per point: 0.8

Comfort+

  • Cash price: $800.05
  • Award price: 88,000 + $86.47
  • Cents per point: 0.8

Delta One

  • Cash price: $3,758.52
  • Award price: 225,000 + $86.47
  • Cents per point: 1.6
Country/StateRouteMain CabinComfort+Premium SelectFirst
US
Los Angeles (LAX) to Atlanta (ATL)1.11.1N/A1.1
Boston (BOS) to Salt Lake City (SLC)1.21.2N/A1.1
Cincinnati (CVG) to Houston (IAH)1.51.5N/A1.4
Tucson (TUS) to Houston (IAH)1.31.3N/A1
Las Vegas (LAS) to Chicago (ORD)1.41.5N/A1.3
Denver (DEN) to Miami (MIA)1.61.3N/A1.3
Mexico
Cancun (CUN) to Atlanta (ATL)1.21.1N/A1.2
Mexico City (MEX) to Detroit (DTW)1.21.1N/A1.1
Puerto Vallarta (PVR) to Atlanta (ATL)1.31.3N/A1.2
Hawaii
Honolulu (HNL) to Atlanta (ATL)1.51.4N/A1.5
Honolulu (HNL) to Los Angeles (LAX)1.31.3N/A1.3
Kona (KOA) to Seattle (SEA)1.41.4N/A1.3
Canada
Montreal (YUL) to St. Louis (STL)0.90.9N/A1
Calgary (YYC) to Salt Lake City (SLC)0.90.9N/A0.9
Winnipeg (YWG) to Minneapolis (MSP)1.21.2N/A1.2
South Africa
Johannesburg (JNB) to Atlanta (ATL)2.2N/AN/A3.1
Cape Town (CPT) to Atlanta (ATL)0.5N/A0.60.5
Johannesburg (JNB) to Los Angeles (LAX)1.8N/AN/A3.5
China
Beijing (PKX) to Seattle (SEA)11N/A1.9
Hong Kong (HKG) to Seattle (SEA)1.21.2N/A1.3
Shanghai (PVG) to New York (JFK)0.2N/A0.30.5
Australia
Sydney (SYD) to Los Angeles (LAX)0.80.8N/A1.6
1.211.190.451.38

Final word

Overall, I was a little bit surprised to see the valuation at 1.6 cents per point. I typically value Delta miles closer to 1.3 cents but after testing out all of these routes, it looks like SkyMiles might hold a bit more value than a lot of people including myself have thought.

Do Marriott Points Expire? And Can You Prevent It? [2021]

One tricky part about dipping into so many different rewards programs is that you can lose track of whether or not your points will be expiring. So it’s always good to do what you can to ensure that your points won’t expire and luckily there are several ways to avoid losing your points. 

This article will answer how Marriott points expire and how you can prevent that from happening by getting activity in your account.

Do Marriott Points Expire?

Without any activity in your account, your Marriott points expire in 24 months.

The terms and conditions state:

 If a Member Account is inactive for twenty-four (24) consecutive months, that Member Account will forfeit all accumulated Points.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Can I get Marriott points back after they expire?

Once an account is closed and points are forfeited due to inactivity, Marriott points cannot be reinstated.

If you have status with Marriott or a very compelling reason why your points were allowed to expire, you might still contact Marriott and try to explain your situation but the terms and conditions are pretty clear that they don’t allow you to reinstate your points.

Once Points are forfeited, the Points cannot be reinstated

How to prevent Marriott points from expiring?

There are several different ways you can prevent your Marriott points from expiring.

Stay at a Marriott property

You can book a stay at any property in the Marriott portfolio and instantly reset the clock on the expiration date for your points. It does seem like you need to stay at the hotel for the activity to count, so you’ll probably need to at least check-in.

Redeem points for a stay

When you redeem points for a stay, you reset the expiration clock on your points.

Redeem points for travel

You can also redeem your points for travel expenses like vacations, Priority Pass, and TSA Pre-Check or special events like Marriott Moments.

Put spend on your Marriott card

Some cards allow your points or miles to never expire when you hold the card. However, that is NOT the case with the Marriott card.

Instead, you need to have some type of activity on your card within 24 months, as the terms state:

The points transferred to your Marriott Rewards account won’t expire as long as there is card earning activity or other qualifying earning or redemption activity every 24 months.

So simply going to the grocery store and purchasing a bottle of water could reset the clock. This will also help keep your account alive and so you should be trying to put a purchase on your card every so often when possible.

Buy Marriott points

Another way to reset the clock is to purchase Marriott points. Marriott points can be purchased at the rate of $12.50 per 1,000 Points and may be purchased in increments of 1,000. This is often the easiest way to keep your points from expiring if you don’t have a Marriott credit card.

Covert Points to Miles

If you convert your points to miles with any of the eligible airlines that will be considered “activity” on your account and you’ll be able to reset the clock on your points. Marriott has the Hotel + Air packages and though they aren’t as lucrative as they once were, they can be a good option for getting your Marriott points to airlines.

Covert Miles to Points

Also, if you convert your miles to points with any of the eligible airlines that will be considered “activity” on your account and you’ll be able to reset the clock on your points. Note that converting airlines miles to Marriott points is not usually a very good option so I wouldn’t recommend many to do this.

Rental cars

If you rent vehicles with partners like Hertz and earn Marriott points, that will reset the clock.

Spas and restaurants

I’ve been told my (multiple) Marriott reps that an “incidental” stay (basically spending money at a hotel spa or restaurant) is enough to reset the expiration clock.

Just make sure that you’re actually earning Marriott points on the purchase; otherwise, you don’t have a basis for your purchase counting as activity.

Vistana

Points issued or earned through Vistana, including, without limitation, tour incentives, purchase incentives, SPG Conversion, sweepstakes and other giveaway prizes, will expire six years following the date they are deposited into a Member’s Account, regardless of Member activity.

Lifetime status

The expiration policy does not currently affect points in a Lifetime Elite Membership Account. However, the “Loyalty Program may choose to apply a points expiration policy to Lifetime Elite Membership Accounts in the future” so keep that in mind!

Shopping portal?

Some programs like Hilton have a special shopping portal where you can earn points via online shopping. This also allows you to reset the expiration clock on your points but Marriott no longer has such a program so this is no longer an option.

However, you can still redeem your Marriott points for shopping, which should count as redemption activity.

What doesn’t work to keep your Marriott points from expiring?

You should know that there are many things that don’t work to reset the clock on your point expiration.

Earning Points through social media programs, such as #MRPoints

This is a huge one to know about.

Marriott has rolled out some great promotions over the past couple of year where you can easily earn Marriott points by simply tweeting or posting about things.

However, these promotions will not reset your clock!

Gifting or transferring Points

If you gift or transfer points to someone you won’t be able to reset the clock.

Receiving Points as a gift or transfer

Also, note that if you receive points as a gift or transfer, you’re not going to get that clock reset.

Transfer points from Chase?

Marriott is a 1:1 transfer partner with Chase Ultimate Rewards and so you can transfer your Chase points to Marriott in increments of 1,000 points.

I thought that this would surely count as account activity since many programs count transfers from award programs as activity but multiple Marriott reps informed that this would not. I’m still not 100% convinced this doesn’t count, though.

Marriott Points Expire FAQ

Will a Marriott credit card keep my Marriott points from expiring?

Just having a Marriott card is not enough to keep your points from expiring; you need to have some activity on your Marriott credit card (within a 24-month period) to keep your points from expiring.

Does using points for free nights keep my Marriott points from expiring?

Yes, when you use points for free nights, it resets the clock to keep your points from expiring.

How much do Marriott points cost?

Marriott points can be purchased at the rate of $12.50 per 1,000 points and may be purchased in increments of 1,000.

Does transferring points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Marriott reset the clock?

According to Marriott representatives, transferring points from Chase does not reset the clock. However, other online reports show that this has worked for some people.

Final word

There are a lot of ways to reset the expiration clock on your Marriott points. My preferred way is just to put a charge on my Marriott card and earn some points in the process but obviously you should choose whichever method is most convenient for you.

Do World of Hyatt Points Expire? And Can You Prevent It?

One tricky part about dipping into so many different rewards programs is that you can lose track of whether or not your points will be expiring. So it’s always good to do what you can to ensure that your points won’t expire. This article will answer how World of Hyatt points expire and how you can prevent that from happening.

Do World of Hyatt Points Expire?

Yes, without any activity in your account your Hyatt points expire in 24 months.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Can you get the Hyatt points back after they expire?

No, once an account is closed and points are forfeited due to inactivity, the World of Hyatt points cannot be reinstated. There are no exceptions to this that I’m aware of.

How can I prevent Hyatt points from expiring?

There are a number of different ways that you can create activity in your account so that your Hyatt points don’t expire. I’ll discuss these methods below.

Stay at a Hyatt property

If you stay at a Hyatt property or participating M life Resort (with paid stay or by redeeming points, free night awards), you’ll of course earn points to keep your account active.

You need to keep a couple of things in mind.

First, if you make your booking through an online travel agency then you will likely lose out on earning points which will not reset the clock.

Also, you must actually check-in to the property for your stay to count! 

If you simply make a booking and never arrive at the check-in desk there’s a good chance that you will not be credited for that state and your points will not be reset.

If you don’t have a stay currently scheduled, this can be a bit expensive but sometimes you can find properties for pretty cheap.

The Hyatt Credit Card

If you hold the Chase World of Hyatt credit card then your points will never expire!

The official terms of the Chase World of Hyatt card state:

Points expiration: The Bonus Points transferred to your World of Hyatt Program account won’t expire as long as your card account is open. If your card account is closed, you will lose any unredeemed points (including Bonus Points) in your World of Hyatt Program account if you fail to have qualifying activity in the World of Hyatt Program at least once every 24 months

So as long as you hold the card and it stays open, your points will never expire.

World of Hyatt Card

The World of Hyatt Card is one of the best hotel credit cards available since it comes with a great sign-up bonus, strong bonus category earning, and the opportunity for free nights. It’s also one of the best hotel cards for climbing your way up the elite status tiers for Hyatt. You can read our full detailed review here. 

  • Welcome Bonus
    • 30,000 Bonus Points after $3,000 in purchases within 3 months of account opening
    • Plus, 2 points total per $1 spent on purchases that earn 1 point, up to $15,000 in spend in the first 6 months of account opening
  • Bonus earning: 
    • 4X spent with your card at Hyatt hotels, including participating restaurants and spas
    • 2X on local transit and commuting, including taxis, mass transit, tolls and ride-share services
    • 2X at restaurants, cafes and coffee shops
    • 2X on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline
    • 2X spent on fitness club and gym memberships
  • Free nights: 
    • Receive one free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort every year after your cardmember anniversary
    • Earn an extra free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort if you spend $15,000 during your cardmember anniversary year
  • Elite status:
    • Comes with Hyatt Discoverist status
    • Receive 5 qualifying night credits toward your next tier status every year
    • Earn 2 additional qualifying night credits toward your next tier status every time you spend $5,000 on your card
  • $95 Annual Fee 

All of those perks for only a $95 annual fee isn’t a bad deal, especially if you enjoy staying at Hyatt properties.

Tip: Check out the free app WalletFlo so that you can optimize your credit card spend by seeing the best card to use! You can also track credits, annual fees, and get notifications when you’re eligible for the best cards!

Transfer Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt

You could always transfer your Ultimate Rewards to your World of Hyatt account.

You’ll have to transfer a minimum of 1,000 Ultimate Rewards. If you know you’ll be using them eventually, this a great way to keep your account active for another two years.

Hyatt Points Expire
Transfer Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt so you Hyatt points don’t expire.

Restaurants and Spas

When you visit eligible restaurants and spas you can earn base points on your purchases which will help keep your points alive.

You just need to make sure that you provide your account number to the Hyatt colleague at the outlet at time of payment to ensure you’re credited with the Hyatt points.

Hyatt Ziva Jamaica restaurant
Eat at eligible Hyatt restaurants so that your Hyatt points won’t expire.

Eligible charges vary on a hotel-by-hotel basis, but generally include spa and salon services, spa and salon retail items, and food and beverage expenditures (except at outlets not operated by the hotel).

Points will not be awarded on tips, service charges, taxes, gratuities and alcoholic beverage purchases.

You can also redeem your points for a dining or spa experience to keep them active.

Rental cars

Members can earn 500 Bonus Points and up to 25% off base rates for each qualifying rental at participating Avis locations worldwide. Simply book your reservation with Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) number K817700 on Avis.com and associate your World of Hyatt membership number with your Avis reservation.

You can also redeem your points for a car rental to keep them active.

Convert points into miles/credit with a travel partner

Hyatt allows you to convert your points into miles or credits with travel partners. They partner with a ton of different airlines so you can look into transferring your points to an airline that you think you might actually fly on.

Most travel partners convert points to miles at a ratio of 1,250 Hyatt points to 500 miles. (This is not very good at all.) There are some: exception that offer better value, though.

For example, you can transfer 5,000 points for

  • 4,000 AeroMexico points or LAN kms
  • 3,200 Air China kms
  • 3,200 China Eastern points
  • 2,400 Qantas Airways points
  • 2,400 Southwest Rapid Rewards
  • 3,000 Virgin Atlantic miles

To illustrate the exchange of value, I’ll use an example of transferring Hyatt points to Southwest.

If you value Hyatt points at 1.8 cents per point and Southwest points at 1.5 cents per point, then that will amount to an exchange of value of $90 for $36. This is obviously a lopsided exchange but again if it saves your points from expiration, it’s a route to consider.

Note: There is a minimum of 5,000 Hyatt points required to initiate a transfer and they do offer bonuses like getting 20,000 miles plus 5,000 miles when you transfer 50,000 points into airline miles.

Transferring Hyatt points to airlines isn’t a great deal but can save your points.

Combine Hyatt points

One easy way to reset the clock on your Hyatt points is to combine your points with another Hyatt member. Although you have to complete paper work for this, Hyatt is actually very flexible since you can transfer your points for free, even to non-family members.

Terms for combining points

You can combine points with those of one other specifically designated member not more than once every 30 days.

In order to combine points, the following requirements must be met:

(a) Each Member must have an active account to be eligible to combine points.

(b) A Program Point Combination Request Form must be completed and signed by both Members and submitted to Hyatt customer service. Forms are available by contacting Hyatt’s central reservation service. Completed forms must be returned to Hyatt via email as specified on the form. Once received, please allow between two and four weeks to approve and process the combination request.

(c) Points may be combined into only one Member’s account. Points received through transfer will be considered Bonus Points for the recipient.  Once issued in the designated recipient Member’s name, the Member transferring the points will relinquish all rights to the combined points.

Note that this could take a few weeks to process so if you were cutting it close it might be a good idea to choose another method.

Purchase Hyatt Points

You can also look into purchasing Hyatt points. Unless there’s a special promotion going on, I generally don’t recommend purchasing points. However, if the alternative is that your Hyatt points expire, then it could be worth it.

Bonus Points can be purchased in increments of 1,000, up to 55,000 points per calendar year. Members can receive points in increments of 1,000, up to 55,000 points per calendar year.

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

Hyatt points FAQ

What is the best way to prevent my Hyatt points from expiring?

The best way is to open up a Chase World of Hyatt credit card. As long as you have that credit card, your points will never expire.

Can I prevent my points from expiring by transferring from Chase Ultimate Rewards to my World of Hyatt account?

Yes, but you will need to transfer a minimum of 1,000 points.

Can I prevent my points from expiring by renting a car?

Yes, if you rent a car at participating Avis locations you can earn Hyatt points and keep your points alive.

Should I transfer my points to an airline to keep them from expiring?

Transferring your Hyatt points to an airline is usually a last resort because you typically get poor value.

Does using a free night award reset the clock for points expiration?

Yes, if you use a free night award you can reset the clock on your Hyatt points expiration.

Final word

Hyatt points will expire in 24 months without activity but you can prevent this from happening by:

  • Booking and checking in to a Hyatt hotel stay
  • Getting the Chase Hyatt Card
  • Transferring Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt
  • Visiting an eligible Restaurant or Spa
  • Booking an Avis rental car
  • Converting points into miles with a travel partner
  • Combining Hyatt points with another Hyatt member
  • Purchasing Hyatt Points

How Much Are 50,000 Amex Points Worth?

Offers contained within this article maybe expired.

So you’re thinking about picking up an American Express card with a 50,000 point bonus or maybe you already earned a good 50,000 points from a card like the Gold Card.

Either way, you likely are wondering how much 50,000 Amex points are worth. In this article, I will break down how much you can expect to receive in value from 50,000 American Express Membership Rewards and give you some real world examples of redemptions.

How much are 50,000 Amex points worth?

50,000 Amex points may be worth anywhere from $300 to over $7,000 depending on the type of redemption you pursue. I’ll give you some examples of the different ways to redeem your points and the different valuations that will go along with those redemptions.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Cashback

Let’s say that you wanted to redeem your points for cashback.

When you redeem Membership Rewards for cashback, your redemption rate is only .6 cents per point. This means that 50,000 points would equal $300 in cashback.

Ask anybody who knows anything about points and you will quickly find out that this is one of the worst ways to redeem American Express points so I would not recommend you go this route.

Many other bank programs allow you to redeem points at a rate of one cent per point for cashback. For example, you can redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards at one cent per point for a statement credit.

So not only is redeeming your points for cashback not a good option compared to other ways to use your Amex points, but it’s also not competitive with other transferable points programs.

cashback is not the optimal redemption route with American Express points.

Gift cards

Gift cards will present a much better value proposition than redeeming for cashback. But the amount of value that you get for your gift card redemption will not always be the same. 

For example, some gift cards will allow you to redeem at a rate of one cent per point. So 50,000 points would get you $500 worth of gift cards. In my opinion, I would try to stick to getting at least one cent per point with gift cards so that you don’t sacrifice too much value.

But let’s say you wanted to redeem your points for a gift card from Apple for the App Store and iTunes. In that case, you would only get .85 cents per point for your redemption. 50,000 points at a valuation of point $.85 per point would come out to $425. Not the worst value but you can definitely do better. So when shopping for gift cards with American Express, always be aware that the value may not be the same for different cards. 

Amazon

Amazon is a very tempting redemption option for American Express points.

Simply by linking your Membership Rewards earning card to your Amazon account, you can use your points to check out in a super convenient fashion. But the redemption rate is not that great.

If you go this route, you’ll be redeeming points at a rate of  0.7 cents per point. That would provide you with $350 worth of value for 50,000 points. So it’s not as bad as the cashback route but not as good as many gift cards.

So if you’re thinking about going this route take a look at the stores and products you’re thinking about purchasing from because if you can redeem gift cards for those stores then you can get much more value from your points.

Amex Travel

If you choose to use your points through the Amex Travel Portal, you’ll be redeeming them at a rate of one cent per point for airfare. This isn’t the worst type of redemption but again it is quite limited at only one cent per point.

It also is far below what you can get with other competitor programs. For example, if you had the Chase Sapphire Reserve and redeemed your Ultimate Rewards through the Chase Travel Portal your redemption rate would be 1.5 cents per point which is much, much better.

It is worth mentioning that if you hold certain Amex business cards, you can get a rebate when you use Pay with Points for certain eligible flights:

The eligible business cards and rebates are the following:

  • Amex Business Centurion Card: 50% rebate
  • The Business Platinum Card: 35% rebate (up to 500,000 points per calendar year)
  • American Express Business Gold Card: 25% rebate (up to 250,000 points per calendar year)

If you have the Business Platinum card, that 35% rebate amounts to a valuation of 1.54 cents per point. That means that your 50,000 points would be worth $770. 

If you’re redeeming your points for hotels then your evaluation will likely be about .7 cents per point, which comes out to $350 for 50,000 points. I would generally advise against using your points for hotels because it is not great value and you also could miss out on elite status perks.

American Express airline partners

If you choose to transfer your points out to some of the travel partners, you will be able to capture significant additional value.

I’ll talk about some specific redemption examples below, but you can check out the full chart of airline partners to get a sense of your options.

Airline ProgramRatio (MR to airline)Transfer wait time
Aer Lingus1:1Instant
AeroMexico1:1.6 24 Hours
Air Canada1:1Instant
Alitalia1:1Instant
ANA1:148 Hours
Avianca1:1Instant
British Airways1:1Instant
Cathay Pacific1:148 Hours
Delta1:1Instant
El Al1000:20 Instant
Emirates1:1Instant
Etihad1:1Instant
Flying Blue1:1Instant
Hawaiian Airlines1:1Instant
Iberia1:124 to 72 hours
JetBlue250:200Instant
Qantas1:1Instant
Singapore Airlines1:124 to 72 hours
Virgin Atlantic1:1Instant

Air Canada on EVA business class

I booked EVA business class with Air Canada Aeroplan miles that I transferred from my American Express Memberships Rewards account.

From IAH to TPE, the booking required 75,000 miles, and I only paid $7.50 CAD or about $5.60 in fees. I found this flight for $3,292 in cash, so that’s about 4.4 cents per point for my Membership Rewards. So going with a 4.4 cent valuation, 50,000 points would be worth $2,200.

That’s obviously a huge disparity with the cashback value. But the value can get even sweeter.

Virgin Atlantic upper class

I once used 85,000 Delta SkyMiles to book a one-way Virgin Atlantic Upper Class ticket and paid only $5.60 in fees. This was close to an $8,000 flight so we received close to 10 cents per point. That would put the value of 50,000 points close to $5,000!

SAS business class

On another occasion I used 110,000 Aeroplan miles to fly to Scandinavia to check out the northern lights. The total fees for this trip came out to $24, so only $12 per person and according to Google Flights, that would have been a $15,210 flight for two people. So we got 14 cents per point in value!

With this valuation, 50,000 Membership Rewards would have been worth $7,000!

Keep in mind that sometimes you can find a special promotional bonus when you transfer your points. In the past, there were targeted bonus of 10 to 20% when transferring to Aeroplan. So it’s very possible to get even more value than what is listed here if you catch the right promotion.

WalletFlo valuation

Using a WalletFlo valuation of 1.75 cents per point, 50,000 points will come out to $875. WalletFlo valuations are based on published averages from other leading blogs and the valuation accounts for the premium of having a flexible currency as well as the redemption potential for premium cabins.  

Final word

As you can see, the value of 50,000 Amex points can range from $300 to $7,000. It all depends on how you utilize your points and whether or not you choose to use your points on travel. In the end, don’t get too hung up on the valuations since it is far more important that you use points in the way you desire to do so.

What’s The Best Top Hotel Elite Status? (Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, IHG) [2020]

Achieving hotel elite status is becoming more common with the help of credit cards. However, top tier elite statuses at certain hotel chains are harder to achieve than others, making some more exclusive than others. But what makes one top tier elite status different and are they worth the extra nights to be the top elite? Luckily, I have top tier elite status at Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, and IHG and can help you find an answer to this question.

In this article, I will go over Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Ambassador, and IHG Spire elite status requirements and benefits. I will also give a reality check on the benefits to try to clear them up. Then I will explain what the best hotel top tier elite status is.

Requirements

Requirements for each of the four major hotel loyalty programs will differ. Some will be easier to achieve than others. Some are obtainable via credit cards while others aren’t given out via credit cards. Below I go over the standard qualification requirements for Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, and IHG top tier elite status that are offered.

Hyatt Globalist:

  • 60 nights
  • or 100,000 base points
  • or holding 20 qualifying meetings/events per year

Hilton Diamond:

  • 60 nights
  • or 30 stays
  • or 120,000 base points

Marriott Ambassador:

  • 100 nights + $20,000 U.S. dollars in qualified annual spend

IHG Spire:

  • 75 nights
  • or 75,000 base points

As you can see above, Hyatt Globalist and Hilton Diamond are the easiest to obtain elite status. Meanwhile, the hardest status to obtain is Marriott Ambassador because of the 100 nights needed and the $20,000 in qualified spend. Luckily, all programs mentioned above allow award nights (nights that you redeem points on) to count as an elite night. 

You might have noticed some programs are achievable via base points. Think of base points as money you spend at a property. For example, at Hyatt properties you earn 5 points per dollar you spend. So, if you are a big spender, but cannot spend enough nights, all you have to do is spend $20,000 with Hyatt to become Globalist. Programs like IHG, Hilton, and Hyatt all allow you to obtain status via spend, but unfortunately Marriott doesn’t.

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

Ways to achieve via credit cards

You might not think obtaining top elite status is possible via a credit card, but it’s very possible with certain credit cards.

Amex Hilton Aspire (automatic Hilton Diamond status)

Hilton Aspire Bonus

You can get automatic Hilton Honors Diamond status with the American Express Hilton Aspire. The Aspire is one of the most loaded premium cards in terms of benefits. Here’s a look at everything the Hilton Aspire card has to offer:

  • 14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio worldwide
  • 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies and at U.S. restaurants
  • 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on other purchases
  • Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status
  • One weekend night at any hotel or resort in the Hilton portfolio (upon opening account and on account anniversary)
  • Weekend night after spending $60,000 on the card within a calendar year
  • Unlimited Priority Pass membership
  • $250 airline incidental fee statement credit
  • $250 Hilton resort statement credit
  • $100 on property credit at Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts when booking the exclusive Aspire Card package
  • $450 Annual Fee

It’s an expensive card if you only look at the annual fee, but beyond the annual fee the card holds many benefits like automatic Diamond status, an annual free weekend night certificate valued up to 120,000 points for a standard room, airline incidental credit, and Hilton resort credit. It’s a beast of a premium card and one shouldn’t pass up those benefits.

World of Hyatt Chase Card (spend your way to Globalist)

  • Complimentary Hyatt Discoverist status
  • Receive 5 qualifying night credits toward your next tier status every year
  • Earn 2 additional qualifying night credits toward your next tier status every time you spend $5,000 on your card
  • Anniversary free night certificate valued up to category 4 (second free night certificate after spending $15,000 within the anniversary year)
  • 4X spent with your card at Hyatt hotels, including participating restaurants and spas
  • 2X on local transit and commuting, including taxis, mass transit, tolls, and ride-share services
  • 2X at restaurants, cafes and coffee shops
  • 2X on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline
  • 2X spent on fitness club and gym memberships
  • $95 annual fee

For Hyatt lovers, the World of Hyatt Chase Card is for you. By holding the card, you get a free night certificate valued up to category 4 and also receive five qualifying night credits. Then you have the option to gain two additional qualifying night credits with every $5,000 you spend. *All* you have to do is spend $140,000 a year on this card to gain Globalist status without ever stepping foot into a Hyatt.

Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card (automatic 15 elite nights)

  • $300 in Marriott statement credit
  • Bonus earning:
    • 6x at Marriott properties
    • 3x at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines
    • 2x on all other purchases
  • Each calendar year you can receive credit for 15 nights towards the next level of Elite status. Limit one 15 Elite Night Credit per Marriott Loyalty Program member.
  • Priority Pass Select membership
  • Receive a statement credit every four years after you apply for Global Entry ($100) or TSA Pre√® ($85) with your Card.
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Free, unlimited Boingo Wi-Fi at more than 1,000,000 Boingo hotspots worldwide.
  • Annual free night

The Marriott Brilliant card sports decent benefits, even for its high annual fee. I for one love the annual free night worth up to 50,000 points. That means you can stay at a category 6 property on a standard award. Plus, the $300 Marriott statement credit is pretty flexible and can be used during any time you use the card at a Marriott property. The Brilliant card then automatically adds 15 elite nights to your Bonvoy account allowing you to be 15 elite nights closer to top tier status.

Status challenges and matches

Status challenges are great for fast tracking yourself to elite status. Sometimes hotel loyalty programs will have a fast track to their top tier elite status and while matching you to it, but not all will have a status challenge or match to top tier elite status.

I will keep these up-to-date for any new challenge and/matches in the future. Sometimes there are targeted challenges, but those won’t be open to the public. 

Hilton Diamond status challenge and match

Currently, Hilton has a status challenge and match that allows you to match to Hilton Gold for 90 days. During those 90 days you can stay 18 nights at any Hilton property in the world to extend your status till March 31, 2021.

This type of promotion could be within reach of people who have a big trip coming up and plan to stay in Hilton properties. All you will need is another status from another hotel loyalty program and a stay with that other hotel loyalty program. If you already have IHG Platinum status (which is easy to obtain via a low annual fee credit card) then you could use that to match while also using your free night from the IHG credit card as the proof of stay at IHG.

During your Hilton status challenge, any type of qualifying night will count towards the 18. So, you could stay for free and it will count towards the challenge.

Top tier hotel status benefits

Each hotel loyalty program will offer different benefits for their top tier status. Some hotel loyalty programs will offer benefits exceeding other programs, but the real world performance of the program will also be different from the spec sheet.

See, many different factors come into play regarding benefits handed out at a property. Some properties will go above and beyond for elite benefits, but other properties might do the bare minimum. It all comes down to a few factors:

  • The region or country
  • Resort or hotel
  • Occupancy
  • Brand

I will try to touch on these below from my experience traveling and staying at different brands from all around the world.

Return on spend (points earned per dollar)

Each hotel loyalty program values points differently. Some hand them out like candy, aka Hilton and IHG, while others are more conservative, aka Hyatt. Below you will see how many points you earn when you stay with each hotel loyalty program without adding any elite status earning bonus:

  • Hyatt: 5 points per dollar
  • Hilton: 10 points per dollar
  • Marriott: 10 points per dollar
  • IHG: 10 points per dollar

Now, let’s add on elite bonuses:

  • Hyatt Globalist: 7.5 points per dollar (30% elite bonus)
  • Hilton Diamond: 20 points per dollar (100% elite bonus)
  • Marriott Ambassador: 17.5 points per dollar (75% elite bonus)
  • IHG Spire: 20 points per dollar (100% elite bonus)

Using our WalletFlo points valuations (which will be built into our cheatsheet on WalletFlo) we have the following return per dollar spent:

  • Hyatt Globalist: 11% return
  • Hilton Diamond: 10% return
  • Marriott Ambassador: 13% return
  • IHG Spire: 11% return

These do not factor in any credit card bonuses or promotions for individual hotel loyalty programs.

Redeeming points

Redeeming points for each hotel loyalty program becomes a different story. Programs like Hyatt (March 2020) and Marriott use an on and off peak redemption chart. Hilton doesn’t have a redemption chart, allowing properties to change their redemption cost at any moment without any advance notice. IHG has changed to dynamic pricing depending on the season.

In my personal experience, I found Hyatt and Marriott very easy to use points with, as I can easily know which category I need to search for, while IHG and Hilton are a little confusing at times as redemptions costs do change for properties I would personally use points for.

Upgrades

Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Ambassador, and IHG Spire all offer unlimited complimentary upgrades to standard suites, based on availability. In other words, when you check-in, you can get upgraded up to a standard suite (which is decided by the property).

However, in the real world, upgrades to suites depend entirely on the property. For example, the Andaz Tokyo (a Hyatt brand) has no standard suites, just premium king rooms that are upgradable. Luckily, their premium king rooms are fabulous, but if you want to be upgraded to a suite, knowing the standard suites at each property is key.

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Standard suites are hard to figure out sometimes

Finding out what is and isn’t a standard suite at a property can be hard depending on the program. There is only one hotel loyalty program that lists on their website what a standard suite is and it’s Hyatt. Right under the rooms description, you can find the wording “this is a standard suite” or “this is a premium suite”. Hyatt making it clear if suites are standard or premium at booking makes it easier to determine your chances of an upgrade.

Other hotel loyalty programs don’t put in writing if a suite is standard or premium. You can of course call or ask via chat (if the property offers chat), but in most cases you just have to use your best judgement. I usually figure the lowest suite is standard and any suite above that is premium. 

Suite upgrade awards & suite night awards

Hyatt and Marriott are two hotel loyalty programs offering suite upgrade awards or suite night awards. Hilton and IHG do not offer certificates or awards to upgrade you to a suite before arrival.

Hyatt suite upgrade awards can be applied to reservations at the time of booking, even a year in advance to secure a suite for reservations as long as seven days, covering the whole reservation with one award. Think of this as a guaranteed way to upgrade your room right after you made the booking and once the award is applied. Plus, Hyatt suite upgrade awards are available at any hotel that has suites.

Marriott on the other hand isn’t guaranteeing you a suite upgrade. You can apply the suite night awards after you made your reservation. Each suite night award is good for one night to standard or premium suites (again, decided by the property.) Once the suite night award is applied to the reservation, it will only be confirmed five days before check-in. Meaning, you actually have no way to confirm a suite a year in advance like Hyatt. Plus, Marriott suite night awards aren’t available at every Marriott brand.

If you wanna learn more about Marriott suite night awards, you can read more here.

Upgrades in reality

In reality, upgrades with Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Ambassador, and IHG Spire can be common throughout the world. I found upgrades are best in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Oceania, but in North America and Japan, upgrades are less frequent. However, they do still happen.

Each program performs well with upgrades, maybe the best one for upgrades has to be Marriott Ambassador. With Marriott Ambassador, I’ve gotten some of the most amazing suites and villas ever. They were premium suites or villas, which the property doesn’t have to upgrade you to, but they still upgraded me.

Breakfast

Hyatt Globalist and Hilton Diamond offer at least continental breakfast at every single brand in their loyalty program, besides residence/vacation club properties.

IHG Spire doesn’t offer any breakfast benefit at any brand.

However, Marriott Ambassador offers breakfast at almost every brand with a little bit a confusion. Some brands might offer a full breakfast buffet or menu, but regions like North America will offer continental breakfast. Here are the brands from Marriott that offer breakfast:

  • AC Hotels by Marriott
  • Aloft
  • Autograph Collection Hotels
  • Bulgari
  • Courtyard by Marriott
  • Delta
  • Design
  • Element
  • Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott
  • Four Points by Sheraton
  • JW Marriott
  • Le Meridien
  • Marriott Hotels
  • Moxy Hotels
  • Protea Hotels
  • Renaissance Hotels
  • Residence Inn by Marriott
  • Sheraton
  • Springhill Suites by Marriott
  • St. Regis
  • The Luxury Collection
  • TownePlace Suites by Marriott
  • Tribute
  • Westin
  • W

Breakfast in reality

While Hyatt and Hilton breakfast are more consistent, sometimes instead of a full breakfast buffet you might be stuck with a continental breakfast. Luckily, more often than not you can find full breakfast buffets or order off the menu for breakfast.

For Marriott, breakfast has been given at properties that aren’t part of the list above — an example would be Ritz Carlton.  Usually these properties are outside North America.

IHG is interesting. Some properties might randomly give you breakfast. However, it’s not consistent and you won’t know till you arrive if the property feels like giving you breakfast.

The rule of thumb, breakfast in Asia and Middle East will typically be better than North America. While Europe breakfasts are still an upgrade above North American breakfasts, but not as good as Asian breakfasts.

Club lounge access

Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, and Marriott Ambassador all grant club lounge access for every brand. (The exception would be Ritz Carlton properties that will not grant Ambassador elites access to the club lounge.)

IHG Spire doesn’t offer club lounge access at any brand.

Club lounge access in reality

In reality, club lounge benefits via Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, and Marriott Ambassador are super consistent. There might be times where Ritz Carlton properties give Marriott Ambassadors club lounge access, but there are few that I know that do offer it to Ambassadors.

IHG properties might sometimes offer club lounge access to Spires, especially Holiday Inns. However, this is more rare than the norm. Again, in Asia, usually IHG properties will add on club lounge access randomly.

Waived resort & destination fees

Hyatt Globalist is the only hotel loyalty program that waives resort & destination fees on any rate you booked.

Hilton and IHG will waive resort & destination fees on award bookings.

Marriott will charge resort and destination fees on any rate you book.

Resort & destination fees in reality

Hyatt Globalists consistently get any resort or destination fee waived on any rate booked. Hilton is also consistent for waiving resort or destination fees on award bookings. IHG can be spotty for waiving resort fees on award stays, but it’s part of the policy so keep an eye on your folio.

Marriott on the other hand will sometimes, more rare than usual, waive such things as destination fees. You claim how you already get the same benefits as an elite or refuse the resort fee entirely. Sadly, some properties don’t like to budge, but you can always try.

Milestones

Programs that have milestones can be important for elites to keep staying as you get a feeling of accomplishment reaching milestones and receive awards. These milestones usually offer bonus points after reaching a certain amount of nights.

Hyatt, Hilton, and Marriott all offer milestones at different levels. Each of the milestones offered are based on nights. Hyatt and Hilton milestones go beyond their top tier status, while Marriott milestones are before top tier status.

However, the milestones offered by Hyatt and Marriott do offer a free award night. Hyatt though has an edge when it comes milestones, as Hyatt gives out a category 7 certificate, which makes it good at any Hyatt branded property in the world.

IHG doesn’t offer any milestones.

Milestones in reality

I love the milestones offered by Hyatt and Hilton as they keep rewards beyond their top tier status. Marriott and IHG need to add milestones beyond their top tier status to keep elites staying.

Personal assistant

There are two hotel loyalty programs that offer a personal assistant, or someone that always works with you directly when you call corporate.

Hyatt Globalist gives you My Hyatt Concierge and Marriott Ambassador gives you an Ambassador. Both can help you out with special requests, room preferences beyond the default booking preferences, problem solving, and throwing in special goodies.

My Hyatt Concierge in reality

My Hyatt Concierge is somewhat like the knock off version of Marriott Ambassador. Don’t get me wrong, some My Hyatt Concierge agents are amazing at what they do with some of their Globalists, but mine is definitely not as nice as my Marriott Ambassador. When I tried to contact My Hyatt Concierge, she tends to answer half of my questions.

Nonetheless, I’ve only had My Hyatt Concierge for a month. So, I will give it more time before I write her off completely. It’s most likely a consistency issue between each Concierge agent as some of my friends have an amazing concierge.

Marriott Ambassador in reality

My Marriott Ambassador is amazing. She goes above and beyond. We are like friends, always emailing and she has even surprised me on many of my stays with little goodies, beyond the upgrades she has secured for me. She is the reason why I love Marriott so much.

However, I am well aware of some Marriott Ambassadors liaisons tending to be absent or not helpful. Some of my friends have a less than helpful Ambassador. Maybe I am lucky, but consistency is also an issue with Ambassadors, even though I have a great one.

St. Regis Bali Ambassador birthday surprise

What is the best hotel top tier elite status?

This is a very subjective question and in reality, you determine what status is worth for you. However, if I had to decide one mainstream top tier elite status, it would be Hyatt Globalist.

Hyatt Globalist works for most, especially travelers in North America.

Hyatt Globalist is great for the benefits it offers. From waived parking on award stays, waived resort and destination fees on any stay, to its simple breakfast policy. Hyatt Globalist works for most, especially travelers in North America.

See, Hilton, Marriott, and IHG all are great programs outside North America. I prefer Marriott properties when traveling abroad over Hyatt properties anyday, but in North America, Hyatt benefits are very standardized so that properties don’t try to skip out on some benefits.

Properties go above and beyond for Marriott Ambassadors outside North America, but within North America the status is as good as Platinum or Titanium.

I have had some of the best upgrades and service experiences being a Marriott Ambassador over the two oceans. Properties go above and beyond for Marriott Ambassadors outside North America, but within North America the status is just as good as Platinum or Titanium. While Hilton and IHG are fine, being Diamond or Spire isn’t anything special most times. Yet, being Ambassador or Globalist, properties treat you very differently.

So, maybe if I had to summarize my answer, it will depend where you travel. Marriott for abroad and Hyatt for domestic. Those would be the best top tier elite statuses out there.

However, elite status is great and all, but chasing promotions is key. If you can get double or triple points when you stay at a hotel because of a promotion, go for it. However, if the promotion is like the Marriott targeted promotions that only give you 2,000 points per two stays, then it’s not worth it.

I personally hold Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Ambassador, and IHG Spire. While my go to is usually Marriott and Hyatt, I still will chase Hilton and IHG promotions when they are fabulous. Because at the end of the day, the benefits you receive at certain hotels aren’t worth as much as you might think.

Final word

While each program might differ, some do shine more than others because of certain benefits like breakfast and club lounge access. However, I still think chasing promotions can be worth more than benefits in the long run as those promotions can help you achieve free nights faster.

World of Hyatt Milestone Rewards: Everything You Need to Know [2020]

Good loyalty programs will have milestones. World of Hyatt Milestone Rewards is a perfect example of rewarding continuing guests, no matter what elite status they have. You can earn free nights, suite upgrades, bonus points, club access, and gift cards. Most will be given once you reach the milestone and then some might be a choice award. 

In this article, I will go over Milestone Rewards and how to reach them while explaining each one. Then I will go over what happens when you reach the milestones and how to select choice awards. 

What are Hyatt Milestone Rewards?

Each year Hyatt has ten milestones you can reach called Milestone Rewards. Some milestones won’t give you a choice for the award, but Hyatt is one of the easiest programs that allows you to hit milestones and get rewarded.

Some of the milestones will offer you bonus points, suite upgrades, a free night award, a gift card, or club lounge access awards. Each one has a different use case, but some of the choice awards can be really valuable.

I explain more down below.

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

How to reach Hyatt Milestone Rewards

Out of the ten Hyatt Milestone Rewards, nine Hyatt Milestone Rewards are based on the number of elite nights or base points you earn within a calendar year. One Milestone Reward is only based on the number of different brands you have tried.

The ten Milestone Rewards:

  • Stay at five different brands
  • 20 elite nights or 35,000 base points
  • 30 elite nights or 50,000 base points
  • 40 elite nights or 65,000 base points
  • 50 elite nights or 80,000 base points
  • 60 elite nights or 100,000 base points
  • 70 elite nights
  • 80 elite nights
  • 90 elite nights
  • 100 elite nights

You might have noticed that 30 nights or 50,000 base points is Explorist status. While 60 elite nights or 100,000 base points is Globalist status. 

Any elite nights and base points earned between January 1st and December 31st will count towards the milestones that require elite nights or base points. For the five brands, they count any brands you have stayed at since March 1, 2017.

Ways to gain elite nights

The best way to gain elite nights or base points is by staying at Hyatt properties. Stay one night in a Hyatt property on cash or points, and you will earn an elite night for each night you actually stay at the property.

Base points are based on the cash you have spent at the property. So, spend $1 at any Hyatt or SLH property and you will have 5 base points. Spend $1 on any FIND experience and you will have 10 base points. (Elite bonus points do not count towards base points.)

If you want elite night short cuts, you could hold the World of Hyatt credit card.

World of Hyatt Chase Card

  • Complimentary Hyatt Discoverist status
  • Receive 5 qualifying night credits toward your next tier status every year
  • Earn 2 additional qualifying night credits toward your next tier status every time you spend $5,000 on your card
  • Anniversary free night award valued up to category 4 (second free night certificate after spending $15,000 within the anniversary year)
  • 4X spent with your card at Hyatt hotels, including participating restaurants and spas
  • 2X on local transit and commuting, including taxis, mass transit, tolls, and ride-share services
  • 2X at restaurants, cafes and coffee shops
  • 2X on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline
  • 2X spent on fitness club and gym memberships
  • $95 annual fee

For Hyatt lovers, the World of Hyatt Chase Card is for you. By holding the card, you get automatic Hyatt Discoverist status and five qualifying night credits. Then you have the option to gain two additional qualifying night credits every $5,000 you spend. So, you could spend $140,000 a year on this card to gain Globalist status and hit five milestones without ever stepping foot into a Hyatt.

Plus, with the card, you also receive an anniversary free night certificate a year valued up to a category 4 property. That means you could use the free night certificate at the Park Hyatt Istanbul and earn an elite night from your stay using the certificate. 

Hyatt Milestone Rewards

As there are ten Hyatt Milestone Rewards, you have many opportunities to gain many benefits without much effort, even low tier elites have opportunities for reaching a few milestones. 

The Milestone Rewards are:

ActivityMilestone Rewards or Tier Status
Stay at five different Hyatt brands and pay an eligible rate after March 1, 2017 Free night award in a Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort, Small Luxury Hotels of the World hotel, or M life Rewards destination
Stay 20 qualifying nights or earn 35,000 Base Points in a calendar yearTwo club lounge access awards
Stay 30 qualifying nights or earn 50,000 Base Points in a calendar yearFree night award in a Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort, Small Luxury Hotels of the World hotel, or M life Rewards destination

&

Two club lounge access awards
Stay 40 qualifying nights or earn 65,000 Base Points in a calendar yearYour choice of 5,000 Bonus Points, a $100 Hyatt Gift Card or save 10,000 points on a FIND experience.
Stay 50 qualifying nights or earn 80,000 Base Points in a calendar yearTwo suite upgrade awards
Stay 60 qualifying nights or earn 100,000 Base Points in a calendar yearStay 60 qualifying nights or earn 100,000 Base Points in a calendar year

&

Two suite upgrade awards

&

Access to My Hyatt Concierge agent for reservations and personalized service
Stay 70 qualifying nights in a calendar year Your choice of either 10,000 Bonus Points or a suite upgrade award
Stay 80 qualifying nights in a calendar year Your choice of either 10,000 Bonus Points or a suite upgrade award
Stay 90 qualifying nights in a calendar year Your choice of either 10,000 Bonus Points or a suite upgrade award
Stay 100 qualifying nights in a calendar year Your choice of either 10,000 Bonus Points or a suite upgrade award

As you can see, some milestones are choice awards. That means you can only pick one award out of several options. I explain more about each Milestone Reward under “which Hyatt Milestone Rewards is the best” section.

Which Hyatt Milestone Rewards are the best?

As there are a total of eight awards in the Milestone Rewards, some might hold greater value over others.

Category 1-4 free night award

This Milestone Reward is given when you stay at five different brands. It’s also given at 30 elite nights or 50,000 base points.

As this Milestone Reward is not a choice award, you automatically get this category 1-4 free night award when reaching either of these milestones.

This award is super easy to use as Hyatt has some great category 4 properties in the world. Some category 4 properties will usually be $300+ a night. One great use would be the Park Hyatt Istanbul as it’s a category 4.

Category 1-7 free night award

This Milestone Reward is given when you reach 60 elite nights or 100,000 base points.

Similar to the category 1-4 free night award, you will automatically receive this award when you reach the milestone. You can check out our list of Hyatt category 7 properties here. 

You could use this free night award at any Hyatt branded property in the world. That means you could use it at the Park Hyatt Maldives or Ventana Big Sur, an Alila Resort, both of which can go be $1000+ a night.

Suite upgrade awards

This Milestone Reward is given when you reach 50 elite nights or 80,000 base points and 60 elite nights or 100,000 base points. Then it’s a choice award at 70 elite nights, 80 elite nights, 90 elite nights, and 100 elite nights. 

Suite upgrade awards can be super valuable for confirming suites during peak travel seasons.

What makes Hyatt suite upgrade awards better than Marriott Suite Night Awards is the fact that Hyatt suite upgrade awards are confirmable at the time you apply the suite upgrade award. 

Each suite upgrade award works for stays up to seven consecutive nights for a standard suite. You can sometimes apply two suite upgrade awards for an upgrade to a premium suite. (When searching for available rooms, suites will be labeled as standard or premium suite.)

I think suite upgrade awards can be super valuable when it’s given to you automatically, but when it’s part of the choice award I would pick bonus points over the suite upgrade award. It’s because complimentary suite upgrades are easy to come by during low and mid travel seasons. 

Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!

Club lounge access awards

This Milestone Reward is given when you reach 20 elite nights or 50,000 base points and 30 elite nights or 50,000 base points.

Again, club lounge access Milestone Reward is not a choice award, so when you reached one or both of the milestones, you will receive two club lounge access awards. 

Club lounge access allows you to access the lounge for you or other rooms on your reservation. So, for Discoverist and Explorist elites, club lounge access can be super handy as both those status tiers don’t receive complimentary club lounge access.

For Globalists, this award is harder to use as Globalists receive complimentary club lounge access. Globalists could use this award for other rooms on their reservation. Sadly, you cannot use it for other people’s reservations. 

Each club lounge access award works for stays up to seven consecutive nights.

I think these can be super valuable for lower-tier elites or Globalists that have multiple rooms wanting to have everyone in their party to access to the club lounge. 

Bonus points

This Milestone Reward is a choice award when you reach 40 elite nights or 65,000 base points, 70 elite nights, 80 elite nights, 90 elite nights, and 100 elite nights. 

Out of all of Hyatt’s choice awards, this is by far the best choice. Points are easy to use at Hyatt properties. No matter if the bonus points are 5,000 points or 10,000 points, you can easily find a free night at a category 1 or 2 property. Heck, you can find a category 1 Park Hyatt in Chennai, India. 

Bonus points are certainly the best and easiest choice award. Other choice awards like the Hyatt Gift Card and FIND experience are much harder to use as they have limited use cases.

$100 Hyatt Gift Card

This Milestone Reward is a choice award when you reach 40 elite nights or 65,000 base points.

You might have thought the $100 Hyatt Gift Card would be a good choice award, but in reality, the gift card is restricted to use at certain properties.

You can find the list of participating properties here. The gift card is great if you want to use them within North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, but you cannot use it at all outside of those regions. So, you cannot use the gift card in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, or South America.

I think the Hyatt Gift Card should be global, similar to Marriott Gift Cards, to make them more valuable. However, if you are always traveling at one of these participating properties, the gift card could be a good choice.

Save 10,000 points on a FIND experience

This Milestone Reward is a choice award when you reach 40 elite nights or 65,000 base points.

FIND is a recently introduced experience program, similar to Marriott Moments. So, saving 10,000 points on a FIND experience is certainly a big savings.

Some experiences are worthwhile, like a half-day spa experience for multiple people, helicopter rides, private transfers, etc. Some of them, in fact, cost $500+ for multiple people for less than 10,000 points.

If you found a FIND experience you want to do, this choice award could be very valuable. However, it’s not in every city.

Access to My Hyatt Concierge agent

This Milestone Reward is given when you reach 60 elite nights or 100,000 base points.

Think of My Hyatt Concierge as a Marriott Ambassador, but less personable. My Hyatt Concierge is known to be unresponsive or not proactive. Sometimes the My Hyatt Concierge can only do basic things like change reservations. So, when you compare Marriott Ambassador and My Hyatt Concierge, My Concierge would be less useful. 

This is more like a gimmick in my eyes. I found no use of My Hyatt Concierge.

When do I receive or select Hyatt Milestone Rewards choice award?

Once you reach one of the milestones, you will automatically get an email confirming you reached the Milestone Reward with your award. If it’s a choice award, you can select it up to 90 days after you received the milestone email.

So, make sure you select the choice award 90 days or less from the email that was sent. 

Where do I select my Hyatt Milestone Rewards choice award?

Once you reached a Hyatt Milestone Reward, you will get an email. For choice awards, you have to select your award via the link given in the email. 

So, all communication and the selection link will be in the email sent to you.

Final word

Hyatt Milestone Rewards are one my favorite thing about Hyatt.

I love how many milestones there are, especially beyond their top tier elite status. It’s easy to rack up free nights or suite upgrades when staying frequently, but also easy for less frequent travelers to gain access to club lounges and free nights.

I just hope other programs (looking at you Marriott) adds more milestones.

How to Transfer Marriott Points Between Accounts & to Airline Partners [2019]

One of the best features of the new Marriott program is the ability to transfer points between members and also to various airlines. The process to transferring points is not the same though and there are some key considerations that you need to be aware of when trying to transfer your hard-earned Marriott points.

In this article, I’ll show you how to transfer Marriott points from one Marriott member to another, and I’ll also show you how to transfer your Marriott points to different airline partners.

Interested in finding out the hottest travel credit cards for this month? Click here to check them out! 

How to transfer points to another Marriott account

Marriott will allow you to transfer points between any two members so you’re not limited to just your spouse or partners as you might have imagined. There are still some limitations, though and I’ll discuss those below.

Initiating the transfer

Transferring points between Marriott members is pretty simply, although you cannot currently transfer your points online. Instead, you’ll need to call Marriott Member Support at this phone number: (801) 468-4000 to initiate the transfer. The Account holder requesting the transfer must provide the Membership Number of the Points recipient at the time of the Point transfer request.

The transfer between members is usually instant and once the authorization for transfer is received and processed, the transferor relinquishes all rights to the transferred Points, and they become the recipient’s Points.

Limitations on transfers

The Marriott terms and conditions state that:

Members can transfer up to a maximum of 100,000 Points per calendar year between any two accounts in good standing that have each been open for at least sixty (60) days, whether sending or receiving Points.

So there are two major things to note here.

The first is that you are only allowed to transfer a maximum of 100,000 points per calendar year between any two accounts. That means that you can still transfer points to other people — you’re just limited to 100K between two specific people.

For example, let’s say you had friends Joe and Sally and you have 200,000 points. You could transfer 100,000 points to Joe and 100,000 points to Sally. However, you could not transfer more than 100,000 to either of them individually.

There used to be an exception that allowed you to transfer more than 100,000 Marriott points if you were going to use your points for a specific redemption. Unfortunately, I confirmed with Marriott reps that this exception no longer exists.

The second thing you need to note is that if you trying to transfer points out of your Marriott account and into another Marriott account, both accounts need to have been opened for at least 60 days. 

Limitations on receiving points

If you are a new member and are looking forward to receiving points there are more limitations that you need to be aware of.

First, you will normally have to wait 90 days from enrollment in order to be eligible to receive a Points Transfer regardless of account activity. However, a new Member may receive a Points Transfer 30 days after enrollment if the Account reflects activity including a Qualifying Stay or other qualifying activity.

Marriott La Concha Hotel.

How to transfer points to an airline

It’s a little easier to transfer points to an airline because you can do this online.

First, visit the Marriott redeem page and click on “Transfer Points to Miles.”

Next, click on “Transfer Points” where you will be prompted to enter in your log-in information.

You’ll be taken to a screen where you can choose the airline to transfer points to. Simply input the frequent flyer number and how many points you wish to transfer and then hit continue where you will be asked to verify the process.

Note that the frequent flyer account name must match the name on the Marriott account. I confirmed this with a Marriott rep and it also is stated in the terms and conditions, albeit vaguely:

Members requesting to redeem their Points and convert to Miles must be a member of the relevant airline frequent flyer program or airline-affiliated loyalty program in order to complete the redemption

I have not tested to see if anybody was able to get around this yet.

One very important thing to note is that you will not be able to transfer these points back to your account from the frequent flyer program that you are transferring your points to. All transfers are final so make sure that you know what you are doing.

How long will it take to transfer the points to miles?

The Marriott terms and conditions state:

Once Points have been redeemed for Miles with a participating airline frequent flyer program or other airline-affiliated loyalty program, Miles will automatically be transferred to the Member’s frequent flyer or airline-affiliated loyalty program account. Please allow approximately six (6) weeks for Miles to be posted to your account.

Six weeks is a long time but in reality your points might be transferred in a week’s time (that’s how long it took my points to transfer on multiple occasions).

Interestingly, there is an express service that you can inquire about when transferring your points to an airline. The price of the service depends on how quickly you need the transfer to process and could also be affected by the type of elite status that you have with Marriott.

You might be paying somewhere between $15 to $25 depending on all of those factors and it’s not clear exactly how quickly that Marriott will process your transfer.

Note if you use the old SPG format, you might be able to decrease your transfer times (it’s not clear how long this will be an option).

What airlines can you transfer your points to?

There are many different airlines that you can transfer your points to. You’ll notice that the ratio is usually 3:1 though there are a couple of variations (United has a 10% bonus for example). Also note that for every 60,000 points that you transfer, you’ll receive a bonus of 5,000 miles.

So if you transfer 60,000 Marriott points at a 3:1 ratio, you’ll receive 25,000 miles for that program.

FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAMS POINTS : MILES
Aegean Airlines 3:1
Aeroflot Bonus 3:1
AeroMexico ClubPremier 3:1
Air Canada Aeroplan 3:1
Air China Phoenix Miles 3:1
Air France/KLM Flying Blue 3:1
Air New Zealand Airpoints™ 200:1
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan® 3:1
Alitalia MilleMiglia 3:1
ANA Mileage Club 3:1
American Airlines 3:1
Asiana Airlines Asiana Club 3:1
Avianca LifeMiles 3:1
British Airways Executive Club 3:1
Asia Miles™ 3:1
China Eastern Airlines Eastern Miles 3:1
China Southern Airlines 3:1
Copa Airlines ConnectMiles 3:1
Delta SkyMiles® 3:1
Emirates Skywards® 3:1
Etihad Guest 3:1
Frontier Airlines EarlyReturns® 3:1
Hainan Airlines 3:1
Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles® 3:1
Iberia Plus 3:1
Japan Airlines JAL Mileage Bank 3:1
Jet Airways JetPrivilege® 3:1
JetBlue TrueBlue™ 6:1
Korean Air SKYPASS 3:1
LATAM Airlines LATAMPASS 3:1
Lufthansa Miles & More 3:1
Multiplus 3:1
Qantas Frequent Flyer 3:1
Qatar Privilege Club 3:1
Saudia Airlines 3:1
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer® 3:1
South African Airways Voyager 3:1
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® 3:1
TAP Air Portugal 3:1
THAI Airways 3:1
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles 3:1
United MileagePlus® 3:1.1
Virgin Atlantic® Flying Club 3:1
Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer 3:1

Transferring between Marriott and SPG accounts

Before the merger was finalized between SPG and Marriott, you could transfer your points between the programs quite easily at a ratio of 3 Marriott points to 1 SPG point. I’m not sure if you can still do that (you probably can) because now the website is set up for you to merge your accounts into a single rewards account.

This will in effect transfer your points between the two programs but you’ll only be left with a single loyalty account. Note that combining your accounts is different from merely “linking” your accounts, as combining will leave you with only one account.

  • If you want to combine your accounts and keep your Marriott log-in profile you can do that here. 
  • If you want to combine your accounts and keep your SPG log-in profile you can do that here. 

Final word

Marriott points are great because they allow you flexibility by being able to transfer them out to different airline partners. It’s also nice to be able to transfer them to other members although there are some restrictions to contend with.

New Hilton Points Explorer Tool: Is it Useful?

Hilton is one of my favorite hotel programs for a few reasons.

First, I find it extremely easy to earn points between their bonus earning rate of 20X for Diamond members, earn rate on co-branded credit cards like the Hilton Aspire (14X), and also their many promotions that they constantly run.

Second, I really like that they have a meaningful mid-tier status that is easy to obtain. There are multiple routes to get Hilton Gold status. You can use cards like the AMEX Platinum Card or you can go with cards like the Hilton Ascend. You can also do status challenges which are easy enough to accomplish. 

Third, I like that they have a large portfolio. I don’t usually struggle to find a Hilton that I can use my points on when traveling. 

Now, Hilton Honors definitely is not a perfect hotel loyalty program and they have their shortcomings.

One of the biggest annoyances of the program is that they no longer have a published award chart. Hilton has a dynamic award chart pricing system so the prices can fluctuate (wildly) for properties and there are no clear categories that the properties belong in.

This is problematic because it allows Hilton to pretty much do whatever they want to do whenever it comes to changing the prices for hotels and nobody is really going to be able to know. It also makes planning for a trip difficult because it requires so much research to be able to figure out what the prices are going to be.

But now there is a new tool that should make your life at least a little bit easier.

New Hilton Points Explorer tool (link)

Hilton now has a new tool that is known as the Hilton Points Explorer. This tool is extremely simple to use and you can find the link to the tool here. 

First you can move the slider to show how many points that you are willing or able to spend per night to narrow down your choices. 

Then, you can enter in a location (or just leave it blank) and a list of properties will populate and you will be able to see the minimum and the maximum redemption amount for that property per night. 

You can also filter out the results based on the brand. So for example if you only wanted to see Conrad properties you could filter for those.

Is this really helpful?

This tool is helpful in that it acts as a pseudo award chart which can provide guidance for your redemptions.

Sometimes this guidance can be pretty helpful. 

For example, whenever I searched for Hilton properties in Miami, I saw several properties that had a very narrow range of fluctuation in pricing. This would actually be pretty helpful when trying to plan a trip to Miami with points.

In some locations though, the difference in price is so wide that it has limited use. Take a look at these properties located in Chicago. There is like a 40,000+ point difference in the prices. I guess it’s nice to know the floor and the ceiling for these prices but it’s still just not that helpful.

Also these prices are for standard room redemptions and they don’t currently have away to search for prices for other room types. 

Problems?

There are a couple of problems with this feature, though. 

Some are reporting that they were able to redeem nights at some hotels for fewer points than the minimum is showing, making some people suspect that there was just a devaluation. It’s not clear exactly what is going on with that. Maybe they are still updating the system or maybe there are still some technical things to work out. We will see. 

Also, some are reporting that some properties are not showing up at all. That is why I would try to use other tools (HotelHustle, Awardomatic, etc.) in conjunction with this feature to make sure that you are not missing out on any properties. I would also check the Hilton website or app to review all properties in a location.

Final word

Overall, I like this new tool because it is so simple to use and it gives us somewhat of an award chart for these properties. However, given the drastic swings in pricing this will not always be very useful when trying to plan out your redemption.

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