This article helps you understand that not all points are equal. Let’s talk about what your travel points are worth. Each rewards program is essentially its own currency. The values can vary based on the retail cost of the average redemption. The following tables list estimated values based on an average person’s redemption. Many people can find much higher value than these estimates for their points and miles.
The most common thing I see is someone get excited about a huge hotel bonus. This is often a Hilton card because their currency is not as valuable as others. For example, Hilton points are much less valuable compared to Hyatt points. Comparing two similar rooms that you could book with Hilton points vs. Hyatt points, one Hyatt point is roughly 4 times more valuable! So, if a welcome offer on a Hilton credit card is 160,000 points, then that is equivalent to a Hyatt card having a signup bonus of 40,000 points.
This post is not meant to be exhaustive with examples, but hopefully these tables will give you an idea if a big bonus with a big brand is worth it relative to other offers.
Point Values by Category*
*Values based on calculations from Frequent Miler’s article here (permission given by Frequent Miler)
Transferable Points
| Program | Value | Best Way to Redeem |
|---|---|---|
| Chase Ultimate Rewards® | 1.8 | Travel Portal and Transfer Partners |
| American Express Membership Rewards® | 1.55 | Travel Portal and Transfer Partners |
| Citi ThankYou® Points | 1.45 | Travel Portal and Transfer Partners |
| Capital One® Miles | 1.6 | Travel Portal, Reimbursement, and Transfer Partners |
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Airline Rewards
Most airline miles are around the same value. So choosing airline credit cards comes down to preference, travel goals, sign-up bonuses, and extra benefits like free bags. There are also some intangibles such as Southwest's flexible cancellation and change policy (no fees and miles are re-deposited quickly).
| Airline Program | Redemption Value (Cents per point) |
|---|---|
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1.3 |
| Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan™ | 1.3 |
| American Airlines AAdvantage® program | 1.3 |
| Avianca lifemiles | 1.3 |
| British Airways Executive Club Avios | 1.09 |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 1.09 |
| Delta SkyMiles® | 1.2 |
| Frontier Miles | 0.95 |
| HawaiianMiles | 0.75 |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1.33 |
| Korean Air SKYPASS Club | 1.3 |
| LATAM Pass | 0.62 |
| Miles & More (Lufthansa) | 1.3 |
| Southwest Airlines | 1.4 |
| United MileagePlus | 1.3 |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1.3 |
Hotel Rewards
The main takeaway is that Hilton often has higher welcome bonuses for their credit cards compared to Hyatt or Marriott, but Hilton Honors points are far less valuable than other programs.
| Hotel Program | Redemption Value (Cents per point) |
|---|---|
| Best Western Rewards | 0.54 |
| Choice Privileges® Rewards | 0.68 |
| Expedia OneKey | 0.71 |
| Hilton Honors | 0.48 |
| World of Hyatt | 2.1 |
| IHG One Rewards | 0.63 |
| Marriott Bonvoy® | 0.8 |
| Radisson Rewards | 0.34 |
| Wyndham Rewards | 0.88 |
Now that we’ve covered the value of points and miles, you should be better equipped to make a good decision on your next card. Check out our Best Credit Card Offers of the Month or our Top Overall Rankings for Beginners. Of course, all of this information is taken into consideration when you use the CardGenie tool in your user portal. Want to be sure you’re getting the best value points for you? Be sure your Travel Freely profile is up to date and check out the CardGenie to see what card is right for you.
