Travel Points & Miles – What Are They Worth? [April 2024]

Credit cards, airlines, and hotels don’t give out their own point and mile valuations, so, unfortunately, there are no official answers on what points and miles are actually worth. Therefore, it’s up to you to make your own conclusions on that value. However, we’re here to help.

Many factors come into play when determining this metric. Below are questions you should ask yourself when evaluating the value of points, and what we’ve taken into account to create our point and mile valuations:

• How valuable are these points?
• How flexible are these points, and how many transfer partners are there?
• What are your redemption options?
• How much would you buy points and miles for?
• What’s the average redemption value from 3 different bookings?
• How abundant is award availability?

Upgraded Points’ April 2024 Points and Miles Valuations

Flexible Points Programs

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Hot Tip: Use our dedicated transfer partner tool calculator to review transfer ratios, times, and bonuses for all major flexible point programs.

Airline Loyalty Programs

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Hotel Loyalty Programs

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Upgraded Points’ Highest-Valued Points

Not all miles and points are created equal, so naturally, each category has its own winner with the most valued points. Here’s why we ranked the highest-valued points as such:

Transferable Points: American Express Membership Rewards Points

American Express Membership Rewards continues to be the king of transferable points. Amex partners with all 3 major alliances (SkyTeam, Star Alliance, and Oneworld), along with many non-alliance partners, so it’s easier to find award space compared to other transferable points. Some of the Amex transfer partners include Qantas, Air Canada, and Emirates.

Hot Tip: It is no secret that transferable points are our favorite rewards to earn, thanks to their flexibility and the powerful redemptions they offer. If you’d like more information on the major transferable point currencies, we’ve put together complete guides on how we value Amex Membership Rewards points, Chase Ultimate Rewards points, Capital One miles, and Citi ThankYou Points.

Airline Miles: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles

Alaska Airlines has the best of both worlds: a variety of partners and solid redemption rates. Some of Alaska’s Oneworld partners include American and Japan Airlines, and the airline’s non-alliance partners include Emirates, Korean Air, Singapore Airlines, and more. Redemption rates are lower than other partners across the board.

Hotel Points: World of Hyatt Points

World of Hyatt has the most reasonable redemption rates of all the major hotel chains. Further, we’ve found that there are virtually no blackout dates and that all hotels are on a standard award chart, so you’ll always pay the same price for a room at any hotel. This allows you to explore fantastic Hyatt redemption opportunities, ensuring maximum value.

Movers and News

It was a busy month in the world of points and miles. Here is what made waves last month:

Amex Cardholders Can Now Use Point.Me To Find Award Flights Easily

Point.me, a popular award search website, and American Express have formed a new partnership that will make it easier for Amex cardholders to book award flights.

As of March 11, cardholders can search for award flights through Point.me’s platform for free, making flight searches and redemptions simpler to do.

Point.me typically charges $129 for an annual membership and provides access to award availability on over 100 airlines. With the launch of this new partnership, Amex cardholders can easily search for award seats using point.me at no cost and view award rates before transferring points to any of the Amex Membership Rewards airline transfer partners.

Bilt Rewards Becomes Alaska Airlines’ First-Ever Transfer Partner and Ends Partnership With American Airlines

Bilt Rewards is one of the best flexible point currencies out there — and the program continues to wow us with its fee-free rent payments, travel partner lineup, and unprecedented transfer bonuses.

Alaska Airlines has never partnered with a flexible point program before, which is why this news is so exciting. Historically, you either had to earn Alaska miles by flying, spending on credit cards, or buying miles when they were on sale.

Now, Bilt Rewards members will be able to transfer their points over to Alaska at a 1:1 ratio, which means 1 Bilt point becomes 1 Alaska mile.

On the other hand, starting in June, American Airlines is ending its partnership with Bilt Rewards, and members will no longer be able to transfer their Bilt points to the airline.

Select Chase Cardholders Losing Priority Pass Restaurants

Those who hold the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® and The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card are losing one of the cards’ best benefits: access to Priority Pass restaurants.

According to Chase: “Beginning July 1, 2024, Chase Sapphire Reserve, J.P. Morgan Reserve and The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card cardmembers will no longer have access to restaurants, cafes and markets participating in Priority Pass Select. Access to Priority Pass Select’s network of lounges and other select airport experiences is not impacted by this update.”

If you’re one of the many who have enjoyed airport restaurant access via Priority Pass, there are still a couple of alternatives available. Each of these cards includes a Priority Pass Select membership with access to participating cafes, restaurants, and markets:

*(Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One.)

Refresh of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card [New Benefits and Welcome Offer]

American Express has made some significant changes to the Hilton Business Amex card, adding new ways to earn Hilton points, perks, and statement credits.

For starters, the Hilton Business Amex card is getting an increased welcome bonus: 

• Limited Time Offer: Earn 175,000 points after spending $8,000 in purchases in the first 6 months.

You’ll also now earn 5x points on other purchases made using the card on the first $100,000 in purchases each calendar year and 3x points thereafter. Sadly, the previous 6x bonus categories have been removed.

Robinhood To Launch New 3% Cash-Back Credit Card — What To Know

The popular investment platform Robinhood is entering the world of credit card rewards in a big way — with an industry-leading cash-back credit card. While the card isn’t available for applications yet, it’s set to launch later this year. 

When it comes to cash-back on the Robinhood Gold Card, you’ll earn:

• 5% cash-back on travel purchased through the Robinhood travel portal
• 3% cash-back on all other purchases

While we don’t have any details yet on what the Robinhood travel portal will look like, earning an uncapped 3% cash-back on all purchases is outstanding. For comparison, most catch-all cash-back credit cards max out at 2% cash-back on all purchases.

The card is set to launch later this year, but those who think it might be a good fit for them can register their interest by joining the waitlist on Robinhood’s website.

New Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Visa^® Card and Points Transfer

San Francisco-based Wells Fargo has introduced a brand-new credit card offering.

According to the issuer, the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card is designed for frequent travelers and complements Wells Fargo’s other consumer credit cards, offering customers real, transparent value no matter what they’re looking for in their card.

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card comes with a $95 annual fee and offers the following welcome offer:

• Earn 60,000 bonus rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months.

The card earns points according to the following structure:

• Unlimited 5x points on hotels
• Unlimited 4x points on flights
• Unlimited 3x points on other travel purchases and dining
• 1x points on all other purchases

The card also features no foreign transaction fees, a $50 annual statement credit for airfare purchases, and a suite of travel protections, including trip cancellation insurance, which provides up to $15,000 for lodging, flights, and activities if a trip is canceled for a covered reason.

The introduction of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card also brings the introduction of an all-new feature for the Wells Fargo ecosystem. Called Points Transfer, it’s a platform that provides a range of redemption options for those who have cards that earn Wells Fargo Rewards points. Eligible cardholders will be able to transfer their rewards points to participating partners, which include Aer Lingus AerClub, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca Lifemiles, British Airways Executive Club, Choice Privileges, and Iberia Plus. All transfers will occur at a 1:1 ratio, with the exception of Choice Privileges, which will be a 1:2 ratio.

New Opportunities To Purchase Points

If you need to boost your mileage balances but aren’t in the market for a new credit card, here are the latest opportunities to purchase points with a bonus:

Hot Tip: Keep track of the latest point purchase promotions and discounts on our dedicated page, which we update each time a new promotion launches. 

New Airline Route Changes

Here are the airlines that announced last month that they were adding, removing, or relaunching routes:

U.S. Airlines

International Airlines

New Hotel Openings

Here are the latest hotel openings coming soon:

Hilton

Hyatt

IHG

Marriott

Boutique and Luxury Properties

Final Thoughts

While the value of points and miles can vary, you want to ensure you’re getting great value when redeeming those hard-earned points.

When it comes to flexible points, Amex Membership Rewards points are valued the highest on a cent-per-point basis. These points are extremely flexible given the number of Amex airline and hotel partners. Membership Rewards also offers good transfer rates with a ton of redemption options, ensuring you can get the most out of your points.