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With almost all loyalty programs, the value you get from redeeming points and miles will vary. Some redemptions can provide incredible value. Other redemptions will downright suck. One of the biggest challenges in the points and miles world is how to get more great redemptions and avoid fewer bad redemptions. Put another way, how do you minimize the number of points, miles, and cash you'll pay for the experience?
AwardWallet is here to help you solve that challenge. We've written a series of “sweet spot” posts covering the best redemptions for dozens of the most popular loyalty programs — plus the best ways to get to popular destinations like Hawaii, Europe, and more.
If you're looking to get the most from each point or mile, this is a handy place to start your search.
Page Contents
Best Uses of Airline Miles
Best redemptions for domestic U.S. flights
- American & Alaska flights: 472 American Airlines and 72 Alaska routes bookable for 12,000 Avios
- American flights: 1,284 American Airlines routes bookable for 9,200 Qantas points
- Delta flights: 462 Delta routes that you can book for just 7,500 Virgin points
- Hawaii flights: Best ways to fly to Hawaii using points and miles
- Amex Membership Rewards: Best ways to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points for U.S. domestic flights
- Chase Ultimate Rewards: Maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards points for flights within North America
- Capital One Miles: Maximize Capital One miles for flights within North America
- Citi ThankYou® Rewards Points: Maximize Citi ThankYou Points for flights within North America
Best redemptions for international flights
- Amex Membership Rewards sweet spots to Europe
- Chase Ultimate Rewards sweet spots to Europe
- Best business-class award sweet spots for flights to Europe
- Best business-class award sweet spots for flights to Asia
- Best business and economy sweet spots for flights to Tokyo
- Best business and economy sweet spots for flights to Australia and New Zealand
- Best business and economy sweet spots for flights to South Africa
- How to book the world's best first class awards with points and miles
- How to visit the Dolomites (2026 Winter Olympics host site) using points and miles
- How to visit the Machu Picchu using points and miles
U.S. mileage programs
- Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards sweet spots: Including Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, and many more.
- American Airlines AAdvantage® sweet spots: Including Qatar Qsuite to the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, or Africa; Japan Airlines business class to Japan and Korea; and more.
- Delta SkyMiles best uses: Delta is constantly changing awards, but here's the latest on where you can find value.
- JetBlue TrueBlue: Although JetBlue is mostly a fixed-value program, some partner awards offer compelling value.
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards: Identifying how to squeak out the right value from Rapid Rewards
- United MileagePlus sweet spots: Including domestic U.S. flights, northern South America, business class to Europe, flights within Japan, and getting a free flight on a multi-leg trip.
International mileage programs
- Air Canada Aeroplan stopover sweet spots: Including hops around South America, visiting Europe and Africa in the same trip, and how to save miles by flying more.
- Air France–KLM Flying Blue award sweet spots: Including Hawaii, Mexico, northern South America, Europe, and northern Africa.
- ANA Mileage Club sweet spots: Jaw-dropping business-class sweet spots to Europe, Asia, Africa, and beyond
- Avianca LifeMiles sweet spots: Including transcontinental U.S. flights and business and first class to Europe, northern South America, South Asia, and the Middle East.
- British Airways sweet spots: Including domestic American and Alaska flights and flights to Mexico, the Caribbean, or Ireland.
- British Airways sweet spots on Qatar: British Airways realigned its award chart for Qatar awards. Here are the new rates and sweet spots.
- British Airways sweet spots on LATAM: Including U.S. to Caribbean, Bogota, Lima, and intra-South America flights.
- Cathay Pacific business class sweet spots: Including business-class awards on Cathay Pacific and Qatar Qsuite, to Asia and Africa, and around-the-world awards.
- Korean Air SKYPASS sweet spots: Including Europe, Africa, Hawaii, Korea, and awards with a stopover.
- Qatar Airways partner sweet spots: Including flights on American or Alaska within the U.S. or to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Hawaii.
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer sweet spots: Including flights within North America, Hawaii, Europe, Asia, and South America.
- Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles sweet spots: Including favorable award rates to Hawaii and business class to Europe, Turkey, Africa, India, and beyond.
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: Including ANA business and first class to Japan, business class to New Zealand, and short flights on Delta and Aeromexico.
- Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer: Including Qatar Airways Qsuites, long domestic flights on United, and more.
Other sweet spot roundups
- Practical airline award sweet spots for families: Not every sweet spot can be maximized by families, but these can.
Best Uses of Hotel Points
Best Uses of Transferable Points
- American Express: Best uses of Amex points
- Bilt Rewards: Best uses of Bilt Points
- Capital One: Best uses of Capital One miles
- Citi: Best uses of Citi ThankYou® Rewards Points
- Rove Miles: 5 of the cheapest flights you can book using Rove Miles
- Wells Fargo: Best uses of Wells Fargo Rewards points
How Much Are Airline Miles Worth?
It's nice to have a measuring stick when figuring out whether or not you're getting a good redemption. The trouble is that travelers assign different values to the same airline miles. To avoid any subjectivity, AwardWallet uses actual award bookings made by AwardWallet users to determine valuations.
Here's what we've found from tracking tens of thousands of actual reward flight bookings made by AwardWallet users:
Airline Mileage Programs MileValue
| Program Name | Average Value | Economy (regional) | Economy (long-haul) | First/business (regional) | First/business (long-haul) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards | 2.18¢ | 1.33¢ | 1.73¢ | 3.49¢ | 4.03¢ |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | 2.56¢ | 1.62¢ | 1.69¢ | 3.7¢ | 3.86¢ |
| Delta Air Lines SkyMiles | 1.35¢ | 1.21¢ | 1.21¢ | 1.94¢ | 2.39¢ |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1.24¢ | 1.23¢ | 1.18¢ | 1.39¢ | n/a |
| Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards | 1.52¢ | 1.52¢ | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| United Airlines MileagePlus | 2¢ | 1.31¢ | 1.74¢ | 1.88¢ | 3.21¢ |
| Aer Lingus AerClub | 3.73¢ | 2.69¢ | 3.08¢ | n/a | 5.63¢ |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1.87¢ | 1.21¢ | 1.28¢ | 2.56¢ | 2.63¢ |
| Air France/KLM Flying Blue | 2.17¢ | 1.38¢ | 1.46¢ | 2.57¢ | 2.59¢ |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 2.85¢ | 1.72¢ | 1.8¢ | 2.99¢ | 3.91¢ |
| British Airways Club | 2.55¢ | 1.56¢ | 1.66¢ | 2.71¢ | 3.26¢ |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 2.83¢ | 1.75¢ | 1.77¢ | 3.44¢ | 3.22¢ |
| Emirates Skywards | 1.55¢ | 1.03¢ | 0.98¢ | 1.7¢ | 1.68¢ |
| Iberia Plus | 2.93¢ | 1.87¢ | 1.89¢ | 3.67¢ | 4.49¢ |
| Lufthansa Miles & More | 3.2¢ | 1¢ | 1.61¢ | 3.09¢ | 4¢ |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 2.47¢ | 1.62¢ | 1.59¢ | 2.71¢ | 2.58¢ |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 3.6¢ | 1.82¢ | 2.02¢ | 5.48¢ | 5.83¢ |
| Korean Air SkyPass | 2.87¢ | 1.46¢ | 1.97¢ | 3.1¢ | 3.69¢ |
A couple of caveats about this data. First, AwardWallet users are much more savvy than average travelers. We generally know how to avoid terrible redemptions and focus on the highest-value uses of miles.
Also, assigning value based on cash prices has inherent issues, particularly in premium cabins. Would you have paid $10,000 for that one-way international first-class flight? Probably not, but using actual cash prices is the best way to assign value without subjectivity.
For much more detail on AwardWallet valuations, check out our dedicated post: How much do AwardWallet members actually save when redeeming points?
Best Way to Earn Points and Miles to Book These Sweet Spots
We recommend travelers earn flexible rewards points that can be transferred to multiple loyalty programs. That gives you the flexibility to maximize your rewards — choosing the right program for each trip and taking advantage of relevant sweet spots.
Plus, earning transferrable points insulates you from the devaluation of any one airline mileage program. If one transfer partner changes its program, you should still be able to find value from the other transfer partners.
If you're looking to build up a balance in any of these programs, here are your options:
American Express Membership Rewards
Amex Membership Rewards can be transferred to 20 Membership Rewards transfer partners: 17 airline mileage programs and three hotel point programs. Here are some of the best cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards and their current welcome bonuses:
- American Express Platinum Card®: As High As 175,000 points. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
- American Express® Gold Card: As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer. You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Elevated Welcome Offer: Earn 200,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 in eligible purchases on the Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- American Express® Business Gold Card: Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership.*
$325Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
$895Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- Earn 5X points on Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings.
$895Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points on flights and prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase with U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase with U.S. electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers.
- Earn 2X points on each eligible purchase with U.S. shipping providers.
- 2X earning rates are subject to a cap of $2 million in purchases per calendar year.
Capital One Miles
Capital One miles can be transferred to 22 Capital One transfer partners: four hotel programs and 18 airline loyalty programs. Even its no-annual-fee cards have access to all transfer partners, plus you can combine cash-back earnings with your miles to access transfer partners with additional cards. These cards earn Capital One miles:
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn up to $1,000 towards travel once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card: 20,000 Miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: 75,000 Miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Capital One Spark Miles for Business: 50,000 Miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
- Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business: Earn a bonus of 50,000 miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
- Capital One Venture X Business: 150,000 Miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 3 months from account opening.
$95
- 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
$395
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
$395
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Business Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per $1 on flights booked via Capital One Business Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Business Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on other eligible purchases
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Chase Ultimate Rewards can be transferred to 14 Chase transfer partners: 10 airline mileage programs and four hotel point programs. Fourv cards earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points that are fully transferrable to partner programs:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees): Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees): Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees): Earn 150,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening and access more than $6,000 in total business and travel value in your first year.
$95Rates & Fees
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
$795Rates & Fees
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
$795Rates & Fees
- 8X points on all Chase Travel℠ purchases
- 5X total points on eligible Lyft rides through 9/30/2027
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on advertising purchases made with social media platforms and search engines
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases
In addition, you can use Chase's cash-back cards to boost your earnings by combining Chase points across accounts.
Related: Accumulate Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Quickly by Building a Credit Card Combo
Citi ThankYou® Rewards
Citi ThankYou Points are a bit harder to earn than the others. These cards earn Citi ThankYou points that can be transferred to all 21 Citi transfer partners (15 airlines and five hotels):
- Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees): Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
- Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees): Earn 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Citi Prestige® Card: No longer available to new cardholders
$95Rates & Fees
- 10X on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 1X – Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
$595Rates & Fees
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
However, other Citi cards earn ThankYou Points that can't be transferred to the Citi ThankYou partners at full transfer ratios (e.g, 1:0.7 instead of 1:1). However, you can combine points earned on these cards with the above cards to make earnings fully transferrable to partners at full ratios:
- Citi Strata℠ Card (Rates & Fees): Earn 20,000 bonus Points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Citi Double Cash® Card (Rates & Fees): Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- Citi Custom Cash® Card: Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
- 5X – Earn 5 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals and Attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ via cititravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points for each $1 spent in an eligible Self-Select Category of your choice (Fitness Clubs, Select Streaming Services, Live Entertainment, Cosmetic Stores/Barber Shops/Hair Salons, or Pet Supply Stores). Choose your eligible Self-Select Category on Citi Online or by calling customer service. The default Self-Select Category is Select Streaming Services.
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on Select Transit purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 2X – Earn 2 ThankYou® Points per $1 spent at Restaurants
- 1X – Earn 1 ThankYou® Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time.
Plus, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked with Citi Travel.
$0
- Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent
- 1% cash back thereafter, plus, you'll earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
- No rotating bonus categories to sign up for – as your spending changes each billing cycle, your earn adjusts automatically when you spend in any of the eligible categories.
- Eligible spending categories are: Restaurants, Gas Stations, Grocery Stores, Select Travel, Select Transit, Select Streaming Services, Drugstores, Home Improvement Stores, Fitness Clubs and Live Entertainment.
- Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal.
Related: Build a Winning Combo of Citi ThankYou Rewards Cards
Wells Fargo Rewards
Wells Fargo doesn't have the deepest bench of transfer partners, but points do transfer to eight quality airline and hotel programs. And a couple of Wells Fargo-issued cards earn transferable points outright:
- Wells Fargo Autograph® Card(Rates & Fees): Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value.
- Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card(Rates & Fees): Earn 60,000 bonus points when you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months – that’s $600 toward your next trip.
- 3x on travel – including airfare, hotels, car rentals, timeshares, cruises, and more
- 3x on transit – including parking, tolls, subways, ride shares, railways, ferries, and more
- 3x on dining – including dining in, take-out, catering, delivery and more
- 3x at gas stations – including gas stations and electric vehicle charging stations
- 3x on phone plans – including landline providers and cell phones
- 3x on streaming services
- 1x on other purchases
$95Rates & Fees
- 5X points per $1 spent with hotels
- 4X points per $1 spent with airlines
- 3X points per $1 spent on other travel and restaurants
- 1X points per $1 spent on other purchases
Keep in mind that you can also combine your cash back rewards earned a card like the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card (Rates & Fees) with the points earned on one of your Autograph-branded cards.
Related: How to Maximize the Value of Wells Fargo Rewards Points
Marriott Bonvoy®
Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to 37 airline programs at a 3:1 transfer rate (with only the rare exception). Plus you'll get 5,000 bonus miles when transferring points to most Marriott airline transfer partners. Earn Bonvoy points through the following Marriott credit cards:
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: Earn 3 Free Night Awards after you spend $6,000 in purchases and an extra 2 Free Night Awards after you spend an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Earn 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 5/13/2026.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card: Earn 175,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 5/13/2026.
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card (Rates & Fees): Earn 3 Free Night Awards after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of account opening, and an additional 1 Free Night Award after spending $4,000 total on eligible purchases within 4 months of account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. Redeem your Free Night Awards for a one-night stay at properties with a redemption level up to 50,000 points per night, a total value of 200,000 points. Certain hotels have resort fees. 2026 Exclusive Offer: Get up to $100 in statement credits after spending $500 on eligible airline purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card (Rates & Fees): Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after spending $1,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card!
$95Rates & Fees
- 6X points for every $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®
- 3X points for every $1 spent on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases annually on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining
- 2X points on all other eligible purchases
$650Rates & Fees
(Terms Apply)
- 6X points on purchases at Marriott Properties
- 3X points at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines
- 2X points on all other eligible purchases
$125Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- 6x Marriott Bonvoy® points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
- 4x Marriott Bonvoy® points on each dollar of eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping
- 2x Marriott Bonvoy® points per dollar on all other eligible purchases
Bottom Line
Wherever you want to go, points and miles can probably get you there. Some redemptions provide better value than others; our goal is to help you find more of those good redemptions. By referencing the sweet spots above, you should be able to find a place you want to go and a way to get there. Now it's time to build a credit card strategy that helps you earn the points and miles you need for that trip.
Did your favorite sweet spot make this list? If not, let us know what it is in the comments below.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), American Express Platinum Card® (Rates & Fees), The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata℠ Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Double Cash® Card (Rates & Fees), Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card (Rates & Fees), Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees), and Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees)
Amazing! Thank you!
Hey Howie, checking back in here since it’s been 7 months since my last comment. Any plans to publish South America and Asia soon?
An interesting redemption I found today for Lufthansa miles is 20k one way from Hawaii to East Asia.
Howie – thanks for the link to this blog, from another of your blogs. I would have missed it!
This is great content but why is there not a section for South America and Asia. Seems like a pretty big missed opportunity
We can’t have everything covered all the time. It is in our list to do. I’d suggest you look at some of the individual airline sweet spots.
great compendeum!
This is a great reference for all the best uses of airline miles and hotel points and all the great credit cards to have.
It’s always good to get a refresher on these things.
interesting post, full of information and tips. its helpful for me to understand a bit more about how to maximise my rewards etc. Seems a bit complicated, but helpful overall.
Thanks for sharing and putting this together.
As others have said, tremendous job by all concerned! Great compilation – thanks!
Wow this is a great resource – thank you for sharing!
Wealth of information for self-study. Thank you.
Thanks for the useful information.
I hope I’ll make good use of some of these sweet spots.
Great list.
Thank you so much! So helpful!!
Nice list, would love to see more details though.
Each list item links to a sweet spot post. These posts go into detail on award sweet spots and will link to additional resources showing how to book for each program.
I am a new member & already the info here has helped enormously , wish I joined years ago.
Thus is a great list as reference. Thank you
I love the sweet spots very much. Now I do not have to go to the loyalty programs websites to compare the dollar values of my choices. I wish there is a points calculator convert to dollar value so that I know how much money values of my points of different programs. Any other suggestions?
Agreed, but it’s a tall order with the complexity of the valuation.
What a terrific amount of info in one place! I’m definitely bookmarking this! Thx!
Again a big THANK YOU going out! Well done!
Fantastic. Thank you very much. I got the award ticket that I was looking for.
Great info. Thanks for this update.
As has been said before, great tips!
This is a great comprehensive guide. Thank you!
Makes me want more and more SPG points!
Lovely compilation, thanks for the info
Mind blowing resource! Thanks Howie!
Amazing and informative article! I will put so much info into use! Thank you!
A helpful guide. 22,500 AA points to go to Europe is a bargain.
20k AS with a free stopover is an even bigger bargain
Awesome post! Definitely helps me to figure which programs to use for where.
Thanks for the info
I like this consolidation. Very helpful!
Hi Howie,
I’d like to find out what’s the best way/sweet spot to fly to Beirut from LAX in First or in Suites.
I said popular destinations! Well, looking at the airlines that serve Beirut (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beirut%E2%80%93Rafic_Hariri_International_Airport#Airlines_and_destinations) you pretty much have your pick as far as airlines go with quality products — the ME3 and Lufthansa would be what I’d look at. Perhaps 155k JAL with EK or QR or 150k SQ with LH?
Thanks – I will check it out!
Great resource!! Thank you!
Thanks, very helpful! I may have missed it, but what miles do you recommend as best for California to French Polynesia? Once one has these miles, which airline should be used to book? And, recommended ways to accumulate these miles (or transferable points).
There are limited options (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fa%27a%27%C4%81_International_Airport#Airlines_and_destinations) Air France and Air Tahiti Nui are going to be the two options from California non-stop. Flying Blue would be where I would focus for economy class.
Got it, thanks. How many miles for Business Class and which airline of the two is preferable? I have easy access to Flying Blue miles thru several cards. Not sure about Air Tahiti Nui. Maybe a partner’s miles. Appreciate your recommendations.
The challenge is finding award availability. Between the two I’d pick Air France — but if you’re flying business your best bet is JAL at 65k miles (transferred from SPG) — the next best is Alaska at 120k R/T.
Thank you!
nice to be reminded of all of these optons
I love using BA Avios for the short hops and also US west coast to Hawaii! only if they allow more generous redemption space though….
This is a great list
I am not sure I understand how to do this? I have a ton of points on United. How do I book a flight via Singapore airlines with my United points? Do I have to sign up for the Singapore airlines mileage program first, and transfer points? Or can I book with United points directly on Singapore without transferring? If I try to book using points on United, then it is the original United rate. But If I am not logged in to the Singapore portal, then it won’t let me see mileage flights… confused! Thanks in advance!
So you want to use your United miles to book a flight operated by Singapore Airlines? Sorry, just not sure what exactly you’re looking to do here. What airline’s plane do you want to fly on and from/to where?
I don’t know! I guess I want to understand how it works! Above it says under “Airline Sweet Spots” that “Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer – Flights with partner United at better rates than MileagePlus”.
So my question is: Do I book this through the United website, logged into my mileage plus acct? Or do I book it under the Singapore website logged in as a member of that (it that Kris Flier?)? If so, I will need to create a Singapore account. Once I do that, do I transfer United points to Kris Flier, or do I book and say I have United points to spend?
I also have an American Express Platinum Card and a Chase Ink Card that have lots of points on them, in addition to the 250,000 miles on United. I am trying to figure out the best way to book a mileage flight that uses the least amount of points… I am new to this (I usually just book direct with United) and so am still a little confused!
Thanks! ~Jen
Jen, this sweet spot is: Redeeming miles in the Singapore Krisflyer program for flights on United. You book by calling Singapore Air (https://awardwallet.com/airlines/singapore-krisflyer-miles/).
You cannot transfer United miles to Singapore, nor can you transfer Singapore miles to United miles — however, you can use Singapore miles to book United-operated flights?
The currencies aren’t interchangeable, but the currencies can be used to book flights on one another’s aircraft.
The big caveat to all of this is that when you use United miles to book United flights you have more options available than if you use Singapore miles to book United flights. This is simply because airlines allow members in their own program to have access to more seats then their partners.
If you see a “Saver” seat available on United.com, you should be able to book that seat with Singapore miles. So you’d search United.com, find the flights and then call up Singapore and feed them the information on the flights.
Make sense? Sorta?
Hi Howie,
I’m in the process of racking up ultimate points that can be transferred to any number of Chase partners. I was thinking that I would hoard the points and then transfer the miles based on where we can get the most bang for the buck.
We are considering using the points for a trip from North America to Africa. Any thoughts as to the provider that should be used for that purpose?
I’m sure it depends on the carrier, availability and travel plans, but it appears that it takes fewer miles to do it in one shot, rather than to break it up into individual segments. Would love to get some guidance.
Off the top of my head, some of the best value would likely be with United (with their partners) or Korean (with theirs). Our Award booking folks will likely be able to help you more with a specific booking — https://awardwallet.com/awardBooking/add
Love to see all the comparisons… Will help me decide where to transfer my points.
Hi Howard,
Can you please help guide me on a few programs fine print
1. Carlson Hotels. if i have expiring points, how can i can keep them active. Transfer in or out from credit card or airlines , or buy miles direct or thru points.com ? Will all existing miles stay active?
2. Aeroplan – same question as above.
Many thanks for your help
Regards
David
For Club Carlson, yes, all of that will keep your account active — as well Aeroplan.
Club Carlson: https://www.clubcarlson.com/customerservice/earn/q8
Aeroplan: http://blog.aeroplan.com/aeroplan/aeroplan%E2%80%99s-mileage-expiry-policies-explained/
Maybe also worth looking at this topic the other way around: which credit card has the lowest annual fee and gives most awards in whatever program?
Hi Howie – Will you do a sweet spot update any time soon ? Thanks
We’re going to keep adding to it as we get through additional programs. Some are in the queue right now.
I just joined AwardWallet yesterday, and I’m very satisfied with the platform and the wealth of information provided. I’ve been on a travel miles/points hacking information binge.
Thank You!
I’m back living in Ireland after 8+ years in the US and it’s been a pain seeing a lot of my reward miles and points sitting there (some getting close to expiration), particularly with the airlines and hotels that only operate within the US, I’m constantly looking for deals to fly back to America just to use some of them up before they expire!
Very useful reference…thanks!
AwardWallet is awesome!! I can fly business many times now with low miles!!
Very valuable. I have both the SPG and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, but it’s always tough to figure out where to transfer points to for a particular destination. This will be helpful for planning my next award trip, thanks!
Wow, learn something new every day…I had no idea Alaska allowed trans-Pacific routing to Africa on Cathay. Bookmarked.
Hi Howie:
A little off topic – do you know of anyone in the blog-o-sphere who has visited the Falklands. I have been considering a trip there with a couple day excursion to view the Emperor Penguins. Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Bill
Bill, to be honest, I don’t know. My suggestion would be Insideflyer, Flyertalk, and perhaps Fodors/Frommers/TripAdvisor for some research.
We visited the Falklands on a cruise. Where are you expecting to see the Emporer Penguins?
We’ve been to Falkland islands.
Mara: Would love to know about your trip to the Falklands. Was it part of a tour etc?
Any info is most welcome.
Hi Bill – our trip was a part of Celebrity Cruise to Antarctica. It was an incredible trip which included an awesome day in the Falkland Islands!
We were there in February as part of a cruise from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso. In one word, feh. Truth be told, the weather was lousy so some of the sites we went to were virtually impossible to see or appreciate. Yes, it was quaint. yes, it was somewhat interesting to learn of the history, most of which related to the British takeover and defense. But we could have easily passed this one up. Would have rather spent the day on the ship!
Yes, we visited the Falklands as part of a South American cruise. It was a real treat to see the penguins up close. You are able to wander among them at the designated distance but it is pretty close. Don’t miss the chance to see them.
There was question as to whether our ship would be granted access to the harbor as part of the ongoing spat between the Falklands and Argentina. As I understand it, this is ongoing since the Falkland war in the 1980s. Never a question of security though.
It was a pleasure to have met you in Chicago. Thanks for this “one stop shop” for sweet spots. I’m definitely bookmarking this.
Glad you could make it — hope to see you next year and hope you get some value from these sweet spots 🙂