Last Updated on February 24, 2026 by Melissa Vines

Are you sitting on thousands of credit card points and unsure what to do with them? Maybe you’re confused. Maybe you’re overwhelmed. Maybe you’re just plain afraid to use them.

Most people understand how to earn points. But redeeming points and miles? That’s the part that feels complicated.

In this guide, I’m going to break down exactly how to redeem your points and miles for maximum value and why you should never let them sit untouched for too long.

Why you should not sit on your points:

Points devaluations happen every single year. However, we are seeing larger welcome bonuses than ever before. But at the same time, loyalty programs are steadily increasing the number of points required for flights and hotel stays.

So what is a devaluation?

A devaluation is when a loyalty program raises the cost of award redemptions or removes a valuable sweet spot entirely.

For example, the World of Hyatt program regularly moves hotels up in category. A property that once cost 23,000 points per night in Category 5 can move to Category 6 and suddenly cost 29,000 points per night. That’s 6,000 more points for the exact same hotel.

Airlines do this too. Air France business class from the U.S. to Europe used to start around 50,000 miles one way. Now those same seats often price at 60,000 miles. Economy awards that once cost 20,000 miles may now cost 25,000.

And there’s another factor many people overlook: points can expire.

Every loyalty program has different expiration rules. Some airline miles expire after a period of inactivity. Some hotel points do too. In many cases, if you’re actively earning points or still have the credit card open that earns those points, they won’t expire, but that’s not universal. It’s important to understand the rules of each program you’re in.

The last thing you want is to sit on points for years, only to have them devalued — or worse, disappear because of inactivity. This doesn’t mean you should rush into a bad redemption. But it does mean points are meant to be used.

And the smartest strategy is learning how to redeem your points and miles confidently, so you can enjoy the value before the next change happens.

How to Earn Points and Miles:

Sometimes you think you have a ton of points… until you actually go to book something.

Someone will say, “I have 50,000 Marriott points. Where can I go?” And I hate to break it to you… But depending on the property and season, that might get you one free hotel night. Points balances can feel big. But what they actually cover depends entirely on where and how you want to travel.

So after learning how to redeem your points and miles, you may realize that you probably need more points. The fastest way to earn points and miles is through elevated welcome offers on credit cards. That’s where the majority of our points come from each year, not from everyday spending alone.

If you choose to apply for a card, I’d love for you to use my affiliate links. You can find them in the credit card heading on this page.

Let’s break down the various types of points and miles and how to use each type.

Identify What Type of Points You Have:

Before you redeem anything, you need to know what kind of points you’re working with. Not all points and miles function the same way. The strategy depends entirely on the type you have.

There are three main categories:

1. Bank Points (Flexible Points)

Flexible miles are points earned from major bank credit cards that can be transferred to multiple airline and hotel loyalty programs. Instead of being locked into one hotel or airline program, you can move your points to whichever program offers the best deal or has availability. That flexibility is what makes them so valuable; it gives you options, better redemption value, and access to flights and hotels you might not otherwise be able to book.

Examples include:

• Capital One Venture Miles
• American Express Membership Rewards®
• Citi ThankYou® Points
• Chase Ultimate Rewards®
• Bilt Rewards

These are the most powerful type of points because they’re flexible.

If you’re thinking, “I’ve never even heard of these airline programs — why would I use them?” here’s why it matters: many international loyalty programs price award flights lower than domestic programs like American or Delta. That means you can often book the exact same American or Delta flight through a partner program, but for fewer points.

The second reason flexible bank points are so valuable is that they’re easier to earn. Banks typically offer multiple personal and business cards that earn the same currency, which means more opportunities for welcome bonuses. In most cases, flexible bank points are much easier to accumulate than airline-specific co-branded miles.

You can also book through your bank’s travel portal, but that usually doesn’t give you the best value. In most cases, you’ll receive about one cent per point. The only time this option really makes sense is when cash fares are inexpensive, and you can match that low price through the portal, then it can be a simple and convenient way to book.

Another time booking through the portal can make sense is with Chase’s Points Boost feature. Occasionally, Chase offers special pricing where you can redeem your points for up to 2 cents per point in value. When that happens, using the portal can actually be a very strong redemption, especially if the flight or hotel you want isn’t available through transfer partners.

2. Airline Miles

These are miles earned directly with an airline loyalty program.

Examples:

• United MileagePlus®
• Delta SkyMiles®
• American Airlines AAdvantage®
• Southwest Rapid Rewards®
• Atmos Rewards

Airline miles are used to book flights through that airline’s website. You usually cannot transfer them to another airline. However, many airlines are part of alliances, which means you can sometimes use one airline’s miles to book flights on partner airlines. For example, you can use American Airlines miles to book a flight on Japan Airlines, and you’ll complete the entire booking directly on the American Airlines website.

3. Hotel Points

These are points earned with hotel loyalty programs.

Examples:

• World of Hyatt
• Marriott Bonvoy
• Hilton Honors
• IHG One Rewards

Hotel points are used to book free night stays directly through the hotel’s website. Some programs have fixed award charts, while others use dynamic pricing that fluctuates based on demand.

Sometimes hotel points can be transferred to airline programs, but the transfer ratios are usually not great. This option really only makes sense if you’re just a little short and need to top off your airline miles for a specific booking. In most cases, hotel points are far more valuable when used for free night stays rather than flights.

How to Redeem Bank Points:

Many bank points share the same, or very similar, transfer partners. So once you learn how programs like Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Qatar Airways, or Singapore Airlines work, you can often use that knowledge across multiple bank currencies.

That said, not every bank point transfers to every partner.

Some programs have exclusive relationships. For example, Chase Ultimate Rewards® transfers to World of Hyatt, and now Bilt Rewards does as well, but Bilt doesn’t offer the same variety of credit cards that Chase does. On the other hand, Capital One miles transfer to Japan Airlines, while Citi ThankYou® Points transfer to partners like Choice (1:2) and Preferred Hotels (1:4).

The key takeaway is this: there’s a lot of overlap between flexible bank points, but understanding each program’s unique transfer partners can help you maximize your redemption strategy.

1. Chase Ultimate Rewards®

Chase Ultimate Rewards® Transfer Partners (1:1 Ratio)

I almost always transfer my Chase Ultimate Rewards® points 1:1 to World of Hyatt.

As I mentioned earlier, Chase is the only major bank that transfers to Hyatt (with the exception of Bilt Rewards). Bilt does have Hyatt as a partner, too, but they currently offer just one credit card, while Chase has multiple cards that earn Ultimate Rewards®.

Related: How I’m Earning Tons of Hyatt Points in 2026

Right now, I send about 95% of my Chase points to Hyatt. Why? Because the value is hard to beat.

Hyatt still uses a fixed award chart. That means pricing is based on hotel category, not the nightly cash rate. I know exactly how many points I’ll need before I even search, and I can consistently get at least 2 cents per point in value (often more).

Related: How to use your Chase Ultimate Rewards® at Hyatt Hotels and Resorts for a nearly free stay!

Because of that, I typically recommend saving your Chase points for Hyatt stays and earning another type of flexible currency, like American Express Membership Rewards® or Capital One miles, for flights.

Of course, that depends on your travel style. If you prefer Airbnbs or another hotel chain you plan to pay cash for, your strategy may look different.

Now, if Hyatt isn’t your focus and you’d rather use your Chase points elsewhere, you absolutely can. Chase has several airline transfer partners, which makes them strong for flights as well. Here are some other great ideas for redeeming these points.

Related: 10 of the Best Ways to Use 100,000 points

Tip: One thing I’ll say: it rarely makes sense to transfer Chase points to IHG or Marriott. On occasion, a transfer bonus combined with a very specific redemption might work — but you need to run the numbers. Most of the time, the value just isn’t there.

2. Capital One Venture Miles

Most people get tripped up with Venture Miles. They understand transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards® to Hyatt or Southwest because those brands feel familiar. But when they see airline partners they’ve never heard of, it suddenly feels complicated.

I almost always use my Capital One miles for international flights, either economy or business class. I have used them for domestic flights too, but for simple U.S. trips, I usually lean on Southwest or American Airlines miles. One of my favorite sweet spots with Capital One miles is booking flights to Hawaii on American Airlines.

You transfer your miles to Qatar Airways Privilege Club or Finnair Plus and book American Airlines flights from the West Coast to Hawaii for around 16,000 miles each way. If there’s a transfer bonus, which we often see, you can save 20–30% even more. That’s where flexible miles become powerful.

Here is the full guide breaking down exactly how to use Venture miles for domestic flights, plus a detailed walkthrough on using flexible miles like Venture to book American Airlines flights.

Related: How to Book American Airlines Flights with Flexible Miles

Free Guide: Ultimate Transfer Partner Guide

You can read about 10 of my favorite ways families use Venture miles in this post for some of the best ideas on how to redeem your Venture miles.

Now, if all of that feels overwhelming at first, there’s a simpler option. You can redeem Venture miles at a fixed value of 1 cent per mile to erase travel purchases.

For example, 100,000 Venture miles can cover $1,000 in travel expenses.

Here’s how it works:

1. Use your card to pay for a travel expense (it must code as travel).
2. Log into your account.
3. Select “Cover Travel Purchases.”
4. Redeem miles to erase the charge.

It’s not the highest value redemption, but it can be a great option for things like Airbnb stays or even Disneyland tickets (when purchased through a third-party vendor that codes as travel).

3. American Express Membership Rewards®

Once again, I typically recommend using these points for flights, both domestic and international. However, I do occasionally transfer them to Hilton since the transfer ratio is 1:2, which can make sense for certain redemptions.

Most of the time, I use these points the same way I use Venture Miles. I pool them together and transfer to my go-to airline programs like Flying Blue, British Airways, Qatar Airways, Air Canada Aeroplan, or Virgin Atlantic.

Here are the transfer partners:

Airline Transfer Partners

Airline Program	Transfer Ratio
Aer Lingus AerClub	1:1
Aeromexico Rewards	1:1.6
Air Canada Aeroplan	1:1
Air France–KLM Flying Blue	1:1
ANA Mileage Club	1:1
Avianca LifeMiles	1:1
British Airways Club	1:1
Cathay Pacific Cathay	1:1
Delta SkyMiles	1:1
Emirates Skywards	5:4
Etihad Airways Guest	1:1
Iberia Club	1:1
JetBlue TrueBlue	250:200
Qantas Frequent Flyer	1:1
Qatar Airways Privilege Club	1:1
Singapore KrisFlyer	1:1
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club	1:1

Hotel Transfer Partners

Hotel Program	Transfer Ratio
Choice Privileges	1:1
Hilton Honors	1:2
Marriott Bonvoy	1:1

One of our favorite redemptions with American Express Membership Rewards® was topping off our Hilton balance to book Keemala in Phuket. We haven’t stayed yet, but it’s coming soon, and it’s a true bucket list hotel in Thailand with private pool villas tucked into the hillside trees.

Of course, business class flights are always a highlight! We used American Express points to book business class on Singapore Airlines, which has been one of our favorite flight experiences. We originally booked directly through Singapore Airlines, but after recent award price increases, you’ll typically get better value by booking through Air Canada Aeroplan instead. You can sometimes find that JFK to Frankfurt route for as low as 60,000 points. Both Singapore Airlines and Air Canada are transfer partners of American Express Membership Rewards.

4. Citi ThankYou® Points

These are fantastic, flexible points and share many of the same transfer partners as other major bank programs.

I love using these points for flights, but they can also offer excellent value with certain hotel programs like I Prefer Hotel Rewards and Choice Privileges. These points are the only points that transfer to American Airlines at a 1:1 ratio!

With a 1:4 transfer ratio to I Prefer Hotel Rewards and a 1:2 ratio to Choice Privileges, you can often stretch your points much further than you might expect.

Here are all the transfer partners:

Airline Partners:

Airline Partner	Transfer Ratio
American Airlines AAdvantage	1:1
Aeromexico Rewards	1:1
Air France / KLM Flying Blue	1:1
Avianca LifeMiles	1:1
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles	1:1
Emirates Skywards	1:.8
Etihad Guest	1:1
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands	1:1
JetBlue TrueBlue	1:1
Qantas Frequent Flyer	1:1
Qatar Airways Privilege Club	1:1
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer	1:1
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus	1:1
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles	1:1
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club	1:1

Hotel Partners:

Hotel Partner	Transfer Ratio
ALL – Accor Live Limitless	2:1
Choice Privileges	1:2
The Leading Hotels of the World (Leaders Club)	5:1
Preferred Hotels & Resorts	1:4
Wyndham Rewards	1:1

If you’re looking for inspiration on redeeming Citi ThankYou® Points with I Prefer Hotel Rewards, I’ve already done the research. I searched high and low to find the best properties and redemption opportunities. You can check out my top picks below.

Best Redemptions for I Prefer Hotel Rewards Hotel Loyalty Program: Everything you need to Know

How to Redeem Airline Miles:

My favorite airline miles to earn are American Airlines AAdvantage® and Delta SkyMiles®. But the best program for you may depend on your home airport and where you travel most often.

For American, Delta, and United, you can search award flights using a calendar view, which makes it much easier to spot saver-level availability.

As a general rule, I aim for:

• 25,000 miles or less one way in economy to Europe
• 75,000 miles or less one way in business class

Of course, sweet spots can be even better.

Hot tip: Download each airline’s app so you can search quickly and check availability more often. It’s the easiest way to catch award sales before they disappear.

American Airlines AAdvantage®

American Airlines miles must be redeemed directly on aa.com. However, since American partners with many airlines, you can book those partner flights directly through the American Airlines website.

Some partner airlines include Air Tahiti Nui, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Etihad Airways, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Hawaiian Airlines, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas Airways, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian Airlines, and SriLankan Airlines.

Some of my favorite sweet spots:

• Qatar Airways Qsuites for around 70,000 miles one way
• Etihad First Class Apartments for 60,000 miles one way
• Japan Airlines economy to Asia for around 35,000 miles each way
• Domestic flights starting as low as 5,000 miles

American miles can offer incredible value if you know where to look.

Delta SkyMiles®

Delta has recently run some fantastic award sales where you can book a round-trip to Europe for under 30,000 miles! If they are not running a sale, their award rates tend to be pretty high, so keep your eye out for those sales.

Delta SkyMiles® can be used to book flights not just on Delta, but across its SkyTeam alliance and additional partner airlines around the world. That means you can redeem your Delta miles for flights on airlines like Air France, KLM, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic, WestJet, LATAM, China Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Saudia, and many more. This opens up routes throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South America, Canada, and beyond. In some cases, such as Air Europa, Air Tahiti Nui, and Kenya Airways, you may need to contact Delta Reservations directly to book award travel. While pricing can vary, Delta miles give you access to a broad global network, making them far more versatile than many people realize.

We’ve used Delta miles to book WestJet flights to Calgary, Canada, for a Banff trip, and flights to Alaska as well.

Because airlines differ in route networks and frequency, it can make sense to grab elevated welcome offers when they’re available, especially if that airline serves your home airport well. I personally love Delta’s business card, especially when it comes with no annual fee the first year. However, I would recommend starting with earning flexible miles first.

United MileagePlus®

With United miles, you can book flights across the entire Star Alliance network.

United has strong routes to Europe, typically pricing around 30,000–40,000 miles one way in economy. One major advantage is that United does not pass along fuel surcharges, which keeps taxes and fees lower. Their economy award flights are priced higher than competitors’, but taxes may be lower.

Some great redemption examples include:

• Lufthansa First Class for around 121,000 miles
• Business class to Africa starting around 88,000 miles one way
• Turkish Airlines and SWISS to Europe
• United Polaris business class for around 80,000 miles to Europe or 100,000 miles to Asia

As you can see, even though you can’t transfer airline miles out of these programs, they still give you access to a wide variety of partner airlines and redemption options.

How to Redeem Hotel Points:

Hotel points work similarly to airline miles. You’ll search directly on the hotel brand’s website and select “Book with Points” or toggle between cash and points to compare pricing.

I recommend downloading each hotel’s app to your phone so you can search more quickly and check availability more often.

Hot Tip: If the hotel you want isn’t available on points, don’t give up. Set an alert on maxmypoint.com or rooms.aero. This has worked for me almost every time. I’ll usually receive a notification when someone cancels, and I’m able to grab the room immediately.

In the meantime, you can book a backup hotel with free cancellation so you’re not left without a plan.

Hotel Programs That Offer Award Redemptions

• World of Hyatt
• IHG One Rewards
• Hilton Honors
• Marriott Bonvoy
• I Prefer Hotel Rewards
• Choice Privileges
• Wyndham Rewards

For hotel reviews, I’ve dedicated an entire page on my blog to them. It’s still growing, but there are already quite a few reviews you can browse through now. Check it out HERE.

Tips for Searching Award Nights

• Search one night at a time first to see the true nightly points cost and true availability. This is especially important on Marriott’s website, which often combines multiple nights into one total number that can be misleading.
• Avoid searching for more than four guests at a time. Many hotels won’t show availability for five people. If you’re a family of five, you may need to book two rooms. Occasionally, you can squeeze into a four-person room with younger kids for domestic travel, but most occupancy rules won’t allow five guests except at brands like Hyatt Place, SpringHill Suites, and Hampton Inn.

If You Just Opened a Hotel Card…

If you can’t find your points after opening a co-branded hotel card, you may need to locate your loyalty number.

If you didn’t already have a loyalty account when you applied, most programs will automatically assign one for you. Marriott, Hilton, and IHG typically do this, but you’ll need that number to log in and access your points.

Each program works a little differently, so contact customer service if you’re unsure.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Let Your Points Sit:

Redeeming points and miles isn’t complicated; it’s just unfamiliar at first.

Start by identifying what type of points you have. Decide whether you’re booking flights or hotels. Search before you transfer. And don’t let fear stop you from using what you’ve earned.

Points are not meant to sit in your account for years. They can be devalued. They can expire. And most importantly — they’re meant to create memories.

Whether it’s a business class seat to Europe, a family trip to Hawaii, or free hotel nights during spring break, your points have real value. The first redemption is always the hardest. After that? It becomes second nature.

And if you’ve realized along the way that you don’t quite have enough points yet, that just means it’s time to build a smarter earning strategy.

If you need more flexible points, check out my best credit card offers in the heading above or reach out to me with questions. I’m happy to help!

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