American Express Membership Rewards factors and Chase Ultimate Rewards factors are two of probably the most extremely sought-after transferable currencies amongst journey fans. These factors can unlock unbelievable redemptions in aspirational areas just like the Maldives and Bora Bora. Each applications supply a spread of travel rewards credit cards and redemption choices, together with transferring factors to airline and resort companions or reserving journey by way of the respective financial institution’s portal.
Nonetheless, it is necessary to notice that not all factors maintain the identical worth. Whereas each Amex Membership Rewards factors and Chase Final Rewards factors are valued at approximately 2 cents per point, according to TPG, the only option depends upon your spending habits and journey targets. Now, let’s delve right into a comparability between these two applications to see how they measure up.
Switch companions with Amex Membership Rewards vs. Chase Final Rewards
American Specific Membership Rewards
Amex companions with 18 different airline programs and three hotel chains. Here is the present record of Amex airline companions:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Aeromexico Membership Premier
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- All Nippon Airways Mileage Membership
- Avianca LifeMiles
- British Airways Government Membership
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Delta Air Traces SkyMiles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Airways Visitor
- Hawaiian Airways HawaiianMiles
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Membership
- Singapore Airways KrisFlyer
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership
And these are the Amex resort switch companions:
- Alternative Privileges
- Hilton Honors
- Marriott Bonvoy
You possibly can guide flights or motels by way of Amex Travel, however transferring factors to a companion after which redeeming them (extra on that a bit later) sometimes ends in the very best redemption worth.
Associated: How to redeem American Express Membership Rewards for maximum value
Chase Final Rewards
With Chase Final Rewards, you may transfer points to 11 airline applications:
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- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- British Airways Government Membership
- Emirates Skywards
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Singapore Airways KrisFlyer
- Southwest Airways Fast Rewards
- United Airways MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership
Chase additionally companions with three resort applications:
- IHG One Rewards
- Marriott Bonvoy
- World of Hyatt
All switch ratios are 1:1, and you could switch in 1,000-point increments.
To resolve which program is healthier for you, you may need to contemplate the switch companions you may use most on your journey targets.
Keep in mind that it is doable to make use of one airline’s miles to guide award flights on one other in the event that they’re companions or a part of the identical alliance. For instance, despite the fact that United Airways is not an Amex Membership Rewards switch companion, you may guide United award flights by transferring Amex factors to Air Canada or Singapore Airlines (as they’re Star Alliance companions).
Associated: How to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for maximum value
Incomes factors with Amex Membership Rewards vs. Chase Final Rewards
American Specific Membership Rewards
Incomes Amex factors has turn into extra accessible because of revamped card choices such because the American Express® Business Gold Card and American Express® Gold Card, each providing beneficiant welcome presents. Regardless of a once-per-lifetime policy for welcome offers, the wide selection of playing cards that earn Membership Rewards factors makes it comparatively simple to build up a considerable factors steadiness.
Listed below are a few of the playing cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards factors:
The knowledge for the Amex Inexperienced has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
A few of these playing cards include nice welcome presents. For instance, The Platinum Card from American Express presents 80,000 Membership Rewards factors after you spend $8,000 on purchases inside the first six months of card membership. Based on TPG’s monthly valuations, Amex Membership Rewards factors are price 2 cents every, making this 80,000-point bonus price $1,600. That’s greater than double the cardboard’s $695 annual price (see rates and fees).
Associated: Which is the best American Express credit card for you?
One other option to earn Amex factors is thru focused Amex Offers. You will see all of the Amex Provides you have got obtainable on a given card in the event you scroll down in your on-line account web page or by tapping the “Provides” tab within the Amex app.
These presents come from varied retailers, together with journey suppliers, eating places, clothes and jewellery shops, and extra. Usually talking, Amex Provides are available in one among three types:
- Spend $X, get Y variety of bonus factors
- Spend $X, get $Y again
- Get extra factors per greenback spent at choose retailers
Whereas some presents will provide you with money again for assembly a particular spending requirement, many supply factors.
For those who maintain a number of Amex playing cards, it is necessary to test all of them to make sure you’re maximizing the obtainable presents. Moreover, reviewing the phrases of every Amex Give you add to your playing cards is essential, as some might exclude present card purchases.
Amex Provides will be mixed with online shopping portals and bonus classes. Think about using a buying portal aggregator to find out which portal presents the best return for a particular buy. This fashion, you may take advantage of your buy.
Associated: How to earn bonus cash back or Amex points on your online shopping purchases with Rakuten
Chase Final Rewards
Chase presents three playing cards that earn transferable Final Rewards factors, all of which have substantial welcome bonuses:
There are additionally 4 playing cards provided by Chase that, on their very own, do not will let you switch factors to journey companions. Nonetheless, when you’ve got one of many playing cards talked about above, you may transfer points to that account after which transfer them to airline and resort companions.
The knowledge for the Chase Freedom has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
Keep in mind that the Chase 5/24 rule might restrict your means to get accredited for these playing cards. For those who’re new to points and miles, your greatest guess is to use for the Chase playing cards you need first.
Bonus factors classes with Amex Membership Rewards vs. Chase Final Rewards
American Specific Membership Rewards
We advocate maximizing everyday spending on a number of Amex playing cards by benefiting from bonus classes. For instance, the Amex Gold earns 4 factors per greenback at eating places worldwide. As compared, the Amex Platinum earns 5 factors per greenback on airfare booked straight with the airline or through Amex Journey (on as much as $500,000 on these purchases per calendar 12 months) and 5 factors per greenback on pay as you go motels booked by way of American Specific Journey.
Associated: Best credit cards
Chase Final Rewards
Chase presents a spread of playing cards that present ample alternatives to earn factors by way of bonus classes. For instance, the Chase Sapphire Preferred presents 5 factors per greenback on journey booked by way of the Chase Final Rewards portal, 3 factors per greenback on eating and choose streaming providers, 3 factors per greenback on on-line grocery purchases (excluding Goal and Walmart), 2 factors per greenback on different journey, and 1 level per greenback on all different bills.
The Ink Business Preferred extends the bonus classes with 3 factors per greenback on journey, transport, web, cable, telephone providers and promoting purchases made with social media and search engines like google and yahoo (on as much as $150,000 in mixed purchases per account anniversary 12 months, then 1 level per greenback), and 1 level per greenback on the whole lot else.
With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you may earn 3 factors per greenback on all journey (excluding the $300 journey credit score) and eating worldwide, and 1 level per greenback on different bills. This consists of bonus classes like ride-hailing providers and meals supply. Furthermore, Sapphire Reserve cardholders will routinely earn 10 complete factors per greenback on Lyft rides when utilizing their card, legitimate till March 2025.
Bear in mind to evaluate your spending habits to find out which program fits you greatest. The Chase Sapphire Reserve or Most well-liked could be extra appropriate in the event you spend considerably on normal journey. Alternatively, in the event you regularly spend on airfare or eating, it is arduous to beat the Amex Platinum’s 5 factors per greenback or the Gold card’s 4 factors per greenback on eating at eating places.
Associated: 6 little-known Chase Sapphire Reserve perks
Redemption choices with Amex Membership Rewards vs. Chase Final rewards
As simple as it’s to earn transferable factors, you do not need to maintain them simply sitting in your account — you need to burn them. Similar to the methods to earn factors, all redemption choices aren’t created equal.
American Specific Membership Rewards
With Amex, you have got some ways to attain your dream redemption. A few of these are extra useful than others.
As an illustration, you can use Virgin Atlantic’s award chart for All Nippon Airways to fly ANA’s The Room business class for 145,000 factors round-trip from the West Coast (or 170,000 from the East Coast).
You may also use Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership factors to fly Hawaiian Airlines between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii. Enterprise-class awards value 40,000 factors one-way between Hawaii and the West Coast or 65,000 factors between Hawaii and the East Coast.
You may also use the Amex Travel portal to discover a most popular room after which pay with factors — valued at 0.7 cents every — or money. You possibly can guide varied motels, together with these in Amex’s Fine Hotels + Resorts program. You won’t usually earn hotel points or elite credits for third-party bookings.
Associated: Here are 9 of our favorite ways to use Amex Membership Rewards points
Chase Final Rewards
With Chase, you may guide journey by way of the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal and redeem factors to pay on your airplane tickets, resort stays, rental vehicles or experiences. For those who’re a holder of the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Ink Business Preferred, every level is price 1.25 cents. You probably have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, your factors are price 1.5 cents apiece towards redemptions by way of the portal.
Whereas you should use your Chase factors by way of the Final Rewards portal (and there are some situations the place it might make sense), you may often get higher worth by transferring to a journey companion. One in every of our favourite methods to redeem Chase factors is to switch them to World of Hyatt and redeem them at low-category or high-end properties.
As with Amex, some switch companions are extra useful than others. For instance, we do not often advocate transferring Chase factors to motels (besides Hyatt), as you may sometimes get extra worth transferring your factors to airline companions. And you may often get extra bang on your factors whenever you redeem them for high-value first- and business-class worldwide award flights.
Associated: Sweet spots: The best ways to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points
Backside line
Selecting between these two applications depends upon your preferences, however there isn’t any purpose why you may’t accumulate each sorts of factors.
With a valuation of round 2 cents every for each Chase and Amex factors, you may’t go incorrect with both transferable forex. Chase Final Rewards is a good selection in the event you’re aiming for outstanding redemptions like Hyatt stays within the Maldives or Star Alliance business-class tickets to Europe or Asia. Moreover, the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card’s 100,000-point sign-up bonus after you spend $8,000 within the first three months of account opening makes it simple to build up a considerable quantity of factors shortly.
Amex Membership Rewards is a strong choice for reasonably priced award redemptions utilizing Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership. Whereas Virgin Atlantic is a switch companion of Chase, Amex usually presents focused transfer bonuses that may enable you safe discounted premium-cabin awards to Japan.
Sustaining versatile and various factors and miles balances will provide you with probably the most choices when redeeming your rewards no matter your most popular forex.
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