American Categorical Membership Rewards factors and Chase Final Rewards factors are two of probably the most extremely sought-after transferable currencies amongst journey lovers. These factors can unlock unbelievable redemptions in aspirational areas. Each applications provide a variety of journey rewards bank cards and redemption choices, together with transferring factors to airline and lodge companions or reserving journey by the respective card issuer’s journey portal.
Nonetheless, it is essential to notice that not all factors maintain the identical worth. In keeping with TPG’s November 2024 valuations, each Amex Membership Rewards factors and Chase Final Rewards factors are valued at roughly 2 cents per level. The only option relies on 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 Categorical Membership Rewards
Amex companions with a formidable 18 completely different airline applications and three lodge chains. Except indicated, factors switch at a 1:1 charge in 1,000-point increments. This is the present record of Amex airline companions:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Aeromexico Membership Premier (1:1.6)
- 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 Strains SkyMiles
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Airways Visitor
- Hawaiian Airways HawaiianMiles
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue (250:200)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Qatar Airways Privilege Membership
- Singapore Airways KrisFlyer
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership
And these are the Amex lodge switch companions:
- Alternative Privileges
- Hilton Honors (1:2)
- Marriott Bonvoy
You may ebook flights or inns by Amex Journey, however transferring factors to a companion after which redeeming them (extra on that a little bit later) usually ends in one of the best redemption worth.
Associated: Find out how to redeem American Categorical Membership Rewards for optimum worth
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Chase Final Rewards
With Chase Final Rewards, you may switch factors to 11 airline applications:
- 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 lodge applications:
- IHG One Rewards
- Marriott Bonvoy
- World of Hyatt
All switch ratios are 1:1, and you should switch in 1,000-point increments.
To determine which program is best for you, you may wish to think about the switch companions you may use most in your journey objectives.
Do not forget that it is doable to make use of one airline’s miles to ebook award flights on one other in the event that they’re companions or a part of the identical alliance. For instance, though United Airways is not an Amex Membership Rewards switch companion, you may ebook United award flights by transferring Amex factors to Air Canada or Singapore Airways, as they’re Star Alliance companions.
Associated: Find out how to redeem Chase Final Rewards factors for optimum worth
Incomes factors with Amex Membership Rewards vs. Chase Final Rewards
American Categorical Membership Rewards
Regardless of a once-per-lifetime coverage for welcome gives, the wide selection of playing cards that earn Membership Rewards factors makes it comparatively straightforward to build up a considerable factors steadiness.
Listed below are a number of the playing cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards factors and include nice welcome gives:
The data 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.
Associated: Which is one of the best American Categorical bank card for you?
One other strategy to earn Amex factors is thru focused Amex Provides. You may see all of the Amex Provides out there on a given card if you happen to scroll down in your on-line account web page or by tapping the “Provides” tab within the Amex app.
These gives come from varied retailers, together with journey suppliers, eating places, clothes and jewellery shops. Usually talking, Amex Provides are available in one in all three varieties:
- Spend $X, get Y variety of bonus factors
- Spend $X, get $Y money again as a press release credit score
- Get extra factors per greenback spent at choose retailers
Whereas some gives offers you money again for assembly a particular spending requirement, many provide factors.
When you maintain a number of Amex playing cards, it is essential to test all of them to make sure you’re maximizing the out there gives. 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 could be mixed with on-line procuring portals and bonus classes. Think about using a procuring portal aggregator to find out which portal gives the very best return for a particular buy. This fashion, you may benefit from your buy.
Associated: Find out how to earn bonus money again or Amex factors in your on-line procuring purchases with Rakuten
Chase Final Rewards
Chase gives three playing cards that earn transferable Final Rewards factors, all of which have beneficiant welcome bonuses:
There are additionally 5 playing cards provided by Chase that, on their very own, do not mean you can switch factors to journey companions. Nonetheless, in case you have one of many playing cards talked about above, you may switch factors to that account after which transfer them to airline and lodge companions.
The data 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.
Do not forget that the Chase 5/24 rule might restrict your skill to get accredited for these playing cards. When you’re new to factors 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 Categorical Membership Rewards
We advocate maximizing on a regular basis spending on a number of Amex playing cards by profiting from bonus classes. For instance, the Amex Gold earns 4 factors per greenback at eating places worldwide (on the primary $50,000 spent per calendar yr, then 1 level per greenback). Compared, the Amex Platinum earns 5 factors per greenback on airfare booked straight with the airline or by way of American Categorical Journey (on as much as $500,000 on these purchases per calendar yr) and 5 factors per greenback on pay as you go inns booked by American Categorical Journey.
Chase Final Rewards
Chase gives a variety of playing cards that present ample alternatives to earn factors by bonus classes. For instance, the Chase Sapphire Most popular gives 5 factors per greenback on journey booked by Chase Journey℠, 3 factors per greenback on eating and choose streaming companies, 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 Enterprise Most popular extends the bonus classes with 3 factors per greenback on journey, transport, web, cable, telephone companies and promoting purchases made with social media and serps (on as much as $150,000 in mixed purchases per account anniversary yr, then 1 level per greenback) and 1 level per greenback on every little thing else.
With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you may earn 10 factors per greenback on inns and automotive leases once you ebook by Chase Journey, 5 factors per greenback on flights booked by Chase Journey, 3 factors per greenback on different journey (excluding the $300 journey credit score) and eating and 1 level per greenback on different bills. Furthermore, Sapphire Reserve cardholders will earn 10 complete factors per greenback on Lyft rides when utilizing their card, legitimate till March 2025.
Redemption choices with Amex Membership Rewards vs. Chase Final Rewards
As straightforward as it’s to earn transferable factors, you do not wish to preserve them simply sitting in your account — you wish to redeem them. Similar to the methods to earn factors, all redemption choices aren’t created equal, although Membership Rewards and Final Rewards have a big overlap of the identical switch companions.
As an example, if you happen to switch both foreign money to Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue program on dates with much less demand, you may fly from North America to Europe from as little as 20,000 miles one-way in financial system, 35,000 miles in premium financial system and 50,000 miles in enterprise class.
Singapore Airways operates two of the world’s longest flights: Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) to Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport (EWR) and John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK). You can switch your Amex or Chase factors to KrisFlyer at a 1:1 charge to ebook one-way business-class Saver fare flights for simply 111,500 Singapore Airways KrisFlyer factors plus taxes and costs one-way — a small value for consolation on such an epically lengthy flight.
You can even use the Amex Journey portal to discover a most popular room after which pay with factors — valued at solely 0.7 cents every — or money. You may ebook inns together with these in Amex’s High-quality Motels + Resorts program. You will not normally earn lodge factors or elite credit for third-party bookings.
With Chase, you may ebook journey by Chase Journey and redeem factors to pay in your airplane tickets, lodge stays, rental vehicles or experiences. When you’re a holder of the Chase Sapphire Most popular or the Ink Enterprise Most popular, 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 the portal, which is a extra priceless possibility than the Amex Journey portal.
Although Chase has fewer switch companions than American Categorical, Chase holds its personal with some distinctive and really priceless redemption choices that may present extra worth than Amex’s choices.
Arguably probably the most priceless Chase switch companion is World of Hyatt, a lodge foreign money TPG values extremely. With its low fixed-rate award chart and no vacation spot charges on award nights, the Hyatt switch possibility is a key good thing about redeeming Chase factors over Amex factors, which do not provide Hyatt as a switch companion.
Associated: When and how you can switch Chase Final Rewards factors to World of Hyatt
Backside line
Selecting between these two applications relies on your preferences, however there is not any motive why you may’t accumulate each sorts of factors, as you may’t go unsuitable with both transferable foreign money. Each applications companion with fashionable switch choices at a 1:1 charge, reminiscent of Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Government Membership, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, JetBlue TrueBlue, Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership and extra.
Accumulating both bank card foreign money is a great thought if you happen to’re seeking to switch factors to those applications.
There are variations between the redemption choices of Amex and Chase factors. Chase Final Rewards is a superb alternative if you happen to’re aiming for outstanding redemptions like luxurious Hyatt stays or need the flexibleness of redeeming factors by Chase Journey for just about any flight or lodge for as much as 1.5 cents per level, relying on the kind of Chase card you maintain.
When you’re a Delta SkyMiles, Hawaiian Airways HawaiianMiles or Avianca LifeMiles fan, solely Amex’s Membership Rewards switch to those applications, so amassing Amex factors can be a greater possibility.
Sustaining versatile and various factors and miles balances offers you probably the most choices when redeeming your rewards no matter your most popular foreign money.