Excellent credit. Trying to see if there is a consensus here on the best credit card available for redeeming rewards towards future travel, including things like airfare and cruises.

Usually fly Southwest and stay at Marriott properties, if that makes any difference. But Southwest is quickly becoming a major hassle lately so I'm starting to open up more to flying other airlines.

If you're not loyal to any one airline or hotel chain, your best bets are the Chase Sapphire (Preferred or Reserve, depending on what benefits you want) or the Capital One Venture cards.

My preference is the Cap One, but most here like the Chase version.

I have a Chase Sapphire card and love it. I use the points mainly for hotels and car rentals, and an occasional flight if its not Southwest.

My wife has a stupid amount of southwest points so we fly for almost free. Last year was the first year in a while she didnt have companion pass so we are using that card alot this year to get it back.

So if I wanted to use rewards points towards airfare on Southwest, can I transfer points/miles with either the Capital One or Chase cards?

I've never transferred points out but do know it is possible, there is a "Transfer to Travel Partners" page.

Although I think Southwest forces you to transfer points to them in order to use them. They aren't an option for when you look at flights through the cards points, while the others are. I'm in Houston so i've only used it for United flights.

I just book by car rental/hotel/flight directly through the Chase Sapphire points system.

I've had Chase Sapphire Preferred for years. Highly suggest.

Used their portal to transfer points to Southwest (usually) and then buy flights for the family. You can transfer the points as you book the flights. It's pretty much instantaneous, but occasionally you have to wait a minute or two.

It's nice being able to have the choice on how to transfer them.

Have a Barclay and citibank AA exec card for airlines, and an AE Surpas Hilton card. Everything the family does goes on these cards. Usually get a voucher and a 99$ partner flight per year. Also board the plane first, 2x's the points at the pump, tsa precheck, never pay for check bags, and AA lounge access, but pay for the premium in a yearly fee. For Hilton I spend enough to always stay Diamond, and have accumulated over 3 million points. I havent paid for a flight in years and Hilton has never steered me wrong.

Honestly most are pretty good, but choose on where you like to go and on which airline. Also i'm an HGV owner and own in Oahu and Maui, hence the Hilton preference as the family enjoys Waikaloa and Hilton Hawaiian Villege.

FDXAg said:

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So if I wanted to use rewards points towards airfare on Southwest, can I transfer points/miles with either the Capital One or Chase cards?

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In the case of Cap One, you would use your points to "erase" the Southwest purchase in the form of a bill credit. Travel rewards are at a minimum the equivalent of 2% cash back (you can get 4-5x points by booking through the portal).

You can book airfare through the Cap One portal, but Southwest isn't included. Not sure if you can transfer points to SW, as I've never done it.

I've found some good deals through the Cap One portal lately, particularly on hotels and rental cars, but it's kind of hit or miss. The nice thing is, most hotels booked through the portal are fully refundable up until a day or two before. Downside is Cap One charges your card at the time of booking. But I've had to cancel and the money is credited within a couple of days. I also like their Visa Signature Luxury Hotel perk (although Covid really diminished the deals you can find there).

Rather than using points for direct purchases, I typically just trade points in once I hit 100k to get a $1000 credit on my bill. The grace period for travel eraser is pretty generous, and we typically take 2 big trips a year, so getting it is no problem. You can use points to partially erase a purchase (say a hotel costs $3500; you can just trade in 100k points for a $1000 credit on that purchase).

sharpshot said:

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I heard amex platinum was good

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The Centurion lounges at airports are great! I've traveled with two different friends with lounge access this month, and I've loved it. It's just so nice to have a quiet place to go, and the food is yummy. I personally can't justify the $550 annual fee, so I'll just mooch off them.

Capitol One Venture X is currently the best premium travel card according to The Points Guys. I would recommend perusing their site:

https://thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/best/

FDXAg said:

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Excellent credit. Trying to see if there is a consensus here on the best credit card available for redeeming rewards towards future travel, including things like airfare and cruises.

Usually fly Southwest and stay at Marriott properties, if that makes any difference. But Southwest is quickly becoming a major hassle lately so I'm starting to open up more to flying other airlines.

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Cant go wrong with the Chase Sapphire Preferred. You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards miles to Southwest or United.

TXTransplant said:

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sharpshot said:

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I heard amex platinum was good

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The Centurion lounges at airports are great! I've traveled with two different friends with lounge access this month, and I've loved it. It's just so nice to have a quiet place to go, and the food is yummy. I personally can't justify the $550 annual fee, so I'll just mooch off them.

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Its a $695 fee now lol. I love the Amex Platinum for the lounge access, but their miles dont transfer directly to any of the major US airlines other than Delta, which I never fly.

TXTransplant said:

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FDXAg said:

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So if I wanted to use rewards points towards airfare on Southwest, can I transfer points/miles with either the Capital One or Chase cards?

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In the case of Cap One, you would use your points to "erase" the Southwest purchase in the form of a bill credit. Travel rewards are at a minimum the equivalent of 2% cash back (you can get 4-5x points by booking through the portal).

You can book airfare through the Cap One portal, but Southwest isn't included. Not sure if you can transfer points to SW, as I've never done it.

I've found some good deals through the Cap One portal lately, particularly on hotels and rental cars, but it's kind of hit or miss. The nice thing is, most hotels booked through the portal are fully refundable up until a day or two before. Downside is Cap One charges your card at the time of booking. But I've had to cancel and the money is credited within a couple of days. I also like their Visa Signature Luxury Hotel perk (although Covid really diminished the deals you can find there).

Rather than using points for direct purchases, I typically just trade points in once I hit 100k to get a $1000 credit on my bill. The grace period for travel eraser is pretty generous, and we typically take 2 big trips a year, so getting it is no problem. You can use points to partially erase a purchase (say a hotel costs $3500; you can just trade in 100k points for a $1000 credit on that purchase).

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1 cent per point isn't a great valuation. It's not terrible, but not good. I'd say for anyone specifically asking for travel card recommendations, it'd be the bare minimum of consideration and they can do a lot better. The convenience, flexibility, and earing points on the spend then using points to pay are all nice, but still leaving a decent value on the table. I'm not extremely familiar with Capital One but pretty sure they have a 1:1 transfer ratio with several airline and hotel partners. I'd wager those points would be more like a 1.75 cent per point value if you're transferring to partner airlines and maybe 1.25 cent per point with hotels....

I have sapphire reserve. The "pay yourself back" function allows points to be redeemed at 1.5x for bill credits. Combined with the point payouts (ie, 3x for food, travel), my annual average last year was 2.1% for every dollar spent. You can probably find better, but I'm a one card convenience type guy.

Yea that's the downside, but AMEX has great customer service. Always helpful when I used to have a gold card

The venture x is a good place to start. $395 annual fee. But you get an annual $300 travel credit and $100 worth of points every year so it's basically free. Offers priority pass to you and up to 4 authorized users, and each person can bring 2 guests so in theory one account can get 15 people into the lounge. Also gives you access to the capital one lounges (currently only DFW) and hertz president's circle (which Avis and national will status match). The travel portal is usually a bit cheaper than the rates I see on Expedia, and booking hotels through that gives you 10x points, flights booked via the portal are 5x and everything else you spend on the card is 2x.

I know you're a "one card" guy, but adding the Chase Freedom Unlimited for all non restaurant and travel expenses will bump that up quite a bit. No fee on that one and you get 1.5% points, which translates to 2.25% cash back when you move them over to the Sapphire.

One extra step, but you'll boost those numbers pretty easily.

Hmm. Do they do different awards for categories? You're saying leave my sapphire card open, but everything with freedom, and just transfer over to get the additional 50%?

I charge my restaurants and travel to the Sapphire, and put everything else on the Freedom Unlimited so that I get 1.5% back vs. 1%. No categories to mess with there.

There is a Chase Freedom that has categories, but I don't get a ton of use out of that one.

I actually put gas/groceries on my Amex Blue but that's another story.

The freedom unlimited also duplicates the 3% restaurant the sapphire has so you could still likely just carry the one card with you and pull the sapphire out only when booking travel.

The sign up bonus is also in ultimate rewards so the $200 bonus will hit your account as 20000 points you can transfer to your sapphire reserve and redeem for $300.

wasn't aware of that. Good call!

htxag09 said:

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TXTransplant said:

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FDXAg said:

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So if I wanted to use rewards points towards airfare on Southwest, can I transfer points/miles with either the Capital One or Chase cards?

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In the case of Cap One, you would use your points to "erase" the Southwest purchase in the form of a bill credit. Travel rewards are at a minimum the equivalent of 2% cash back (you can get 4-5x points by booking through the portal).

You can book airfare through the Cap One portal, but Southwest isn't included. Not sure if you can transfer points to SW, as I've never done it.

I've found some good deals through the Cap One portal lately, particularly on hotels and rental cars, but it's kind of hit or miss. The nice thing is, most hotels booked through the portal are fully refundable up until a day or two before. Downside is Cap One charges your card at the time of booking. But I've had to cancel and the money is credited within a couple of days. I also like their Visa Signature Luxury Hotel perk (although Covid really diminished the deals you can find there).

Rather than using points for direct purchases, I typically just trade points in once I hit 100k to get a $1000 credit on my bill. The grace period for travel eraser is pretty generous, and we typically take 2 big trips a year, so getting it is no problem. You can use points to partially erase a purchase (say a hotel costs $3500; you can just trade in 100k points for a $1000 credit on that purchase).

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1 cent per point isn't a great valuation. It's not terrible, but not good. I'd say for anyone specifically asking for travel card recommendations, it'd be the bare minimum of consideration and they can do a lot better. The convenience, flexibility, and earing points on the spend then using points to pay are all nice, but still leaving a decent value on the table. I'm not extremely familiar with Capital One but pretty sure they have a 1:1 transfer ratio with several airline and hotel partners. I'd wager those points would be more like a 1.75 cent per point value if you're transferring to partner airlines and maybe 1.25 cent per point with hotels....

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It's the equivalent of 2% cash back when I redeem for travel, which is fine for me. The flexibility is exactly why I have it. I'm loyal to the lowest price hotel, air, and car rental.

I also have a Chase Sapphire card. My son uses it enough that I can accumulate points for a flight. But the last time I used their booking portal, it was a royal PITA. So, it's not my favorite.

much easier to use the Chase points on "paying yourself back" on restaurants.

I believe the portal is just a rebranded version of Expedia (at least it used to be).

ea1060 said:

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TXTransplant said:

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sharpshot said:

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I heard amex platinum was good

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The Centurion lounges at airports are great! I've traveled with two different friends with lounge access this month, and I've loved it. It's just so nice to have a quiet place to go, and the food is yummy. I personally can't justify the $550 annual fee, so I'll just mooch off them.

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Its a $695 fee now lol. I love the Amex Platinum for the lounge access, but their miles dont transfer directly to any of the major US airlines other than Delta, which I never fly.

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AMEX is changing that policy next year. Think you have to spend $75,000 or so to get guest access. The cardmember gets access regardless. I just stumbled upon that on the AMEX platinum benefits page, didn't see it announced though.

Quote:

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U.S. Basic Platinum Card Members and Additional Platinum Card Members on the account and U.S. Basic Business Platinum Card Members and Additional Platinum Card Members on the account may bring up to two (2) guests per visit into locations of The Centurion Lounge in the U.S., at Hong Kong International Airport and at London Heathrow Airport for no per-visit guest fee ("Complimentary Guest Access") through January 31, 2023. Effective February 1, 2023, Platinum Card Members, Business Platinum Card Members and Additional Platinum Card Members on the account will be charged a $50 fee for each guest (or $30 for children aged 2 through 17, with proof of age). To receive Complimentary Guest Access at these locations after January 31, 2023, the total eligible purchases on the Platinum Account must equal or exceed $75,000 between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022 and in each calendar year thereafter. Guest access policies may vary internationally by location and are subject to change.

Beginning February 1, 2023, eligibility for Complimentary Guest Access will be processed within a week of the Platinum Account's meeting the purchase requirement in most cases, but may take up to 12 weeks to become effective. Complimentary Guest Access status will be reflected in the Benefits tab of your online account and in the American Express App. Once effective, Complimentary Guest Access will be available for the remainder of the calendar year in which it became effective, the following calendar year, and until January 31 of the next calendar year (for example, if Complimentary Guest Access becomes effective on May 1, 2023, it will remain effective through January 31, 2025). Eligible purchases made by any Additional Card Members on the Platinum Account will contribute to the purchase requirement. Eligible purchases to meet the purchase requirement are for goods and services minus returns and other credits. Eligible purchases do NOT include fees or interest charges, cash advances, purchases of travelers checks, purchases or reloading of prepaid cards, purchases of gift cards, person-to-person payments, or other cash equivalents. If a Basic Platinum Card Member upgrades or downgrades from a different American Express Card, eligible purchases made on that Card Account will count toward the new Platinum Account's Complimentary Guest Access purchase requirement.

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Diggity said:

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much easier to use the Chase points on "paying yourself back" on restaurants.

I believe the portal is just a rebranded version of Expedia (at least it used to be).

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I will say, Chase did right be me during Covid. I had booked a flight on United with points, and United tried to screw me on a refund when they cancelled the flight and rebooked me on one with a connection. It took a while and a lot of back and forth, but Chase did eventually give me my points back. I have no idea if they ever got a refund from United.

I don't have the Venture X. Can't justify that fee, either. But I'm satisfied with the flexibility and ease of use of the original Venture.

I've literally flown on four different airlines in the last month, so airline points just aren't worth that much to me. I also typically have to travel during peak season to accommodate my son's school schedule. That's changing next year, but it's always been so hard to get deals on flights just because we always travel during summer and holidays.

I'm cancelling mine if this is the case. I actually like having the global access/priotity pass more than going to the centurion lounge. Sometimes, their lounges are misses--when I was in JFK, I went to the Delta lounge and it was so much better than the centurion lounge in IAH. I've tried using my platinum any way I can to offset the annual fee, and I've done it every year. I'm not loyal to any airline. I loved my Chase card, and like others have pointed out, their pay yourself back feature meets my needs more than trying to recover a $200 hotel credit.

I've been looking for a reason to go back to Chase Sapphire, and this may do it for me.

Scientific said:

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I'm cancelling mine if this is the case. I actually like having the global access/priotity pass more than going to the centurion lounge. Sometimes, their lounges are hit and miss--when I was in JFK, I went to the Delta lounge and it was so much better than the centurion lounge in IAH. I've tried using my platinum any way I can to offset the annual fee, and I've done it every year. I'm not loyal to any airline. I loved my Chase card, and like others have pointed out, their pay yourself back feature meets my needs more than trying to recover a $200 hotel credit.

I've been looking for a reason to go back to Chase Sapphire, and this may do it for me.

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Yeah, I re-signed-up-for the Reserve. It has been more than 4 years since my initial bonus so I should be able to get the 60,000 points bonus. Mainly did it cause I don't really think AMEX Platinum is worth it anymore, particularly cause I mostly fly United and you can't use AMEX points with United.

EDIT: It isn't travel rewards, but I largely use my Bank of America Premium Rewards card. 1.5% on everything stacked with their 75% bonus for having some minimum balance in Merrill Lynch ends up netting 2.625% back. That is the best general value back that I've seen. Still use AMEX (now Chase Reserve) for travel and dining to get bonus categories.

If you can spend the travel credit every year, the venture X is cheaper than the regular venture.

hypeiv said:

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If you can spend the travel credit every year, the venture X is cheaper than the regular venture.

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I'm dipping my toe in that travel portal right now. I had a room booked in SAT but had to cancel. I have rooms and rental car booked in NYC. If it works out, I may upgrade. But I'm not 100% sold on their travel portal.

I get that... The travel portal can be hit or miss. If you have status with a hotel they won't always honor it if you booked via the portal. Also I have seen better prices for rooms booking direct if you have a AAA discount. Usually the capital one is the same as Expedia but a few dollars less so it's normally at least equal to that, but sometimes booking direct is better.

That's correct about the status. Several hotels won't give me points if I book through the Visa Luxury/Signature hotels website, too.

I would love to use the portal more often because you get up to 5x points, even with the card I have. It just doesn't always have great rates. I do like using the portal to compare airfare, though.

I have Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Amex Platinum. I really just got the Amex for the signup bonus and have burned through them already on vacation this summer.

You have to travel pretty regular for either of these to make sense to keep long term and get back most of the ridiculous annual fees.

I've found Freedom unlimited plus Chase Sapphire Reserve to be the best combo for me.

Marriott / Hyatt and American

Since you said you stay at Marriott's... Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card currently has an intro bonus of 5 free nights (max 50k points per night, but can top up 15k points if you have points on your account) after minimum spend (5k in 3 months). Its a $95 annual fee but you can product change to the Bonvoy Bold card after the first year to avoid the annual fee after the first year. Rumor is this deal expires 7/22, and some other good Chase deals have recently expired (the 80k sapphire, and 75k southwest airlines) so I tend to trust the rumors.

I tend to go after sign up bonuses since they offer way more value than spend categories and there are so many to go around I don't really have a problem finding 3 or 4 per year rather than having a long term system.

Thanks for heads up, especially about the offer possibly expiring soon! I just signed up for this since we do stay in Marriott properties primarily. So since this is my first real dabble in an initial rewards perk CC, when does the $5000/3 months spending requirement to get the 5 free nights take effect? As soon as card is activated?

Still trying to decide between Chase Sapphire preferred and the Capital One Venture card....