A point is worth what you redeem it for.
How rewards currencies work in United States: what earns them, how they move between programmes at a published ratio, and the arithmetic that prices a redemption before you commit to it.
*Every ratio below is as filed in the transfer-route ledger. Where a record leaves a field blank, the cell says so instead of guessing.
- 42
- routes filed
- 2
- source programmes
Three postings, in order
Every rewards strategy is these three moves. The whole game is making each one deliberately instead of by default.
- i.
Earn
Points arrive from card spending, welcome offers, flights and stays. The card decides the rate: the same grocery run earns once or several times over depending on what is in your wallet.
Spend → points - ii.
Transfer
A transferable bank currency can move to an airline or hotel programme at that partner's published ratio. This is where the flexibility lives — you choose the partner after you know the trip, not before.
Points → partner - iii.
Redeem
The same point buys wildly different amounts depending on what you spend it on. Nothing about the balance tells you its worth; only the booking in front of you does.
Points → booking
What a point is actually worth
A point has no price of its own. It has a rate, and the rate is set by the single booking in front of you — which is why the whole method fits in one division. Run it on the two options you are choosing between; the larger figure is the better use of the points.
The card ledger is where this site’s recorded numbers live. The tools page collects the calculators — each one says so when the figures it needs are not on file.
cash price of the booking
÷points it costs
=value of one point
Which points move where
| From | To | Ratio | Minimum | Clears in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | Aer LingusAirlineAerClub (Avios) | 1,000 : 1,000 | 1,000 | 48 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | AeromexicoAirlineAeromexico Rewards | 1,000 : 1,600 | 1,000 | 48 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | Air CanadaAirlineAeroplan | 1,000 : 1,000 | 1,000 | 48 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | Air France-KLMAirlineFlying Blue | 1,000 : 1,000 | 1,000 | 48 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | ANA (All Nippon Airways)AirlineANA Mileage Club | 1,000 : 1,000 | 1,000 | 4 days |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | AviancaAirlineLifeMiles | 1,000 : 1,000 | 1,000 | 72 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | British AirwaysAirlineThe British Airways Club (Avios) | 1,000 : 1,000 | 1,000 | 48 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | Cathay PacificAirlineAsia Miles | 1,000 : 800 | 1,000 | 48 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | Choice HotelsHotelChoice Privileges | 1,000 : 1,000 | 1,000 | 48 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | Delta Air LinesAirlineSkyMiles | 1,000 : 1,000 | 1,000 | 48 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | EmiratesAirlineEmirates Skywards | 1,000 : 800 | 1,000 | 48 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | HiltonHotelHilton Honors | 1,000 : 2,000 | 1,000 | 24 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | IberiaAirlineIberia Club (Avios) | 1,000 : 1,000 | 1,000 | 48 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | JetBlueAirlineTrueBlue | 250 : 200 | 250 | 48 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | MarriottHotelMarriott Bonvoy | 1,000 : 1,000 | 1,000 | 48 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | QantasAirlineQantas Frequent Flyer | 500 : 500 | 500 | 48 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | Qatar AirwaysAirlinePrivilege Club (Avios) | 1,000 : 1,000 | 1,000 | 48 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | Singapore AirlinesAirlineKrisFlyer | 1,000 : 1,000 | 1,000 | 48 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | The Leading Hotels of the WorldHotelLeaders Club | 1,000 : 250 | 1,000 | 72 hours |
| American Express Membership Rewards (US) | Virgin AtlanticAirlineFlying Club | 1,000 : 1,000 | 1,000 | 48 hours |
| Capital One Miles | AccorHotelALL - Accor Live Limitless | 2 : 1 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | AeromexicoAirlineAeromexico Rewards | 1 : 1 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | Air CanadaAirlineAeroplan | 1 : 1 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | Air France-KLMAirlineFlying Blue | 1 : 1 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | AviancaAirlineLifeMiles | 1 : 1 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | British AirwaysAirlineThe British Airways Club (Avios) | 1 : 1 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | Cathay PacificAirlineAsia Miles | 1 : 1 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | Choice HotelsHotelChoice Privileges | 1 : 1 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | EmiratesAirlineEmirates Skywards | 2 : 1.5 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | Etihad AirwaysAirlineEtihad Guest | 1 : 1 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | EVA AirAirlineInfinity MileageLands | 2 : 1.5 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | FinnairAirlineFinnair Plus | 1 : 1 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | Japan AirlinesAirlineJAL Mileage Bank | 2 : 1.5 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | JetBlueAirlineTrueBlue | 5 : 3 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | Preferred Hotels & ResortsHotelI Prefer Hotel Rewards | 1 : 2 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | QantasAirlineQantas Frequent Flyer | 1 : 1 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | Qatar AirwaysAirlinePrivilege Club (Avios) | 1 : 1 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | Singapore AirlinesAirlineKrisFlyer | 1 : 1 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | TAP Air PortugalAirlineMiles&Go | 1 : 1 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | Turkish AirlinesAirlineMiles&Smiles | 1 : 1 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | Virgin RedOtherVirgin Red | 1 : 1 | 1,000 | not on record |
| Capital One Miles | WyndhamHotelWyndham Rewards | 1 : 1 | 1,000 | not on record |