American Categorical Membership Rewards factors and Chase Final Rewards factors are two of essentially the most extremely sought-after transferable currencies amongst journey lovers. These factors can unlock unbelievable redemptions in aspirational places. Each packages supply a variety of journey rewards bank cards and redemption choices, together with transferring factors to airline and resort companions or reserving journey by means of the respective card issuer’s journey portal.
Nonetheless, it is necessary to notice that not all factors maintain the identical worth. In accordance 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 will depend on your spending habits and journey aims.
Now, let’s delve right into a comparability between these two packages to see how they measure up.
Switch companions with Amex Membership Rewards vs. Chase Final Rewards
American Categorical Membership Rewards
Amex companions with a powerful 18 totally different airline packages and three resort chains. Until indicated, factors switch at a 1:1 fee in 1,000-point increments. Here is the present checklist 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 Govt 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 resort switch companions:
- Alternative Privileges
- Hilton Honors (1:2)
- Marriott Bonvoy
You possibly can ebook flights or lodges by means of Amex Journey, however transferring factors to a accomplice after which redeeming them (extra on that slightly later) usually ends in the perfect redemption worth.
Associated: Learn how to redeem American Categorical Membership Rewards for max worth
Each day Publication
Reward your inbox with the TPG Each day publication
Be part of over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s specialists
Chase Final Rewards
With Chase Final Rewards, you possibly can switch factors to 11 airline packages:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- British Airways Govt Membership
- Emirates Skywards
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Singapore Airways KrisFlyer
- Southwest Airways Speedy Rewards
- United Airways MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership
Chase additionally companions with three resort packages:
- 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 will need to take into account the switch companions you will use most in your journey objectives.
Do not forget that it is attainable 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, despite the fact that United Airways is not an Amex Membership Rewards switch accomplice, you possibly can ebook United award flights by transferring Amex factors to Air Canada or Singapore Airways, as they’re Star Alliance companions.
Associated: Learn how to redeem Chase Final Rewards factors for max worth
Incomes factors with Amex Membership Rewards vs. Chase Final Rewards
American Categorical Membership Rewards
Regardless of a once-per-lifetime coverage for welcome presents, the big selection of playing cards that earn Membership Rewards factors makes it comparatively straightforward to build up a considerable factors stability.
Listed below are a few of the playing cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards factors and include nice welcome presents:
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 the perfect American Categorical bank card for you?
One other strategy to earn Amex factors is thru focused Amex Presents. You may see all of the Amex Presents accessible on a given card should you scroll down in your on-line account web page or by tapping the “Presents” tab within the Amex app.
These presents come from numerous retailers, together with journey suppliers, eating places, clothes and jewellery shops. Typically talking, Amex Presents are available one among three kinds:
- 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 presents will provide you with money again for assembly a selected 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 accessible presents. Moreover, reviewing the phrases of every Amex Give you add to your playing cards is essential, as some could exclude present card purchases.
Amex Presents could be mixed with on-line buying portals and bonus classes. Think about using a buying portal aggregator to find out which portal presents the best return for a selected buy. This manner, you possibly can take advantage of your buy.
Associated: Learn how to earn bonus money again or Amex factors in your on-line buying purchases with Rakuten
Chase Final Rewards
Chase presents 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 help you switch factors to journey companions. Nonetheless, when you’ve got one of many playing cards talked about above, you possibly can switch factors to that account after which transfer them to airline and resort 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 could restrict your capacity to get authorised for these playing cards. For those who’re new to factors and miles, your finest wager 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 suggest maximizing on a regular basis 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 (on the primary $50,000 spent per calendar yr, then 1 level per greenback). As compared, the Amex Platinum earns 5 factors per greenback on airfare booked immediately with the airline or through 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 lodges booked by means of American Categorical Journey.
Chase Final Rewards
Chase presents a variety of playing cards that present ample alternatives to earn factors by means of bonus classes. For instance, the Chase Sapphire Most popular presents 5 factors per greenback on journey booked by means of 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 search engines like google (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 part else.
With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you will earn 10 factors per greenback on lodges and automobile leases while you ebook by means of Chase Journey, 5 factors per greenback on flights booked by means of 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 need to maintain them simply sitting in your account — you need to redeem them. Identical 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.
For example, should you switch both forex to Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue program on dates with much less demand, you possibly can 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 fee 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 too can use the Amex Journey portal to discover a most well-liked room after which pay with factors — valued at solely 0.7 cents every — or money. You possibly can ebook lodges together with these in Amex’s Positive Motels + Resorts program. You will not normally earn resort factors or elite credit for third-party bookings.
With Chase, you possibly can ebook journey by means of Chase Journey and redeem factors to pay in your aircraft tickets, resort stays, rental vehicles or experiences. For those who’re a holder of the Chase Sapphire Most popular or the Ink Enterprise Most popular, every level is value 1.25 cents. If in case you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, your factors are value 1.5 cents apiece towards redemptions by means of the portal, which is a extra worthwhile choice than the Amex Journey portal.
Although Chase has fewer switch companions than American Categorical, Chase holds its personal with some distinctive and really worthwhile redemption choices that may present extra worth than Amex’s choices.
Arguably essentially the most worthwhile Chase switch accomplice is World of Hyatt, a resort forex TPG values extremely. With its low fixed-rate award chart and no vacation spot charges on award nights, the Hyatt switch choice is a key good thing about redeeming Chase factors over Amex factors, which do not supply Hyatt as a switch accomplice.
Associated: When and methods to switch Chase Final Rewards factors to World of Hyatt
Backside line
Selecting between these two packages will depend on your preferences, however there is not any cause why you possibly can’t acquire each kinds of factors, as you possibly can’t go incorrect with both transferable forex. Each packages accomplice with fashionable switch choices at a 1:1 fee, resembling Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Govt Membership, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, JetBlue TrueBlue, Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership and extra.
Amassing both bank card forex is a great concept should you’re trying to switch factors to those packages.
There are variations between the redemption choices of Amex and Chase factors. Chase Final Rewards is a superb alternative should you’re aiming for outstanding redemptions like luxurious Hyatt stays or need the pliability of redeeming factors by means of Chase Journey for nearly any flight or resort for as much as 1.5 cents per level, relying on the kind of Chase card you maintain.
For those who’re a Delta SkyMiles, Hawaiian Airways HawaiianMiles or Avianca LifeMiles fan, solely Amex’s Membership Rewards switch to those packages, so amassing Amex factors can be a greater choice.
Sustaining versatile and various factors and miles balances will provide you with essentially the most choices when redeeming your rewards no matter your most well-liked forex.