Major Airline Loyalty Program Valuation Comparison Chart
| Program | Point Value (cents)* | Valuable Redemption Options** | Cards to Accrue Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1.1-1.4 | 210,000 Miles Round trip (RT) in Business Class from JFK to Bangkok | American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card®, The Platinum Card from American Express®, American Express® Aeroplan Platinum Card® |
| Alaska Airlines | 1.4-1.7 | Nonrefundable First Class Round Trip tickets are still only 50,000 miles within North America | Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card® |
| American Airlines | 1.4-1.8 | 45,000 miles round trip in coach from US to Europe during low season, plus a 10% savings if you hold any AA credit card. | Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage World Select Mastercard®, Barclays Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard Also: Other Citibank and Barclays American Airlines cards. |
| British Airways Avios | 1.2-1.6 | 9,000 Avios for roundtrip coach travel on American from New York to Montreal, 15,000 Avios RT from Chicago to East Coast on American or Seattle to LA on Alaska | British Airways® Visa Signature Card® Also: The Platinum Card from American Express®, American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card®, Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, Chase Ink Business Preferred. All other Chase and American Express transferrable point cards. |
| Delta | 1.0 - 1.1 | 187,000 miles in Business class round trip from Atlanta to Buenos Aires if you can find a saver ticket. | Gold Delta SkyMiles Card® and other Delta cards, The Platinum Card from American Express®, American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card® |
| Frontier | 1-1.2 | 20,000 Miles Coach RT from Telluride to Denver | |
| Hawaiian | 1.3-1.9 | 15,000 Miles for Coach RT between the Hawaiian Islands or 130,000 RT between Hawaii and Australia, NZ or Japan | The Hawaiian Airlines® World Elite MasterCard®, The Platinum Card from American Express®, American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card®, |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1.4 - 1.5 | 2 cents per dollar on JFK to Bermuda travel using JetBlue's fixed cost system | The Platinum Card from American Express®, American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card®, Citi ThankYou Premier Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, Chase Ink Business Preferred, . All other Chase, Citibank and American Express transferrable point cards. |
| Singapore KrisFlyer | 1.6 - 1.7 | Opportunities detailed in this article. | The Platinum Card from American Express®, American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card®, Citi ThankYou Premier Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, Chase Ink Business Preferred, . All other Chase, Citibank and American Express transferrable point cards. |
| United | 1.0-1.2 | 140,000 Miles for Business Class RT from NYC to Narita | United Mileage Plus Explorer Card® and other Chase United cards. Also: Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, Chase Ink Business Preferred. |
| Virgin Atlantic | 0.9-1.3 | 20,000 miles to upgrade one way from DC, Boston, Chicago or JFK to London | The Platinum Card from American Express®, American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card®, Citi ThankYou Premier Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, Chase Ink Business Preferred, . All other Chase, Citibank and American Express transferrable point cards. |
* BestCashCow estimate based on user feedback concerning the value of a point when redeemed for travel on the airline or its partner airlines, taking into account comparable ticket prices as well as fuel charges, taxes and other fees that may be associated with redemption.
** This column lists redeemed travel options that provided still greater value per point versus ordinary ticket costs.
