American Express Membership Rewards vs. Chase Ultimate Rewards in 2023

16.11.2023 - 07:31 / lonelyplanet.com

This series of articles about credit cards, points and miles, and budgeting for travel is brought to you in partnership with The Points Guy.

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When it comes to credit card rewards programs, American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards stand out as two of the best options available. These programs have gained a loyal following among savvy consumers seeking to maximize their credit card spending and points. With robust rewards potential and plenty of high-value transfer partners, they allow cardmembers to save money on travel using points. While both programs offer tremendous value for those looking to make a travel budget using points and miles, deciding between the two can be overwhelming. 

If you’re getting started with points and miles, this guide will help you decide which of these programs will be most beneficial for you. We’ll compare the best travel credit cards for earning points in each program and the best ways to redeem points. Here’s everything you need to know about how American Express Membership Rewards stacks up against Chase Ultimate Rewards: 

Discover Rewards program guide

Transfer partners are an important factor when comparing the two programs. American Express Membership Rewards has 21 transfer partners, while Chase Ultimate Rewards has fourteen. The two programs have the following ten transfer partners in common, so you may not need both programs to access a diverse pool of loyalty programs:

Amex Membership Rewards has several exceptional transfer partners that Chase does not. They include All Nippon Airways (ANA) Mileage Club and Avianca Lifemiles. ANA has some of the cheapest business class fares to both Europe and Japan, costing about half of what programs like United MileagePlus charge for the same tickets. Amex also routinely offers transfer bonuses to certain partners, like Avianca Lifemiles. Your next award redemption can be much more attainable thanks to transfer promotions like these. 

While Amex has more transfer partners, they largely consist of foreign reward programs that the average traveler