Book your dream vacation using Air Canada's latest Aeroplan promotion. The airline is offering an 80% bonus when you purchase Aeroplan points through April 5.
29.02.2024 - 18:57 / insider.com
Our experts answer readers' credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess credit cards). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners; however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.
The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Business Insider: Capital One Spark Miles for Business†, Citi Prestige® Card, Citi Premier® Card. The details for these products have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.
It's easy to earn points and miles by using rewards credit cards and joining hotel and airline loyalty programs, but when it comes time to redeem them, there's often some fine print to parse through.
Not only do different hotel and airline rewards programs have their own award charts specifying how many points or miles you'll need to book a hotel room or a flight, but programs also have their own expiration policies that dictate the lifespan of your hard-earned rewards.
In most cases, your points or miles will expire in 12 to 24 months from your last "account activity," which could be anything from purchasing points or miles to taking a flight to using an airline or hotel credit card to make a purchase.
Unlike many airline miles and hotel points, credit card points don't expire as long as you keep your account open and in good standing (meaning you continue to pay off your balances or communicate with the bank if you need any financial assistance).
Find out how much your airline, hotel, and bank loyalty program rewards are worth in Business Insider's guide to points and miles valuations.
Here are the main credit card points currencies, along with the top credit card options for earning each of them:
The Platinum Card® from American Express
American Express® Gold Card
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
19 airlines, including Delta, British Airways, and Virgin Atlantic
Three hotels — Choice, Hilton, and Marriott
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Spark Miles for Business†
17 airlines, including Air Canada
Three hotels — Accor, Wyndham, and Choice
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
10 airlines, including Southwest, United, and Virgin Atlantic
Three hotels — Hyatt, IHG, Marriott
Citi Prestige® Card
Citi Premier® Card
These transferable credit card points can be extremely valuable, not just because you have so many options for using them to book travel, but also because there are certain sweet spots you can use to your advantage.
For example, if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, your Ultimate Rewards points are worth 50% more when you book travel through Chase or through Pay Yourself Back.
Book your dream vacation using Air Canada's latest Aeroplan promotion. The airline is offering an 80% bonus when you purchase Aeroplan points through April 5.
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Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us and terms apply to offers listed (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate credit cards to write unbiased product reviews.
Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us and terms apply to offers listed (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate credit cards to write unbiased product reviews.
While Virgin Atlantic is not always my go-to choice when it comes to award travel redemptions due to its incredibly high taxes and fees, the carrier is offering a 50% points discount on all flights to London. For bookings made through March 20 for travel between March 14 and June 30, Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club program will reduce the points needed for all Virgin-operated flights between the U.S. and the United Kingdom by 50% in all cabins.
The American Express® Gold Card is a card we can't live without.
American Express has inked a new partnership with a popular award search tool, Point.me, making it easier than ever to book flights with points.
Our experts answer readers' credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess credit cards). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners; however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.
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You don’t need to wait until St. Patrick’s Day to test your luck. We’ve rounded up the best points and miles travel deals this month to help you plan travel for March and beyond. There are promotions for bonus points, credit card discounts, experiences you can score by bidding with points—and even some free activities, if you find yourself in the right place at the right time.