Is it really worth being loyal to one airline in 2021 and beyond?
Dec 16, 2020
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I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with airline loyalty and elite status.
There was once a time where I chased elite status namely on United religiously. I would mileage run to get to the next status tier to enjoy the free upgrades, added flexibility and other perks that come with being an airline’s top flyer.
(Photo by Ryan Patterson for The Points Guy)
One of the most popular requests we saw was for a better redemption rate for paid travel through Amex Travel.
The Amex Platinum’s biggest competitor the Chase Sapphire Reserve® lets cardmembers redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal at 1.5 cents per point. This means that a $100 flight or hotel stay costs just 6,667 points, which is a pretty solid deal if there’s no award space available.
On the other hand, Amex cardholders can only redeem Membership Rewards points through Amex Travel at a set rate of 1 cent apiece. This is half TPG’s valuation of Membership Rewards points, so we typically don’t recommend using your points to book paid travel through the portal.