Key takeaways
- Some travel credit cards earn miles that work with a specific airline or airline alliance, whereas others offer flexible rewards points that can be used in more than one way.
- Generally speaking, co-branded credit cards that earn miles are best for frequent travelers who are loyal to one brand.
- Meanwhile, flexible rewards points are a good choice for people who love trying different travel brands and want to shop around for redemptions before they make a booking.
- While you can choose to earn points or miles, earning both can help you score better redemptions and more perks over time.
Finding the best travel credit card can feel like an overwhelming task. The choices are vast — from co-branded cards to points, miles and cash back cards — and it can be hard to tell the difference between the various rewards currencies.
That said, knowing how different types of rewards work is the key to figuring it all out. Essentially, “points” generally refers to more flexible, transferable award currencies that are ideal for people who aren’t loyal to any one brand for airfare or hotel accommodations. An added benefit to these types of travel rewards is that they can often be redeemed for things other than travel spending.
Meanwhile, “miles” work well for those who are fine with limited redemption options — that is, award bookings within a loyalty program for a given travel brand. Even though you’ll forgo some flexibility using miles, you’ll still have the potential to get more value for your miles while gaining access to certain status upgrades in your loyalty program of choice.
In this piece, we’ll explore the differences between points and miles cards, consider the benefits and limitations of each, and help you decide which type of card to pursue.
Points vs. miles: What’s the difference?
The difference between credit card points and miles comes down to how the issuer designates its rewards currency. Miles commonly refers to airline miles that can be redeemed for free flights (less any taxes and fees). In some cases, miles may also be transferable to travel partners such as hotels or redeemed for travel-related purchases (like car rentals) through airlines’ vacation websites.
Credit card points, or transferable points, on the other hand, are usually issued by bank credit cards and come with more flexible redemption options — including both travel accommodations and a variety of other purchases. Note that, although hotels often use the term “points” to distinguish their rewards, they typically work the same way as miles for particular loyalty programs.
Airline miles and hotel points
Miles are typically associated with certain frequent flyer programs, and they’re earned through spending on co-branded airline cards (or through transfers from other travel rewards programs). When you earn miles in these programs, you’ll typically get the most value out of your rewards by redeeming them for flights or other spending related to the airline brand. You could also get access to free perks, such as a free first checked bag and status upgrades if you’re earning miles via a co-branded credit card.
You can usually earn miles by flying, spending, shopping online, dining out and doing other activities designated by the card issuer. Airline miles can offer great value if you know how to redeem them within their loyalty programs.
Hotel points can be earned through co-branded credit cards, though they can also be earned through nights spent at a particular brand, shopping trips or dining purchases. Like airline miles, they are earned within a specific loyalty program, and you’ll get the most value by redeeming them within that program. Depending on the loyalty program, you may be able to transfer hotel points to select travel partners. You may also be able to transfer points from more general travel rewards programs into your hotel loyalty account.
Transferable points
Credit cards that issue general travel rewards in the form of transferable points usually offer more flexibility than co-branded cards. That’s because you can transfer these points to multiple hotel and airline loyalty programs instead of being restricted to a single loyalty program.
As in the case of miles, the actual terminology the card issuer uses may vary. Some travel cards, like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, use the term “miles” for their rewards instead of “points.” For the sake of this article, however, we’ll refer to the flexible rewards offered by a credit card issuer (rather than non-flexible rewards offered by a loyalty program) as “points.”
With general travel rewards cards, you’ll usually have many more redemption options than you will with a co-branded credit card for a single hotel or airline loyalty program. With transferable points, you also won’t have to worry about being tied to one program’s award inventory fluctuations — especially during high-demand travel seasons. These points usually don’t expire as long as you continue to earn or redeem points on a regular basis, which often requires making just one transaction a year.
You can earn transferable points from several banks, including Chase, American Express, Citi and Capital One.
When to choose a points-earning card
Just about anyone can benefit from having a stash of flexible points that can be used for a broad range of travel programs and bookings.
For example, take the points offered in the Chase Ultimate Rewards program. These points can be used for redemptions like cash back, gift cards and merchandise. Even better, they can also be used to book airfare, hotels, car rentals and more directly through the Chase TravelSM portal.
As a Chase cardholder, you may also be able to transfer your points to Chase airline and hotel partners at a 1:1 ratio. Chase partners include British Airways, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards and United MileagePlus, as well as hotel programs like Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt.
Given this, you’ll want to choose a transferable points-earning card if:
- You want more flexible redemption options.
- Loyalty with a specific travel brand doesn’t matter to you.
- You’re not as interested in program-based rewards like elite status, free checked bags or priority boarding.
When to choose a miles-earning card
While credit cards that earn transferable points are highly valuable, there are situations where a miles-earning card could leave you better off. This is particularly true if you frequently fly with a single airline or airline alliance. A miles-earning card may also be a better fit if elite perks like priority boarding, priority check-in at airports, free checked bags and lounge access are important to you.
Many airline credit cards let you earn qualifying miles toward elite status, which isn’t something you can do with a points-earning card. For example, some Delta credit cards offer a perk called “MQD Boost” that lets you earn $1 of Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) for every $10 or $20 you make in purchases. Note, however, the MQDs aren’t the same as the airline miles you can spend on award flights. Instead, MQDs help you work toward Delta Medallion Status and make it easier to reach the higher tiers without having to fly with the airline as much.
With these details in mind, you’ll want to choose a miles-earning card if:
- You want airline perks like free checked bags and early boarding.
- You are loyal to a specific airline or airline alliance.
- You have no problem earning airline miles that may have a limited scope of use.
Which type of travel card is right for you?
If you aren’t sure which type of travel rewards card to get, take a look at who would benefit the most from a card that earns transferable points versus a loyalty-based, miles-earning travel card.
Points are better if you:
- Want to redeem points for options other than travel.
- Want to take advantage of transferable points.
- Aren’t loyal to a specific hotel or airline brand.
Miles are better if you:
- Are loyal to a particular brand.
- Don’t mind having more limited redemption options.
- Want extra perks and status upgrades.
Once you have a sense of which type of card will work best for you, take a look at our top picks for co-branded airline credit cards, hotel cards or general travel credit cards.
Here’s another idea: Consider getting both a miles-earning card and a points-earning card. Having access to transferable rewards currencies can make it easier to book the travel you want when you need to, while your miles-earning card will give you airline benefits and ensure you’re earning miles with your favorite airline. Adding a good cash back card to the mix can help you earn even more rewards on your spending or serve as an alternative option.
The bottom line
Whether you’re new to travel credit cards or a seasoned pro, there’s a lot to consider before you decide on a travel credit card. Diversification is important at all levels, and cards that earn points and miles can help you achieve it.
If you’re having trouble making the points vs. miles decision, consider getting both. Having more rewards to spend is never a bad idea, and having both types of cards can make finding award availability an easier task. Try using Bankrate’s Spender Type Tool to get personalized credit card recommendations for your specific situation.
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