Is 2025 the year you've resolved to travel more? Are you looking for a new travel rewards credit card, and want to explore the world of credit card points and miles to help you do it for pennies on the dollar? You've come to the right place.
But as you get started, remember this: Not all credit card points and airline miles are created equally.
Some points programs are better than others, and that's where you should focus your attention as you plan your travels in 2025 and beyond. Case in point: Scan this list of the top points to earn this year, and you won't find a single airline mileage program or hotel loyalty system. Flexibility with your points is more important than ever – and that's what this list is all about.
Read on for the best credit card points you can earn to fuel your adventures this year … and beyond.
Capital One Miles
Capital One has made some huge improvements to its already valuable miles over the last few years. That wasn't an accident: It all coincided with the launch of their brand new premium travel credit card, the *venture x*, in late 2021.
That card currently offers a welcome bonus offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months of card membership.
So does the standard *capital one venture card*. bonus_miles_full.
But we think the Venture X might be the best travel rewards credit card we've seen. While it has an annual fee of $395, frequent (and even infrequent) travelers can easily offset that, thanks to just two of the many benefits the card offers.
But aside from all the great benefits provided by the Capital One Venture X Card and other Capital One cards, the reason to prioritize earning Capital One miles comes down to their flexibility and value. When it comes to redeeming Capital One miles, you'll have three options.
First, there's the ability to use points to cover almost all travel purchases from flights and hotels to rental cars and even Airbnbs, by far the easiest way to use your Venture Miles – or any points and miles, for that matter – to book travel and make it free.
Just use a Capital One Venture X, Venture, or even a VentureOne credit card to make a travel purchase, then go back and use your miles to erase the expense. Using your miles this way, every mile is worth 1 cent. That means you can cover a $500 flight, hotel, or rental car using 50,000 miles.
Read next: Easy Peasy: Using Capital One Miles to Cover Travel Purchases
Next, their list of great transfer partners like Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Air Canada Aeroplan, and more, which allow you to really maximize their value – especially if you want to book a business or first class seat. Take a look at the full list of Capital One transfer partners below.
| Program | Type | Ratio | Transfer Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aeromexico | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Air France/KLM | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| British Airways | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Cathay Pacific AsiaMiles | Airline | 1:1 | Up to five business days |
| Emirates | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Etihad | Airline | 1:1 | Up to 1 day |
| EVA Air | Airline | 2:1.5 | Up to five business days |
| Finnair | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Qantas | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Singapore | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| TAP Air Portugal | Airline | 1:1 | Same day |
| Turkish Airlines | Airline | 1:1 | Same day |
| Virgin Red | Other | 1:1 | Same day |
| Accor | Hotel | 2:1 | Up to two business days |
| Wyndham | Hotel | 1:1 | Same day |
| Choice Hotels | Hotel | 1:1 | Same day |
Read more: 7 Sweet Spots to Use Capital One Miles
Finally, you can book travel through the Capital One Travel portal using your miles. This method is especially useful for Venture X cardholders as you'll have a $300 annual travel credit to burn that must be used in the portal each and every year you hold the card.
With these three methods of booking travel, you'll have a ton of flexibility and options for your miles. That flexibility adds value, and it's a big part of the reason we think Capital One miles are some of the best credit card points to earn this year.
How to Earn Capital One Miles
The *venture x* is the bank’s very first premium travel card. Think of it as a souped-up version of the ever-popular Capital One Venture Rewards card that’s chock full of extra benefits: Access to Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass lounges, a $300 annual travel credit, a credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, great travel and rental car insurance protection, and more. The annual fee clocks in at $395 a year, but the benefits can easily outweigh that. It's the reason why we think the Venture X annual fee shouldn't scare you off.
Here’s the best part: You can currently earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months. Considering you earn at least 2x for every dollar you spend on the Venture X Card, you’ll earn a total of at least 83,000 miles.
Read our full review of the Capital One Venture X card!
Learn more about the *venture x*.
Meanwhile, the *capital one venture card* remains truly one of the best travel credit cards for beginners.
You earn 2x miles on every purchase and even get a credit that covers the cost of Global Entry or TSA PreCheck – all for a card with a $95 annual fee.
But, the true allure for beginners is the simplicity it provides when using miles to cover your travel purchases. Just charge any travel expense – flights, hotels, Airbnbs, tours, excursions, and even Disney park tickets – to your Venture Card. Then go back to use points to wipe the cost from your credit card statement.
Or, transfer Capital One miles straight to one of their 19 airline or hotel partners to maximize your miles.
Read our full review of the Capital One Venture card!
Learn more about the *capital one venture card*
The Venture Rewards card isn’t the only card that can transfer miles. You can also transfer miles from the no-annual-fee *capital one ventureone* and the Capital One Spark Miles Select for business cards. The VentureOne card earns 1.25x miles per dollar spent on all purchases, and the Spark Miles Select card earns 1.5x miles per dollar on all purchases.
The VentureOne card has no annual fee but offers lower miles-earning opportunities: 1.25X miles on every purchase, and you can currently earn bonus_miles_full
Learn more about the *Cap One VentureOne*.
Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
No points and miles earning strategy is complete without a stable of Chase Ultimate Rewards points. In fact, we recommend starting with Chase credit cards if you're just dipping your toe in points and miles world. That's because they get harder to acquire later on, thanks to something called the Chase 5/24 Rule.
Like Capital One miles, the value of Chase Ultimate Rewards points comes from their flexibility.
When it comes time to redeem Ultimate Rewards points, you'll have three options. First, you'll be able to book travel through Chase Travel℠. When you go this route, you'll be able to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and more – and when you do, your points will be worth either 25% or 50% more, depending on which Chase Sapphire card you have.
If you hold the *chase sapphire preferred*, your points will be worth 1.25 cents each through Chase Travel℠. Hold the *chase sapphire reserve*? Your points will be worth 1.5 cents apiece. So, for example, booking this $209 flight would require 16,716 points for Sapphire Preferred cardholders and only 13,930 points for Reserve cardholders.
You'll also have the ability to send your Ultimate Rewards points to a list of Chase transfer partners. They have a bit of overlap on transfer partners with Capital One, but they also have a few unique options like United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Hyatt, and more. Just as with Capital One, this is an excellent way to maximize the value of your Chase points.
Take a look at the full list of Capital One transfer partners below.
| Program | Type | Transfer Ratio | Transfer Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Air France/KLM | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| British Airways | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Emirates | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Iberia Plus | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| JetBlue | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Singapore Air | Airline | 1:1 | 12-24 hours |
| Southwest Airlines | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| United Airlines | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Virgin Atlantic | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| World of Hyatt | Hotel | 1:1 | Instant |
| IHG | Hotel | 1:1 | 1 day |
| Marriott Rewards | Hotel | 1:1 | 2 days |
Admittedly, utilizing the Chase transfer partners effectively will take a little bit more work, but it is the top way to get outsized value out of your Ultimate Rewards points.
Read more: 10 Great Ways to Spend Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
How to Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
The *chase sapphire preferred* is easily the best place to start.
bonus_miles_full
You’ll also earn 3x points for every $1 spent on dining, including eligible delivery services. You’ll earn 3x points per dollar spent on online grocery purchases, 3x points per dollar spent on select streaming services, and 2x points per dollar spent on travel purchases.
With just a $95 annual fee, it’s more than reasonable. And considering your points are more valuable when booking through Chase Travel℠ (or much more by using some of the transfer partners mentioned above), that’s a ton of value for a cheap travel credit card.
Read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred!
Learn more about the *csp*.
For the more seasoned traveler looking for premium perks, the *chase sapphire reserve* is still a great option. That’s because it comes with an outstanding set of benefits like an easy-to-use $300 annual travel credit, access to Chase Sapphire Lounges and a free Priority Pass lounge membership, up to $120 toward TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or Nexus enrollment, and much more. Those perks can easily outweigh the $550 annual fee.
bonus_miles_full
If you hold the Sapphire Reserve, every point gets you 1.5 cents when booking directly through Chase. You’ll also get 3x points on every travel and dining purchase.
Learn more about the *chase sapphire reserve*.
Unfortunately, you can’t stack both bonuses. Chase restricts cardholders to just one Sapphire card at a time, and you can’t earn the bonuses within 48 months of each other. These (and most Chase cards) also fall under the dreaded Chase 5/24 rule, which means you won’t get approved if you’ve opened five or more credit cards from any bank within the last 24 months.
That said, there’s another card that is a perfect complement to the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. Actually, there are two.
Enter the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and *freedom unlimited* cards. These two Chase credit cards have no annual fee and typically earn cashback. But pair one with the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve cards, and it forms a powerful tandem that can help you earn even more Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Finally, small business owners should take a hard look at a pair of no-annual fee business cards: The *Ink Cash* and the *Ink Unlimited* come with bonuses of up to $750 cash back after meeting the minimum spending requirements … with an easy path to turning the cash back into up to 75,000 Chase points.
Here's how the bonus shakes out on both cards:
- With the *chase ink cash*, it's broken up into two tiers: You can earn $350 (or 35,000 points) after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 (or 40,000 points) after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months from account opening.
- With the *chase ink unlimited* you can earn $750 (or 75,000 points) after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Read next: Have a Chase Sapphire Card? Here's What to Do Next
American Express Membership Rewards Points
Another spot on the list of the best credit card points to earn this year are American Express Membership Rewards points.
We might sound like a broken record, but once again, the reason Membership Rewards points have a lot of value is due to their flexibility. You'll have two options for redeeming your Amex points.
First, you can use them to book travel through Amex's travel portal – dubbed Amex Travel. Each Amex point will be worth 1 cent, regardless of which American Express credit card you have. That means a $500 flight or hotel would cost 50,000 Membership Rewards points.
But the real value for Amex Membership Rewards points, in particular, comes from the list of Amex transfer partners. Need to earn some Delta SkyMiles? You can transfer Membership Rewards points into your SkyMiles account to book some of the amazing Delta SkyMiles flash sales we send to our Thrifty Traveler Premium members.
But there are also great opportunities to send points to 15-plus airlines for amazing value as well as a few hotel programs. for an amazing value. Again, you will find some overlap between both Capital One and Chase – and that's not a bad thing. But you will also find some unique options like Delta Air Lines, All Nippon Airways (ANA), and more.
Read more: Save Points When Booking Flights: Transfer Them to an Airline Partner
Check out the full list of Membership Rewards transfer partners below.
| Program | Type | Transfer Ratio | Transfer Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| AeroMexico | Airline | 1:1.6 | 3-5 days |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Air France/KLM | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| ANA | Airline | 1:1 | 1-2 days |
| Avianca | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| British Airways | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Cathay Pacific | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Delta | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Emirates | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Etihad | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Hawaiian | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Iberia | Airline | 1:1 | Up to 24 hours |
| JetBlue | Airline | 1.25:1 | Instant |
| Qantas | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Qatar Airways | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Singapore | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
| Virgin Atlantic | Airline | 1:1 | Instant |
Read more: The 10 Best Ways to Redeem Amex Membership Rewards Points
How to Earn Amex Membership Rewards Points
It starts off with an 80,000-point welcome bonus on *amex platinum card* after spending $8,000 within six months – and that alone is tough to beat. But you can do better.
Make sure to check to see if you are eligible for the outstanding 175,000-point offer via CardMatch! Otherwise, you can get at least a 100,000-point bonus through a targeted personal referral link or by searching for the Platinum Card in an incognito browser.
Learn more about *amex platinum*.
And then there’s the *amex gold card*, one of our favorite all-around cards, period. It earns 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 each year, then 1x) and restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S. up to $50,000 annually then 1x). bonus_miles_full
But you may be able to get a 75,000-point welcome bonus via CardMatch or a 90,000-point targeted offer via a personal referral link.
Learn more about the *amex gold*
With either card, you’ll have a hefty stash of points to put to use for some future travel that can easily offset their annual fees: $695 a year on the Amex Platinum (see rates & fees) and $325 for the Amex Gold Card (see rates & fees).
Bilt Rewards
Renters pay close attention: It's time to start earning points on your hefty monthly payments.
You can do it easily with Bilt Rewards. Bilt is a relative newcomer to the credit card and travel rewards game, but it has made a name for itself by allowing its cardholders to earn valuable transferrable points on monthly rent payments. Plus, the *Bilt Mastercard* has no annual fee.
Essentially, you can earn points on your rent payment no matter where you live.
If your landlord is a member of the Bilt Rewards Alliance, you can easily pay your rent electronically through the Bilt Rewards app by securely linking your bank account. Even if your landlord is not affiliated with Bilt Rewards, you can still pay rent through Bilt with a check, transaction fee-free, and earn points. That means that, technically, any renter can use Bilt Rewards.
It's still hard to earn a ton of these points – especially if you don't have the Bilt Card. But they make up for it with an unbeatable stable of transfer partners that arguably make Bilt Rewards points the most valuable travel rewards currency in the world. You can transfer points to both American and United, Hyatt, and a handful of other lucrative options.
Here's the full list:
| Program | Type | Transfer Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus Avios | Airline | 1:1 |
| Air France/KLM Flying Blue | Airline | 1:1 |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Airline | 1:1 |
| Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan | Airline | 1:1 |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Airline | 1:1 |
| British Airways Avios | Airline | 1:1 |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | Airline | 1:1 |
| Emirates Skywards | Airline | 1:1 |
| Iberia Avios | Airline | 1:1 |
| TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go | Airline | 1:1 |
| Turkish Miles & Smiles | Airline | 1:1 |
| United MileagePlus | Airline | 1:1 |
| Virgin Red | Airline | 1:1 |
| Accor | Hotel | 3:2 |
| World of Hyatt | Hotel | 1:1 |
| IHG Hotels | Hotel | 1:1 |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Hotel | 1:1 |
| Hilton Honors | Hotel | 1:1 |
You can also redeem your points through the Bilt travel portal, but that's nowhere near as alluring as these transfer partners.
How to Earn Bilt Rewards Points
If you hold the Bilt Mastercard and make at least five transactions per statement period, you'll earn one point for each dollar of rent (up to 100,000 annually). That means a $2,000 rent payment = 2,000 Bilt points every month.
Read our full review of the Bilt Mastercard!
Learn more about the *Bilt Mastercard*.
You will also earn 2x points on travel when you book directly with an airline, hotel, car rental, or cruise line. Finally, the card will earn 3x points per dollar spent on dining plus 1x points per dollar spent on other purchases, as long as cardholders make a minimum of five card transactions in a statement period.
Bilt sweetens the deal on the first of each month with double the points on what it calls Bilt Rent Day.
But you don't need to hold the Bilt card to earn Bilt points. Simply pay your rent through Bilt – whether electronically through the Bilt Rewards app or by check – and earn points.
Not a renter? Anyone can sign up for a Bilt Rewards account and earn points. And now, there's a way to earn Bilt points when you buy a house – and soon, you'll be able to earn Bilt points on your monthly mortgage payment, too.
Bottom Line
Focusing on these four points currencies will open up hundreds, if not thousands, of possible redemption options. It's the beauty of transferrable credit card points and why they should be at the forefront of your points and miles earning strategy this year and every year.
So, stop swiping your airline credit card everywhere you go and start focusing on piling up these points.