NerdWallet releases list of best travel rewards programs

Travel rewards programs are a great way to save extra bucks on hotel and travel — or even snag an free getaway. But do you know which rewards programs get you the best bang for your buck?

NerdWallet has the answer. The personal finance company just released valuations for the points of some of the most popular airline, hotel, and credit card rewards programs.

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Their research showed that American Airlines AAdvantage points go the furthest among the U.S. airlines at 1.7 cents per point. Alaska Airlines was second at 1.5 cents, while Southwest came in third at 1.4 cents per point.

All U.S. airlines hovered from 1.1 cents per point to the 1.7 cents per point from American Airlines  (AAL) - Get Free Report.

It's also worth noting that Delta Airlines saw a pretty steep decline in the last year, going from 1.5 cents per point to 1.2. This is notable as the airline also announced changes to its SkyMiles program on Sept. 13 that will make it much more difficult to earn top status with Delta.

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NerdWallet did research on more than just the U.S. airlines, researching a total of 15. Only two airline rewards programs had a better rate than American Airlines: ANA Mileage Club at a whopping 2.8 cents per point, and the Virgin Airlines Flying Club at 1.8 cents per point.

As for hotels, many who are familiar will not be surprised that World of Hyatt topped the list at an impressive 2.3 cents per point. That number is actually already down quite significantly from 2022 when NerdWallet valued its points at 2.8 cents per point, but it's still well above the competition.

None of the eight other hotel programs in the study even passed 1.2 cents per point, including Marriott Bonvoy (0.8 cents) and Hilton Honors (0.5 cents).

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As for credit card rewards, NerdWallet's study included a baseline value of the issuer — which is their promised value for the points — and a NerdWallet value, which takes into account the transfer partners of each of the issuers.

Chase Ultimate Rewards rose to the top at 2.7 cents for its Reserve lineup and 2.6 cents for its Preferred and Ink lineup. This is because of the ability to transfer Chase points to World of Hyatt points.

American Express was next on the list at 2 cents per point. 

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