Amex factors vs. Chase factors: Which is the perfect reward forex to earn?

American Categorical Membership Rewards factors and Chase Final Rewards factors are two of probably the most extremely sought-after transferable currencies amongst journey fanatics. These factors can unlock unimaginable redemptions in aspirational places. Each packages provide a variety of journey rewards bank cards and redemption choices, together with transferring factors to airline and resort companions or reserving journey by means of the respective card issuer’s journey portal.

Nonetheless, it is necessary to notice that not all factors maintain the identical worth. In response to TPG’s November 2024 valuations, each Amex Membership Rewards factors and Chase Final Rewards factors are valued at roughly 2 cents per level. The only option relies on your spending habits and journey targets.

Now, let’s delve right into a comparability between these two packages to see how they measure up.

Switch companions with Amex Membership Rewards vs. Chase Final Rewards

American Categorical Membership Rewards

Amex companions with a formidable 18 totally different airline packages and three resort chains. Until indicated, factors switch at a 1:1 charge in 1,000-point increments. This is the present checklist of Amex airline companions:

• Aer Lingus AerClub
• Aeromexico Membership Premier (1:1.6)
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• All Nippon Airways Mileage Membership
• Avianca LifeMiles
• British Airways Government Membership
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
• Delta Air Traces SkyMiles
• Emirates Skywards
• Etihad Airways Visitor
• Hawaiian Airways HawaiianMiles
• Iberia Plus
• JetBlue TrueBlue (250:200)
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• Qatar Airways Privilege Membership
• Singapore Airways KrisFlyer
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership

And these are the Amex resort switch companions:

• Selection Privileges
• Hilton Honors (1:2)
• Marriott Bonvoy

You’ll be able to e book flights or inns by means of Amex Journey, however transferring factors to a companion after which redeeming them (extra on that just a little later) usually leads to the perfect redemption worth.

Associated: Methods to redeem American Categorical Membership Rewards for max worth

Chase Final Rewards

With Chase Final Rewards, you possibly can switch factors to 11 airline packages:

• Aer Lingus AerClub
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue
• British Airways Government Membership
• Emirates Skywards
• Iberia Plus
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Singapore Airways KrisFlyer
• Southwest Airways Speedy Rewards
• United Airways MileagePlus
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership

Chase additionally companions with three resort packages:

• IHG One Rewards
• Marriott Bonvoy
• World of Hyatt

All switch ratios are 1:1, and you could switch in 1,000-point increments.

To resolve which program is healthier for you, you may need to contemplate the switch companions you may use most to your journey targets.

Keep in mind that it is doable to make use of one airline’s miles to e book award flights on one other in the event that they’re companions or a part of the identical alliance. For instance, despite the fact that United Airways is not an Amex Membership Rewards switch companion, you possibly can e book United award flights by transferring Amex factors to Air Canada or Singapore Airways, as they’re Star Alliance companions.

Associated: Methods to redeem Chase Final Rewards factors for max worth

Incomes factors with Amex Membership Rewards vs. Chase Final Rewards

American Categorical Membership Rewards

Regardless of a once-per-lifetime coverage for welcome affords, the big selection of playing cards that earn Membership Rewards factors makes it comparatively simple to build up a considerable factors stability.

Listed below are a number of the playing cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards factors and include nice welcome affords:

The knowledge for the Amex Inexperienced has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.

Associated: Which is the perfect American Categorical bank card for you?

One other technique to earn Amex factors is thru focused Amex Affords. You may see all of the Amex Affords obtainable on a given card should you scroll down in your on-line account web page or by tapping the “Affords” tab within the Amex app.

These affords come from varied retailers, together with journey suppliers, eating places, clothes and jewellery shops. Typically talking, Amex Affords are available one in every of three types:

• Spend $X, get Y variety of bonus factors
• Spend $X, get $Y money again as an announcement credit score
• Get further factors per greenback spent at choose retailers

Whereas some affords gives you money again for assembly a particular spending requirement, many provide factors.

If you happen to maintain a number of Amex playing cards, it is necessary to examine all of them to make sure you’re maximizing the obtainable affords. Moreover, reviewing the phrases of every Amex Give you add to your playing cards is essential, as some could exclude reward card purchases.

Amex Affords will be mixed with on-line purchasing portals and bonus classes. Think about using a purchasing portal aggregator to find out which portal affords the best return for a particular buy. This fashion, you possibly can benefit from your buy.

Associated: Methods to earn bonus money again or Amex factors in your on-line purchasing purchases with Rakuten

Chase Final Rewards

Chase affords three playing cards that earn transferable Final Rewards factors, all of which have beneficiant welcome bonuses:

There are additionally 5 playing cards supplied by Chase that, on their very own, do not mean you can switch factors to journey companions. Nonetheless, in case you have one of many playing cards talked about above, you possibly can switch factors to that account after which transfer them to airline and resort companions.

The knowledge for the Chase Freedom has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.

Keep in mind that the Chase 5/24 rule could restrict your potential to get authorized for these playing cards. If you happen to’re new to factors and miles, your greatest guess is to use for the Chase playing cards you need first.

Bonus factors classes with Amex Membership Rewards vs. Chase Final Rewards

American Categorical Membership Rewards

We suggest maximizing on a regular basis spending on a number of Amex playing cards by profiting from bonus classes. For instance, the Amex Gold earns 4 factors per greenback at eating places worldwide (on the primary $50,000 spent per calendar 12 months, then 1 level per greenback). As compared, the Amex Platinum earns 5 factors per greenback on airfare booked instantly with the airline or through American Categorical Journey (on as much as $500,000 on these purchases per calendar 12 months) and 5 factors per greenback on pay as you go inns booked by means of American Categorical Journey.

Chase Final Rewards

Chase affords a variety of playing cards that present ample alternatives to earn factors by means of bonus classes. For instance, the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked affords 5 factors per greenback on journey booked by means of Chase Journey℠, 3 factors per greenback on eating and choose streaming companies, 3 factors per greenback on on-line grocery purchases (excluding Goal and Walmart), 2 factors per greenback on different journey and 1 level per greenback on all different bills.

The Ink Enterprise Most well-liked extends the bonus classes with 3 factors per greenback on journey, delivery, web, cable, cellphone companies and promoting purchases made with social media and serps (on as much as $150,000 in mixed purchases per account anniversary 12 months, then 1 level per greenback) and 1 level per greenback on every thing else.

With the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you may earn 10 factors per greenback on inns and automobile leases if you e book by means of Chase Journey, 5 factors per greenback on flights booked by means of Chase Journey, 3 factors per greenback on different journey (excluding the $300 journey credit score) and eating and 1 level per greenback on different bills. Furthermore, Sapphire Reserve cardholders will earn 10 complete factors per greenback on Lyft rides when utilizing their card, legitimate till March 2025.

Redemption choices with Amex Membership Rewards vs. Chase Final Rewards

As simple as it’s to earn transferable factors, you do not need to maintain them simply sitting in your account — you need to redeem them. Identical to the methods to earn factors, all redemption choices aren’t created equal, although Membership Rewards and Final Rewards have a big overlap of the identical switch companions.

As an illustration, should you switch both forex to Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue program on dates with much less demand, you possibly can fly from North America to Europe from as little as 20,000 miles one-way in financial system, 35,000 miles in premium financial system and 50,000 miles in enterprise class.

Singapore Airways operates two of the world’s longest flights: Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) to Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport (EWR) and John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK). You would switch your Amex or Chase factors to KrisFlyer at a 1:1 charge to e book one-way business-class Saver fare flights for simply 111,500 Singapore Airways KrisFlyer factors plus taxes and charges one-way — a small value for consolation on such an epically lengthy flight.

You may also use the Amex Journey portal to discover a most well-liked room after which pay with factors — valued at solely 0.7 cents every — or money. You’ll be able to e book inns together with these in Amex’s Effective Accommodations + Resorts program. You will not often earn resort factors or elite credit for third-party bookings.

With Chase, you possibly can e book journey by means of Chase Journey and redeem factors to pay to your airplane tickets, resort stays, rental vehicles or experiences. If you happen to’re a holder of the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked or the Ink Enterprise Most well-liked, every level is value 1.25 cents. When you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, your factors are value 1.5 cents apiece towards redemptions by means of the portal, which is a extra worthwhile possibility than the Amex Journey portal.

Although Chase has fewer switch companions than American Categorical, Chase holds its personal with some distinctive and really worthwhile redemption choices that may present extra worth than Amex’s choices.

Arguably probably the most worthwhile Chase switch companion is World of Hyatt, a resort forex TPG values extremely. With its low fixed-rate award chart and no vacation spot charges on award nights, the Hyatt switch possibility is a key good thing about redeeming Chase factors over Amex factors, which do not provide Hyatt as a switch companion.

Associated: When and how you can switch Chase Final Rewards factors to World of Hyatt

Backside line

Selecting between these two packages relies on your preferences, however there is no purpose why you possibly can’t accumulate each forms of factors, as you possibly can’t go improper with both transferable forex. Each packages companion with in style switch choices at a 1:1 charge, reminiscent of Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Government Membership, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, JetBlue TrueBlue, Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership and extra.

Amassing both bank card forex is a great concept should you’re seeking to switch factors to those packages.

There are variations between the redemption choices of Amex and Chase factors. Chase Final Rewards is a superb alternative should you’re aiming for exceptional redemptions like luxurious Hyatt stays or need the pliability of redeeming factors by means of Chase Journey for nearly any flight or resort for as much as 1.5 cents per level, relying on the kind of Chase card you maintain.

If you happen to’re a Delta SkyMiles, Hawaiian Airways HawaiianMiles or Avianca LifeMiles fan, solely Amex’s Membership Rewards switch to those packages, so gathering Amex factors could be a greater possibility.

Sustaining versatile and numerous factors and miles balances gives you probably the most choices when redeeming your rewards no matter your most well-liked forex.