POINTS PROVISIONS

Like the title of this post states, I believe you should value your credit card points as another form of currency.  Credit card points enable you to purchase flights and book hotel rooms as well as possibly making other redemptions like exchanging for cash or stuff like a new iPad.   My point of this post is to just put the thought in your head when you redeem your credit card points.  It's always nice to feel like we get something for "free" when we use our points, but we also don't want to waste our hard earned points on a bad redemption.  This is the reason, why I've mentioned before about looking at the value you get per point when you are looking at redemptions.  You can use the basic formula of (Redemption Value/Points Required = Per Point Redemption Value). Of course, using your credit card points the way you want is your prerogative and I will never judge anyone on the way they use their points, but this post is meant to just keep the thought in your head

EARNING AMERICAN EXPRESS MEMBERSHIP REWARDS POINTS You can earn Amex points with any of the following credit cards. PERSONAL CARDS No Annual Fee Credit Cards Amex Everyday -  2 points on U.S. supermarkets, up to $6K per calendar year -  1 point everywhere else Annual Fee Credit Cards Amex Everyday Preferred ($95/year) - 3  points on U.S. supermarkets, up to $6K per calendar year - 2 points on U.S. gas stations -  1 point everywhere else American Express Green Card ($150/year) - 3 points on restaurants, travel, and transit -  1 point everywhere else American Express Gold Card ($250/year) - 4  points on U.S. supermarkets, up to $25K per calendar year - 4 points on restaurants - 3 points on flights -  1 point everywhere else The Platinum Card ($695/year) - 5 points on flights and prepaid hotels purchased through AmexTravel -  1 point everywhere else The Platinum Card for Morgan Stanley ($695/year) - 5 points on flights and prepaid hotels purchased through AmexTravel -  1 point everywhere

A great option for using your credit card points is to book hotel nights with them.  The process of booking a hotel night using points is similar to booking a normal stay using cash.  When searching on the hotel programs website, there is usually a check box for award bookings when you enter your search criteria.  Let's walkthrough an example using Hyatt, one of the best hotel options for maximizing your credit card points.  Keep in mind you can follow these steps for other hotel chains as well. The first thing you should do is sign-up for a World of Hyatt account through the Hyatt website.  In order to book a hotel night using points you will need to have a member account setup with the hotel program.  It's free to join and comes with the following benefits. Next, if you don't already have points with the hotel, you need to think about which credit card points will transfer to the hotel program.  In this case, since we're looking at Hyatt, we know that we can transfer

AMERICAN EXPRESS MEMBERSHIP REWARDS AIRLINES 1. Aer Lingus Avios - INSTANT 2. AeroMexico Premier Points - Approx 4 to 5 Days 3. Air Canada Aeroplan Points - INSTANT 4. Air France KLM Flying Blue Miles - INSTANT 5. ANA Mileage Club Miles - Approx 2 to 3 Days 6. Avianca LifeMiles - INSTANT 7. British Airways Executive Club Avios - INSTANT 8. Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - INSTANT 9. Delta Airlines SkyMiles - INSTANT 10. Emirates Skywards Miles - INSTANT 11. Etihad Guest Miles - INSTANT 12. Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles - INSTANT 13. Iberia Plus Avios - Approx 1 Day 14. JetBlue TrueBlue Points - INSTANT 15. Qantas Points - INSTANT 16.  Qatar Privilege Club Avios -  INSTANT 17. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles - INSTANT 18. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Virgin Points - INSTANT HOTELS 1.  Choice Privileges Points - INSTANT 2. Hilton Honors Points - INSTANT 3. Marriott Bonvoy Points - INSTANT CHASE ULTIMATE REWARDS AIRLINES 1.  Aer Lingus Avios - INSTANT 2.  Air Canada Aeroplan Points - INSTA