Featured Review: Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) vs. Membership Rewards (MR) vs. Ultimate Rewards (UR) vs. ThankYou (TY) vs. Club Rewards (CR) - before August 2018
Updated August 8, 2018. This review is outdated - please see the updated review here.
In this review we will compare five most popular and versatile rewards programs in the market. They are similar in that their points can be transferred into miles/points of a number of frequent traveler programs (airlines/hotels).
Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG)
Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) is the frequent guest program of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide whose hotel portfolio includes St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Le Meridien, Westin, Sheraton, aloft, element, Four Points by Sheraton. SPG points can be very valuable when redeemed for hotel stays in Starwood hotels. Here we don't want to go into details of hotel redemption, please visit spg.com for more information.
SPG points can also be redeemed for merchandise gift cards or direct flight booking. However these options generally does not represent the best value. Other than hotel redemption, SPG points can be extremely valuable when transferred into miles of 34 frequent flyer programs:
The most important feature is that if you transfer 20,000 points you will get 5,000 points as the bonus, i.e., 1 SPG point worth 1.25 miles of most partners. Note that transfer to United Airlines is of bad value. Beside airline partners, you can also transfer SPG points to Amtrak Guest Rewards points at 1:1; however you won't get 25% bonus if you transfer 20K. You can transfer your SPG points to a household member's SPG account. The household member needs to reside in the same address for at least 30 days. However, you can only transfer your SPG points to a frequent flyer account under your name.
With the merger of Marriott International and Starwood Hotels and Resorts and before the two frequent guest programs fully integrate, you actually get another great redemption option for SPG points where you may transfer SPG points to Marriott points at a 1:3 ratio. You need to link your SPG and Marriott accounts before you may use this option. After the transfer, you may redeem Marriott points for hotel stays as well as the very lucrative hotel+air packages. Please see our Marriott Rewards Visa review for some details of this option.
Membership Rewards (MR) from American Express
On the earning side, you earn one extra point for each dollar spent on travel booked through MR (American Express Travel); however, Amex charges a booking fee on airfare or air-hotel packages ($6.99 per domestic ticket; $10.99 per international ticket) so most likely it is not a good deal. Effective May 2015, Amex waives the booking fee for Platinum and Centurion cardmembers. Amex used to have a shopping portal that allowed you to earn up to 10X bonus points; however, it was closed in 2013.
On the redemption side, MR points can be redeemed for merchandise, gift cards, travel (Pay with Points), and so on, at up to 1 cent per point. However, some cards are eligible for a transfer feature that allows points to be transferred to over 20 frequent traveler programs. Let's look at these two groups:
MR points can be transferred into miles of 18 frequent flyer programs:
Compared to airline miles transfer, hotel points transfer does not represent good value. Note that the rate to SPG is poorly 3:1. Even though MR does not have the built-in 25% transfer bonus like SPG, Amex runs limited-time transfer promotions on certain partners several times a year, so the value of MR points can be higher. Another huge advantage of MR over SPG is that the transfer to most partners is instantaneous rather than days or weeks. This can be very useful when you find a particular award ticket available and want to grab it immediately before it is taken. The downside of MR is that Amex charges 0.06 cent per point up to $99 for transfer to domestic airlines. For example, if you transfer 100K points to 100K Delta miles, you will be charged $60 for the transaction. You can not transfer your MR points to someone else's MR account. However, you can transfer your MR points to your authorized user's frequent traveler accounts.
Three Ways of Using MR points for Airfare: In addition to the aforementioned two options to redeem MR points for airfare - Pay with Points (fixed value, 1 cent per point) and the transfer feature, Amex also offers certificates for economy tickets for the following airlines: Cathay Pacific, Swiss, Qantas, and South African Airways. Note that they (except Swiss) are not transfer partners: you can't transfer MR points to their miles but you rather use a bulk of points in exchange for certificates that can be used for economy tickets (or companion tickets). The use of certificates is not subject to capacity control and you can actually earn miles on them. There is no certificates for business or first class tickets.
For example, using the certificate a round-trip economy ticket on Swiss from SFO/LAX to Europe costs 65K points no matter how much the revenue ticket actually costs. If you use Pay with Points feature and the revenue ticket costs $1,000, you will need 100K points. For comparison, if you want to use Swiss' own frequent flyer program - Miles and More, which by the way is a transfer partner of SPG, it will cost 50K miles plus fuel surcharge (which can be as high as, say $400) and is subject to capacity control.
Ultimate Rewards (UR) from Chase
Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) is a knock-off of Amex Membership Rewards. On the earning side, you earn one extra point for one dollar spent on airfare booked through UR, but unlike Amex, Chase does not charge a booking fee. You also earn up to 10x points when shopping through UR.
The regular UR program allows redemption for merchandise, gift cards, cash, and travel, at up to 1 cent per point. However, premium UR cards including Sapphire Preferred ($95), Sapphire Reserve ($450), JPM Reserve ($450), and Ink Preferred ($95), have two premium redemption features: one is 25% bonus to travel redemption via UR (1 point = 1.25 cent); the other is to transfer points into miles/points of frequent traveler programs. Just like MR, transfer from UR to miles/points is instantaneous. Also like MR, if you have a regular UR card such as Freedom and another premium UR card such as Sapphire Preferred, you can pool all UR points together and enjoy the premium features. You can transfer your UR points to the UR account or a frequent traveler account belonging to one household member. Points transfer to third parties is prohibited. Currently, UR has the following partners:
Airline Partners
ThankYou (TY) from Citi
For several years, Citi's ThankYou Rewards (TY) had been lagging behind with only one transfer partner Hilton HHonors (this relationship ended in December 2017), and we were excited to see that Citi finally introduced several airline partners in July 2014. Currently there is no points earning for shopping with Citi.
The regular TY program allows redemption for merchandise, gift cards, statement credit, and travel, at up to 1 cent per point. However, premium TY cards including Citi ThankYou Premier ($125), Citi Prestige ($450), and Citi Chairman, have a transfer feature similar to SPG, MR, and UR, that allows ThankYou points to be transferred to frequent traveler programs. If you have a regular TY cards such as ThankYou Preferred, you may pool all your points together and the points earned through the regular TY cards become eligible for transfer. You may share your TY points with someone else; however, the shared points will expire in 90 days. You can only transfer your TY points to a frequent traveler account under your name. TY partners include the following:
Club Rewards (CR) from Diners Club
Club Rewards from Diners Club has always had the transfer feature that allows points to be transferred to miles/points. The reason why we did not cover this program in the previous reviews is that Diners Club hasn't accepted any new personal applications in the U.S. for several years, until September 2014.
Club Rewards points earned from Diners Club cards such as Diners Club Premier ($95) and Diners Club Elite ($300) can be redeemed for merchandise, gift cards, cash, travel, etc., at up to 1 cent per point. In addition, CR points can be transferred to the following frequent traveler accounts (mostly at 1:1):
The Comparison Chart: SPG vs. MR vs. UR vs. TY vs. CR
In this review we will compare five most popular and versatile rewards programs in the market. They are similar in that their points can be transferred into miles/points of a number of frequent traveler programs (airlines/hotels).
Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG)
Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) is the frequent guest program of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide whose hotel portfolio includes St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Le Meridien, Westin, Sheraton, aloft, element, Four Points by Sheraton. SPG points can be very valuable when redeemed for hotel stays in Starwood hotels. Here we don't want to go into details of hotel redemption, please visit spg.com for more information.
SPG points can also be redeemed for merchandise gift cards or direct flight booking. However these options generally does not represent the best value. Other than hotel redemption, SPG points can be extremely valuable when transferred into miles of 34 frequent flyer programs:
- Aegean Airlines Miles+Bonus (1:1)
- Aeromexico Club Premier (1:1)
- Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1)
- Air China Companion (1:1)
- Air New Zealand Airpoints (65:1)
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan (1:1)
- Alitalia MilleMiglia (1:1)
- All Nippon Airways (ANA) Mileage Club (1:1)
- American Airlines AAdvantage (1:1)
- Avianca LifeMiles (1:1)
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1)
- Asiana Airlines Asiana Club (1:1)
- British Airways Executive Club (1:1)
- China Eastern Airlines Eastern Miles (1:1)
- Delta Air Lines SkyMiles (1:1)
- Emirates Skywards (1:1)
- Etihad Guest (1:1)
- Flying Blue by Air France and KLM (1:1)
- Gol Smiles (2:1)
- Hawaiian Airlines (1:1)
- Hainan Airlines (1:1)
- Iberia Plus (1:1)
- Japan Airlines Mileage Bank (1:1)
- Jet Airways JetPrivilege (1:1)
- Korean Air SkyPass (1:1)
- LATAM Airlines LATAM Pass (1:1.5)
- Miles and More (1:1)
- Qatar Airways (1:1)
- Saudi Arabian Airlines Alfursan (1:1)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1)
- Thai Airways International Royal Orchid Plus (1:1)
- United Airlines MileagePlus (2:1)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1)
- Virgin Australia Velocity (1:1)
The most important feature is that if you transfer 20,000 points you will get 5,000 points as the bonus, i.e., 1 SPG point worth 1.25 miles of most partners. Note that transfer to United Airlines is of bad value. Beside airline partners, you can also transfer SPG points to Amtrak Guest Rewards points at 1:1; however you won't get 25% bonus if you transfer 20K. You can transfer your SPG points to a household member's SPG account. The household member needs to reside in the same address for at least 30 days. However, you can only transfer your SPG points to a frequent flyer account under your name.
With the merger of Marriott International and Starwood Hotels and Resorts and before the two frequent guest programs fully integrate, you actually get another great redemption option for SPG points where you may transfer SPG points to Marriott points at a 1:3 ratio. You need to link your SPG and Marriott accounts before you may use this option. After the transfer, you may redeem Marriott points for hotel stays as well as the very lucrative hotel+air packages. Please see our Marriott Rewards Visa review for some details of this option.
Membership Rewards (MR) from American Express
On the earning side, you earn one extra point for each dollar spent on travel booked through MR (American Express Travel); however, Amex charges a booking fee on airfare or air-hotel packages ($6.99 per domestic ticket; $10.99 per international ticket) so most likely it is not a good deal. Effective May 2015, Amex waives the booking fee for Platinum and Centurion cardmembers. Amex used to have a shopping portal that allowed you to earn up to 10X bonus points; however, it was closed in 2013.
On the redemption side, MR points can be redeemed for merchandise, gift cards, travel (Pay with Points), and so on, at up to 1 cent per point. However, some cards are eligible for a transfer feature that allows points to be transferred to over 20 frequent traveler programs. Let's look at these two groups:
- Not eligible to transfer points: Blue ($0), Blue Business ($0), Zync ($25); however, if you have another card that has the transfer feature, all your MR points will be pooled together and all of them will be eligible to transfer points.
- Eligible to transfer points: EveryDay ($0), Blue Business Plus ($0), EveryDay Preferred ($95), Membership Rewards Business Card ($75), Green ($95), Business Green Rewards ($95), Gold ($125), Ameriprise co-branded Gold ($125), Premier Rewards Gold ($175), Business Gold Rewards ($175), Mercedes-Benz Credit Card ($95), Platinum ($550), Business Platinum ($450), Mercedes-Benz co-branded Platinum, Ameriprise co-branded Platinum, Morgan Stanley co-branded Platinum, Goldman Sachs co-branded Platinum, Centurion ($2,500).
MR points can be transferred into miles of 18 frequent flyer programs:
- AeroMexico (1:1)
- Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1)
- Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1)
- Alitalia MilleMiglia (1:1)
- All Nippon Airways (ANA) Mileage Club (1:1)
- British Airways Executive Club (1.25:1)
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1)
- Delta Air Lines SkyMiles (1:1)
- EL AL Israel Airlines Matmid Club (50:1)
- Emirates Skywards (1:1)
- Etihad Guest (1:1)
- Flying Blue by Air France and KLM (1:1)
- Hawaiian Airlines (1:1)
- Iberia Plus (14:1)
- JetBlue TrueBlue (1.25:1)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1)
- Virgin America Elevate (2:1)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1)
- Choice Privileges (1:1)
- Hilton HHonors (1:2)
- Starwood Preferred Guest (3:1)
- Plenti (1:1)
Compared to airline miles transfer, hotel points transfer does not represent good value. Note that the rate to SPG is poorly 3:1. Even though MR does not have the built-in 25% transfer bonus like SPG, Amex runs limited-time transfer promotions on certain partners several times a year, so the value of MR points can be higher. Another huge advantage of MR over SPG is that the transfer to most partners is instantaneous rather than days or weeks. This can be very useful when you find a particular award ticket available and want to grab it immediately before it is taken. The downside of MR is that Amex charges 0.06 cent per point up to $99 for transfer to domestic airlines. For example, if you transfer 100K points to 100K Delta miles, you will be charged $60 for the transaction. You can not transfer your MR points to someone else's MR account. However, you can transfer your MR points to your authorized user's frequent traveler accounts.
Three Ways of Using MR points for Airfare: In addition to the aforementioned two options to redeem MR points for airfare - Pay with Points (fixed value, 1 cent per point) and the transfer feature, Amex also offers certificates for economy tickets for the following airlines: Cathay Pacific, Swiss, Qantas, and South African Airways. Note that they (except Swiss) are not transfer partners: you can't transfer MR points to their miles but you rather use a bulk of points in exchange for certificates that can be used for economy tickets (or companion tickets). The use of certificates is not subject to capacity control and you can actually earn miles on them. There is no certificates for business or first class tickets.
For example, using the certificate a round-trip economy ticket on Swiss from SFO/LAX to Europe costs 65K points no matter how much the revenue ticket actually costs. If you use Pay with Points feature and the revenue ticket costs $1,000, you will need 100K points. For comparison, if you want to use Swiss' own frequent flyer program - Miles and More, which by the way is a transfer partner of SPG, it will cost 50K miles plus fuel surcharge (which can be as high as, say $400) and is subject to capacity control.
Ultimate Rewards (UR) from Chase
Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) is a knock-off of Amex Membership Rewards. On the earning side, you earn one extra point for one dollar spent on airfare booked through UR, but unlike Amex, Chase does not charge a booking fee. You also earn up to 10x points when shopping through UR.
The regular UR program allows redemption for merchandise, gift cards, cash, and travel, at up to 1 cent per point. However, premium UR cards including Sapphire Preferred ($95), Sapphire Reserve ($450), JPM Reserve ($450), and Ink Preferred ($95), have two premium redemption features: one is 25% bonus to travel redemption via UR (1 point = 1.25 cent); the other is to transfer points into miles/points of frequent traveler programs. Just like MR, transfer from UR to miles/points is instantaneous. Also like MR, if you have a regular UR card such as Freedom and another premium UR card such as Sapphire Preferred, you can pool all UR points together and enjoy the premium features. You can transfer your UR points to the UR account or a frequent traveler account belonging to one household member. Points transfer to third parties is prohibited. Currently, UR has the following partners:
Airline Partners
- Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1)
- British Airways Executive Club (1:1)
- Flying Blue by Air France and KLM (1:1)
- Iberia Plus (1:1)
- Korean Air SkyPass(1:1)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1)
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards (1:1)
- United Airlines MileagePlus (1:1)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1)
- IHG Rewards Club (1:1)
- Marriott Rewards (1:1)
- Ritz-Carlton Rewards (1:1)
- World of Hyatt (1:1)
ThankYou (TY) from Citi
For several years, Citi's ThankYou Rewards (TY) had been lagging behind with only one transfer partner Hilton HHonors (this relationship ended in December 2017), and we were excited to see that Citi finally introduced several airline partners in July 2014. Currently there is no points earning for shopping with Citi.
The regular TY program allows redemption for merchandise, gift cards, statement credit, and travel, at up to 1 cent per point. However, premium TY cards including Citi ThankYou Premier ($125), Citi Prestige ($450), and Citi Chairman, have a transfer feature similar to SPG, MR, and UR, that allows ThankYou points to be transferred to frequent traveler programs. If you have a regular TY cards such as ThankYou Preferred, you may pool all your points together and the points earned through the regular TY cards become eligible for transfer. You may share your TY points with someone else; however, the shared points will expire in 90 days. You can only transfer your TY points to a frequent traveler account under your name. TY partners include the following:
- Avianca LifeMiles (1:1)
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1)
- EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (1:1)
- Etihad Guest (1:1)
- Flying Blue by Air France and KLM (1:1)
- Garuda Indonesia Frequent Flyer (1:1)
- JetBlue TrueBlue (1.25:1)
- Jet Airways JetPrivilege (1:1)
- Malaysia Airlines Enrich (1:1)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer (1:1)
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club (1:1)
- Sears Shop Your Way (1:12)
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1)
- Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus (1:1)
- Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles (1:1)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1)
Club Rewards (CR) from Diners Club
Club Rewards from Diners Club has always had the transfer feature that allows points to be transferred to miles/points. The reason why we did not cover this program in the previous reviews is that Diners Club hasn't accepted any new personal applications in the U.S. for several years, until September 2014.
Club Rewards points earned from Diners Club cards such as Diners Club Premier ($95) and Diners Club Elite ($300) can be redeemed for merchandise, gift cards, cash, travel, etc., at up to 1 cent per point. In addition, CR points can be transferred to the following frequent traveler accounts (mostly at 1:1):
- Air Canada Aeroplan (1000:1000)
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan (1000:1000)
- British Airways Executive Club (1000:1000)
- Delta Air Lines SkyMiles (1000:1000)
- El Al Airlines Matmid Club(1000:20)
- EVA Airways Infinity MileageLands (1000:1000)
- Hawaiian Airlines (1000:1000)
- Icelandair Saga Club (1000:1000)
- SAS EuroBonus (1000:1000)
- South African Airways Voyager (1000:1000)
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards (1500:1200)
- Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus (1000:1000)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1000:1000)
- Best Western Rewards (1250:3300)
- Choice Privileges (1250:2400)
- Hilton HHonors (1250:2000)
- Hyatt Gold Passport (1250:750)
- IHG Rewards Club (1250:1500)
- Marriott Rewards (1250:1500)
- Starwood Preferred Guest (1250:750)
- Amtrak Guest Rewards (1000:1000)
The Comparison Chart: SPG vs. MR vs. UR vs. TY vs. CR
SPG | Membership Rewards | Ultimate Rewards | ThankYou | Club Rewards | |
Credit Cards | Amex SPG, Amex SPG Business | Blue*, Zync*, EveryDay, EveryDay Preferred, Green, Gold, PR Gold, Platinum, Centurion; Business Blue*, Business Blue Plus, MR Business, Business Green, Business Gold, Business Platinum | Freedom*, Sapphire*, Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, JPM Reserve; Ink Cash*, Ink Preferred | ThankYou Preferred*, Forward*, AT&T*, ThankYou Premier, Prestige, Chairman; Business ThankYou* | Diners Club Premier, Diners Club Elite, Diners Club Professional, Carte Blanche Professional |
Airlines | 34 | 18 | 7 | 14 | 13 |
Hotels | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 7 |
Others | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Transfer Rate** | 1:1 but 1:1.25 for 20K bulk transfer | 1:1 but can be better if there is a promotion | 1:1 | 1:1 | mostly 1:1 |
Transfer Lag | Days or weeks | No Lag | No Lag | Days | No Lag |
Transfer Surcharge | None | 0.06 cent per 1 point for domestic airline partners up to $99 | None | None | None |
Allow points transfer between accounts? | Household member | No | One household member | Anyone, with an annual 100K cap per year, and shared points expire after 90 days | TBD |
Allow points transfer to a FF account other than yours? | No | Authorized user | One authorized user as an household member | No | TBD |
Unique Partners | American, LATAM, Miles and More, Gol, Aegean, Asiana, Japan, Air China, China Eastern, Hainan, Saudi, Virgin Australia, Air New Zealand | none | Aer Lingus | Malaysia, Qantas, Garuda | Iceland, SAS, South African |
Airfare Booking Bonus | NA | 1 extra point with booking fees | 1 extra point | NA | NA |
Online Shopping Bonus | NA | NA | up to 10x | NA | NA |