I’m a big fan of flexible points because they give so many options for flights to the more remote, exotic locations eco-tourists want to visit. Here are a few of my favourite uses.
CHASE ULTIMATE REWARDS
Mostly I transfer points to United as the award chart is still pretty good to get to Asia and Africa. They are also useful for routes within Central & South America on Avianca & Copa. Singapore Krisflyer can be used for the same routes as United as they are also Star Alliance but beware of surcharges on routes between Australia & Asia & Africa. I use British Airways for shorthaul economy within South Africa and on LAN flights in South America.
CITIBANK THANK YOU POINTS
I’ve been using Thank You points mostly on Flying Blue for an upcoming redemption on Kenya Airways within Africa. They can also be used on Garuda to many birding hotspots in Indonesia.
AMEX MEMBERSHIP REWARDS (USA)
I had a Premier Rewards Gold a few years ago and made good use of the points with a transfer to Flying Blue for Kenya Airways redemptions. A few stray Amex MR also went to Singapore & British Airways. You can only get any American Express card bonus once in a lifetime so I won’t be getting this card again. I cancelled the one I had before the annual fee was due. Considering that other cards also transfer to most of these partners and Amex isn’t as widely accepted as Visa or Mastercard, this would be a last resort card to get. The Australian version of the Membership Rewards cards is a better option (for my Australian readers) as there aren’t as many cards to compete with it.
SPG
SPG points are extremely valuable as they have so many airline partners but unfortunately their credit card is issued by American Express and it’s another one of those “once-in-a-lifetime” cards. I’ve highlighted the partners I use them on and they were extremely useful transferred to LAN to top up the miles from the LAN Visa so we could get free tickets to the Galapagos. When Starwood is merged into Marriott, these options are likely to go away.