Finding Your Fit: Single Vs. Multiple Travel Rewards Programs

Access to More Transfer Partners

By partnering with multiple travel brands, flexible rewards broaden your opportunities for finding an award you’re happy with. But the exact list of airlines and hotels varies by card issuer: For example, Chase Ultimate Rewards partners with World of Hyatt, while Citi ThankYou Points partners with Choice Privileges. If you’re seeking awards with multiple specific brands, you may prefer to earn multiple types of credit card rewards.

Opportunities for Lower-Priced Redemptions

Often, the exact same flight itinerary may be bookable through several frequent flyer programs. For example, if you found an award on a Star Alliance carrier, you could potentially book with your choice of Air Canada Aeroplan or United MileagePlus miles.

While either booking channel may lead to the same seat on the aircraft, they each have a different price in the required miles and mandatory cash fees. With multiple types of rewards, you can maximize your point efficiency and secure the best price possible.

Better Earning Optimization

We often put more emphasis on reward redemptions than earning options—after all, the fun part of a reward is what you reap. But to redeem points, you need to earn them first. To truly maximize your earnings, you may find yourself using multiple cards (and multiple rewards programs) with specialized earning rates.

For example, the American Express® Gold Card (Terms apply, see rates & fees) card is an exceptional way to earn points on restaurant spending: You’ll earn 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 4 Membership Rewards® points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per dollar), 3 Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express travel and 1 point per dollar on other eligible purchases. A customer whose spending patterns vary across many categories might do better with a flat-rate card like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (rates & fees). It earns 2 miles per dollar on all eligible purchases, 5 miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar on Capital One Entertainment purchases through 12/31/25 and 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars when booking via Capital One Travel.