{"id":119312,"date":"2024-08-18T15:00:54","date_gmt":"2024-08-18T15:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/18\/when-does-it-make-sense-to-spend-on-a-cobranded-credit-card-the-points-guy\/"},"modified":"2024-08-18T15:00:54","modified_gmt":"2024-08-18T15:00:54","slug":"when-does-it-make-sense-to-spend-on-a-cobranded-credit-card-the-points-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/18\/when-does-it-make-sense-to-spend-on-a-cobranded-credit-card-the-points-guy\/","title":{"rendered":"When does it make sense to spend on a cobranded credit card? – The Points Guy"},"content":{"rendered":"


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There are many benefits to using transferable points<\/a> like Chase Ultimate Rewards points<\/a> over using a specific airline<\/a> or hotel<\/a> currency, including flexibility, flexibility and… flexibility. You’ll get more value out of your points when you can pick which partner within a single alliance to transfer to<\/a> and when you can explore alternate routings if there’s no award availability on your first-choice itinerary. And you can even decide whether to redeem your points for flights or hotels.<\/p>\n

It should come as no surprise then that over half of TPG’s top travel rewards cards<\/a> earn transferable bank points instead of individual airline or hotel points.<\/p>\n

Still, that doesn’t mean there’s no value to be had in cobranded airline and hotel cards. While I put the majority of my spending on cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve\u00ae<\/a> and Chase Freedom Unlimited\u00ae<\/a>, there are a number of times when it makes sense to use a cobranded card over a more flexible alternative.<\/p>\n

Here are the times I reach for a cobranded card rather than a transferable points earner.<\/p>\n

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Acquire hard-to-earn miles<\/h2>\n

While Chase Ultimate Rewards points<\/a> and Amex Membership Rewards points<\/a> give you combined access to well over 20 hotel and airline transfer partners, not all miles can be easily earned from transferable cards. A prime example of this would be Alaska Mileage Plan miles. TPG’s August 2024 valuations<\/a> peg them at 1.55 cents each, just slightly below flexible Chase and Amex points (at 2.05 and 2 cents each, respectively). They earn this high mark because of the incredible sweet spot redemptions they can help unlock, including US-Asia in JAL<\/a> or Cathay Pacific business class for only 75,000 miles one-way.<\/p>\n

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