Flexible vs. Fixed Points
Let’s Talk about Different Kinds of Points
Flexible points are those that can be used through the bank’s portal or transferred to airline & hotel partners; these are:
Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One miles, AMEX points, and Citi Thank You points
What’s great about flexible points is that more than one bank can transfer to the same airline or hotel partners, so you can have more than one flow of combined points going into each of your airline and hotel accounts. There is a list of these transfer partners in my Beginner’s Guide here.
Cards that give flexible points you can use for airlfare and/or hotel stays
Fixed points come from cards that are specific to that airline or hotel. For example:
Southwest, Delta, American Airlines, Alaska, United, Hyatt, IHG, Mariott, Hilton, Wyndham, etc.
A few examples of non-flexible, or fixed, points
These are specific to that airline/hotel and can only be used in that particular account you have with them.
Referring to the 5/24 rule, these would only be valuable if you exclusively fly or stay with one of these partners or you want airport lounge access. Unless it’s a business card – those don’t count towards your personal credit score or the 5/24 rule. For example, the IHG Premier Business, Hyatt Business, the Delta SkyMiles Business Card or Alaska Airlines Business Card. There are many others as well. Still, if you don’t like a particular airline or hotel chain and don’t have many flights going out of your city’s airport, it’s not worth getting that card. If you have a particular destination in mind, check whether the flight goes to the airport you’re needing to fly into before getting that card.
To see a complete list of personal and business cards that fit your wants or needs, check out theTravel Freely app. It’s completely free and keeps track of all of your cards, when you opened them, and your 5/24 status all without entering any personal information.
Also, check out my Beginner's Guide that has an entire list of the banks and their travel partners.
Happy Travels!
