Card Specific Points

Card specific points are in reference to the points that you earn within that card’s ecosystem. Chase cards all earn Ultimate Rewards points. The few exceptions are co-branded cards like the Hyatt cards, Southwest cards, Amazon card, etc. American Express generally cards earn Membership Rewards with a few exceptions as well. Citi also earns brand specific points called ThankYou points. 

What Can You Get?

These points are the bread and butter of traveling cheaper or even free as they have the highest utility within the credit card world. Across all brands, you can redeem these points in their respective credit card portal for things like airplane tickets, hotel accommodations, car rentals, various goods, gift cards, and more. 

Best Use

These points usually have a maximum value when redeemed through the card specific portal. For example, if you hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred, each point has a maximum value of 1.25 cents per point. You can book a hotel stay within Chase’s portal and redeem your points at the rate of 1.25 cents per point. 

But if you utilize transfer partners, you can maximize your value even more. You can read more about transfer partners and see an example with a math breakdown here.

Tips

Collecting points is easier than spending them. When traveling using points, you must book further in advance than with cash as reward availability may vary. You also need to be as flexible as possible to get the most value out of your points. It does take some time and practice to learn how to best use your points. But don’t ever feel bad for using points at their minimum value. Points are truly only valued at what you deem them to be. At the end of the day, if you’re happy with your redemption, that’s all that matters.