Unless you have a strong airline or hotel preference, we recommend focusing on flexible rewards points which transfer to a variety of airline and hotel partners.  There are 4 flexible rewards points programs: 1) Chase Ultimate Rewards: 2) American Express Membership rewards; 3) SPG Starpoints and 4) Citi ThankYou Rewards points.

1. Chase Ultimate Rewards:  Favorite 
Earn Points:
a) Online Shopping
b) Referral: Earn Points for referring friends and family through Chase Refer a Friend Program
c) Credit Cards: There are 2 type of credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards: 1. Premium Ultimate Reward Cards (charge an annual fee after the first year) Ultimate Rewards DIRECTLY transfer to airline and hotel partners. (Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve and Ink Plus) 2. No Annual Fee Ultimate Reward Cards (also sometimes referred to as cash back cards) DO NOT directly transfer to partners but can indirectly transfer if you have one of the premium Ultimate Rewards cards:    (Freedom, Freedom Unlimited and Ink Cash)
Use Points:
• Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to Travel Partners
Related Posts:
• Why I Love Chase Ultimate Rewards Points and How I Keep Earning Tons of Them!
• How to Check Your Chase Credit Card Application Status
• Chase Freedom 2017 5% Bonus Categories
• Chase 5/24 Rule (limits Chase credit card approvals)
• Log Into Your Chase Online Account, You Might Be Preapproved for Chase Cards Even If You Are Over 5/24

2) Amex Membership Rewards
Earn Points:
• Amex Credit Cards
• No shopping portal
• Referral: earn points for referring Amex credit cards
Use Points:
• List of Membership Rewards Airline Partners
Related Post:
• How to Check Your American Express Card Application Status

3) Marriott Bonvoy
Earn Points:
• Credit Cards
• Referral: earn points for referring the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card through the Chase Refer a Friend Program
Use Points:
• Marriott Airline Transfer Partners + How to Transfer Marriott Points to Airlines

4) Citi Thank You Rewards
Earn Points:
• Citi Thank You Rewards Credit Cards
• No shopping portal or referral program
Use Points:
• Citi Thank You Points transfer partners