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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Seven travelers featured by Travel + Leisure in 2023 named World of Hyatt, American Express Membership Rewards, Delta SkyMiles, American Airlines AAdvantage, British Airways Executive Club, Air Canada Aeroplan and Alaska Mileage Plan as programs they personally favored. Their choices reflect different travel habits—not a universal ranking. Later rankings name different winners, so the best fit depends on where you travel, how you earn points and which benefits you will actually use.
Seven programs the travelers favored
Travel + Leisure published its feature, “7 Professional Travelers Share Their Absolute Favorite Travel Rewards Program — and Why,” on September 24, 2023. The selections below are attributed personal preferences and experiences from that feature, not guarantees of current value or benefits.
| Program | Traveler | Why they favored it |
|---|---|---|
| World of Hyatt | Michelle González, luxury travel expert and creator | She cited the points’ perceived value, elite recognition and access to transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards. She said she regularly booked award stays she valued at more than two cents per point; that was her valuation of her own bookings, not a guaranteed redemption rate. |
| American Express Membership Rewards | Tommy Lonergan, partner at Freedom Travel Systems | He favored earning flexible points and transferring them to airline and hotel partners, where he said award charts could offer more value than fixed-value use through Amex Travel. His strategy does not establish today’s transfer partners or the value of a particular redemption. |
| Delta SkyMiles | Jeff Jenkins, host of Never Say Never on National Geographic | He pointed to earning and redeeming miles for flights and vacation packages, status perks, upgrades, SkyTeam partners and personal recognition. His examples of greetings, letters and a bag tag were anecdotes, not standard benefits. |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | Valerie Joy Wilson, solo travel expert | She highlighted oneworld partners and partner awards, including Qatar Airways Qsuites, as well as domestic upgrades she reported receiving as an Executive Platinum member. She noted upgrades depend on availability; neither a specific award nor an upgrade is assured. |
| British Airways Executive Club | Will Taylor, TV host and content creator | His British-American dual citizenship and frequent New York–UK travel made the program a fit for him. He described status qualification and oneworld Emerald benefits when flying on American Airlines. Those program details were reported in 2023 and should not be assumed to describe current rules. |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | Max Do, loyalty and rewards expert | He cited transferable points, partner awards, online booking and the ability he reported to add a stopover for 5,000 points. The transfer partners, ratios and stopover terms he described were historical, not verified current terms. |
| Alaska Mileage Plan | Ian Agrimis, founder of Capture Unlimited | He cited upgrades, earning based on distance flown and international airline partners. His comments about earning and partner rates date to the 2023 feature and are not a current guarantee. His mention of chocolate chip cookies was a personal preference, not a program benefit. |
The feature’s opening editor, Chris Dong, separately called Bilt Rewards his favorite “of the moment,” citing rent earning and transfers to travel partners including Hyatt and American. The page asks eight professional travelers for input but presents seven numbered program profiles; Dong’s opening aside is distinct from those seven selections. These remarks, including the described transfer options, are from 2023.
Wilson captured the subjectivity of the exercise: “Determining the best loyalty program is subjective. All loyalty programs, obviously, have their strengths and weaknesses — and it’s really about what you prioritize as a traveler and where you land when it comes to the tier.”
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Why newer rankings name different winners
Later rankings are useful context, but they are not updates to the 2023 travelers’ testimony. Each publisher uses its own comparison set, categories and methodology, so a winner label makes sense only when paired with the publisher and edition.
| Publisher and edition | What it named | What the comparison considered |
|---|---|---|
| NerdWallet, 2026 | Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards led airline programs; World of Hyatt led hotel programs. | NerdWallet says it considered rewards rates, earning ability, airline route networks, hotel global footprints and qualitative ratings from its travel team. It assigned 25% of the overall weight to each of four factor groups in both comparisons and says it verified program information on airline and hotel websites. Its underlying mile values were determined in August 2025. |
| The Points Guy, 2026 awards | American AAdvantage won best U.S. airline loyalty program; Marriott Bonvoy won best hotel loyalty program; World of Hyatt Globalist won best hotel elite status. | The awards distinguish an overall program from an elite tier. The cited reasons include earning and redemption opportunities and airline footprint for AAdvantage, Marriott’s global reach and status pathway, and stated elite benefits for Hyatt Globalist. |
| U.S. News, 2025–2026 | Choice Privileges ranked first among hotel programs; Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan ranked first among airline programs. | Its release says it covered nine airline and 14 hotel programs and considered membership benefits, network coverage, ease of earning and redeeming, hotel diversity and airline quality. It notes methodology changes; its airline-quality calculation used U.S. Department of Transportation 2024 data on on-time arrivals, mishandled bags and complaints. |
These results answer different questions. NerdWallet includes reward rates and network reach; The Points Guy presents awards by category, including a separate elite-status award; U.S. News includes airline quality and hotel diversity in its stated criteria. None of these labels establishes the best option for every traveler.
How to choose a program for your own travel
Start with trips you are likely to take, not a headline ranking or a theoretical points valuation. A program is useful when its earning routes and redemption options line up with your real plans.
- Map where you go. Consider your home airport, recurring routes and destinations. Check whether the airline or hotel network—and any partners you can realistically use—serves those trips.
- Look at how you earn. Count paid flights and stays, relevant partner activity and whether transferable card points are a practical part of your routine. Do not assume you will earn enough through an activity you rarely do.
- Test the redemption you want. Search for award availability on your actual dates and compare the points, cash charges, flexibility and convenience with alternatives. A cents-per-point estimate from someone else does not guarantee the same value on your booking.
- Separate dependable benefits from anecdotes. Identify which published benefits matter to you—such as bags, lounge access, hotel recognition or checkout benefits—and check current eligibility and terms. An individual’s upgrade, welcome or recognition story is not a standard entitlement.
- Count the cost of loyalty. Ask whether you would pay more or accept a less convenient trip to stay with one program. For a rewards card, weigh its annual fee against benefits you expect to use, not advertised possibilities alone.
When flexible points may make more sense
Airline-specific or hotel-specific points can suit travelers who repeatedly use a particular network. A transferable currency can leave more options open when you have not settled on one program or when award prices change—but transfers are subject to the card issuer’s and loyalty program’s current terms. The 2023 Amex Membership Rewards selection illustrates that transfer-based approach; it is not evidence that a particular transfer is available or worthwhile now.
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In a 2026 Associated Press report, point.me CEO Adam Morvitz advised beginners to favor flexible points over airline-specific options because they can be transferred across loyalty programs and offer more redemption options if an airline changes award pricing. AP also reports his advice to match cards to actual spending and consider whether annual fees are justified by usable benefits. Card costs, offers, eligibility and transfer terms require a current check before applying.
AP also quoted Brian Kelly, known as The Points Guy, saying that dynamic award pricing, higher redemption rates on some domestic routes and added fees have made outsized deals harder to find than a decade ago. He added that this does not necessarily mean points have lost value; consumers need to be more strategic about redeeming them.
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The expert picks date to 2023, while loyalty currencies, partner networks, award prices, status rules and benefits can change. A 2026 Freddie Awards retrospective notes that programs change names, airlines and hotels merge, award charts disappear and new currencies arrive. Treat the travelers’ accounts as evidence of what they valued, not as a current terms sheet. Before choosing a program, confirm its official rules for earning, transfers, award availability, fees and status benefits, then compare those terms with the trips you expect to take.
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