Cash & award flight search
Dollars or points. We do the math. You take the trip.
Where to start
Three honest picks depending on what you want out of travel rewards. Pair any of these with the search above.
Best to start with
$95 / yr
The points hobby’s standard answer. Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers 1:1 to United, Air Canada, BA, Air France, and Hyatt — covering most of the cheapest sweet spots without overlap with your existing miles.
Best for premium travel
$895 / yr
Skywards, Singapore KrisFlyer, ANA, Cathay — the international business-class programs run on Amex Membership Rewards. Plus Centurion + Priority Pass lounges and $200 in airline credits to offset the fee.
Best with no annual fee
Free (base tier)
Earns points on rent without merchant fees. Bilt Rewards transfers 1:1 to American AAdvantage, United, Aeroplan, Alaska, and Hyatt — unusual coverage for a no-fee card. Bilt now has paid tiers (Obsidian and Palladium) with added perks; the base Bilt Mastercard remains free.
How it works
01
Enter your route and travel dates. We search cash fares and award availability in real time.
02
See the dollar price and miles required side by side. We calculate cents-per-mile so you know if it's worth it.
03
Every credit card program that can transfer to that airline — with exact points needed and transfer speed.
Card perks
Every program we cover, the cards inside it, and what makes each one worth the annual fee.
All cards listed here have no foreign transaction fees.
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Transfers 1:1 to United, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Avios, Air France Flying Blue, Hyatt, and more — usually instantly.
Marriott Bonvoy
Hotel currency that transfers to ~28 airline programs at 3:1 — generally a poor ratio for flights, but the 60K → 25K bonus rate (effectively 2.4:1) makes United, Aeroplan, and a few others viable.
Bilt Rewards
Earn points on rent and mortgage without merchant fees. Transfers 1:1 to American AAdvantage, United, Air Canada, Alaska, Air France, Hyatt, and more. The Bilt Card 2.0 lineup (Blue, Obsidian, Palladium) lets you choose between two reward modes: Flexible Bilt Cash (4% back on everyday spend, redeemable for credits OR convertible to up to 1× housing points at $30 → 1,000 pts) OR Housing-only rewards (0.5×–1.25× on housing based on what % of your housing payment you also spend on the card each cycle).
Membership Rewards
Transfers to 17+ airlines including Delta, Air France Flying Blue, ANA, Singapore KrisFlyer, and Virgin Atlantic.
ThankYou Points + American AAdvantage
Two flavors: Strata Premier earns transferable ThankYou Points (1:1 to 16+ airlines including Avianca, Air France, Singapore, Turkish, Virgin Atlantic). The AAdvantage co-brand cards earn AA miles directly — worth it if you fly American often, since most include free first checked bag, priority boarding, and 25% off in-flight food/drink purchases on AA-marketed flights.
Capital One Miles
Transfers 1:1 to 15+ airlines including Air Canada, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways, Air France, Turkish, and Cathay.
Affiliate disclosure: some “Apply with this referral” links above earn Point2Air a bonus if you’re approved — at no cost to you. This doesn’t affect which cards we recommend.
Annual fees and benefits change frequently — verify with each issuer before applying.
30+.
Airline programs
6.
Card currencies
100+.
Transfer combos