Business credit cards offer a number of benefits that can offset the fees you pay to maintain them. But if you really want to get huge value for your investment, the key is to redeem your points or miles wisely.
Business owners spend a lot of their time figuring out how to make their companies more successful, and a rewards strategy is often part of that. After many of my calls with fellow entrepreneurs, I get the same quick question: “Hey, Ed, when you get a chance, can you tell me how to use these points I’ve been earning?”
Most business owners don’t want to spend hours decoding the world of points and miles; They just want clear, practical advice to make the most of their rewards. While there is no single short answer, there are simple ways to maximize what you’ve already earned.
Let’s take a look at three of the most popular programs: Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, and Capital One Miles. Each offers different types of value for business owners, and understanding how to redeem them strategically can help you turn everyday expenses into meaningful travel rewards without overcomplicating things.
Pursue ultimate rewards
Airfare: Chase is transitioning its long-standing redemption structure to a new feature called Point increasewhich changes the value you get when redeeming through the Chase Travel℠ portal. The details depend on when you opened your account, but we’re currently seeing some really valuable redemptions with this option.
Where Chase really shines is with his air transfer partners (including United Airlines MileagePlus, British Airways Club and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer), allowing you to search for award seats first and then transfer points once you’ve confirmed availability. Tools like Points Path (for quick trade-in value checks) and TPG Monthly Ratings can help you determine the best move.
Reward your inbox with TPG’s daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers to receive breaking news, in-depth guides, and exclusive offers from TPG experts.
Hotels: Chase offers one of the strongest lines of hotel transfer partners: Hyatt World, Marriott Bonvoy and IHG One Rewards. World of Hyatt, in particular, offers one of the best cents per point in the industry. You can also explore The Chase Travel Editiona curated collection that sometimes offers tremendous value for specific stays. As always, compare money to points; especially in Hyatt’s case, mathematics often favors the use of points.
American Express Membership Rewards
Airfare: Amex Featured Partner is Delta Air Lines SkyMilesmaking it ideal for US-based business travelers. For international travel, Air Canada airplane and other partners open valuable global routes. He American Express Business Platinum® Card also offers a 35% points bonus when book flights through Amex Travel — a powerful benefit that helps offset the card’s premium annual fee.
Hotels: Transfer Amex points to Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy, two of the largest hotel networks in the world. Transfers become especially rewarding during periods transfer bonuseswhen your points spread further. Both programs also offer a fifth night free on award stays – a great way to maximize longer trips. That said, you may find better cents-per-point value by redeeming for airfare and paying cash for hotel stays, depending on the rates.
Capital One miles
Airfare: Capital One makes things simple: various Capital One Cards Earn 2 miles for every dollar spent on every purchase, and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Business get higher rates when you book flights through Trip to Capital One. If you prefer flexibility, you can redeem miles as a statement credit to make your flight charges go away. While Capital One’s list of transfer partners has expanded, it still doesn’t include a major US-based airline, so using the portal or statement credit option is usually the easiest route.
Hotels: For accommodation, The Capital One program offers impressive flexibility. Depending on the card, you can earn 5 miles or even 10 miles for every dollar spent on hotels and vacation rentals, and then you can redeem miles for a statement credit to reimburse yourself for those charges. This approach is ideal for business owners who prefer to stay in boutique or independent hotels rather than sticking with a single chain.
In a nutshell
For business travel, Chase and Amex stand out thanks to their domestic airline partners and flexible award policies. Meanwhile, Capital One wins for its simplicity and ease of repayment. When it comes to hotels, Chase’s Hyatt partnership offers top-notch value, Amex transfer bonuses add perks for redemptions, and Capital One’s cashback option gives you maximum flexibility.
By applying the same principles you use to run a successful business, you can ensure that your credit card spending works just as well for you. Business owners are in a unique position to leverage points and miles for huge rewards; You just need to learn some basic rules of the game.
