Best Airline and Hotel Rewards Programs of 2025

Big airline and hotel brands want your loyalty, which is why they have programs that reward you with points or miles when you spend money with them. But understanding what these programs offer and how they compare to one another takes time and energy.

That’s where we come in.

NerdWallet’s travel team spent months collecting and analyzing data to determine the best travel loyalty programs of 2025. Check out all of our Best-Of winners.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to our travel loyalty program rankings. If you’re just starting to collect points or miles, you may want to know what program will give you the best return on your investment. On the other hand, frequent travelers chasing a higher status may want to know what program makes earning that status most effortless.

With this in mind, we prioritized elements of rewards programs that offer clear, objective and measurable benefits. Then, we boiled these elements into a single overall rating across airlines and hotels.

Here’s what we compared:

Airline rewards

• Rewards rate.

• Elite status benefits.

Hotel rewards

• Rewards rate.

• Elite status benefits.

We rated each hotel brand and airline in each of the two categories on a five-point scale, then used a weighted average of these ratings to determine an overall winner. Use the links above to learn more about how we built these ratings.

» Learn more: Book smarter travel this year: The best travel credit cards might surprise you

For travelers who prioritize earning miles and elite status, Alaska’s Mileage Plan comes out on top — and not for the first time. It's won our best airlines rewards program award each year since 2020.

Because Alaska still rewards miles based on distance flown rather than dollars spent, and because the airline actually made elite status easier to get and more rewarding for most people with new changes in 2025, Alaska offers the best value per dollar spent for frequent flyers.

Based on our most recent analysis, NerdWallet values Alaska Airlines miles at 1.3 cents each.

American Airlines came in second, beating out the other legacy carriers like Delta Air Lines and United Airlines by a wide margin. Delta has gone through a series of devaluations in recent years, decreasing the value of its miles.

Finding Southwest Airlines, Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines near the bottom of these rankings is unsurprising, given how these airlines prioritize low fares and other benefits over elite status membership.

» Learn more: Best airline credit cards today

When comparing hotel loyalty programs by the value of hotel points and elite status perks, the World of Hyatt takes first place. Based on our most recent analysis, NerdWallet values Hyatt points at 2.2 cents each, far more than any other hotel program, which helped bring up its reward rate score. Wyndham and Choice also get good marks.

Best Western comes in last, which makes sense as it's a budget-conscious hotel brand.

» Learn more: The best hotel credit cards today

Points and miles can be redeemed for award flights or stays within these top travel rewards programs. But before you start using points and miles, you have to earn them.

Beyond flying or booking hotel stays, another way to amass a large number of travel rewards is to earn a sign-up bonus for a travel credit card.

If you seek more flexibility in redeeming miles for award flights, consider applying for a more general travel credit card instead. A more general travel credit card differs from an airline card in that you can book flights with multiple carriers, rather than reaping the benefits of staying loyal to a single brand.

The more high-end the travel credit card, the more benefits you can enjoy, including lounge access or automatic elite status in certain programs.

That said, a brand-specific airline or hotel card can net you benefits like waived baggage fees or free breakfast, which can have a meaningful dollar value.

Alaska Airlines is one of the few airlines left that still rewards miles based on distance flown versus amount spent, making it one of the reasons it continues to be the best airline rewards program of 2025.

World of Hyatt has been at the top for several years now, unsurprisingly, because of the high value of points and elite benefits.

Read our editorial guidelines for additional information.

Best airline rewards program

How we picked the programs to evaluate

For an airline to be eligible, it had to be based in the U.S. and have a publicly available rewards search calendar with availability from 15 days to eight months from the time of search.

Nine airlines fit these criteria: Alaska, American, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit and United. No other U.S.-based airlines met these criteria.

How we chose the winner

We looked at the rewards rate and elite rewards rate. We rated each of these factors separately, then determined an overall rating based on the weighting described below.

How we rated and weighted each factor:

• Rewards rate (60%). We determined the dollar value of each program’s rewards miles and the earnings rate of miles. To determine the rewards rate, we multiplied the value of each mile by the earnings rate, then multiplied by 100. For example, if an airline’s rewards miles were worth $0.01 apiece (the value of rewards miles) and 10 miles were earned per dollar spent (the earnings rate of miles), its program would have a 10% rewards rate. (In this example, the two equations would be: $0.01 x 10 = 0.1, then 0.1 x 100 = 10, or 10%.)

• Elite rewards rate (40%). We determined (a) the value and (b) the cost of earning elite status with each program, and determined an overall value by dividing (a) by (b). 

How we assigned star ratings

For each factor, we subtracted the lowest value from the highest value to determine the range. Then, we split this range into five separate “star rating” ranges. We assigned each airline program an appropriate star rating based on where its value fell in the range.

How we verified our data

We independently spot-checked data collected to ensure accuracy. Information about loyalty programs was verified on the airlines’ websites.

Best hotel rewards program

How we picked the programs to evaluate

To be eligible, a hotel brand had to have properties in the majority of states in the U.S. and offer a loyalty program with a publicly available rewards search calendar. Rewards booking availability from 15 days to eight months from the time of search was also required.

Seven hotel brands met these requirements: Best Western, Choice, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott and Wyndham.

How we chose the winner

We compared the rewards rate and the value of the elite status program. We rated each of these factors separately, then determined an overall rating based on the weighting described below.

How we rated and weighted each factor:

• Rewards rate (60%). We determined the dollar value of each program’s rewards points and the earnings rate of points. To determine the rewards rate, we multiplied the value of each point by the earnings rate, then multiplied by 100. For example, if a hotel’s rewards points were worth $0.01 apiece (the value of rewards points) and 10 points were earned per dollar spent (the earnings rate of points), its program would have a 10% rewards rate. (In this example, the two equations would be: $0.01 x 10 = 0.1, then 0.1 x 100 = 10, or 10%.)

• Elite status value rate (40%). We determined (a) the value and (b) the cost of earning elite status with each program, and determined an overall value by dividing (a) by (b). 

How we assigned star ratings

For each factor, we subtracted the lowest value among all programs from the highest value among all programs to determine the range. Then, we split this range into five separate “star rating” ranges. We assigned each hotel program an appropriate star rating based on where its value fell in the range.

How we verified our data

We independently spot-checked data collected to ensure accuracy. Information about loyalty programs was verified on the hotels’ websites.