Are Hotel Points or Airline Miles More Valuable in 2025?

Introduction 

In 2025, travel has not only bounced back—it has surged. With global tourism exceeding pre-pandemic levels, loyalty programs are once again central to smart travel strategies. But while the opportunities to earn and redeem points have increased, so has the complexity of understanding which loyalty currencies are truly worth collecting. The main debate among frequent travelers remains: Are hotel points or airline miles more valuable in 2025?

This question doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on variables such as your travel style, preferred destinations, flexibility, and whether you prioritize luxurious stays or premium flights. The key is not just how many points or miles you collect but how much real-world value you can extract from them.

Loyalty programs have evolved drastically. Airlines have continued to devalue miles via dynamic pricing and restricted award seats. Meanwhile, hotel programs are enhancing value by offering more flexible redemptions, generous promotions, and point pooling features. In this blog, we break down the value comparison, redemption potential, program flexibility, transfer options, and more—using current facts and updated loyalty valuations from major sources like The Points Guy (TPG), NerdWallet, and Frequent Miler.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have a data-driven answer to which travel currency offers better returns in 2025—and how you can maximize each to get the most from your trips. Whether you're a seasoned travel hacker or just getting into the world of loyalty programs, this detailed evaluation will help you make smarter decisions when earning or burning your points and miles.

Let’s break it down—starting with hotel points.

1. Value of Hotel Points in 2025

Hotel points in 2025 are offering consistent and often more reliable value than airline miles. According to the latest annual valuations from The Points Guy, hotel points have held their ground and in some cases increased in worth, especially with brands like Hyatt and Marriott.

Average Point Value (2025):

• Hyatt: 2.1 cents per point

• Hilton Honors: 0.6 cents per point

• Marriott Bonvoy: 0.84 cents per point

• IHG One Rewards: 0.7 cents per point

While these numbers may seem low compared to some airline miles, hotel points offer more redemption certainty. Most hotel chains now use dynamic pricing, but brands like Hyatt continue to operate a mostly fixed award chart, making redemptions predictable and strategic.

Key Benefits in 2025:

• Free Night Certificates: Mid-tier elites receive annual certificates, which are now more flexible and valid at more properties.

• No Blackout Dates: Most programs now allow redemptions on any standard room available for cash, increasing accessibility.

• Point Pooling: Marriott and Hilton now allow free point transfers to friends or family, expanding redemption opportunities.

• Promotions & Fifth-Night Free: Hilton and Marriott continue to offer the 5th night free on award stays, significantly increasing point value.

Travelers who frequently book upscale or luxury stays report higher satisfaction and value extraction with hotel points than they do navigating convoluted airline mile charts. Another 2025 perk: the expansion of hotel-inclusive experiences like dining, spa treatments, and resort fees—all bookable with points.

Even in high-demand cities like Tokyo, Paris, and Dubai, travelers can still find excellent hotel redemptions, particularly with Hyatt’s award chart structure.

If your travel plans include frequent stays or family vacations, hotel points offer a more tangible, flexible, and inflation-resistant value proposition than airline miles in the current landscape.

2. Value of Airline Miles in 2025  

Airline miles once reigned supreme in the world of travel rewards. In 2025, however, they are experiencing a gradual devaluation, especially in the economy cabin. Despite this, airline miles can still provide exceptional value, particularly for international business and first-class flights.

Average Mile Value (2025):

• American AAdvantage: 1.5 cents per mile

• Delta SkyMiles: 1.1 cents per mile

• United MileagePlus: 1.3 cents per mile

• Alaska Mileage Plan: 1.7 cents per mile

• ANA Mileage Club: 2.0+ cents per mile (best for round-the-world awards)

While redemption rates vary widely, the highest returns come from long-haul international business class flights, often yielding 2–5 cents per mile in value. Programs with sweet spots—like ANA or Alaska—still offer outsized returns.

Key Benefits in 2025:

• Partner Redemptions: Alliances like Oneworld and Star Alliance allow bookings across partner carriers with minimal fees.

• Stopovers and Open-Jaws: Certain programs still permit creative routing, adding extra cities at no cost.

• Premium Cabin Access: Miles are often the only affordable way to fly in lie-flat business or first class.

• Transferable Points: Chase, Amex, Capital One, and Citi offer miles to airlines with high transfer ratios, increasing flexibility.

However, dynamic award pricing and lack of award availability continue to frustrate users. Delta SkyMiles, for example, has seen significant value erosion, with some domestic routes pricing at over 100,000 miles round-trip in economy.

In contrast, international travelers still find value in miles, especially when booking in advance or using lesser-known programs. Booking via foreign carriers such as Turkish Airlines or Avianca LifeMiles can dramatically improve redemption value for the same flights.

If your focus is on premium travel and international routes, airline miles can still provide outstanding returns—but only with strategic planning and program knowledge.

For casual or domestic travelers, however, the value proposition is far weaker in 2025 than it once was.

3. Redemption Flexibility and Ease of Use 

When it comes to ease of use, hotel points have become significantly more consumer-friendly than airline miles in 2025. The simplicity of redeeming hotel points, compared to the frustrating award seat searches with airlines, has become a tipping factor for many travelers.

Hotel Points:

• Booking Interface: Hotel apps now display cash and points side by side, with no need to search multiple calendars.

• Availability: If a standard room is available for cash, it's bookable with points in most programs.

• Cancellation Policies: Most hotel programs allow free cancellation or modification until a day or two before arrival.

• Cash + Points Options: Flexible redemptions let you stretch your points further.

Airline Miles:

• Award Blackouts: Many airlines still restrict seats or release them only to elite members.

• Dynamic Pricing: Constantly shifting rates make it hard to plan or save with confidence.

• Partner Availability Confusion: Booking partners requires navigating foreign websites or long hold times with agents.

• High Fees: Some carriers add fuel surcharges or booking fees that erode value.

In 2025, users are increasingly frustrated by opaque award pricing from airlines. Programs like Delta SkyMiles and British Airways Avios have removed award charts entirely, making it difficult to know if you're getting a good deal.

Meanwhile, hotel programs have taken cues from the retail industry, offering more transparent pricing, mobile booking ease, and lower redemption friction.

The rise of multi-night bonuses, package deals, and experience redemptions (spa days, activities) further enhances hotel point usability. Hilton, for instance, now lets users redeem points toward on-property expenses through the app.

In essence, if ease, transparency, and speed of booking matter, hotel points have a clear edge in 2025. While miles offer amazing aspirational value when used properly, hotel points are consistently easier to use for everyday travelers.

4. Transfer Partners and Loyalty Ecosystems 

One of the most crucial elements of loyalty value in 2025 is how well a point currency fits within a broader ecosystem. Here’s where airline miles and hotel points differ considerably.

Hotel Points Ecosystems:

Hotel programs have limited transfer options to airlines. Most hotel points can be transferred to airlines, but often at a poor rate (e.g., 3:1 or worse). However, credit card transfer partners like Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards have elevated hotel programs like Hyatt to star status.

• Chase → Hyatt: 1:1 transfers make Hyatt points easy to accumulate.

• Amex → Hilton / Marriott: While flexible, these often have lower cent-per-point value.

• Capital One: Can transfer to Accor and other lesser-used hotel brands.

Airline Miles Ecosystems:

Airline miles dominate in terms of transfer partner versatility. Programs like Amex, Chase, and Citi each offer multiple airline partners. This makes flexible points (e.g., Amex MR, Chase UR) extremely valuable because they can be transferred at will to the airline giving the best deal.

• Amex MR: Partners include ANA, Emirates, Air Canada, and more.

• Chase UR: Partners include United, Southwest, and British Airways.

• Citi TYP: Partners include Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines.

In 2025, the rise of multi-partner transfer bonuses (e.g., 30% Amex → Air France) has tipped the scales toward miles when maximizing value. Booking premium cabins via transfer bonuses remains a top travel hack.

However, the Hyatt transfer sweet spot remains unbeatable—offering luxury hotel redemptions at consistent value through Chase UR.

Verdict:

If you're leveraging a flexible points credit card, airline miles win the transfer game. But if you’re earning through a single loyalty program, hotel points have the better direct ecosystem due to user-friendly interfaces and bonus promotions.

The interoperability of travel rewards is essential, and in this category, it’s less about airline vs hotel and more about how you earn and redeem across platforms.

Conclusion 

The travel landscape in 2025 is more dynamic than ever. As loyalty programs adapt to shifting demand, travelers must evaluate where they invest their time and spending.

Hotel points have emerged as a more reliable, flexible, and user-friendly currency—particularly for family trips, short-term stays, and travelers who value ease and consistency. Hyatt, with its Chase transfer compatibility, offers some of the highest returns in the travel world today.

Airline miles, on the other hand, continue to deliver incredible aspirational value—but only when used strategically. For premium cabin international flights, they remain unmatched. However, casual travelers may struggle to find consistent value due to dynamic pricing, lack of award seats, and complex booking systems.

Ultimately, your personal travel goals should determine which loyalty currency holds more value. Frequent flyers chasing luxury flights will benefit most from airline miles, while regular travelers looking for easy and affordable getaways will see better results with hotel points.

For the best of both worlds, using flexible credit card points and transferring them strategically gives you access to both ecosystems—amplifying your travel potential across hotels and airlines alike.

As you plan your travels in 2025, be deliberate about how and where you earn points. Track promotions, leverage transfer bonuses, and always compare cash prices to points values before booking. With the right strategy, both hotel points and airline miles can unlock unforgettable experiences—but in today’s environment, hotel points provide more accessible, predictable, and lower-stress value for most travelers.

Choose wisely—and travel better.