JBG89

Can anyone comment on which they would use as their everyday spender between the Palladium and the Citi Thank You Preferred (3% dining & Ent / 2% Travel)

For dining it seems the TYP would win out but am balancing the value of UR points vs TYP points. Which would you use?

Thanks!

mia

I believe you mean Citi Premier. Preferred does not offer 3X on any category. For me the question is easy because I still have a Citi Forward card earning 5 points per dollar at restaurants, bookstores and record stores, and I have a Citi Prestige card which makes those points worth $0.016 when redeemed for flights on AA/US, and I live in an AA hub.

For someone starting new the decision is more difficult because the value of ThankYou Points varies by card, and there are large changes in process which makes it difficult to accurately value the points today. See these threads:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...-benefits.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...nes-1-1-a.html

JBG89

Thank You for correcting me, i do mean the premier.

As for starting new I am currently at 0 UR reward points (stupidly redeemed for statement credit) but do have 90k thank you premier points.

Also do you find redeeming the points as cash with the prestige or premier bonus better than coverting to miles outright? It seems that for a roundtrip flight to vegas from NY would cost me around $400 retail, or 30k points (+30% bonus redemption), however with miles it would usually cost around 25k miles itself.

Am i looking this correctly?

mia

This is a complicated question, and probably better viewed as an Ultimate Rewards vs ThankYou Rewards discussion than as a Palladium vs Premier topic.

I don't think there is a need to choose one approach, they are complementary. Conversion of points to miles can deliver the higher financial return, but if "saver" award tickets are not available, or if you need additional elite qualifying flights to achieve or maintain status, redeeming points for revenue tickets is sensible.

The specific decision to earn Ultimate Rewards rather than Membership Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, ThankYou Rewards or (if you already have the card) Diners Club Rewards depends on where you live, where you travel, the airlines and alliance you prefer, and the hotels where you stay. If you are a frequent UA/Star Alliance flyer, or favor Hyatt Hotels, Ultimate Rewards is a good match. It can also be a good match if you are an AA flyer and willing to redeem for economy class, but otherwise I think there are better options.

JBG89

Thank you very much for the explanation this definitely addressed my question. I'm usually on the "cheaper the better" in terms of flying overseas and domestic so the AA saver choices are definitely useful.

Could I ask one last question as to your final comment on better options? For my future knowledge and cards could you expand on what you think they would be? (I assume SPG points may be one?) Thanks!