Points are worth 1.25 cents apiece when you use them to book travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. And with the Pay Yourself Back feature, you can get a 1.25-cent value when redeeming points for statement credits against purchases in rotating categories.
Dedicated airline card: Delta SkyMiles Golf American Express
Annual fee: $99, waived the first year
Typical annual rebate: 36,169 miles, worth about $362
This card awards two SkyMiles per dollar on Delta purchases and in two other attractive categories: restaurant and supermarket spending. All other purchases earn one SkyMile per dollar.
Cardholders also get one free checked bag for up to nine passengers on a flight reservation, priority boarding, a 20% discount on in-flight purchases (excluding Wi-Fi) and a $100 credit for a Delta flight if you spend at least $10,000 on the card in a year.
Dedicated hotel card: World of Hyatt Visa
Typical annual rebate: 36,907 points, worth about $532 after subtracting the fee
Earn four World of Hyatt Bonus points per dollar spent at Hyatt hotels and two points per dollar for purchases with restaurants, airlines, local transit, fitness clubs and gyms.
