@Kree wrote:
Huh, I might have to rethink my personal card goals, as I don't travel that often. Perhaps instead of dumping everything into united, I should dump everything into marriot and get a SPG or marriot card.
OP, I still think United is best for Hawaii based travel, but maybe the club card isn't so much tops.
I would say there's nothing wrong with going all-in with one airline (I do it now with United), but the best way to do it isn't always the co-branded card.
Fun fact: if I dine at a MP Dining restaurant and use my CSR, I get 8 miles per dollar (5 for dining + 3 for CSR), which is the same earning power Golds get for buying United tickets.
Hotel points are worth far less per point than miles and it's possible to earn a ton of points even staying casually, which isn't really the case anymore with airlines and the miles earning now based on ticket price rather than miles flown.
For the OP (and you), the questions you need to decide are what type of travel rewards you're looking for:
1. If you are the type to want to do long-haul premium cabin travel and can be loyal to a single alliance, load up on miles with one airline. The prices of these tickets often are higher than a week at a high-end hotel so buying them with miles can shave significant cost off a trip.
2. If you don't fly much or tend to fly economy but like to take vacations at resorts, pick a brand and load up on that hotel brand's points.
3. If you're undecided on what you want to do but know you want to travel, perhaps go with a card like CSR or Platinum that has a point structure that can be used on a number of different partners.
