Just as air ticket prices fluctuate, so are the views of points and mileage. The latest loyalty program on site is Rove Miles, which is expected to help travelers receive rewards on flights and hotels No credit card.
Rove Miles combines several familiar features of the shopping and credit card travel portal, so it will be intuitive to many of our readers. But is it worth adding another currency to your portfolio?
Here is an overview of how the program works, so you can determine if Rove Miles is right for your perspective and mileage strategy.
Related: This brand new travel app offers loyalty programs for boutique hotels
What is Rove Miles?
Rove Miles is a new loyalty program launched earlier this year. It is targeted at young travelers and those who are unable to get a travel reward credit card. Rove allows members to earn and redeem miles on air tickets and hotel bookings through its platform and transfer miles to a handful of airlines and hotel partners.
You can join Rove for free and register your phone number. To access Rove’s features, you need to fill in additional information such as your name, birthday, email, and country of residence. You can also access the family airports and cities you want to visit.
Then, you are ready to start earning miles.
Moore earned and redeemed
Rove combines common features of shopping portals such as Rakuten and credit card travel booking platforms such as American Express Travel. You can access merchants by clicking on Rove’s website (or downloading the browser extension) to earn Rove Miles on your daily purchases.
You can also book flights and hotels through Rove. The hotel search feature conveniently collects everything you need to know: the price of cash and miles, how many miles you will make on cash bookings, and how much value you get per mile if you book a reward. You can also classify the results by earning rates and redemption values.
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One feature that makes Rove stand out from many credit card booking platforms is the ability to earn miles faster and redeem them for higher value. My hotel searches have revenue rates ranging from impressive 25 miles per dollar to as low as 10 miles per dollar, which is still competitive with top travel credit cards.
For example, I could earn 23 miles per dollar on a one-night stay in downtown Seattle in October. Plus, I can redeemed 15,000 Rove Miles plus $34 of tax and fees, worth 1.81 cents per mile. This is a reliable redemption Chase SapphireReserve® (See rates and fees), through most other credit card platforms, only 1% per point. However, you can usually get more value by transferring it to your travel partner for more introductions later.
When it comes to booking flights, Rove takes a page out of his seat. This is handy if your travel plans are flexible and you are looking for the best deals.
It is speculated that you can earn 1 to 10 miles on cash tickets per dollar, but it is not easy to see your potential income on the flight and the potential income of the hotel. You have to go to the booking page to determine how many miles you make.
If this nonstop Alaska Airlines flies from Denver to Seattle, the answer is a disappointing 1 mile for every dollar. This is a complement to the United Miles I earn on my tickets, as long as I add the common flyer numbers to my booking. Even though Chase Sapphire Priority® Card (See rates and fees) or travel with my Capital One Venture X rewards credit card.
As you can see, Rove’s revenue rate is worth it, but they vary widely depending on the individual flight or hotel. We always recommend comparing prices to other booking platforms and hotel or airline’s websites in case you find a lower or better cancellation policy elsewhere. And don’t forget that some credit cards offer additional privileges when you book through their travel platform.
For example, Thompson Seattle (the world of Hyatt Hotels) can be sold on Rove for $308 or 19,000 miles for one night. If you hold Chase Sapphire Reserve, which allows you to access edits via Chase Travel, you can book the same accommodation for $327 or $16,368 Chase Ultimate Rewards points, while earning free breakfast for two, and earning $100 in business credit and earning Hyatt and Elite points in your stay.
Related: Handling Numbers: Is it more expensive to book flights through the credit card travel portal?
Rov’s transfer partner
Rove’s booking platform isn’t the only way to redeem Rove Miles. Rove currently has 12 airline and hotel loyalty program transfer partners:
You can transfer mileage to most of these programs at a 1:1 ratio, although all of them are less ideal at 1.5:1. If you take advantage of the best locations for airline reward sheets, you may extend several miles further than redeem them through Rove’s portal.
Rove is also on the featured airline transfer partner list below some offers or suggested desserts, which may be helpful for new users and wondering how best to use their own mileage.
Rov’s current list of transfer partners is quite limited, but hopes to grow over time. And, if you’re an avid user of one of these programs, Rove Miles might make sense to you.
Is Rove Miles worth using?
Rove’s tagline is “Universal Airlines Mile”, which seems to be a stretch, given that the currency works just as many others have done before it. Chase Ultimate Rewards is just one example of a transferable currency that allows you to earn bonuses on online purchases and travel bookings, as well as travel redemption points. What Rove is doing is nothing new.
The difference is that you don’t need the right credit card to access ROVE, which makes the program more like Bilt Rewards.
As a result, Rov can appeal to anyone who is not eligible (or does not want to pay) for a travel credit card. Rove provides an easy entry point for those who are still building (or rebuilding) credit and those who prefer to make daily purchases with cash or debit cards.
But travel credit cards are not That For many consumers, it is out of reach. Some of our favorites have low annual fees or no annual fees. Even if you try to build credit from scratch Chase Sapphire’s first choice And Capital One Ventureone Rewards Credit Card. Finally, many credit cards offer something Rove doesn’t have: valuable welcome bonuses.
The best option is to use one (or more) of the cards with Rove. In theory, you can make cash bookings through Rove through Rove and rewards with a card that earns reward points on your trip, but I haven’t tried it yet, so I can’t confirm that Rove purchases will provide code for all issuers.
Related: How (and Why) You Should Earn Transferable Credit Card Points and Miles
Bottom line
I don’t feel that Rove offers enough great features to add another currency to the mixture I’ve already complicated. Plus, the dark interface and tiny fonts of the site are hard in my eyes, and the program has not yet provided a mobile app (not yet available).
However, I think Rove is a program worthy of attention. If it adds more user-friendly features and new transfer partners, it could be a valuable addition to the loyalty program space. And if you dip your toes into the world of points and miles while building your credit score, Rove might be a good place to start.
