Diners Club Rewards North America Airline and Hotel Partners

This post has a current list of hotel and airline partners for Diners Club Rewards points transfers and exchange rates for USA cardholders.

Diners Club charges earn 1 point per dollar.

There are currently 14 airline partners and Amtrak Guest Rewards for Diners Club Rewards points-to-miles transfers. The transfer rate is 1,000 Diners Club points = 1,000 frequent flyer miles for all airlines and Amtrak with the exception of Southwest and El Al.

I have included other credit cards and Starwood Preferred Guest points-to-miles partners beside each Diners Club airline. Please leave a comment if you see an error or omission. I am no expert in credit card airline partners and the information is difficult to access on the credit card sites when you are not a member.

1. Aeroplan (AMEX Membership Rewards) (SPG)
2. Alaska Mileage Plan (SPG)
3. Amtrak Guest Rewards (AMEX Membership Rewards)
4. British Airways Executive Club (Chase Ultimate Rewards), (AMEX Membership Rewards), (SPG)
5. Hawaiian Miles (AMEX Membership Rewards), (SPG)
6. Delta Skymiles (AMEX Membership Rewards), (SPG)
7. Eva Airways Infinity MileageLands (Citi Thank You points partner)
8. Frontier Airlines Early Returns (AMEX Membership Rewards)
9. IcelandAir Saga
10. SAS Scandinavian Airlines EuroBonus
11. South African Airways Voyager
12. Thai Royal Orchid Plus (SPG)
13. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (Chase Ultimate Rewards), (AMEX Membership Rewards), (SPG)
14. Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards 1,500 Diners Club points = 1,200 Rapid Rewards points. (Chase Ultimate Rewards)
15. El Al transfer rate 1,000 Diners Club points = 20 Matmid points. (AMEX Membership Rewards)

Unique airline partners for Diners Club Rewards points transfers are

1. IcelandAir Saga
2. SAS Scandinavian Airlines EuroBonus
3. South African Airways Voyager

These airlines are not transfer partners with the other major meta-points credit cards in the USA.

Diners Club Rewards Hotel Points Transfer Partners

Best Western Rewards

1,250 Diners Club Rewards points = 3,300 Best Western Rewards points.

Choice Privileges

1,250 Diners Club Rewards points = 2,400 Choice Privileges points.

Hilton HHonors

1,250 Diners Club Rewards points = 2,000 Hilton HHonors points.

Hyatt Gold Passport

1,250 Diners Club Rewards points = 750 Hyatt Gold Passport points.

Chase Ultimate Rewards has a better exchange at 1,000 UR points = 1,000 HGP points.

IHG Rewards Club

1,250 Diners Club Rewards points = 1,500 IHG Rewards Club points.

Marriott Rewards

1,250 Diners Club Rewards points = 1,500 Marriott Rewards points.

Starwood Preferred Guest

1,250 Diners Club Rewards points = 750 SPG points.

This is a better exchange rate than American Express Membership Rewards points at 1,000 AMEX points = 333 SPG points.

Analysis of Diners Club points

I am stepping out of my knowledge base here in the credit card points-to-miles world since I do not have direct knowledge of American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards or Citi Thank You points. I am amazed how the credit card websites limit access to their airline and hotel partner exchanges if you are not a member. I had to search miles and points blogs to find lists of credit card airline and hotel partners.

In a world of American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi Thank You Points, there are some unique hotel and airline partners available with Diners Club.

Diners Club was purchased by Bank of Montreal in 2009 and I do not know the details of the card’s availability for U.S. consumers today.

I obtained the Diners Club card in 2002 when it was possible to transfer American Airline miles and United miles into Diners Club points at 50% value whereby 50,000 miles became 50,000 Diners Club points and those points could be transferred to 25,000 miles with another airline partner.

Why would I transfer 100,000 airline miles into Diners Club points?

British Airways Executive Club ran a Diners Club double miles promotion for several summers whereby the 100,000 airline miles I transferred into Diners Club points were transferred out into 100,000 British Airways Executive Club miles (years before Avios points were created).

The ability to transfer my American Airlines miles and United Airlines miles into British Airways miles with an even 1:1 exchange allowed me to purchase two British Airways First Class award tickets Denver-London-Singapore-Melbourne/Sydney-Singapore-London-Denver for 150,000 British Airways miles each ticket in June 2003 before the price increased to 420,000 miles that summer.

Diners Club Rewards has far fewer airline partners these days than a decade ago. American and United no longer participate in the program. Diners Club does not offer too many spend bonuses that I am aware of. I have passively let my Diners Club points accumulate for many years and this summer I found great value for my points in acquiring SAS EuroBonus points and Choice Privileges points for my travel plans in Norway next month.

*****

Ric Garrido of Monterey, California is writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler.

Loyalty Traveler shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. Check out current hotel loyalty program offers across all the major chains in Loyalty Traveler’s monthly hotel promotions guide.

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