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What Are Rove Miles? A Beginner-Friendly Guide to Earning and Using Them
The travel rewards world has no shortage of points programs, but every once in a while a new one gains momentum surprisingly fast. That’s exactly what’s happening with Rove.
Rove is still relatively new compared to major programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards, but it has been expanding quickly. The company has added transfer partners at an aggressive pace, and that’s helped it start competing with more established flexible points programs — especially Bilt Rewards.
For travelers who are just getting into points and miles, Rove is becoming a program worth paying attention to.
So what exactly are Rove Miles, how do they work, and what’s the best way to use them?
Let’s break it down.
What Are Rove Miles?
Rove Miles are the rewards currency earned through the Rove platform.
Think of them similarly to:
- Chase Ultimate Rewards points
- American Express Membership Rewards points
- Capital One Miles
- Bilt Rewards points
Instead of being tied to one airline or hotel, Rove Miles can be transferred to different travel loyalty programs. That flexibility is what makes them valuable.
In simple terms, Rove Miles give you options.
You can potentially use them for:
- Flights booked through Rove
- Hotel stays booked through Rove
- Airline transfer partners
- Hotel transfer partners
The biggest advantage is that you are not locked into a single airline or hotel chain.
Why Flexible Points Matter
If you’re newer to points and miles, this is one of the most important concepts to understand.
Some rewards programs only let you redeem points in one place. For example, airline miles usually stay within that airline’s program.
Flexible points work differently.
Programs like Rove allow you to transfer points to multiple travel partners, which means you can compare options and often get better value.
For example:
- One airline might charge 50,000 miles for a flight
- Another partner airline might charge only 35,000 miles for the exact same seat
That’s why experienced travelers care so much about transferable points.
The flexibility can save a huge number of points. For example, anyone with a stash of Delta miles knows the pain of looking up Delta One redemptions. But Delta first and business class are often available through partner Flying Blue for a fraction of the miles.
How to Earn Rove Miles
There are two main ways to earn Rove Miles: Booking travel, and Shopping through their portal.
Before I get into those, a quick note: Rove runs occasional surveys and promos, so do stay subscribed to their emails for extra miles earning opportunities.
Earn Miles by Booking Travel Through Rove
Rove’s travel booking engine is basically the same as Expedia–with a much better loyalty program! Browse a wide selection of flights and hotels, and you’ll earn a varying amount of Rove points for each booking you make.
Earning rates are highest on hotels, with some as high as 30+ miles per dollar. Rove likes to advertise that you can book a hotel, and earn enough points for business class flights through just that booking.
This isn’t always the case, but it’s certainly possible. Miles post immediately when you book a non-refundable stay, so if you’re planning on splurging on a pricey hotel stay, you may be able to immediately turn around and transfer the Rove points you earned to an airline partner and have your flights covered.
It’s also worth noting that some Rove stays are loyalty eligible, meaning you can earn points from Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and more in addition to the Rove miles you earn on your booking.
Earn Miles by Shopping Through Rove
Have you ever used a shopping portal like Rakuten? Shopping on Rove is essentially the same, you’ll just earn miles instead of cashback.
Their miles per dollar earned is generally in line with other shopping portals, so it’s up to you how complicated you want to make this portion of your earning strategy. Some people check around on multiple portals before making a purchase, while others prefer the simplicity of sticking with, and accruing miles with only one portal.
There are many merchants beyond the standard shopping brands on Rove. For example, you can earn 4.6 miles per dollar on Trainline ticket purchases, something we’ll be taking advantage of during our travels in Europe this summer!
How You Can Use Rove Miles
There are several ways to redeem Rove Miles, but some options are much better than others. Here are the main ways people use them:
Transfer to Airline Partners
This is usually where you’ll get the best value. Rove currently has a total of 16 airline transfer partners, and has been adding new partners regularly.
Instead of booking directly through a travel portal, or having a giant miles stash stuck with one expensive carrier (looking at you, Delta), you can transfer Rove Miles to many different airline loyalty programs and then book award flights.
If you have a points credit card, you already know that transferring points gives you more value than redeeming them directly for cash or statement credits.
For example, a business class ticket that costs thousands in cash might only require a moderate amount of points when booked through the right airline partner program.
We recently booked Lufthansa business class flights (in their fancy new Allegris seats, no less) from Columbus to Munich for 70k Aeroplan points each, when the cash price was over $6,000 a ticket! Rove even sweetened the deal for us with a 25% transfer bonus to Aeroplan.
Transfer to Hotel Partners
Currently, Rove miles can be transferred to Virgin and ALL Accor programs. While Virgin’s hotels are higher end Accor has hotels bookable at a range of price points. Both brands have the most availability in Europe.
I tend to feel like hotel points can offer less value than airline miles, but there are always exceptions, and hotel redemptions can be especially valuable during peak travel seasons when cash prices rise significantly.
Book Directly on Rove
Some users may prefer simpler redemption options, even if the value isn’t quite as high.
You can redeem your points to book flights and hotels directly on Rove. While you will find better deals from transfer partners on first and business class flights, Rove does offer good points value for many economy flights.
There’s nothing wrong with this approach, especially for beginners, or if you want the lowest hassle way to use your points.
The Best Strategies for Maximizing the Value of Your Rove Miles
You don’t need to become an award travel expert overnight to get strong value from points. A few basic strategies can make a huge difference.
Focus on Transfer Partners
This is the biggest one.
If you simply redeem points for bookings on Rove, you may be leaving money on the table. Before redeeming Rove Miles, check whether transferring them to an airline or hotel partner would save you points on the flight.
This extra step can dramatically increase the value of your rewards.
Learn the Basics of Airline Alliances
This sounds more complicated than it actually is.
Many airlines partner with one another through global alliances. That means you can sometimes book flights on one airline using points from another airline’s program.
For example: Flying Blue (a Rove transfer partner) offers Delta flights for far fewer points that if you booked with Skymiles, making Flying Blue miles a potentially more valuable currency.
This is one of the easiest ways to stretch points further. You don’t need to memorize every airline partnership immediately, but learning the basics can unlock much better redemptions.
Watch for Transfer Bonuses
Some rewards programs occasionally offer bonuses when transferring points to partners.
For example, when Rove added JAL as a transfer partner, they offered a 50% transfer bonus:
- Transfer 1,000 points
- Receive 1,500 JAL miles
These promotions can significantly improve redemption value. I don’t usually transfer points unless I found a specific mileage award and I’m ready to book. However, this one was too good–my boyfriend and I both took advantage of the JAL transfer bonus, and now have enough points for round trip business class flights to Japan!
As Rove continues growing, you’ll want to look our for more transfer bonuses!
Final Thoughts
Rove is still a relatively new player in travel rewards, but it’s growing fast and making moves that are difficult to ignore. They already rival Bilt, and unlike Bilt, you don’t need to apply for a credit card.
The rapid addition of transfer partners has helped the platform become far more competitive than many people expected, especially for travelers who value flexible rewards currencies.
For beginners, the biggest takeaway is this:
Rove Miles should be a part of your miles strategy. You have multiple ways to utilize them, but they’re most valuable when transferred to travel partners,
If Rove continues expanding at its current pace, it could become one of the more important flexible points ecosystems to watch over the next few years. I’ve been adjusting my points strategy to include Rove miles, and I think they’re worth taking a serious look at for anyone in the points and miles game.
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