Travel Rewards Programs Rankings

Travel Rewards Programs Rankings

The U.S. News & World Report travel rankings are based on an analysis of expert and user opinions. We believe this unbiased approach makes our rankings more useful than simply providing our editors' personal opinions.

But even though our rankings of hotels, vacations, and things to do are based on a wide collection of independent opinions, the best options for you may not be those ranked No. 1 or No. 2. Travel experiences are personal ones. Nonetheless, we hope that our rankings can serve as helpful guideposts as you plan your next trip.

Table of Content:

Things to Do Rankings

Selecting What to Include on the List:

Calculating the Scores and Rankings:

Travel Rewards Programs Rankings:

About U.S. News Local Expert Scores:

U.S. News Travel Rewards Program Awards

Things to Do Rankings:

We rank things to do within each travel destination that we cover. Our rankings of things to do are based on our editors' analysis of expert and user recommendations from a wide variety of websites. We believe that the best way to create useful rankings is to get as many opinions as possible from real tourists and travel experts. This is why we use the consensus-based approach.

Selecting What to Include on the List:

For any given destination, the Best Things to Do are selected based on (1) our editors' analysis of what major travel publications recommend that you do and see and (2) a sampling of the opinions that real travelers have expressed across the web, and in select destinations (3) recommendations from local experts, such as hotel concierges, tourism board representatives and travel, food and lifestyle editors at local newspapers or magazines. You can expect to see some of the usual suspects on our lists (the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre in Paris, for example), but you'll also find some lesser-known things to do. Some of the "must-see" things to do will be brick-and-mortar sites, but others will be can't-miss neighborhoods or even popular activities or tours.

Calculating the Scores and Rankings:

About U.S. News Scores: Rankings are computed on the basis of an overall U.S. News score that reflects the extent to which previous travelers would recommend a certain thing to do to future travelers. The overall score also considers travel writers' and visitors' feelings about the value, atmosphere, facilities, and, if applicable, the food scene of each thing to do. The relative weightings of these attributes are below:

Overall Level of Recommendation (50 percent weight): This is the overall sentiment expressed about a thing to do (e.g., "this is a must-see site" vs. "skip it if you're short on time").

Value (20 percent weight): The Value Score represents travelers' sense of whether the thing to do is a good value. Any things to do that are free to enjoy automatically get a value score of 5 out of 5.

Atmosphere (15 percent weight): The Atmosphere Score represents travelers' impression of a thing to do's vibe and aesthetics.

Facilities / Food Scene, as appropriate (15 percent weight): The Facilities Score represents travelers' opinion of the quality, availability, and accessibility of a thing do's restrooms, visitor centers, concession stands, and other tourist conveniences. This score is not assigned for things to do that are neighborhoods. The Food Scene Score represents travelers' opinions on the availability, variety, and quality of food options in a neighborhood. This score is assigned to things to do that are neighborhoods (in place of the Facilities Score).

About U.S. News Local Expert Scores:

The Best Things to Do in select destinations are scored based on local expert input. These local experts include concierges at the top hotels in the destination, tourism board representatives, travel, and food and lifestyle editors at local newspapers or magazines, among others. Experts were asked to score each attraction as "Must-see," "Recommended" and "Only if you have time." These scores help determine the attraction's overall score and are represented on the Local Experts scorecard within each destination.

Please Note: Scores are relative within a destination, so standards may vary by location. And opinions are subjective, so there can never be a true No. 1 thing to do for any destination. But our rankings do offer insight into what real tourists think, and hopefully, this can help you prioritize which sites to visit during your trip.

Travel Rewards Programs Rankings:

U.S. News & World Report ranks travel rewards programs in two categories: airline frequent flyer programs and hotel loyalty programs. Considering highly coveted factors, such as how easy it is to earn a free flight or stay and what extra perks (think: complimentary checked bags and discounted room rates) are awarded to members, the Best Travel Rewards Programs rankings aim to help everyday travelers find the best loyalty program for them. These rankings will be updated once a year.