Difference between revisions of "Reciprocal museum programs"

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'''This page is still under construction.'''
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For years, the Capital One Venture program has been the most famous of the "fixed value" reward programs. You earned 2 "miles" with every purchase, and each mile had a fixed value of 1 cent per point. This effectively made the card essentially the same as a 2% cashback card, just one in which your points could only be reasonably used to refund travel purchases made with the card.  
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{{Image|NARMMap.png|full}}
  
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In late 2018, Capital One turned Venture points into a transferable reward program. You can still use Venture "miles" to offset any travel purchase at 1 cent each, but you now also have the option to transfer them to over a dozen different frequent flyer programs to redeem regular award tickets.  
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*[[#xxx|xxx]]
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=== How reciprocal museum programs work ===
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When you become a member of any museum or attraction in the program, you get free access to all of the other participating locations. For example, if you join the Science Museum in your home town, you can freely visit dozens of science museums all around the country.
 +
 
 +
<ul class="bulletlist">
 +
<li>'''You usually are only entitled to "standard" admission'''. You usually need to pay extra for special exhibits, IMAX movies, and other valued-added attractions. Because these extras are often available as part of a discounted package, if you want the full experience, your discount might not amount to that much.</li>
  
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<blockquote>
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<li>'''Nearby museums are usually not included'''. With most programs, you WON'T get reciprocal access to any museums that are located close to your home museum. Sometimes "nearby" is defined by an official number of miles, other times it is any location in the same state, and sometimes it is ad-hoc. So, don't expect privileges with other museums in the same metropolitan area or state.</li>  
−
Venture points is a valuable credit card program, but not as valuable as the Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards program.  
 
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</blockquote>
 
  
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Venture points, like Ultimate Reward points, provide the best of both worlds, giving you an easy way to get good value from your points, as well as a way to get even more value with the right frequent flyer ticket award redemptions.  
+
<li>'''Joining an out-of-state museum can provide access to all the locations that are close to your home'''. If you want privileges at all the museums in your area, you can often join a museum in some other city, rather than your favorite nearby museum. While you'll be blocked at locations located nearby the institution you join, you won't be blocked at any of your local locations. There are some downsides to this approach. Your membership money will be supporting the museum you join, rather than the one in your area; and you won't be able to take advantage of many other membership benefits, such as access to special member's only visiting hours or events. With some programs, this approach isn't even possible, as you'll be blocked to local museums based on the address on your ID, rather than the address of the museum you belong to.</li>
  
−
However, the Venture program is just not as good as the Ultimate Rewards program. When used for frequent flyer tickets, you'll earn the same 1.5 miles per dollar spent, but Venture's airline partners aren't quite as good as Chase's. And when used for easier redemption options, you only get the equivalent of 2% back, rather than the 2.25% to 3% you get through Ultimate Rewards. Furthermore, there are no opportunities to earn higher bonus category reward rates or collect multiple signup bonuses.  
+
<li>'''Reciprocal benefits are not available with many less expensive memberships'''. You'll need to join your local museum at a certain level. Each of the programs enforces a minimum membership cost to access reciprocal benefits. For example, no museum in the program can provide reciprocal benefits with any membership level that costs less than $100 per year.</li>
  
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If you are willing to focus primarily on using your points for frequent flyer tickets, Membership Rewards winds up being a much better overall program, and even ThankYou rewards is more useful.  
+
<li>'''You can often get a membership discount'''. The best place to check is Groupon, but other promotional codes are sometimes available.</li>
  
−
Nevertheless, if you can get approved for the Venture card, it is well worth getting. You'll have good redemption options for using the points from the signup bonus, as well as any points you the 10x points you earn on Hotels.com purchases.
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<li>'''The number of guests depends on the type of membership you have'''. Typically, if you have an individual membership, you'll reciprocal benefits only apply to one person. If you have a family membership, you'll receive benefits based on the family membership of the museum you are visiting, not your home museum.</li>
  
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{{TOC}}
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<li>'''Memberships are NOT typically based on the calendar year'''. They usually last for one year after you join. With some museums and attractions, it can take some time for you to receive your membership card. So, you'll need to apply weeks before you you plan to take advantage of any reciprocal benefits.</li>
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*[[#Airline transfer partners|Airline transfer partners]]
 
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*[[#Hotel transfer partners|Hotel transfer partners]]
 
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*[[#Cashing out your points|Cashing out your points]]
 
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*[[#ThankYou Reward credit cards|ThankYou Reward credit cards]]
 
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*[[#Collecting multiple signup bonuses|Collecting multiple signup bonuses]]
 
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*[[#Bonus category opportunities|Bonus category opportunities]]
 
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*[[#Point transfers and expiration|Point transfers and expiration]]
 
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*[[#Advantages of Citibank banking relationships|Advantages of Citibank banking relationships]]
 
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{{/TOC}}
 
  
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{{Main|article}}
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<li>'''To get access, you'll need to carry your membership card'''. There is no way to look you up in some "member database". You'll need to have a valid membership card and photo ID.</li>
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=== Airline transfer partners ===
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</ul>
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 +
=== Major reciprocal museum programs ===
 +
 
 +
While there are many smaller or more specialized reciprocal programs such as the Empire State Museums Reciprocal Program (mix of museums in New York state) or Connections (photography museums around the country), that may be interesting based on your location or interest, the following programs include the widest range of the most popular museums and attractions.
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 +
==== Art Museums ====
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Unlike Science Museums, Zoos, and Children's Museums, Art Museum reciprocal programs are pretty fragmented. Some of the more significant programs include.
  
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'''Points transfers are either instantaneous or take a day or two'''. The main exception is Cathay Pacific, where transfers can take up to a week. You can transfer points in 100 point increments, as long as you transfer a minimum of a 1,000 points. {{Link|transfer times}}.  
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<ul class="checklist">
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<li>'''[//www.metmuseum.org/join-and-give/membership/faqs Metropolitan Reciprocal Membership Program]'''. Includes 15 of the top art museums in the country, anchored by the Met in NYC.</li>
  
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It is still too early to know whether Capital One will offer occasional transfer bonuses, like the Membership and ThankYou Rewards programs. {{Link|Transfer Bonuses}}.
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{{Image|MET.jpg}}
 
   
 
   
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{{Table|center|6in}}
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<li>'''[//www.artic.edu/support-us/membership/member-faqs Art Museum Reciprocal Membership Program]'''. Includes 15 of the top art museums in the country, anchored by Art Institute of Chicago. A few museums belong to both this program and the Met's program. </li>  
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!style="width: 25%;"|Star Alliance<br/>(United)
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!style="width: 25%;"|SkyTeam<br/>(Delta)
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<li>'''[//sites.google.com/view/marplist/participating-museums Museum Alliance Reciprocal Program]''' (MARP). Includes 32 major US art museums, but not quite at the same overall level as the Met and Art Institute programs.</li>
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!style="width: 25%;"|Oneworld<br/>(American)
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!style="width: 25%;"|Other
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{{Image|Guggenheim.jpg}}
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|-
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|'''Air Canada'''<br/>(Aeroplan)
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<li>'''[//thewalters.org/support/membership/art-museum-reciprocal-network/ Art Museum Reciprocal Network]''' (AMRN). Similar to the MARP program, but a different cluster of major museums. </li>
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|'''Air France / KLM''' (Flying Blue)
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|'''Cathay Pacific''' <br/>(Asia Miles)
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<li>'''[//whitney.org/Support/Membership/ReciprocalProgram The Whitney Reciprocal Program]'''. Unlike the other programs, this isn't a mutual alliance amongst a group of museums. Rather, joining the Whitney ($140/2) gives you access to 16 other museums in the US and Europe, and joining any of those museums gives you access to the Whitney. But the various partner museums don't necessarily have any reciprocal benefits between themselves.</li>
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|'''Etihad'''
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</ul>
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|-
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|'''Avianca'''
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==== Others ====
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|'''Alitalia'''
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<ul class="checklist">
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|'''Qantas'''
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<li>'''[//www.astc.org/passport/ Association of Science and Technology Centers Travel Passport]''' (ASTC). Provides benefits at over 350 museums in North America, plus a smattering of museums elsewhere in the world. Includes almost every large science museum, with the notable exceptions of the Exploratarium and the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, and the Academy of Natural Sciences in New York. You won't have privileges at museums that are within 90 miles of your home address or your membership museum. [//www.astc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/ASTCTravelPassport_6pt_Nov2018-Apr2019.pdf Participating Museums].</li>
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|'''Qatar'''
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|-
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{{Image|BostonGenerator.jpg}}
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|'''EVA Air'''  
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|'''Aeromexico'''
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<li>'''[//narmassociation.org/ North American Reciprocal Membership]''' (NARM). This is the largest reciprocal museum program, with over 1,000 participating art, history, and specialty museums, primarily in the United States. Most of the hightest-profile museums are not members, but you'll get free access to many excellent museums in every corner of the country. [https://a1pir3oc6nm1k9qfq28au9qx-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/NARM_Winter_2018-2019.pdf Participating Museums].</li>
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|'''Finnair'''
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|'''Hainan'''
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Most '''[//sites.google.com/site/roammuseums/home Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums]''' (ROAM) members are also part of the much larger NARM program. But, if your membership includes both, you'll have access to some additional museums that are members are ROAM, but not NARM.  [https://sites.google.com/site/roammuseums/home/list-of-roam-museums Participating Museums].
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|-
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|'''Singapore'''<sup>*</sup>
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<li>'''[//www.aza.org/reciprocity Association of Zoos and Aquariums]''' (AZA). Provides reciprocal benefits at over 150 North American zoos and aquariums. It includes most major zoos, but a few of the most significant zoos (including the San Diego Zoo Bronx Zoo, and Brookfield Zoo) don't participate, and it doesn't provide benefits at most major aquariums.  [//www.aza.org/assets/2332/reciprocitychart.pdf Participating locations].</li>  
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|
 
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|
 
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|'''Emirates'''<sup>*</sup>
 
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{{/Table}}
 
  
−
With most airlines, you'll receive 750 miles for every 1,000 points you transfer. With Singapore and Emirates, you'll only receive 500 miles. That works out to 1.5 miles per dollar spent (and 1 mile per dollar spent with Singapore and Emirates).  
+
Unlike most of the other major programs, you usually only receive a 50% discount, rather than free admission. However, memberships with a smaller set of participating zoos and aquariums will give you free admission with that same set of locations (and 50% off everywhere else).
  
−
All the useful airline partners for Capital One are already partners of the Amex Membership Reward program (and often the Ultimate Rewards and ThankYou Rewards programs as well). Air Canada's Aeroplan is good option for Star Alliance flights, with reasonable award prices and waived fuel surcharges on many partner airlines. Air France / KLM's Flying Blue program is a decent option for SkyTeam.  Avianca never passes through fuel surcharges and is often a well priced option for Star Alliance flights, although it can be difficult to deal with. Cathay Pacific is reasonable option for Oneworld. And Etihad can be an attractive option for many of its partners, including American Airlines.  
+
{{Image|KansasCityZoo.png}}
  
−
Singapore is a solid program, but the weaker exchange rate makes it a less attractive partner.
+
<li>'''[//findachildrensmuseum.org/reciprocal-network/  Association of Children's Museums]''' (ACM). Provides benefits at around 200 different children's museums. Like the Zoo program, and unlike the other programs, you'll only receive 50% off the regular admission. Nearly every US children's museum participates, admission is good for up to six people, and the conveniently don't block privileges at nearby museums.  [http://childrensmuseums.org/images/Reciprocal-Brochure_1.17.19.pdf Participating Museums].</li>
  
−
Capital One's truly unique partners, Finnair and Hainan, aren't particularly useful. Neither are Qantas, Qatar, and EVA, which are also part of the Citibank ThankYou points program, but not part of the generally more useful Membership or Ultimate Rewards programs. The possible exception are good rates for flights on El Al with the Qantas program.  
+
<li>'''[http://timetravelers.mohistory.org/ Time Travelers]'''. Provides benefits at more than 300 historical sites and museums throughout the United State. [//csv.mohistory.org/static/pdf/institutions.pdf Participating Locations].</li>
 +
</ul>
  
−
Remember that you can use miles from any of these programs to book awards with any of that program’s partner airlines. So, you can transfer your Venture points to Air Canada, and then use the Air Canada miles to fly United, any of the two dozen or so other airlines that are part of the Star Alliance, or any other of Air Canada's  other airline partners. With all the various partnerships, you can redeem your Venture points for flights on over 100 airlines.
+
=== Access multiple programs with a single membership ===
  
−
=== Cashing out your points ===
+
Many museums belong to multiple reciprocal programs. Becoming a member one of these museums lets you enjoy the benefits of multiple programs for a single membership fee.
  
−
<blockquote>
+
==== Art Museums ====
−
If you don’t want to mess around with frequent flyer tickets, your can always use your Venture points to pay for other travel purchases.
 
−
</blockquote>
 
  
−
Unlike programs like Ultimate Rewards, you don't need to make your purchase through a travel portal run by the credit card company. You can just use your Capital One card to make any of a broad range of travel purchases in the normal way, and then use your points to "erase" the charges on your credit card statement. For example, you can make a direct purchase on Hilton, a secret hotel purchase on Hotwire, or a payment directly to a taxi cab driver, and then use your points for an offsetting statement credit.
+
<ul class="checklist">
  
−
You have up to 90 days to make a redemption, so you can eventually use points you haven't earned yet to offset purchases you make with your card.
+
<li>'''Both the Met and Art Institute Programs'''. A few museums belong to both of the most prestigious art museum programs.</li>
  
−
Unlike many other fixed-value points, there is no minimum redemption. If you have a $2 train ticket, you can use 200 points to "erase" it. However, if you only want to use points for part of the charged amount, you'll need to use at least 2,500 points.  
+
<ul>
 +
<li>Qualifying membership at [//www.philamuseum.org/membership/?page=2 Philadelphia Museum of Art] costs $250 and also includes a membership in AMRN.</li>
  
−
You also have the option of making a points purchase directly through Capital One's travel portal. But you'll probably receive better pricing, and often receive additional benefits and reward points, by booking elsewhere and then using your Capital One points to offset the credit card charge.
+
<li>The [//www.lacma.org/membership/join/levels/friend Los Angeles County Museum of Art] (LACMA) costs $250 and also includes reciprocal benefits with the Whitney.</li>
  
−
=== Capital One "transferable points" credit cards ===
+
<li>The [//www.dma.org/support-partners/dma-members Dallas Museum of Art] costs $250 and also includes a membership in the Western Reciprocal Museum Program and ROAM.</li>
 +
</ul>
  
−
Only some of the Capital One's credit cards earn points that can be transferred to airline partners. For example, points earned from the Savor card are not transferable. Promotional signup offers are sometimes available that are higher than the typical signup bonuses shown below.  
+
<li>'''One of the Met or Art Institute plus more'''. A few museums belong to either the Met program or the Art Institute and one of the next tier programs (MARP or AMRN).</li>
  
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{{Table|basic|6in}}
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{{Table|Basic}}
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!Card
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!Museum
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!style="width: 1in;"|Typical Signup Bonus
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!style="width: .5in;"|Fee
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!style="width: 2.5in;"|Bonus Categories
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!style="width: .5in;"|Met
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!style="width: .75in;"|Effective Annual Fee
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!style="width: .5in;"|Chicago
 +
!style="width: .5in;"|MARP
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!style="width: .5in;"|AMRN
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!style="width: .5in;"|WRMP
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!style="width: .5in;"|NARM
 +
!style="width: .5in;"|ROAM
 +
!style="width: 1in;"|Other
 +
|-
 +
|[//denverartmuseum.org/membership-support/membership-details-benefits Denver Art Museum]
 +
|$150||y|| || ||y|| || || ||[//museumswest.org/ Museums West]
 
|-
 
|-
−
|{{Card|Venture|short}}
+
|[//discovernewfields.org/give-and-join/become-member Newfields] (Indianapolis Art Museum)
−
|50,000
+
|$250||y|| ||y|| || ||y||y||[//ahsgardening.org/gardening-programs/rap/find/statebystate AHS]
−
|2x all purchases
+
|-
−
 
+
|[//www.clevelandart.org/join-and-give/membership-and-circles/about-membership Cleveland Museum of Art]
−
10x Hotels.com prepaid hotel
+
|$250|| ||y||y||y|| || || ||
−
|$95, waived first year
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
|{{Card|VentureOne|short}}
+
|[//www.mfah.org/membership/levels/ Museum of Fine Arts] (Houston)
−
|20,000
+
|$185|| ||y||y|| || || || ||
−
|1.25x all purchases
 
−
 
 
−
10x Hotels.com prepaid hotel
 
−
|$0
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[//www.capitalone.com/small-business/credit-cards/spark-miles/ Spark Miles] (Business)
+
|[//walkerart.org/support/membership/ Walker Art Center] (Minneapolis)
−
|50,000
+
|$125|| ||y||y|| || || || ||Whitney
−
|2x all purchases
 
−
|$95, waived first year
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
|[//www.capitalone.com/small-business/credit-cards/spark-miles-select/ Spark Miles Select] (business)
+
|[//nelson-atkins.org/join/member-benefits/reciprocal-membership-programs/ Nelson Atkins Museum] (Kansas City)
−
|20,000
+
|$250|| ||y|| ||y|| ||y||y||
−
|1.5x all purchases
+
{{/Table|Basic}}
−
|$0
 
−
{{/Table}}
 
  
−
Only the Venture and Spark cards are reasonable options for ongoing spend, but the other cards' signup bonuses can help build up your point balance.
+
</ul>
  
−
=== Collecting multiple signup bonuses ===
+
==== Others ====
  
−
<ul class="bulletlist">
+
<ul class="checklist">
−
<li>'''In general, you are better off spending on other cards'''. We'd rather earn 1.5x Ultimate Reward points with the Freedom Unlimited card than 2x Venture points—both transfer to 1.5x Airline miles, but Ultimate Rewards has better partners. Even if you are just cashing out your points, you'll get at least 2.25 cents per dollar from the Chase Unlimited cards versus 2 cents per dollar from Capital One. In addition, other than the reward rate on Hotels.com, there are no bonus category reward rates on Capital One.</li>  
+
<li>'''Science museums and zoos'''. A handful of places are members of both the Science Museum and Zoo programs.</li>
  
−
Some people can get even more value from other cards, such as earning 2x Membership Reward points per dollar with the the Amex Blue for Business cards.  
+
<ul>
 +
<li>Qualifying membership at the [//www.boonshoftmuseum.org/membership/ Boonshoft Museum of Discovery] (Dayton, Ohio) costs $115 for a family, but provides the option to join at a $145 level and also qualify for the Children's Museum program. Both include free admission, rather than 50% off, at a subset of the participating Zoos.</li>
  
−
<li>'''However, it is worthwhile to collect miles from the Venture and/or Spark signup bonuses'''. A typical signup bonus of 50,000 points can still be redeemed for $500 in travel purchases, and can be worth considerably more when transferred to frequent flyer programs.</li>
+
{{Image|BoonshoftMembershipLevels.png}}
  
−
<li>'''You can only receive a new Capital One personal credit card every six months'''. And you can only have a total of two cards at one time.</li>
+
<li>Qualifying Membership at the [//wildwnc.org/membership Western North Carolina Nature Center] (Asheville, NC) is only $34 for one person, $49 for two, and $69 for a family, and your membership entitles you to free admission, rather than 50% off at a subset of participating Zoos. At the [//www.lszooduluth.org/visit/membership/ Lake Superior Zoo] (Duluth, Minnesota), qualifying family membership is only $75.</li>
  
−
<li>'''It can be hard to be approved for Capital One cards'''. They seem to prefer people who don't pay off your balance every month. If you fall into this category, you should focus on reducing your interest rates (and paying off your debt), not on collecting signup bonuses.</li>  
+
<li>Other options are he [//curiodyssey.org/membership/reciprocal-program/ CuriOdyssey] (San Mateo, California),  [//www.mos.org/membership Museum of Science] (Boston, Massachusetts), [//www.greensboroscience.org/get-involved/membership/index.html Greensboro Science Center] (Greensboro, NC), and [//www.lifeandscience.org/benefits Museum of Life and Science] (Durham, NC).</li>
 
</ul>
 
</ul>
  
−
=== Bonus rewards at Hotels.com ===
+
<li>'''Science, Art, History, and Specialty museums'''. A handful of museums are members of both the Science Museum program and of the North American Reciprocal Museum program. You'll need to pay at least $100 for any membership that includes NARM privelges. If you aren't interested, there are some Science Museum only options that are as low as $50/family, such as the [//www.eaa.org/shop/Membership/Join.aspx Experimental Aircraft Association].</li>
  
−
The Venture and Venture One cards offer 10x points on prepaid Hotels.com purchases. This is on top of the already generous Hotels.com reward program.  To earn your 10x points for Hotels.com purchases you need to book through [//hotels.com/venture Hotels.com/venture].  
+
<ul>
 +
<li>The [//kerncountymuseum.org/membership-1/ Kern County Museum] (Bakersfield, CA) also includes benefits in ROAM and at Children's Museums. Qualifying membership is $125/family, and also includes benefits at a hundreds of historical sites through the [//timetravelers.mohistory.org/ Time Travelers] program.</li>
  
−
The ability to earn essentially an 18% total discount on your hotel booking seems fantastic, but it isn't that much better than you could earn with other cards. For example, the Venture cards give you 10 cents in rewards on top of the Hotel.com reward program. Alternatively, you can convert these Venture points into 7.5 airline miles. At a value of 1.5 cents per mile, this works out to a 11.25 cents per dollar. If you used the Sapphire Reserve card, you'd earn 3 Ultimate Reward points, but you could also earn an additional 4% back by using a shopping portal.
+
{{Image|KernCounty.png}}
  
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=== Point transfers and expiration ===
+
<li>The [//www.cmog.org/get-involved/membership Corning Museum of Glass] (Corning, NY) and [//www.burkemuseum.org/membership Burke Museum] (Seattle, WA) also include benefits in ROAM, but memberships are more expensive. </li>
  
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<ul class="bulletlist">
+
<li>The [//greatex.org/memberships/ Great Explorations Children's Museum] (Saint Petersburg, FL) and [//www.theclaycenter.org/join/membership/ Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences] (Charleston, WV) also include benefits at Children's Museums. Qualifying memberships are $150 per family.</li>  
−
<li>'''You can transfer points to any other Capital One cardholder''', not just a spouse or family member. You'll need to call in, as there is no way to do this online.</li>  
+
 
 +
<li>A qualifying membership at the [//evansvillemuseum.org/product/patron-membership/ Evansville Museum of Art, History, and Science] (Evansville, IN) only costs $100, and includes the [//timetravelers.mohistory.org/ Time Travelers] program as well as NARM and ASTC.</li>
 +
 
 +
<li>A qualifying membership [//minnetrista.net/home/about-minnetrista/get-involved/membership/ Minnestrista] (Muncie, IN) costs $125/family and also includes reciprocal benefits at [//ahsgardening.org/gardening-programs/rap/find/statebystate American Horticultural Society] members.</li>  
  
−
<li>'''Each Capital One credit card accrues miles into a separate account, but you can freely move miles between cards'''. When it is time to transfer miles to a partner, offset travel purchases, or cancel a card, you can easily combine the miles into the account associated with any one of your cards.</li>  
+
<li>Other options include the Powerhouse Science Center (Sacramento, CA), Yale Peabody Museum (New Haven, CT), Delaware Museum of Natural History (Wilmington, DE), Hagley Museum (Wilmington, DE), Museum of Arts and Sciences (Daytona Beach, FL), South Florida Museum (Bradenton, FL), Peoria Riverfront Museum (Peoria, IL), Indiana State Museum (Indianapolis, IN), Grout Museum District (Waterloo, IA), Berkshire Museum (Pittsfield, MA), Springfield Museums (Springfield, MA), Air Zoo (Portage, MI), Farmington Museum (Farmington, NM), Cape Fear Museum of History & Science (Wilmington, NC), The Works (Newark, OH), University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History (Eugene, OR), Reading Public Museum (Reading, PA), McDonald Observatory (Fort Davis, TX), The Reach (Richland, WA), and Wenatchee Valley Museum (Wenatchee, WA).</li>
 +
</ul>
  
−
<li>'''You'll need to keep one of these cards open if you want to maintain your points balance'''. However, you should be able to downgrade your card into a one of the options that doesn't charge an annual fee. Other options are to use your points for a travel purchase, or transfer them to the partner you are mostly likely to want to take advantage of.</li>  
+
<li>'''Science and Children's Museums'''. There is a lot of overlap between the Science Museum and Children's Museum programs. Many museums belong to both. As listed above, the Boonshoft museum also includes membership in both programs plus the the Zoo program, the Kern Museum in both programs plus NARM and ROAM, and the Great Explorations and Clay Center in both programs plus NARM.</li>  
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How reciprocal museum programs work

When you become a member of any museum or attraction in the program, you get free access to all of the other participating locations. For example, if you join the Science Museum in your home town, you can freely visit dozens of science museums all around the country.

  • You usually are only entitled to "standard" admission. You usually need to pay extra for special exhibits, IMAX movies, and other valued-added attractions. Because these extras are often available as part of a discounted package, if you want the full experience, your discount might not amount to that much.
  • Nearby museums are usually not included. With most programs, you WON'T get reciprocal access to any museums that are located close to your home museum. Sometimes "nearby" is defined by an official number of miles, other times it is any location in the same state, and sometimes it is ad-hoc. So, don't expect privileges with other museums in the same metropolitan area or state.
  • Joining an out-of-state museum can provide access to all the locations that are close to your home. If you want privileges at all the museums in your area, you can often join a museum in some other city, rather than your favorite nearby museum. While you'll be blocked at locations located nearby the institution you join, you won't be blocked at any of your local locations. There are some downsides to this approach. Your membership money will be supporting the museum you join, rather than the one in your area; and you won't be able to take advantage of many other membership benefits, such as access to special member's only visiting hours or events. With some programs, this approach isn't even possible, as you'll be blocked to local museums based on the address on your ID, rather than the address of the museum you belong to.
  • Reciprocal benefits are not available with many less expensive memberships. You'll need to join your local museum at a certain level. Each of the programs enforces a minimum membership cost to access reciprocal benefits. For example, no museum in the program can provide reciprocal benefits with any membership level that costs less than $100 per year.
  • You can often get a membership discount. The best place to check is Groupon, but other promotional codes are sometimes available.
  • The number of guests depends on the type of membership you have. Typically, if you have an individual membership, you'll reciprocal benefits only apply to one person. If you have a family membership, you'll receive benefits based on the family membership of the museum you are visiting, not your home museum.
  • Memberships are NOT typically based on the calendar year. They usually last for one year after you join. With some museums and attractions, it can take some time for you to receive your membership card. So, you'll need to apply weeks before you you plan to take advantage of any reciprocal benefits.
  • To get access, you'll need to carry your membership card. There is no way to look you up in some "member database". You'll need to have a valid membership card and photo ID.

Major reciprocal museum programs

While there are many smaller or more specialized reciprocal programs such as the Empire State Museums Reciprocal Program (mix of museums in New York state) or Connections (photography museums around the country), that may be interesting based on your location or interest, the following programs include the widest range of the most popular museums and attractions.

Art Museums

Unlike Science Museums, Zoos, and Children's Museums, Art Museum reciprocal programs are pretty fragmented. Some of the more significant programs include.

  • Metropolitan Reciprocal Membership Program. Includes 15 of the top art museums in the country, anchored by the Met in NYC.
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  • Art Museum Reciprocal Membership Program. Includes 15 of the top art museums in the country, anchored by Art Institute of Chicago. A few museums belong to both this program and the Met's program.
  • Museum Alliance Reciprocal Program (MARP). Includes 32 major US art museums, but not quite at the same overall level as the Met and Art Institute programs.
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  • Art Museum Reciprocal Network (AMRN). Similar to the MARP program, but a different cluster of major museums.
  • The Whitney Reciprocal Program. Unlike the other programs, this isn't a mutual alliance amongst a group of museums. Rather, joining the Whitney ($140/2) gives you access to 16 other museums in the US and Europe, and joining any of those museums gives you access to the Whitney. But the various partner museums don't necessarily have any reciprocal benefits between themselves.

Others

  • Association of Science and Technology Centers Travel Passport (ASTC). Provides benefits at over 350 museums in North America, plus a smattering of museums elsewhere in the world. Includes almost every large science museum, with the notable exceptions of the Exploratarium and the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, and the Academy of Natural Sciences in New York. You won't have privileges at museums that are within 90 miles of your home address or your membership museum. Participating Museums.
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  • North American Reciprocal Membership (NARM). This is the largest reciprocal museum program, with over 1,000 participating art, history, and specialty museums, primarily in the United States. Most of the hightest-profile museums are not members, but you'll get free access to many excellent museums in every corner of the country. Participating Museums.

    • Most Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (ROAM) members are also part of the much larger NARM program. But, if your membership includes both, you'll have access to some additional museums that are members are ROAM, but not NARM. Participating Museums.

  • Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Provides reciprocal benefits at over 150 North American zoos and aquariums. It includes most major zoos, but a few of the most significant zoos (including the San Diego Zoo Bronx Zoo, and Brookfield Zoo) don't participate, and it doesn't provide benefits at most major aquariums. Participating locations.

    • Unlike most of the other major programs, you usually only receive a 50% discount, rather than free admission. However, memberships with a smaller set of participating zoos and aquariums will give you free admission with that same set of locations (and 50% off everywhere else).

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  • Association of Children's Museums (ACM). Provides benefits at around 200 different children's museums. Like the Zoo program, and unlike the other programs, you'll only receive 50% off the regular admission. Nearly every US children's museum participates, admission is good for up to six people, and the conveniently don't block privileges at nearby museums. Participating Museums.
  • Time Travelers. Provides benefits at more than 300 historical sites and museums throughout the United State. Participating Locations.

Access multiple programs with a single membership

Many museums belong to multiple reciprocal programs. Becoming a member one of these museums lets you enjoy the benefits of multiple programs for a single membership fee.

Art Museums

Others

  • Science museums and zoos. A handful of places are members of both the Science Museum and Zoo programs.
    • Qualifying membership at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery (Dayton, Ohio) costs $115 for a family, but provides the option to join at a $145 level and also qualify for the Children's Museum program. Both include free admission, rather than 50% off, at a subset of the participating Zoos.
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    • Qualifying Membership at the Western North Carolina Nature Center (Asheville, NC) is only $34 for one person, $49 for two, and $69 for a family, and your membership entitles you to free admission, rather than 50% off at a subset of participating Zoos. At the Lake Superior Zoo (Duluth, Minnesota), qualifying family membership is only $75.
    • Other options are he CuriOdyssey (San Mateo, California), Museum of Science (Boston, Massachusetts), Greensboro Science Center (Greensboro, NC), and Museum of Life and Science (Durham, NC).
  • Science, Art, History, and Specialty museums. A handful of museums are members of both the Science Museum program and of the North American Reciprocal Museum program. You'll need to pay at least $100 for any membership that includes NARM privelges. If you aren't interested, there are some Science Museum only options that are as low as $50/family, such as the Experimental Aircraft Association.
    • The Kern County Museum (Bakersfield, CA) also includes benefits in ROAM and at Children's Museums. Qualifying membership is $125/family, and also includes benefits at a hundreds of historical sites through the Time Travelers program.
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    • The Corning Museum of Glass (Corning, NY) and Burke Museum (Seattle, WA) also include benefits in ROAM, but memberships are more expensive.
    • The Great Explorations Children's Museum (Saint Petersburg, FL) and Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences (Charleston, WV) also include benefits at Children's Museums. Qualifying memberships are $150 per family.
    • A qualifying membership at the Evansville Museum of Art, History, and Science (Evansville, IN) only costs $100, and includes the Time Travelers program as well as NARM and ASTC.
    • A qualifying membership Minnestrista (Muncie, IN) costs $125/family and also includes reciprocal benefits at American Horticultural Society members.
    • Other options include the Powerhouse Science Center (Sacramento, CA), Yale Peabody Museum (New Haven, CT), Delaware Museum of Natural History (Wilmington, DE), Hagley Museum (Wilmington, DE), Museum of Arts and Sciences (Daytona Beach, FL), South Florida Museum (Bradenton, FL), Peoria Riverfront Museum (Peoria, IL), Indiana State Museum (Indianapolis, IN), Grout Museum District (Waterloo, IA), Berkshire Museum (Pittsfield, MA), Springfield Museums (Springfield, MA), Air Zoo (Portage, MI), Farmington Museum (Farmington, NM), Cape Fear Museum of History & Science (Wilmington, NC), The Works (Newark, OH), University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History (Eugene, OR), Reading Public Museum (Reading, PA), McDonald Observatory (Fort Davis, TX), The Reach (Richland, WA), and Wenatchee Valley Museum (Wenatchee, WA).
  • Science and Children's Museums. There is a lot of overlap between the Science Museum and Children's Museum programs. Many museums belong to both. As listed above, the Boonshoft museum also includes membership in both programs plus the the Zoo program, the Kern Museum in both programs plus NARM and ROAM, and the Great Explorations and Clay Center in both programs plus NARM.






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