Both Rove and Rocketmiles let you earn airline miles and loyalty points on hotel bookings without a travel credit card. But they work very differently — and depending on how you travel, one is going to be substantially more useful than the other. Here’s how they compare.
Rove vs. Rocketmiles: Quick Summary
| Rove | Rocketmiles | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Standalone loyalty currency (earn + transfer) | Hotel booking portal (earn miles into existing programs) |
| Hotel earning | 10–25+ Rove Miles per $1 | Varies: ~1,000–10,000+ miles per night |
| Shopping portal | Yes — 13,000+ merchants | No |
| Flight bookings | Yes | No |
| Own loyalty currency | Yes — Rove Miles | No — deposits into your existing airline accounts |
| Transfer partners | 17+ airlines and hotels | 40+ airline and hotel programs |
| Hotel loyalty points | Some loyalty-eligible bookings | Generally no hotel points on Rocketmiles bookings |
| Best rate guarantee | No | No |
| Free to join | Yes | Yes |
| Credit card required | No | No |
| Signup bonus | 2,500 miles with referral code | 1,000 miles on first booking with referral |
What Is Rove?
Rove launched in 2025 as a standalone travel rewards program. You earn Rove Miles on hotel bookings, flights, and online shopping through their portal — then either redeem those miles directly for travel on Rove’s platform, or transfer them to 17+ airline and hotel loyalty programs at up to 1:1 ratios.
Key distinction: Rove is its own currency. You’re building a balance in Rove’s ecosystem, which you then move wherever it’s most valuable.
Hotel earning rates are strong — 10 to 25+ miles per dollar, which is competitive with top travel credit cards. Some properties are “loyalty eligible,” meaning you can earn Rove Miles AND keep your hotel loyalty program points on the same stay, which is rare for an OTA.
Rove also has a shopping portal with 13,000+ merchants and a Chrome extension, so earning doesn’t stop at travel. You can stack miles on everyday purchases across fashion, tech, groceries, and more.
Signup bonus: Use referral code IS054PRY at www.rove.com/?signup&referralCode=IS054PRY for 2,500 free miles — 500 instantly, 2,000 after your first purchase.
What Is Rocketmiles?
Rocketmiles (now operating as Rocket Travel by Agoda) is a hotel booking platform that deposits miles and points directly into your existing airline and loyalty accounts. You don’t earn a new currency — instead, you pick which program you want to earn into (say, United MileagePlus or American Airlines AAdvantage), book a hotel, and the miles land in that account after your stay.
The earning model is different from Rove: Rocketmiles lists a flat mile count per property (e.g., “earn 3,000 United miles for this stay”), not a per-dollar rate. Amounts vary widely and seemingly without formula — some properties earn 1,000 miles per night, others 10,000+ for luxury properties. Crucially, the miles earned can differ significantly depending on which loyalty program you search with, so it pays to check multiple programs for the same hotel.
Rocketmiles supports 40+ loyalty programs — more than Rove — including major US carriers like American, United, Delta, Southwest, and Alaska Airlines. If you’re primarily interested in topping up a specific airline account you already have, Rocketmiles has broader program coverage.
The catch: You generally won’t earn hotel loyalty points on Rocketmiles bookings. Booking through Rocketmiles trades your Marriott/Hilton/Hyatt points for airline miles. That’s fine if you’re prioritizing airline miles, but it’s an important trade-off to know going in.
Key Differences
Earning Structure
Rove earns on a per-dollar basis (10–25+ miles/$1). Rocketmiles earns a flat amount per booking (often listed per night), which makes it harder to compare value directly — a “5,000 miles per night” offer could be excellent or mediocre depending on the room rate. On Rove, you always know your earning rate before you book.
Which Programs You Can Earn Into
Rocketmiles wins on breadth — 40+ programs including most major US airlines. If you’re a Delta SkyMiles collector or Southwest Rapid Rewards loyalist, Rocketmiles probably has your program. Rove’s 17 transfer partners are weighted toward international carriers (Flying Blue, Avios programs, Cathay, Etihad, JAL) and are better suited to award travel maximizers than to people who just want more Delta miles.
Beyond Hotels
Rove has a shopping portal and flight search. Rocketmiles is purely a hotel platform. If you want a single place to consolidate travel and shopping rewards, Rove is the more complete product.
Hotel Loyalty Points
Generally neither platform guarantees hotel points on your stay, but Rove has negotiated loyalty-eligible rates at some properties — meaning you can earn both Rove Miles AND Marriott/Hilton/IHG points. Rocketmiles typically strips your hotel loyalty earnings entirely in exchange for airline miles.
Pricing
Neither offers a best-rate guarantee. Rocketmiles prices are sometimes lower than booking direct, sometimes higher — always worth checking. Same applies to Rove. Neither platform should be your only stop when researching hotel prices.
Which One Should You Use?
Use Rove if:
- You want a transferable currency you can move to the best available partner
- You collect miles with international carriers (Flying Blue, Avios, Cathay, Etihad, JAL)
- You want to earn miles on everyday shopping, not just hotels
- You care about loyalty-eligible hotel bookings (earning Rove + hotel points)
- You’re building toward a specific award redemption and want flexibility on the transfer
Use Rocketmiles if:
- You’re loyal to a major US airline (Delta, United, American, Southwest, Alaska) and want to top up that specific account
- You prefer simplicity — pick your program, book, done
- You’ve already checked prices and Rocketmiles is competitive for a specific property
- Your target airline isn’t in Rove’s transfer partner list
Use Both:
There’s no reason to pick just one. Both are free. Check both when booking a hotel — whichever gives you better value (either in miles or price) wins that booking. Rove also earns on shopping and flights, so it stays active even when you’re not booking hotels.
Verdict
Rocketmiles is the better pick if you have a specific US airline account you want to feed miles into and want the simplest possible experience. Rove is the better pick if you want a flexible currency, better hotel earning rates on a per-dollar basis, loyalty-eligible bookings, and a shopping portal on top.
For most award travel enthusiasts, Rove is the more interesting product — the transferable currency model gives you more options. But if you’re purely a Delta or United loyalist who just wants more miles in one place, Rocketmiles does that job efficiently.
Either way, sign up for both. They’re free, they stack, and you lose nothing by having both options available when you book your next hotel.
Get started with Rove: Use referral code IS054PRY for 2,500 free bonus miles → www.rove.com/?signup&referralCode=IS054PRY
See also: Rove referral code guide | Full Rove Miles review
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rove better than Rocketmiles?
It depends on your goals. Rove offers a transferable currency, higher per-dollar earning rates, a shopping portal, and loyalty-eligible hotel bookings. Rocketmiles has more airline partners (40+) and is simpler to use if you just want to top up a specific airline account. Most travelers benefit from using both.
Do Rove and Rocketmiles both require a credit card?
Neither requires a credit card to join. You do need a payment method to book hotels on either platform, but there’s no membership fee or card requirement to sign up and earn.
Can you earn hotel points on Rocketmiles bookings?
Generally no. Rocketmiles bookings typically replace your hotel loyalty points with airline miles. You get the airline miles, but not your Marriott, Hilton, or Hyatt points for the stay. Rove has some loyalty-eligible properties where you can earn both.
What is the Rove referral code?
IS054PRY — use it at signup for 2,500 free Rove Miles. Full details in our Rove referral code guide.
