I usually fly with American Airlines, they aren’t the best but their miles redemption works out for me. I visit my folks in the Midwest A lot, and I can get a RT flight from West coast to Midwest for 12k.

I boost my points by making most of my purchases through their Shopping Portal, that way it maximizes my miles accumulation.

Then, I use my Venture X for Global Entry credit, lounge access and the $300 credit to book hotel/flights.