At first glance, travel rewards programs are appealing. Who doesn’t want a free flight or hotel stay?

The catch, though, as any program member can attest to, is it’s not always easy to maximize travel rewards. It’s easy to join a loyalty program, but spending the money and time required to earn anything substantial is difficult.

Some programs are more worth your time than others. Now in its fifth year, U.S. News and World Report announced its Best Travel Rewards Programs rankings to help travelers decide which program is right for them.

To create the rankings, U.S. News evaluates programs based on key attributes travelers value, such as the size and diversity of each airline and hotel network and how long it takes to accumulate miles or points for rewards.

Taking top honors for hotel programs this year, and unseating Wyndham, is Marriott. The study cited the volume of properties available to members for booking as a main criterion for winning. Rounding out the top five hotel loyalty programs, following Marriott Rewards, is Wyndham Rewards, Choice Privileges, World of Hyatt and Best Western Rewards.

For the second consecutive year, Alaska Airlines dominates airline rewards programs. Its position is driven by its distance-based loyalty program, which lets passengers flying discounted fares continue to earn elite status. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines employ a revenue-based program, requiring passengers to fly a certain number of miles and spend a certain amount of money each year to earn elite status.

Following Alaska Airlines for top airline loyalty programs are Delta SkyMiles, JetBlue TrueBlue, Southwest Rapid Rewards and United MileagePlus.