Strategizing Flight Reservations with Reward Points and Air Miles
In the world of travel rewards, credit card points can be a valuable asset for booking flights. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to use your points effectively through various travel portals.
Firstly, let's talk about the Chase Travel Portal and the Citi ThankYou Travel Portal. These platforms allow you to use your credit card points to book paid travel at a fixed cent-per-point rate. To book a flight through the Chase Travel Portal, log in to your Chase account, click on your Ultimate Rewards balance, click the Travel button, enter your flight details, and select the flight. The same process applies for the Citi ThankYou Travel Portal, just navigate to your ThankYou Points balance and follow the steps.
The value of miles is real money, and they should only be used when the price is right. To determine if a flight is worth using miles to book, start by finding the cheapest way to book the ticket, whether paid or using points. For example, if you want to book a flight from New York (LGA) to Chicago (ORD) and the average cost of a paid ticket is $175, you would search for the mileage cost of the ticket on Delta and United websites.
The cent-per-point value of redeeming 8,000 Delta SkyMiles for a $175 ticket is 2.18 cents per point. This value can vary depending on the airline and the route. If the value is below your valuations, consider paying cash. If the value is at or above your valuations, you may want to use points.
When booking through credit card travel portals, you'll still earn airline miles. This means you can accumulate miles for future flights while saving money on your current booking.
Transferable points currencies, like American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards, have multiple transfer partners, making valuation more complex. To determine the value of your points, you can refer to Upgraded Points' monthly points valuation article or figure your own valuations by finding 3 (or more) types of redemptions you make the most, calculating their cent-per-point value, and averaging these values together.
Some travel portals offer less value than points valuations but can be a better deal than using transfer partners for some cheap flights. For instance, the Capital One Travel Portal usually offers poor value for points, so it's recommended to use other points or cash for low-cost paid tickets. However, for expensive flights that are out of reach with cash, booking with points can be beneficial as it saves money.
There are times when booking a ticket with money is preferable over miles, such as when a paid flight is excessively cheap and using miles would result in a loss. For example, flights such as Singapore Suites, Emirates first class, and ANA first class often cost over $10,000 when paid in cash. In such cases, it might be wiser to pay in cash rather than using miles.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred card, and Ink Business Preferred Credit Card have a travel portal redemption rate of up to 2 cents via Points Boost with Chase Travel Portal. Similarly, the Citi Strata PremierSM Card and the Citi Prestige Card (closed to new applicants) have a travel portal redemption rate of 1.25 and 1.0 cents per point respectively with Citi ThankYou Travel Portal.
Lastly, it's worth mentioning that the American Express Travel Portal is not usually a great deal, but there are two instances when using Membership Rewards points to cover airfare booked with AmexTravel.com is recommended: having The Business Platinum Card from American Express and using the 35% points rebate on some flights booked with your pre-selected airlines through AmexTravel.com.
In conclusion, using credit card points for flights can be a great way to save money and book expensive flights that are out of reach with cash. By understanding the value of your points and finding the best deals, you can maximise your travel rewards and make your points work for you.
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