Travel Points and Miles Valuations — How Much Are They Actually Worth? [November 2020]

BY 

Andrew Kunesh

- UPDATED: November 29, 2020

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Update: Due to the spread of COVID-19’s effect on the travel industry, our monthly point valuations are being placed on hold, as the decrease in travel makes it that much more difficult to determine a current value. 

Unfortunately, there are no official answers on what points and miles are actually worth. In other words, airlines and hotels don’t give out their own point and mile valuations. Therefore, it’s up to you to make your own conclusions on that value. However, we’re here to help.

Many factors come into play when determining this metric. Below are questions you should ask yourself when evaluating the value of points and what we’ve taken into account to create our point and mile valuations:

• How valuable are these points?
• How flexible are these points and how many transfer partners are there?
• What are your redemption options?
• How much would you buy points and miles for?
• What’s the average redemption value from 3 different bookings?
• How abundant is award availability?

Upgraded Points’ November 2020 Points and Miles Valuations

Flexible Points Programs

Airline Loyalty Programs

Hotel Loyalty Programs

UP’s Highest Valued Points

Not all miles and points are created equal, so naturally, each category has its own winner with the highest valued points. Here’s why we ranked the highest valued points as such:

Transferable Points: American Express Membership Rewards Points

American Express Membership Rewards continues to be the king of transferable points. Amex partners with all alliances (SkyTeam, Star Alliance, and Oneworld), along with many non-alliance partners, so it’s easier to find award space compared to other transferable points. Some of Amex’s transfer partners include Qantas, Air Canada Aeroplan, and Emirates.

Airline Miles: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles

Alaska Airlines has the best of both worlds: a variety of partners and solid redemption rates. Some of Alaska’s partners include American Airlines, Emirates, Japan Airlines, and more. Redemption rates are lower than other partners across the board — for example, a one-way business class flight on Japan Airlines from the U.S to Tokyo costs just 55,000 Mileage Plan miles.

Hotel Points: World of Hyatt Points

World of Hyatt has the most reasonable redemption rates of all the major hotel chains. Further, we’ve found that there are virtually no blackout dates and that all hotels are on a standard award chart, so you’ll always pay the same price for a room at any hotel. This allows you to explore fantastic Hyatt redemption opportunities ensuring maximum value.

Movers

Naturally, the last few months have been slow due to the spread of COVID-19. But, fortunately, plenty of award space is starting to open up throughout 2021. While no one knows when we will be able to travel like normal again, looking forward to future travels is something we are all excited about.

The Coronavirus and Award Availability

This section isn’t dedicated to any specific airline or credit card award program, but it’s something you should keep on your points and miles radar.

You’re probably aware of the fact that the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has been affecting global markets and — of course — travel. According to CNBC, airlines have cut “hundreds of thousands” of flights, and major airline stocks have dwindled — but there is an upside to this.

We have seen an increase in business and first class award space over the past few weeks. Many premier airlines like Singapore Airlines, Emirates, and others have excellent last-minute award inventory — something usually not seen on long-haul awards.

Likewise, we’ve seen supercheap paid tickets over the past couple of weeks. Business class flights from Europe to the U.S. have been consistently pricing at under $1,500 on select routes. This is likely to continue through the COVID-19 scare, too.

Remember though: we can’t tell you if you should take these flights. Flying during the COVID-19 outbreak obviously comes with some risk, so do your own research, understand the risks, and determine if flying now is right for you.

Hot Tip: We’ve assembled a coronavirus guide for travelers, regularly updated, with everything you need to know about the virus, affected countries, symptoms, treatment, and what to do if your travel plans have been affected. 

Final Thoughts

While the value of points and miles can vary, you want to ensure that you’re getting a great value when redeeming those hard-earned points. When it comes to flexible points, Amex Membership Rewards points are valued at the highest cent per point. Given the number of Amex airline and hotel partners, these points are extremely flexible. Amex Membership Rewards also offers good transfer rates with a ton of redemption options. All of these elements ensure that you get the most of your points.