Travel Points & Miles Valuations – How Much Are They Actually Worth? [October 2021]
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Credit cards, airlines, and hotels don’t give out their own point and mile valuations, so, unfortunately, there are no official answers on what points and miles are actually worth. 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?
Table of contents
Table of Contents
Upgraded Points’ October 2021 Points and Miles Valuations
Flexible Points Programs
| Flexible Point Program | September 2021 Value (cents/point) | October 2021 Value (cents/point) | Value of 50,000 / 100,000 Points |
| Amex Membership Rewards Points | 2.2 | 2.2 | $1,100 / $2,200 |
| Bank of America Preferred Rewards | 1.0 | 1.0 | $500 / $1,000 |
| Barclaycard Arrival Miles | 1.0 | 1.0 | $500 / $1,000 |
| Bilt Rewards | 1.5 | 1.5 | $750 / $1,500 |
| Brex Rewards | 1.5 | 1.5 | $750 / $1,500 |
| Capital One | 1.4 | 1.4 | $700 / $1,400 |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards Points | 2.0 | 2.0 | $1,000 / $2,000 |
| Citi ThankYou Rewards Points | 1.6 | 1.6 | $800 / $1,600 |
| Diners Club Rewards Points | 2.0 | 2.0 | $1,000 / $2,000 |
Hot Tip: Use our dedicated transfer partner tool calculator to review transfer ratios, times, and bonuses for all major flexible point programs.
Airline Loyalty Programs
Hotel Loyalty Programs
| Hotel Loyalty Program | September 2021 Value (cents/point) | October 2021 Value (cents/point) | Value of 50,000 / 100,000 Points |
| ALL Accor Live Limitless Points | 2.3 | 2.3 | $1,150 / $2,300 |
| Choice Hotels Choice Privileges Points | 0.6 | 0.6 | $300 / $600 |
| Hilton Hotels Hilton Honors Points | 0.5 | 0.5 | $250 / $500 |
| Hyatt Hotels World of Hyatt Points | 1.5 | 1.5 | $750 / $1,500 |
| IHG Hotels & Resorts IHG Rewards Points | 0.5 | 0.5 | $250 / $500 |
| Marriott Hotels Marriott Bonvoy Points | 0.7 | 0.7 | $350 / $700 |
| Radisson Hotels Radisson Rewards Americas Points | 0.25 | 0.25 | $125 / $250 |
| Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Wyndham Rewards Points | 0.9 | 0.9 | $450 / $900 |
Upgraded Points’ 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, 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 Oneworld partners include American and Japan Airlines, and the airline’s non-alliance partners include Emirates, Korean Air, Singapore 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 and News
Alaska Launches MVP Gold 100K Status
Last month, Alaska finally released the details of its newest MVP Gold 100K status. Alaska’s new top-tier status offers a 150% mileage bonus, first and Premium Class upgrades on Alaska non-qualifying fares 120 hours out with the highest priority, 2 international upgrade certificates on American Airlines, and complimentary alcoholic beverages and a snack on flights. Alaska claims it plans to introduce more benefits for the MVP Gold 100K tier in 2022.
To qualify for the new status level you’ll need 100,000 qualifying miles flown, or 140 segments, with Alaska Airlines, Oneworld alliance, or any other Alaska global partners. Alaska also requires that qualification by either miles or segments must include a minimum of 24 flights marketed and operated by Alaska Airlines.
Highest Bonuses Yet for Marriott Bonvoy Cards
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card, and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card came out with their highest welcome offers yet recently! All of these offers are available for a limited time.
- New Marriott Bonvoy Boundless cardholders can earn 125,000 points and 1 Free Night Award (up to 50,000 points) after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.
- New Marriott Bonvoy Bold cardholders can earn 60,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months.
- New Marriott Bonvoy Business cardholders can earn 125,000 points and 2 Free Night Awards (up to 50,000 points) after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Offer expires 11/3/2021.
- New Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant cardholders can earn 150,000 points and 1 Free Night Award (up to 85,000 points) after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Offer expires 11/3/2021.
Air Canada Status Match Opportunity
Air Canada Aeroplan recently introduced an incredible status match opportunity that you should definitely take advantage of if you can.
Better yet, matching your status to Aeroplan is quick and easy. Simply sign up for an Air Canada account, then apply for the status match.
You’ll then receive your Aeroplan status and benefits until December 31, 2021. To extend your status until December 31, 2022, all you have to do is take 1 paid round-trip flight with Air Canada by January 15, 2022.
Here is the level of elite status you will receive with Air Canada based on the elite status in your current program:
| Air Canada Aeroplan Elite | American AAdvantage | Delta SkyMiles | Alaska Mileage Plan | JetBlue TrueBlue | Southwest Rapid Rewards | Hawaiian HawaiianMiles |
| 25K | Gold | Silver | MVP | Mosaic | A-List | Gold/Platinum |
| 35K | Platinum | Gold | MVP Gold | A-List Preferred | ||
| 50K | Platinum Pro | Platinum | MVP Gold 75K | Companion Pass | ||
| 75K | Executive Platinum | Diamond | ||||
| Super Elite | ConciergeKey | 360° |
As you can see, this is an exceptional opportunity for Southwest Companion Pass holders, as you can relatively easily attain this status through credit cards alone and then be matched to Air Canada Aeroplan 50K Elite that offers Star Alliance Gold status.
Final Thoughts
While the value of points and miles can vary, you want to ensure you’re getting a great value when redeeming those hard-earned points. When it comes to flexible points, Amex Membership Rewards points are valued the highest on a cent-per-point basis. Given the number of Amex airline and hotel partners, these points are extremely flexible. Membership Rewards also offers good transfer rates with a ton of redemption options, ensuring you can get the most out of your points.
