What are points and miles worth?

There is no single set value for most points and miles programs. The valuation is entirely subjective and depends on what points are worth to you and how you plan to redeem them.

Why do Upgraded Points valuations change month to month?

Loyalty programs and the points or miles associated with them are constantly changing. Programs gain or lose transfer partners, change the miles required for a given route, or sometimes ditch their award charts altogether. When these things happen, certain programs’ miles or points can increase or decrease in usefulness based on the changes made.

Are points and miles the same thing?

The terms points and miles are used interchangeably, and it just depends on which term a given program calls its loyalty currency. Some loyalty programs refer to their currency as miles and others as points, but they have the same function.

How many points do you need for a free flight?

That depends entirely on the type of points you have and where you’re hoping to fly. Each airline loyalty program has its method for pricing redemptions. Some use an award chart where the number of miles needed for a certain flight route is predetermined. Others use revenue-based redemptions where the number of points needed for a free flight depends on how expensive the cash price of the ticket is.

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Travel Points & Miles Valuations — How Much Are They Actually Worth? [October 2024]

Updated: September 30, 2024, 5:45am CDT

Edited by:

Key Takeaways
Upgraded Points’ September 2024 Points and Miles Valuations
Upgraded Points’ Highest-Valued Points
Movers and News
Final Thoughts

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Key Takeaways

Points and miles valuations vary by program, with flexible points like Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards often valued higher.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles offers great redemption rates and many transfer partners.
Hyatt Hotels World of Hyatt Points offers reasonable redemption rates with all hotels using a standard award chart.

Credit cards, airlines, and hotels don’t publish points and miles valuations, so there are no official answers on what points and miles are worth. It’s up to you to come to your conclusions on that value.

But 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 we’ve taken them all 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’ September 2024 Points and Miles Valuations

Flexible Points Programs

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Flexible Point Program	August 2024 Value (cents/point)	September 2024 Value (cents/point)	Value of 50K or 100K 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	1.8	1.8	$900 / $1,800
Brex Rewards	1.0	1.0	$500 / $1,000
Capital One Miles	1.8	1.8	$900 / $1,800
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
Wells Fargo Rewards Points	1.5	1.5	$750 / $1,500

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

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Airline Loyalty Program	August 2024 Value (cents/point)	September 2024 Value (cents/point)	Value of 50K or 100K Points
Aer Lingus AerClub Avios	1.25	1.25	$625 / $1,250
Air Canada Aeroplan Points	1.5	1.5	$750 / $1,500
Air France-KLM Flying Blue Miles	1.3	1.3	$650 / $1,300
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles	1.6	1.6	$800 / $1,600
American Airlines AAdvantage Miles	1.4	1.4	$700 / $1,400
All Nippon Airways (ANA) Mileage Club Miles	1.4	1.4	$700 / $1,400
Asiana Airlines Asiana Club Miles	1.6	1.6	$800 / $1,600
Avianca Airlines LifeMiles	1.4	1.4	$700 / $1,400
Breeze Airways BreezePoints	1.0	1.0	$500 / $1,000
British Airways Executive Club Avios	1.25	1.25	$625 / $1,250
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles	1.3	1.3	$650 / $1,300
Delta Air Lines SkyMiles	1.2	1.2	$600 / $1,200
Emirates Skywards Miles	1.1	1.1	$550 / $1,100
Etihad Airways Etihad Guest Miles	1.4	1.4	$700 / $1,400
Frontier Airlines FRONTIER Miles	1.1	1.1	$550 / $1,100
Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles	0.9	0.9	$450 / $900
Iberia Plus Avios	1.25	1.25	$625 / $1,250
JetBlue TrueBlue Points	1.3	1.3	$650 / $1,300
Korean Air SKYPASS Miles	1.6	1.6	$800 / $1,600
Lufthansa Miles & More Miles	1.3	1.3	$650 / $1,300
Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios	1.25	1.25	$625 / $1,250
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Miles	1.35	1.35	$675 / $1,350
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Points	1.3	1.3	$650 / $1,300
Spirit Airlines Free Spirit Points	1.1	1.1	$550 / $1,100
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Miles	1.3	1.3	$650 / $1,300
United Airlines MileagePlus Miles	1.2	1.2	$600 / $1,200
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Virgin Points	1.4	1.4	$700 / $1,400

Hotel Loyalty Programs

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Hotel Loyalty Program	August 2024 Value (cents/point)	September 2024 Value (cents/point)	Value of 50K or 100K Points
ALL – Accor Live Limitless Rewards Points	2.3	2.3	$1,150 / $2,300
Best Western Rewards Points	0.6	0.6	$300 / $600
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 One Rewards Points	0.5	0.5	$250 / $500
Marriott Hotels Marriott Bonvoy Points	0.7	0.7	$350 / $700
Radisson Rewards 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 most valued points. Here’s what we ranked as the highest-valued points and why:

Transferable Points: American Express Membership Rewards Points

American Express Membership Rewards continues to be the king of transferable points. Amex partners with all 3 major alliances (SkyTeam, Star Alliance, and Oneworld) and many non-alliance partners, so finding award space with them is easier than with other transferable points. Amex transfer partners include Qantas, Air Canada, and Emirates.

Hot Tip:

It is no secret that transferable points are our favorite rewards, thanks to their flexibility and the powerful redemptions they offer. If you’d like more information on the major transferable point currencies, we’ve compiled complete guides on how we value Amex Membership Rewards points, Chase Ultimate Rewards points, Capital One miles, and Citi ThankYou Points.

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, and Singapore Airlines.

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 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

It was a busy month in the world of points and miles. Here is what made waves last month:

Amex Centurion Lounge To Open in Salt Lake City in 2025

American Express has chosen Utah’s capital as the next location for its exclusive lounge, and it’s slated to open its doors in 2025. When the lounge opens sometime in 2025, Salt Lake City (SLC) will be the 15th Centurion Lounge location in the U.S.

It will be located in the airport’s new Concourse B and is part of the fourth phase of The New SLC Airport Redevelopment program.

Highlights to look forward to include:

Nearly 16,000 square feet of space
A temperature-controlled outside terrace with views of aircraft and the Wasatch Mountains
All-day food by an award-winning Resy Chef
Proper barista coffee for that pre-flight espresso or cold brew hit
2 bars with cocktails that take inspiration from the local area and wines selected by Anthony Giglio, the wine director and sommelier for Centurion Lounges
A dedicated wellness area

Bilt Rewards Drops Hawaiian Airlines as a Transfer Partner

Bilt Rewards launched in 2021 with the main premise of earning rewards on rent payments. Since then, the company has grown substantially, adding valuable 1:1 transfer partnerships with key airline and hotel loyalty programs.

Bilt lost American Airlines as a transfer partner in June of this year. To compensate for this loss, Bilt added Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan to its list.

Earlier this month, news broke that the Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines merger will move forward. Additionally, Bilt has stated that its initial 3-year agreement with Hawaiian Airlines has ended, removing the carrier as a transfer partner. However, given the pending merger, Bilt claims that booking Hawaiian Airlines flights with Bilt points should return, though that’s assuming that the Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines frequent flyer programs combine into 1.

In all fairness, Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles was never a compelling transfer partner. We value Hawaiian miles at just 0.9 cents apiece — half of our valuations of Bilt points at 1.8 cents apiece.

Hyatt Acquiring The Standard and Bunkhouse Hotels Brands

Hyatt plans to acquire Standard International, the parent company of The Standard and Bunkhouse Hotels. These lifestyle hotel brands offer some incredible properties in excellent destinations around the globe.

The Standard hotels are … not standard. They have unique designs in London, New York City, Miami, Maldives, and more. Plus, The Standard properties are coming soon to Singapore, Lisbon, Brussels, and Mexico.

Bunkhouse Hotels are one-of-a-kind properties that “offer more than just a good night’s sleep and a great cup of coffee.” You’ll find properties in California, Kentucky, Texas, and Mexico.

In acquiring Standard International, Hyatt plans to launch a new lifestyle brand. This acquisition will bring 21 open properties with 2,000 hotel rooms into World of Hyatt. It also covers more than 30 projects with signed agreements or letters of intent. Some will open within 12 months: The Standard, Pattaya Na Jomtien; The StandardX, Bangkok Phra Arthit; Bunkhouse Hotels Saint Augustine; and Hotel Daphne.

Qatar Airways Devalues Avios for American and Alaska Awards

Qatar Airways Privilege Club offers distance-based award pricing, similar to Avios partners like British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus.

The pricing for award flights with Alaska and American Airlines has been quite attractive when using Qatar Avios. However, Qatar Airways Privilege Club has unexpectedly raised the award costs for these redemptions.

The cost for a one-way flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Miami International Airport (MIA) is now 13,000 Avios. Before the devaluation, the price of that flight was 9,000 Qatar Avios. That’s quite a significant increase after the devaluation — a 44.4% increase in the price.

The devaluation applies to all American and Alaska cabins, including business class. Previously, Qatar charged 16,500 Qatar Avios for this Alaska Airlines flight in business class from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). That same flight now costs 27,000 Qatar Avios. That’s a substantial increase of over 60% in the award price.

Here is a look at the difference in cost from previous award pricing and what we see now after the devaluation in Qatar Avios.

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Flight Distance

Old Pricing

New Pricing

Less than 650 miles

6,000 Avios in economy

12,500 Avios in business

9,500 Avios in economy

20,000 Avios in business

651 to 1,150 miles

9,000 Avios in economy

16,500 Avios in business

13,000 Avios in economy

27,000 Avios in business

1,151 to 2,000 miles

11,500 Avios in economy

22,000 Avios in business

14,500 Avios in economy

34,000 Avios in business

2,001 to 3,000 miles

13,000 Avios in economy

38,700 Avios in business

16,000 Avios in economy

43,000 Avios in business

You Can Now Earn American AAdvantage Miles and Loyalty Points on Paid Upgrades

As of August 14, all paid upgrades on American Airlines will be eligible to earn AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points. The number of Loyalty Points you earn will depend on how much the paid upgrade costs and what level of elite status you have in the AAdvantage program:

AAdvantage (regular) Member: 5x miles
Gold: 7x miles
Platinum: 8x miles
Platinum Pro: 9x miles
Executive Platinum and Concierge Key: 11x miles

If you were considering upgrading your flight with a buy-up offer, this added incentive to earn miles and elite-qualifying points is a fantastic benefit for travelers.

New Opportunities To Purchase Points

If you need to boost your mileage balances but aren’t in the market for a new credit card, here are the latest opportunities to purchase points with a bonus:

Hot Tip:

Track of the latest point purchase promotions and discounts on our dedicated page, which we update each time a new promotion launches.

New Airline Route Changes

Here are the airlines that announced last month that they were adding, removing, or relaunching routes:

U.S. Airlines

International Airlines

New Hotel Openings

Here’s the latest on hotel openings:

Hilton

Hyatt

IHG

Marriott

Boutique and Luxury Properties

Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor Now Open in Spain — How To Book

Final Thoughts

The value of points and miles can vary, but you should always ensure you get 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. With many Amex airline and hotel partners, these points are highly flexible. Membership Rewards also offers good transfer rates with many redemption options, ensuring you can get the most out of your points.