Travel Points & Miles - What Are They Worth? [March 2023]

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

Upgraded Points’ March 2023 Points and Miles Valuations
Upgraded Points’ Highest-valued Points
Movers and News
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

Upgraded Points’ March 2023 Points and Miles Valuations
Upgraded Points’ Highest-valued Points
Movers and News
Final Thoughts

Upgraded Points’ March 2023 Points and Miles Valuations

Flexible Points Programs

Flexible Point Program	February 2023 Value (cents/point)	March 2023 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	1.8	1.8	$900 / $1,800
Brex Rewards	1.5	1.5	$750 / $1,500
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

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

Airline Loyalty Program	February 2023 Value (cents/point)	March 2023 Value (cents/point)	Value of 50,000 / 100,000 Points
Aer Lingus AerClub	1.25	1.25	$650 / $1,300
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	1.8	1.8	$900 / $1,800
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	$650 / $1,300
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles	1.3	1.3	$650 / $1,300
Delta Air Lines SkyMiles	1.2	1.2	$500 / $1,000
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	1.25	1.25	$650 / $1,300
JetBlue TrueBlue Miles	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	1.25	1.25	$650 / $1,300
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	1.3	1.3	$650 / $1,300
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Virgin Points	1.4	1.4	$700 / $1,400

Hotel Loyalty Programs

Hotel Loyalty Program	February 2023 Value (cents/point)	March 2023 Value (cents/point)	Value of 50,000 / 100,000 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 Hotels Americas 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 3 major 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.

Hot Tip: It is no secret that transferable points are our favorite rewards to earn, thanks to their flexibility and the powerful redemptions they offer. If you’d like more information on the major transferable point currencies, we’ve put together 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, 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

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

Amex Centurion Lounge New Guest Policy

On February 1, 2023, American Express updated its guest access policy for its popular Centurion Lounges to no longer allow cardholders to bring complimentary guests into the lounge with them.

Now, the fee to bring someone into the Centurion Lounge with you is $50 per adult and $30 per child between the ages of 2 and 17.

However, those who spend $75,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year will have the perk of complimentary access for 2 guests reinstated on their account.

Delta Cardholders Can Now Save 15% on SkyMiles Award Flights

Last month, Delta announced that many of Delta’s American Express credit cards get access to a key benefit: 15% savings on award flights, known as “TakeOff 15.”

This benefit is valid on all of Delta’s American Express credit cards with the exception of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card.

Fortunately, you don’t need to do anything extra to activate the benefit. Simply search for an award flight on the Delta website like you normally would, and the 15% discount will automatically be applied.

Keep in mind that the discount only applies to award flights operated by Delta or Delta Connection. Partner awards, like with SkyTeam partners Air France or Korean Air, won’t be discounted.

Hyatt Acquires Dream Hotel Group

Despite Hyatt’s limited footprint of 1,200 properties, the hotel chain has been on a bit of a tear lately in adding new properties to its portfolio.

The acquisition includes the following hotels, along with a future management agreement with a further 24 properties from The Chatwal Hotels, Dream Hotels, Unscripted Hotels, and By Dream Hotel Group.

Korean Air Won’t Be Changing Its Frequent Flyer Program After All

In a surprising turn of events, Korean Air has suspended the implementation of its new SKYPASS program, which was slated to start on April 1, 2023.

This is fantastic news for award travelers as the changes were largely negative and included items like moving from a region-based award chart to a distance-based award chart, increasing mileage redemption costs, increasing requirements to earn elite status, and lowering the number of miles you would earn on economy tickets.

New Opportunities To Purchase Points

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

Hot Tip: Keep 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

Final Thoughts

While the value of points and miles can vary, you want to ensure you’re getting 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. These points are extremely flexible given the number of Amex airline and hotel partners. Membership Rewards also offers good transfer rates with a ton of redemption options, ensuring you can get the most out of your points.

Featured Image Credit: lovelyday12 via Shutterstock

Frequently asked questions

What are points and miles worth?

Unfortunately, there is no single set value for most points and miles programs. So the valuation is entirely subjective and depends on what the 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 often gain or lose transfer partners, change the number of miles required for a given route, or sometimes even ditch their award charts altogether.

When these things happen, certain programs’ miles or points can increase or decrease in usefulness based on the changes that were made.

Are points and miles the same thing?

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

How many points do you need for a free flight?

That will depend entirely on the type of points you have, and where you’re hoping to fly. Each airline loyalty program has its own 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 will depend on how expensive the cash price of the ticket is.

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About Jarrod West

Jarrod has been writing about the ins and outs of credit cards and loyalty programs, along with airlines and hotels, for over 6 years. He is regularly called upon to share his expertise on the latest news within the space, and has been featured in publications such as Matador Network, The New York Times, RetailMeNot, and Yahoo! Finance. Jarrod has over 20 credit cards in his wallet and has tested out dozens more in order to vet the very best card options for readers. As he is constantly sampling new cards, Jarrod also earns (and redeems) over 1 million points and miles each year. This allows him to book luxury travel experiences the world over, and save tens of thousands of dollars in the process.

Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.

17 comments

Daniel October 7, 2021

I was wondering if anything had changed with Avios, and their AerClub program? I just tried to book a flight using my Avios, and the Avios to dollar value was nowhere near what your site (or other similar sites) said it was. For example, in the article above it says that 100,000 Avios is worth about $1,300. On Aer Lingus’s site today (October 7, 2021), 100,000 is worth $640 – less than half that amount. The lowest estimate I found anywhere was 1 point worth 1 cent. This is 1 point worth .64 cents, a huge drop off.
Also, there was no option to choose how many Avios points you could use. I have 150,000 Avios points, and it would only let me select from a few options they presented, the maximum of which was 81,350 Avios ($526). So my flight total was coming to 81,350 Avios + $1,500 cash. Does this sound right? Am I trying to use Avios completely wrong?
I’m freaking out because I’ve been saving these points for almost two years thinking they would be worth close to $2,000, and now they look like they are almost useless.

Reply
- Jarrod West October 22, 2021
  
  Hi Daniel,
  
  That is our valuation for Avios when redeeming through British Airways, which has a significantly better award chart than Aer Lingus. Trying doing your award search through British Airways instead and I’m confident you’ll find their quoted rates are much better than through Aer Lingus.
  
  Reply
ChickB November 14, 2021

Re: “ and on all other eligible purchases up to $5,000.” Shouldn’t that be “…over $5K”? Or did I carelessly miss that change?

Reply
- Jarrod West November 15, 2021
  
  Hi ChickB,
  
  You are correct that it is purchases larger than $5,000, so thanks for pointing that out!
  
  Reply
James Trumm April 7, 2022

I recently received a promotion for US Bank’s Altitude Connect Visa Signature card that included a 50k points bonus for a 4-month initial spend of $2k, no fee for the first year, $95/year thereafter, a credit for Global Entry, various other benefits, and what seem like generous points multipliers. I hadn’t heard of this points program before. The downside appears to be that US Bank has no airline transfer partners; I think you can only use the points to book travel through their portal. The promo claimed that the 50k points bonus was worth $500. Have you had any experience with or heard any reports of this program? How valuable are those points really?

Reply
- Jarrod West April 8, 2022
  
  Hi James,
  
  You can redeem US Bank points through its travel portal at a rate of 1 cent per point. So 50,000 points would be worth exactly $500 towards any travel purchase made through the portal.
  
  Reply
Natalia Cooper April 9, 2022

Got my Amex Platinum card based on your valuation of points. Got my 150K points but really they’re only worth about $1500 in Amex travel usage. It’s not bad but way off from what you’re quoting. Maybe you need an update on the value of the AMEX reward points.

Reply
- Christine Krzyszton April 9, 2022
  
  Hi Natalia. Congrats on getting your new card. Yes, if you redeem your Membership Rewards points via Amex Travel your points will be worth just 1 cent each. The highest potential value may be realized by transferring Membership Rewards points to airline or hotel partners where it’s possible to receive a value much greater than 1 cent per point.
  
  Reply
Holly May 1, 2022

So, with the Chase Sapphire Preferred points and welcome bonus ( 80,000 points after spending 4k in the first 3 months), how do I maximize those points? Do I have to convert them to travel in order to do so?
Anyone know if they give points for certain utilities or bills in general?

Reply
- Christine Krzyszton May 2, 2022
  
  Hi Holly. Redeeming your Ultimate Rewards points for travel does offer the best value for your points, however, there are additional options. You’ll earn 1 point per dollar on every purchase you make, including utilities, which is not a bonus category. Our review of the card can help you learn more about how the card earns points and it also provides links for learning about the best redemption options.https://upgradedpoints.com/credit-cards/reviews/chase-sapphire-preferred-card/
  
  Reply
tony July 25, 2022

Best Western?

Reply
- Jarrod West July 26, 2022
  
  Hi Tony,
  
  Usually, Best Western points are worth about 0.7 cents each.
  
  Reply
Ellen November 9, 2022

Lufthansa’s Miles&More partners have totally ruined my 2week holiday abroad. I don’t recommend the websites through which (with M&M logo) one has to order, the selection of offers is appalling and I haven’t seen anything worse. No compensation, no care. You’re better off using the sites directly, without points though. You’re actually better off not bothering with their “loyalty programmes” unless you want to be screwed.

Reply
Anna November 20, 2022

Hi there,
I am planning a trip to Dubai for a family of 6 and am interested in how to use my points towards purchasing airline tickets. Is there a tutorial on how to accumulate/purchase/redeem the points?
I would appreciate your help very much!

Anna

Reply
- Jarrod West November 22, 2022
  
  Hi Anna,
  
  There sure is! Our ultimate beginner’s guide to points and miles will catch you up with everything you need to know to get started.
  
  Reply
Mike January 30, 2023

Hi, I have been taking with Amex all morning, and their points are 1 cent per, not 2.2 cents per as you mention.

Reply
- Jarrod West January 30, 2023
  
  Hi Mike,
  
  2.2 cents per point is our valuation at Upgraded Points based on the large savings we receive by utilizing the American Express transfer partners. If you simply redeem them though the Amex Travel portal, then yes the most value you can receive is 1 cent per point. That is why we highly recommend utilizing transfer partners.
  
  Reply

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Travel Points & Miles Valuations – How Much Are They Actually Worth? [March 2023]