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Use Points or Cash?

Use our calculator to decide

Values from YBCC Points & Miles Valuations · —

Your booking

Enter what the same booking costs each way. The dropdown shows Your Best Credit Cards' approximate value per point/mile.

$
Total you'd actually pay — including every tax and fee.
The award price for the same booking.
$
Taxes and fees you pay out of pocket on top of the points.
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Pick a program and enter a cash price and a points price.
We'll do the rest.

How to tell whether an award is worth it

Deciding whether to use points or pay cash comes down to one number: how much value you get per point. Divide the cash price of the booking by the number of points it would cost — after subtracting any taxes and fees you still have to pay on the award — and you get cents per point, or CPP. Compare that to what the points are realistically worth, and you have your answer. This calculator does that arithmetic for you using Your Best Credit Cards' own valuations for each program. Have your own valuations? In one click you can adjust the value of any point or mile to your own and then calculate your decision.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if an award booking is a good deal?

Work out your cents per point: take the all-in cash price, subtract the cash you'd still pay on the award booking in taxes and fees, and divide by the points required. If the result beats what the points are worth to you, use the points. If it doesn't, pay cash and keep the points for a redemption where they go further.

What is a point or mile actually worth?

There's no official exchange rate — a point is worth whatever you can reliably get for it. Our valuations are deliberately conservative: they reflect what a normal person should be able to get without hunting for rare premium-cabin awards. That means a "use points" verdict from this calculator is a cautious one.

What does cents per point (CPP) mean?

Cents per point is the value you're getting from a redemption, expressed in cents. If a $400 flight costs 20,000 points, that's 2 cents per point in value. It's the standard way to compare two redemptions that otherwise have nothing in common.

Should I ever pay cash when I have enough points?

Often, yes. Points are worth keeping when the redemption in front of you is a poor one — cheap cash fares and heavily discounted hotel rates are usually better paid for in cash. Paying cash for flights also normally earns you miles, which award bookings frequently don't.

Do taxes and fees change the maths?

Yes, and they're the most commonly forgotten part. An award that still charges several hundred dollars in carrier-imposed surcharges is nothing like a free ticket, and the comparison has to account for it. Enter the cash you'd still owe on the award and the calculator subtracts it before working out your value per point.

How this works: we multiply your points by YBCC's valuation for that program to get what they're worth in cash, add any cash you still owe on the award booking, and compare that to the all-in cash price. Valuations are the minimum you should be able to get, so a "use points" verdict is a conservative one. This is a decision aid, not financial advice.