Trip budgets, packing, insurance need, itinerary timing, points value, visas and booking-site scams — straight answers in seconds. The full detailed report costs less than a cup of coffee: $2.95.
Points balances feel like money until you try to spend them, and then the question is brutally specific: on this flight, for this date, are my points worth more than the cash price? This calculator answers with the only number that matters — cents per point for the exact redemption you are considering — and then layers in your card's earn rate to show the effective cashback your points habit delivers. The verdict is honest about the thresholds: when a redemption is genuinely good, when it is average, and when paying cash and saving the points is the smarter move.
See what your points or miles are really worth — cents per point on a specific redemption and the effective cashback your earning rate delivers — so you know when to redeem and when to pay cash.
Roughly 1.4-2+ cents per point is a strong redemption (typical on premium cabins and sweet-spot routes), 1-1.4 is average, and anything under 1 cent is usually better spent as cash — the calculator scores your specific booking against those lines.
If your card earns 2 points per dollar and those points redeem at 1.2 cents each, your effective rebate is about 2.4% — better than most cashback cards. Points value is really two numbers: what you earn and what you redeem for.
Almost never — those redemptions typically deliver under 1 cent per point, the worst value in most programs. Flights and targeted hotel nights are where points actually work for you.
Every tool answers instantly from our own knowledge and calculators. Want the deeper, personalised version? Each has a $2.95 full report.