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Points and miles can offer great value and help you travel the world for cheap. But in the points game, there are plenty who believe you need to use your points for business class or first class travel and not coach. And if you are someone who redeems your points for economy flights, are you wasting them?
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21 comments
Superb video and I agree 100%. As an economist, it's all a cost/benefit analysis. If you aren't ever buying first class flights with cash, then your personal demand curve isn't valuing first class flights at that dollar level anyways. So you can't use full fare first class valuation for your point value usage on those flights. You need to basically figure what pricing you would pay for first class tickets, and use that valuation to determine your cents per point. Also if you have status, you get an auto comfort+ upgrade when you book coach.
With my AA and Delta, I wait usually for specials economy fares to maximize the use of them. I’m going to probably use my Amex and Chase for either business class when going over seas or wait for great economy bookings. If I travel with my hubby who despises flying, I have to try and get him very comfortable and usually as fast as possible. So i have been amassing points so I can get him overseas, because he will need to pass out and sleep most of the way.
Waller dunking on people again
Good video. I try to use my points efficiency but I’m willing to use more for the dates I want with limited vacation time.
When it comes to points, I go with what costs me less points. Example, Wells Fargo has an option to pay with points of course or Cash Back to your card in 2,500 point increments. My hotel I booked cost $195. If I was to use points to book my hotel, it would have been 24,500 points. However, cash back option is 1:1 so $195 equated to 19,500 points. I had to use 20,000 points because of 2,500 point increments. In this option, I used less points doing the cash back than booking hotel with points. The other 500 points went towards paying down $5 on the card. Booking hotels or flights with points is not always the best option. If you can use points for 1:1 cash back, you may spend less points to cover the cost of your booking. Tip, if you can make an account with them: Navy Federal the best redemption when it comes to booking hotels with points. I compared all four I have accounts with: Chase, Wells Fargo, American Express, and Navy Federal. For the same booking and same dates, Navy Federal uses the least points to book with points.
With a family of four, your flying coach! Thanks Dustin.
Great video and I agree with you all the way. We travel in coach 98% of the time and I feel you can travel more if you spend less points per trip. Albeit, I am saving my points to fly my wife and I to New Zealand in business or first class. That will probably be the only time we fly in that class. I enjoyed this one Dustin. Take care and happy travels!
I use Amex transfer partners like Avianca, Virgin, and BA (for oneworld partners only) to book economy. But if it's a long haul and Amex is having a transfer bonus then I'll consider booking business
Preach! I have 4 kids and redeeming points for economy flights helps us travel more than we ever could without them. Sure I only average 2 cents/point on my redemptions, but I’m making memories with my family that I would never be able to make without points. Love the video!
First class and business class just requires to many damn points
Ya I have 2 kids so we fly economy always. We are okay in economy, to be honest I value hotel upgrades and lounge access so much more than flights since the value with kids is much higher – my family gets so much more for a resort with a great pool and free breakfasts for 2, than we would for a single person's upgraded ticket and we will always prefer to sit together. For flights we mainly just want to get the 4 tickets for the cheapest and most direct flight we can.
If booking with points, I typically look
at high value transfer partner opportunities first, then try to use up miles before flexible currency – typically burn those first before burning through my amex points… then i check redemption cost on travel portals – if i am going to use transfer partners, i will first check if i can get a cheaper price on the amex travel portal after 35% points back from the Business Platinum… for example, i was planning on booking hawaii flights for 35k points per ticket on singapore (transferred from amex) but I discovered that i could actually book flights to hawaii round trip for only 28k points per roundtrip ticket by using the Amex portal and getting points back…
*coughs * British Airways!!!
Since we usually fly Delta, I'm finding the travel portal to be the best option, unless there's an internal sale with miles (like recent Tokyo fares). I'm will happily pay for upgrades if the point value matches the cash price I would have paid anyways. If someone tells me a 30 minute lift in a hot air balloon costs $1,000, but they'll do it for 25,000 Bonvoy Points, am I really getting 4 cents per point? Probably still a good deal if you value it at $200, or .8 cents per point, but keep your dopamine in check. Any less than $200, and you are the one wasting your points for bragging rights.
PAAAALEEEEZEE, since I've been in points and miles, I 've only flown economy bcuz I just want to get to new places. I have done more travel using points and miles than I would have otherwise. I get to travel so much more from spend that I have to do every month. You think I care what ANYONE thinks? NOPE! I will fly biz class one day but it's not a priority. The adventure of seeing a new place IS!
Partly agree with you.
Great Video. To me personally, i rather see more places. I may not be getting the most cpp by flying coach but i value stretching my miles/points and see more countries and destinations wayyyyyyyy more than i value a comfortable seat. I could care less.
Need will make up demand. As a person with no kids I would only use my points for business. Never first or economy.
I find it's best for my need and that all that matters.
Let's not worry about the Jones's
Unless your churning or a high spender, the points will run out sooner rather than later. Economy simply allows to you to take more trips. Number 1 problem I hear from coworkers is that they have the time to travel, but not the money. You don’t want to run out of points if you still have the time to travel.
Sooner fan??
Travel should be enjoyable. After all, you're probably traveling as a vacation. And today, travel–particularly when flying lesser class seats–is becoming more stressful and less enjoyable. I'd rather pay a higher premium in total points/miles, and thus afford to travel less, if my experience is substantially improved. I prefer to think of travel as an experience, and thus, I don't want it to be miserable, I want to just be able to relax and enjoy the ride.
Think of it this way: If you're getting off the plane feeling refreshed, well rested, and in a great mood, it sets a tone for the rest of your time while at your destination. If you're getting off the plane feeling sore, tired, jet-lagged, harried, and/or generally stressed/agitated, that too sets a tone for the rest of your time while at your destination.
I don't care if you prefer to spend your miles on coach. I'm not going to tell you you're wrong. You do you boo boo.
I can typically get 1.3-1.8 CPP flying delta coach.