There’s a lot of noise in the points world about squeezing out every last bit of value from your points. About booking overwater villas in Bora Bora or business class suites in the sky. And while those things are dreamy (and doable with points!), I’m going to let you in on a secret: those types of redemptions are not actually my priority.

My goal has always been to travel more often for less money, not to chase the single best redemption. Of course, those bougie travel experiences are lovely. But most of the time, I use points for economy flights and mid-tier hotels. I don’t focus on cents-per-point value when booking trips. Instead, I have a baseline of points values to know whether I’m getting a good deal, even if it’s not the best deal.

This post will help you determine whether you’re getting a good deal for your points.

The Quick Way to Check: Know Your Numbers

You don’t need a formula or a spreadsheet to know if you’re getting a good deal. You just need a few benchmark numbers in your back pocket so you can glance at a redemption and know whether to book it or skip it. So, here’s what I keep in mind when looking at award flights and hotels.

Related: All About Transfer Partners

Good Point Prices for Award Flights by Region

These numbers will shift around depending on the airline program, route, and season. But as a rough rule of thumb, 5,000 points per hour of flight time in economy or 10,000 points per hour in business class are good point prices to aim for.

Here are realistic one-way point ranges for what a solid redemption looks like:

Domestic U.S. flights and Mexico/Caribbean

Around 10,000-15,000 points one-way is a good price. If you’re seeing 25,000+ points for a basic domestic economy seat, that’s a sign to check the cash price before you book, since you might be better off paying cash or looking at other award flight options.

International economy for Europe

Around 25,000-30,000 points one-way is a solid price for a long-haul economy seat. This is easy to find with either Flying Blue or Virgin Atlantic.

International business class for Europe

Around 70,000-100,000 points one-way is where business class redemptions start to look like a great deal, since a cash ticket at that level would otherwise run several thousand dollars.

International economy for Asia

Around 35,000-45,000 points one-way is a solid price for a long-haul economy seat. Check out our Asia flights in this post.

International business class for Asia

Around 80,000-120,000 points one-way is where business class redemptions start to look like a great deal, since a cash ticket at that level would otherwise run several thousand dollars.

International economy for Africa and Australia

These tickets can be a little harder to find, and prices tend to be higher than other redemptions. Around 40,000-50,000 points one-way is a good price for a long-haul economy seat.

International business class for Africa and Australia

Around 100,000-150,000 points one-way is a good price for a business class flight to these regions. Don’t be put off by the bigger numbers compared to Europe or Asia; that’s just the nature of flying that far.

If you’re seeing numbers at or below these for the seat you actually want, book it and don’t look back. You don’t need to hold out for some legendary sweet spot you read about once to know you made a smart move. Remember, more trips for less money out of pocket is the goal.

Good Point Prices for Hotels by Chain

Hotel points work a little differently, since redemption costs vary widely across major chains and from property to property. However, here’s a rough benchmark for each major chain:

Marriott Bonvoy

30,000-50,000 points a night is a good price for a solid mid-range property. Aspirational resorts will run higher, often 75,000+ points a night.

Points can also be transferred from American Express, Bilt, and Chase. However, we usually reserve our Chase points for Hyatt and our Amex points for flights. We almost always earn Marriott points through Marriott cards.

Related: How to use Marriott 50k Free Night Certificates

IHG

30,000-60,000 points a night is a good price for a decent mid-range property, similar to what you’d expect from Marriott at that tier. Both Marriott and IHG use dynamic pricing, which means award night prices at the same property can swing wildly from day to day.

Points can be transferred from Chase, though we never do so since nightly rates can be higher and we like to stretch our points further. We earn IHG points through IHG cards.

Hyatt

15,000-25,000 points a night gets you a great mid-tier property, and Hyatt tends to offer some of the strongest value in the hotel world at the higher categories too.

Learn more about Hyatt and earning Hyatt points in this article. We like to transfer our Chase points to Hyatt. But note that recent changes have been made to some Chase cards and the Hyatt transfer ratio. You now need a premium card — we have the Chase Sapphire Reserve® — to transfer your points to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio.

Related: All About Hyatt Free Night Awards

Hilton Honors

Hilton point totals run bigger across the board, so expect numbers more in the 80,000-100,000 range for a mid-level stay. The bigger number isn’t a worse deal; it’s just how Hilton’s program is priced. Hilton cards also offer higher welcome bonuses, which help you earn Hilton points faster. Additionally, Amex points transfer to Hilton at a 1:2 ratio.

Related: All About Hilton Free Night Certificates

Wyndham

Wyndham runs on a flat-rate award chart, so most properties cost either 15,000 or 30,000 points a night regardless of room type, with select higher-tier resorts running up to 45,000-60,000. Since the pricing is so predictable, you don’t even need a benchmark here. If a property falls into Wyndham’s standard 15,000-point tier, it’s almost always a good deal compared to paying cash.

Points can be transferred to Wyndham from Chase, Citi, Capital One, Bilt, and Wells Fargo.

Why I Don’t Chase the “Best” Deal

Here’s the part that matters more than any chart: I’m not focusing on the single best redemption available. I’m focusing on traveling to more places, more often, with my family, for the lowest possible out-of-pocket cost. This may not be everyone’s goal, and that’s okay. But it’s my goal because it works best for my family.

Sometimes the “best” redemption on paper requires positioning flights, odd routing, or waiting months for the right award space to open up. That works great for some travelers. It doesn’t work for a large family trying to plan around school schedules, work schedules, activities, and social lives. A solidly good redemption you can actually book, on the dates you need, beats a theoretically perfect one you never end up booking.

Additionally, cashing out points to cover the cost of travel expenses gets a bad rap in the points and miles world. But we have done this many times for Disney trips and cruises. We got great value from those points because they helped us take trips we couldn’t otherwise afford.

Related: Save Money at Disney With DVC

FAQ

What’s considered a “bad” use of points? I hesitate to say bad, but there are some things that are less than good uses of points. Generally, anything redeemed for gift cards, magazines, merchandise, etc. I don’t focus on cents-per-point value, but I do make sure I’m getting at least a 1:1 value. This means every 100 points is worth $1. Non-travel redemptions are usually a much lower value.

Is it bad to cash out points to cover costs? Nope! This typically gives you that 1:1 value that’s the minimum I’m looking for. Often, transferring to airline and hotel partners can give you higher value (sometimes crazy things like 8x!), but covering the costs of Disney, cruises, or Airbnbs/VRBOs is also good value.

Do these benchmarks apply to airline-specific miles too, not just transferable points? Yes, the same logic applies to airline miles such as Delta SkyMiles and United MileagePlus. The exact numbers shift slightly by program, but the benchmarks above are a good starting point no matter which points or miles you’re using.

Should I avoid booking through my card’s travel portal entirely? Not necessarily. Bank travel portals are a perfectly fine option to explore. Just know that transferring to a partner airline or hotel usually stretches your points further than booking through a portal will. But it’s good practice to check both because you never know what deals you’ll find either way!

Related: All About Capital One Travel

How do I know if a hotel redemption is actually a good deal in the moment? Compare the point price you’re seeing against the benchmarks above for that chain. If you’re landing at or below those numbers for a property you actually want to stay at, go ahead and book it. Be sure to check cash prices as well. If rates are very low, cash may be a better option.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need to hit some specific mark on every redemption to know you’re getting a good deal for your points. If you’re landing in the ranges above and using your points to travel more with your family, you’re doing it right. The real win isn’t the lowest point price you’ve ever squeezed out of a single booking. It’s the number of trips you’ve taken that you wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise.

---