As the holiday season approaches, many travelers start to look at their stash of airline miles and points as potential ways to foot their travel expenses. Booking trips during peak times using airline miles and points could be a smart strategy to sidestep possible expensive plane tickets. Nonetheless, some currencies provide better value than others.
One might be surprised to understand that the miles of budgeted airlines actually worth the most. Here, we refer to Frontier Airlines whose miles have been found to provide the best deal in terms of value, coming at an estimated 1.8 cents each. This could be quite surprising for many frequent flyers who may overlook budget airlines when it comes to maximizing their airline miles and points.
The valuation by a personal finance website reveals that the flights costs for the period between December 22 and December 29 were evaluated against the miles needed for the same route. The study shows that Frontier Airlines miles give the most bang for the buck when compared to other major airline currencies.
Not far behind are American Airlines miles, which yielded about 1.6 cents per mile. In a joint third place, we have Southwest Airlines points and JetBlue points, each delivering a value of 1.4 cents apiece.
In contrast, some airline miles were found to be on the lower end of the scale. Take for instance, Spirit Airlines points were evaluated at 1 cent each, succeeded by Hawaiian Airlines miles at 1.1 cents, followed by Delta Air Lines and United Airlines miles at 1.2 cents each.
These figures are inevitably revised yearly taking into account various factors such as peak and non-peak travel periods and bringing up-to-date data into play. These valuations are real-world figures, not hypothetical or highly inflated valuations based on idealized circumstances. They give an estimated number of cents per point or mile when making award bookings.
But how is the value of an airline mile calculated exactly? Award flights often come with taxes and fees, typically a $5.60 fee for one-way tickets within the U.S. In determining the value of a mile, the cash price of the airline ticket is reduced by these tax charges, and the remaining balance is divided by the number of miles needed for the same ticket. This figure is then multiplied by 100 to ascertain the value of each airline mile in cents.
Estimating these values can help you assess whether or not you’re making the most out of your hard-earned airline miles. Also, there are free online tools that make this process much easier.
For instance, the Points Path, a free browser extension, which compares cash costs in real time to airline miles on various flight platforms. It shows whether redeeming rewards for a trip is truly a good deal or not. However, keep in mind that these calculations aren’t always set in stone and can vary based on various factors like the time of travel and availability. Planning well in advance and staying flexible with your dates can save you lots of airline miles, ensuring you get the most mileage out of your points.
In conclusion, the value of each air mile differs from one airline to another, and it’s paramount to stay updated on these valuations to fully benefit from your accumulating points and miles. This holiday season, make use of your miles wisely and secure the best travel deals possible.
