Cash vs. Miles Valuation Engine
The question "Should I pay cash or redeem miles for this flight?" is something frequent flyers calculate manually before every single transaction. Find out instantly below.
Value You're Getting
How It Works
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Cents Per Mile (CPM) We take the cash price of the ticket, subtract any taxes & fees you'd still have to pay on the award ticket, and divide the remainder by the miles required.
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Your Baseline Target Different currencies hold different values. A standard baseline for credit card points is often 1.5¢, while some airline miles might be valued at 1.2¢.
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Opportunity Cost Remember: when you fly on an award ticket, you don't earn miles for that flight. If the CPM is borderline, sometimes paying cash is better so you earn miles for a future trip!