Deciding When To Redeem Points/miles For Travel

By Author: Steve Robinson
Total Articles: 468
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Travelers determined to travel cheaply are sometimes confused whether it is cheaper to pay cash or to redeem points/miles to purchase cheap airplane tickets and discount hotel rooms or cheap vacation packages.

Two free websites (PointHub and MileWise) debuted in August to help travelers decide when to redeem travel awards.

Regarding plane tickets, each site assumes miles are worth slightly more than one cent each. The sites do the math to determine if full value will be received if miles or points are used to purchase an airline ticket.

These sites are good for people who believe they have enough miles or points (usually earned through credit cards) to redeem awards for travel but do not want to do the math or research to determine the best deal. The sites help users quickly decide if a free plane ticket is a good deal or if discounted ticket prices are such it is preferably to pay in cash.

These sites are not recommended for travelers very knowledgeable about loyalty programs because they will find the sites too simplistic and likely miss upgrade opportunities and airlines real time seat availability.

One ...
... of the pluses of PointHub and MileWise is that they can pull together a variety of loyalty programs for airlines and hotel chains creating a simple single tracking package.

Once you have entered in your loyalty programs on either site you will be able to search for flights and hotels similar to how any online travel site works. The site will tell you what is available with the miles and points you have and compare them to what it would cost to pay cash for the same travel.

Once you have become a member of either site and entered in your frequent traveler information each site pulls up your point balances automatically going forward. Each site works with hundreds of major mileage and loyalty programs.

The biggest weakness of both sites is that many travelers do not make travel decisions on price alone and are willing to pay more for a preferred itinerary. Many travelers are not willing to travel on a free plane ticket if it requires a six hour layover.
www.cheapfares.com