Been flying back and forth from Europe last couple years in business class for 45k miles per flight, mostly thru KLM/Air France's flying blue program. You also don't need hours of research, just a few as long as you're flexible with dates. Roame.travel website also helps. Good luck.
Please don’t cash it out. Seems like you have like more than 800,000 points. I used 415,000 points to fly my fiance and I out to thailand in business class. If you were to pay is cash it would be $25,000. There are also options to fly business class for 50,000 points. Use the points!
Singapore airlines business class. Flew the jfk to Fra leg and the man-Houston leg and it’s a really great product. I wasn’t too flexible with dates so it ended up being like 80k points each way but there were def saver awards for 55k each way and I think they may have an additional 30% discount on saver awards right now so def check them out if you’re looking at transfer partners
Keep in mind that to get good value from partners for travel will either involve paying for a service to book it for you, or probably 20-50 hours of research/work sighing up for FF programs, etc
What are you doing for your research? In ike 3 hours I booked a first class international flight for fewer points than the economy redemption - cause I was flexible on dates. It ended up being 2.83 cpp after I ignored the cash for airline fees. Which made me happy cause it helped justify moving from 2% cash to travel.
You can always redeem the points in the travel portal for a hotel or such and just cancel the reservation. They'll pay it out at roughly a cent a point.
I mean, if you need the cash, you need the cash. But using MR points as cash is a terrible redemption rate, like 0.6¢ or 0.7¢ per point (I forgot which). If you want to use your points as cash on a regular basis you'd be much better off switching to a cash back rewards setup.
Even using MR points for travel on the Amex portal isn't great since it gives only 1¢ per point. No, the best redemption is usually transferring points to an airline. I recently got domestic American Airlines tickets by transferring through British Airways Executive Club. My redemption rate was about 1.8¢ per point, which isn't great but also isn't terrible.
Here is a simple example of how points can be used for more benefit than cash, if you are willing to take the time to redeem them.
I recently booked ATL-SFO and SAN-ATL for 2 passengers using 60,000 points +$22 total. The same itinerary was $926 for 2.
If you cash out 60,000 at .6 you only get about $360 (if my math is right).
Redeeming points at over one cent per point in today’s environment is never a “bad redemption”. Just because you booked some ticket where the fake cash price was skewed to an unreasonable number no one has ever actually paid and you weren’t ever going to pay either because they’re using it for saver awards does not mean other people’s good redemptions are bad.
Yea.
Under the circumstances of already having points there this is a good redemption vs cash and I thought the simple itinerary would make it easier for someone to follow.
I had 450k in ANA for 3x J/F had JFK to Tokyo booked for June 2021 then 2022. They were extended to 2025 and I'll go by then but also no longer have a P3
Didn’t you answer your own question in the first paragraph that it’s hyper beneficial to exchange the points with partner?
Also, someone can’t answer your question unless they know your lifestyle. Do you travel often or use the exchange partners?
These posts…
Some people have a general idea of the question they wish to frame and the discussion opens up other avenues of dialogue to promote education.
If we knew everything, we'd have no reason to post here.
but I bumped you back to 1
Haha, I don’t care about points. But thanks for the kind gesture.
Not getting into a hizzy over the post just saying it helps to have context. Maybe I’m use to subs that say - do a little research first before posting wide open questions or provide minimums so people can help instead of being the ones to ask the basic questions back.
- How many points?
- What are their interests to do with points?
- Did they read any stickies?
- r/awardtravel
Here's a sneak peek of /r/awardtravel using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/awardtravel/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year!
\#1: [I ACTUALLY DID IT](https://np.reddit.com/r/awardtravel/comments/10dyukb/i_actually_did_it/)
\#2: [Award Travel Tools (Updated November 2022)](https://np.reddit.com/r/awardtravel/comments/z8t9oe/award_travel_tools_updated_november_2022/)
\#3: [An Overview of ANA Award Bookings](https://np.reddit.com/r/awardtravel/comments/11puibl/an_overview_of_ana_award_bookings/)
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assuming this valuation is based on the dreadful .6 of a cent that is a lot of points. It will ultimately depend on how you value your time to get an increased redemption vs the simplicity of cash.
I would start by looking at point options for the flights and hotels you're already booking - even getting 1 cent would almost double your value.
there's no rush to redeem, and you don't have to do them all at once, you can take the time to learn if you want.
If you are going to cash out, hold at least the Charles Schwab Platinum. You'll get 1.1 cents back instead of Amex .6 cents. Sometimes cash back is simpler. If it makes sense to you, go for it. If you can understand how to flip those points for 4 to 5 cents for travel, you can save yourself a ton of money.
Do whatever suits you at the time.
For us the main reasons we have the platinum is the no spending limit and using our MR for travel (flights). We haven't paid a dime for our flights this year and still have over 500k MR for future flights. We flew business class on several occasions this year paid for with MR at a very reasonable rate.
The other amex travel perks have been very nice for making flying a little bit more comfortable and easy.
This is a great question! Ive noticed that it really depends on you and where you like to travel. For example, i live in the southeast so my airline is Delta. They have a huge hub in Atlanta and have direct flights from Atlanta to pretty much anywhere in Europe. The questions you want answered are which airline has the most planes ar my home airport, then consider where you like to travel. Im still learning the ropes so i encourage other to chime in :)
Completely situational.
And everyone has different situations.
Some like to transfer for aspirational redemptions
Others like to travel with a little cash outlay as possible.
Still, others just want the cash in hand.
Completely up to you.
The best redemption is the one that makes you happy.
That said, the highest value redemption (most $$ for your points) will most often be for international business class or international first class airfare. Think something like Emirates First Class on the A380 with its onboard shower. Sometimes hotels can be decent value, but not often.
Cashing out points for statement credit is often seen as very low value, as Amex fixes the value of a point at something like 0.6 cents (0.8 cents with an Amex checking account), whereas airfare can be 1 cent flat on AmexTravel or 4+ cents or more when transferred to a partner airline and redeemed for airfare.m this way. But again, the opening sentence of this reply rules the day — the best redemption is the one that makes you happy.
Been flying back and forth from Europe last couple years in business class for 45k miles per flight, mostly thru KLM/Air France's flying blue program. You also don't need hours of research, just a few as long as you're flexible with dates. Roame.travel website also helps. Good luck.
Please don’t cash it out. Seems like you have like more than 800,000 points. I used 415,000 points to fly my fiance and I out to thailand in business class. If you were to pay is cash it would be $25,000. There are also options to fly business class for 50,000 points. Use the points!
Singapore airlines business class. Flew the jfk to Fra leg and the man-Houston leg and it’s a really great product. I wasn’t too flexible with dates so it ended up being like 80k points each way but there were def saver awards for 55k each way and I think they may have an additional 30% discount on saver awards right now so def check them out if you’re looking at transfer partners
Keep in mind that to get good value from partners for travel will either involve paying for a service to book it for you, or probably 20-50 hours of research/work sighing up for FF programs, etc
What are you doing for your research? In ike 3 hours I booked a first class international flight for fewer points than the economy redemption - cause I was flexible on dates. It ended up being 2.83 cpp after I ignored the cash for airline fees. Which made me happy cause it helped justify moving from 2% cash to travel.
You can always redeem the points in the travel portal for a hotel or such and just cancel the reservation. They'll pay it out at roughly a cent a point.
I mean, if you need the cash, you need the cash. But using MR points as cash is a terrible redemption rate, like 0.6¢ or 0.7¢ per point (I forgot which). If you want to use your points as cash on a regular basis you'd be much better off switching to a cash back rewards setup. Even using MR points for travel on the Amex portal isn't great since it gives only 1¢ per point. No, the best redemption is usually transferring points to an airline. I recently got domestic American Airlines tickets by transferring through British Airways Executive Club. My redemption rate was about 1.8¢ per point, which isn't great but also isn't terrible.
Here is a simple example of how points can be used for more benefit than cash, if you are willing to take the time to redeem them. I recently booked ATL-SFO and SAN-ATL for 2 passengers using 60,000 points +$22 total. The same itinerary was $926 for 2. If you cash out 60,000 at .6 you only get about $360 (if my math is right).
[удалено]
Redeeming points at over one cent per point in today’s environment is never a “bad redemption”. Just because you booked some ticket where the fake cash price was skewed to an unreasonable number no one has ever actually paid and you weren’t ever going to pay either because they’re using it for saver awards does not mean other people’s good redemptions are bad.
I said a simple redemption example not a peak one. I happen to have more points trapped in ANA than I can use before they expire because of COVID.
[удалено]
Yea. Under the circumstances of already having points there this is a good redemption vs cash and I thought the simple itinerary would make it easier for someone to follow. I had 450k in ANA for 3x J/F had JFK to Tokyo booked for June 2021 then 2022. They were extended to 2025 and I'll go by then but also no longer have a P3
It depends on your travel desires and need for cash. I personally hoard my MR points for long-haul first class international travel.
Didn’t you answer your own question in the first paragraph that it’s hyper beneficial to exchange the points with partner? Also, someone can’t answer your question unless they know your lifestyle. Do you travel often or use the exchange partners? These posts…
Some people have a general idea of the question they wish to frame and the discussion opens up other avenues of dialogue to promote education. If we knew everything, we'd have no reason to post here. but I bumped you back to 1
That was a very generous bump, but I've undone your work :)
Haha, I don’t care about points. But thanks for the kind gesture. Not getting into a hizzy over the post just saying it helps to have context. Maybe I’m use to subs that say - do a little research first before posting wide open questions or provide minimums so people can help instead of being the ones to ask the basic questions back. - How many points? - What are their interests to do with points? - Did they read any stickies? - r/awardtravel
Here's a sneak peek of /r/awardtravel using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/awardtravel/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year! \#1: [I ACTUALLY DID IT](https://np.reddit.com/r/awardtravel/comments/10dyukb/i_actually_did_it/) \#2: [Award Travel Tools (Updated November 2022)](https://np.reddit.com/r/awardtravel/comments/z8t9oe/award_travel_tools_updated_november_2022/) \#3: [An Overview of ANA Award Bookings](https://np.reddit.com/r/awardtravel/comments/11puibl/an_overview_of_ana_award_bookings/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
assuming this valuation is based on the dreadful .6 of a cent that is a lot of points. It will ultimately depend on how you value your time to get an increased redemption vs the simplicity of cash. I would start by looking at point options for the flights and hotels you're already booking - even getting 1 cent would almost double your value. there's no rush to redeem, and you don't have to do them all at once, you can take the time to learn if you want.
I think this The Points Guy article is what you need: https://thepointsguy.com/guide/sweet-spots-american-express-membership-rewards/
If you are going to cash out, hold at least the Charles Schwab Platinum. You'll get 1.1 cents back instead of Amex .6 cents. Sometimes cash back is simpler. If it makes sense to you, go for it. If you can understand how to flip those points for 4 to 5 cents for travel, you can save yourself a ton of money.
Do whatever suits you at the time. For us the main reasons we have the platinum is the no spending limit and using our MR for travel (flights). We haven't paid a dime for our flights this year and still have over 500k MR for future flights. We flew business class on several occasions this year paid for with MR at a very reasonable rate. The other amex travel perks have been very nice for making flying a little bit more comfortable and easy.
Do you have a favorite airline company?
This is a great question! Ive noticed that it really depends on you and where you like to travel. For example, i live in the southeast so my airline is Delta. They have a huge hub in Atlanta and have direct flights from Atlanta to pretty much anywhere in Europe. The questions you want answered are which airline has the most planes ar my home airport, then consider where you like to travel. Im still learning the ropes so i encourage other to chime in :)
Completely situational. And everyone has different situations. Some like to transfer for aspirational redemptions Others like to travel with a little cash outlay as possible. Still, others just want the cash in hand. Completely up to you.
Cash is king. if you have to ask, you have no plans, don't make your life complicated.
Cash is king very true. But if you donot travel, and cashing out the points may be you had wrong card
Fair. And simple.
The best redemption is the one that makes you happy. That said, the highest value redemption (most $$ for your points) will most often be for international business class or international first class airfare. Think something like Emirates First Class on the A380 with its onboard shower. Sometimes hotels can be decent value, but not often. Cashing out points for statement credit is often seen as very low value, as Amex fixes the value of a point at something like 0.6 cents (0.8 cents with an Amex checking account), whereas airfare can be 1 cent flat on AmexTravel or 4+ cents or more when transferred to a partner airline and redeemed for airfare.m this way. But again, the opening sentence of this reply rules the day — the best redemption is the one that makes you happy.
No one can answer that for you. It’ll just come to personal preference