Unpopular opinion: using points for flights isnt always the best deal

I wasted 50,000 Chase points on a domestic flight to Chicago last month when I could have paid $250 cash and saved the points for a better trip. Turns out the cash price was way lower than the point value, so I basically lost about $250 in value. Anyone else get burned by assuming points are automatically the smarter move?

3 comments

3 Comments

fiona_hunt7112d ago

Wait, did you check the actual cents-per-point value before booking or just assumed it was a good deal? A lot of folks don't realize the baseline is usually around 1.5 cents per point to break even. Sounds like you got less than half that on a $250 ticket for 50,000 points, which is rough.

the_viola12d ago

Thought @fiona_hunt71 was wildin but dang she was right, that's barely half a cent per point.

the_eric12d ago

Honestly I did the same thing with hotel points once, booked a "free night" and then realized I basically paid like $12 worth of points for a $200 room. Still stings when I think about it.