Not exact matches
We based this range
on different types of spending, from those with the highest
rewards potential to the
lowest, and an AAdvantage miles value of $ 0.017 per mile (based
on sample
flight itineraries).
But because I was aggressively paying down my student loan debt while working full - time and taking extra work
on the side, I really needed a vacation, so I looked into something called «travel hacking» — creative ways of maximizing credit card
reward bonuses to redeem free or
low - cost
flights and hotel rooms.
Hopefully this wasn't too confusing, but the bottom line is that I believe using Chase Ultimate
Rewards points with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card can make for interesting «redemptions»
on lower cost
flights.
If you already have points with JetBlue or Southwest, or have a stockpile of Ultimate
Rewards points
on hand, using them toward an award
flight can be a nice use, but the cash cost is
low enough that it's not worth applying for a new card specifically for the purpose of paying for
flights.
Doing the math, transferring American Express Membership
Rewards points to redeem
on JetBlue MINT
flights at the
low level equates to be 1.7 cents per point.
On certain
flights British Airways offers «
Reward Flight Saver» («RFS») awards which are awards where you pay Avios plus a
low flat fee instead of the taxes, fees and carrier charges.
Some airlines charge higher cancellation fees
on flights secured with cash or a debit / credit card — once an incentive to attract customers to their
rewards programs with the allure of
lower (or no) fees.
Overall, this partnership is good news because Virgin Atlantic is a transfer partner of American Express Membership
Rewards, Chase Ultimate
Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest, so there are now more options to book Delta
flights without having SkyMiles (though partners like Virgin Atlantic only get access to
low - level awards, meaning availability can be slim
on certain routes).
You are better off with other
low - cost business class offerings, like Philippine Airlines (reviewed here), or a longer, connecting
flight on a better airline
on reward flights!
We based this range
on different types of spending, from those with the highest
rewards potential to the
lowest, and an AAdvantage miles value of $ 0.017 per mile (based
on sample
flight itineraries).