Experienced travel hackers know that redeeming credit card rewards for premium-cabin travel yields more value than booking travel in economy class. Although I agree with this strategy wholeheartedly, I also know that the more points and miles I redeem, the fewer trips I will be able to take.
To keep traveling the way I do, which is frequently, I apply for about four new credit cards per year and earn a welcome bonus every few months to keep rebuilding my rewards balances. I also maximize the cards I already hold and use them to earn a points multiplier in bonus spending categories whenever I’m not working on a minimum spending requirement for a welcome offer. This way, I always earn at least 2 points per dollar on all my spending.
However, my wanderlust is so insatiable that I don’t earn enough rewards fast enough to fly in business class exclusively. I also don’t earn enough points and miles to book all my flights solely with rewards. So, the only way for me to keep traveling at a fast pace is by being selective about when and how I redeem points.
Some points and miles purists believe that there’s no value to be found in redeeming rewards for economy flights, and I’m here to prove them wrong. Even though I book a lot of economy flights, I still get plenty of value in exchange for my credit card rewards.
Because I can get at least 1.5 cents per point in value by using Ultimate Rewards points through Chase Travel℠ with my Chase Sapphire Reserve®, this valuation has become my baseline for choosing to redeem points for airfare or pay cash. And trust me—it is not that difficult to exceed that value by transferring points to airline loyalty programs, even for economy flights.
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