Points and Miles Calculator: Should you use cash or rewards for your trip?

Many credit card rewards program offer cardholders the chance to earn points and miles they can redeem for travel. But how do you know whether you're getting a better value by redeeming points or using cash? Bankrate's calculator uses our proprietary point/mile valuations to help you determine when to redeem vs when to pay out of pocket

How to use the points and miles calculator

This calculator is perfect if you’re trying to decide whether to book your next flight or hotel stay with cash or rewards. You worked hard to earn those points and miles — this calculator can help you make sure you're using them wisely. Here's how it works:

Choose your loyalty program: Select a loyalty program (from an issuer, airline, or hotel) for which you want to compare redemption value to cash.
Enter cost of the flight/stay in points or miles.
Enter your current points/miles (optional): This makes it easy to see how many points you'll have after the redemption. If you don’t have enough to cover the booking, you can also add rewards from eligible transfer partners.
Enter the cost in cash, and any fees (optional). This allows for a direct comparison between the cost of the trip in dollars and the relative cost in points/miles, based on Bankrate's proprietary points and miles valuations.
Press calculate and view your results: You can see which booking method will save you the most money: redeeming your credit card rewards, or paying cash.