Airline travel with credit card points

[HandFellow]

Total Noob question but how is the companion pass better than a travel card that pays >2pts/dollar spent regular purchases (southwest card gives 1pt/dollar). Your free 30k in flights is that because you have at one time spent 30k in flights?

I'm guessing at some point one has to make a large investment in out of pocket purchased southwest flights to maximize reward pts to then use companion pass...?

Or is it just that the sign up bonus is worth it...?

Disclaimer: not bashing just trying to see if it makes sense for my lifestyle with amount I fly and spend. Thanks!

the easiest way to get those points to get the companion pass is the sign on bonus for one of their credit cards. If you are trying to get to 110k every other year on spend, you are wasting you dollars. Signing up for multiple cards is the most efficient way to get points. or getting your friends to use your links, but my friends never use my links

[nastle]

I use my partners airline card , she gets a ton of points
its a win win

[EastBayHand]

Total Noob question but how is the companion pass better than a travel card that pays >2pts/dollar spent regular purchases (southwest card gives 1pt/dollar). Your free 30k in flights is that because you have at one time spent 30k in flights?

I'm guessing at some point one has to make a large investment in out of pocket purchased southwest flights to maximize reward pts to then use companion pass...?

Or is it just that the sign up bonus is worth it...?

Disclaimer: not bashing just trying to see if it makes sense for my lifestyle with amount I fly and spend. Thanks!

Very reasonable question. First, the 30,000 points is the bonus for signing up for the card. Second, to respond to another question in the thread, the other promotion with this card is a free companion pass immediately after spending the first $5000, so you don’t have to spend a lot on this card. In other words, once you spend $5000 and get the companion pass and your 30,000 bonus points, you can go ahead and keep spending on any other card and continue to earn your 2% cashback.

But to answer your question personally, I continue to use the Southwest card because I feel like Southwest points are worth more than 2% to me. If you look online, the value of a southwest point is close to $0.02, perhaps a little bit under. But as I try to state in my initial post, booking a Southwest flight on points is actually much better than booking with money. Because if you have to cancel or get a refund, the points go back into your account and are not locked to the individual passenger, nor do they have to be used within one year of the original purchase the same way it would work if you paid for a flight. So for that reason alone, I prefer to build Southwest points in my account and fly exclusively on points for those secondary benefits which have great value to me. lastly, because I’m likely to spend 125,000 dollars a year, it allows me to continue qualifying for the companion pass.

[StarTrekDoc]

Traditional CP takes 125k to acquire --
Method:
1. -- sign up bonuses for Personal AND Business card end December
2. - spend ~$25,000 on cards end Dec/early Jan and 125K+ points post into accounts and receive CP for remainder of year AND the next year
3. points equivalent to be ~1.75% but have very few limits/fees attached -- can cancel redeposit up to checkin time day of flight. Literrally No fees.

Current Fast track option:
1. Sign up personal card, spend $5k and get CP for year AND 30k miles.

Caution to use 2nd if you're a card churner and 5/24 Chase limit

We love Southwest CP. Just went to Hawaii this past Dec for dirt cheap. Roundtrip cost 6k points per traveler (4 adults with 2 CPs). that's about $40 round trip per person in dollar terms.

[Otolith]

Very reasonable question. First, the 30,000 points is the bonus for signing up for the card. Second, to respond to another question in the thread, the other promotion with this card is a free companion pass immediately after spending the first $5000, so you don’t have to spend a lot on this card. In other words, once you spend $5000 and get the companion pass and your 30,000 bonus points, you can go ahead and keep spending on any other card and continue to earn your 2% cashback.

But to answer your question personally, I continue to use the Southwest card because I feel like Southwest points are worth more than 2% to me. If you look online, the value of a southwest point is close to $0.02, perhaps a little bit under. But as I try to state in my initial post, booking a Southwest flight on points is actually much better than booking with money. Because if you have to cancel or get a refund, the points go back into your account and are not locked to the individual passenger, nor do they have to be used within one year of the original purchase the same way it would work if you paid for a flight. So for that reason alone, I prefer to build Southwest points in my account and fly exclusively on points for those secondary benefits which have great value to me. lastly, because I’m likely to spend 125,000 dollars a year, it allows me to continue qualifying for the companion pass.

Thank you

[Lithium]

Does anyone have a rule of thumb for when it is worth it to use airline points or just use cash?

I have been using The points guy's valuation of airline mile's, but when I compare the value of the miles to the cash fare of a flight I am considering, I find it almost always cost more to use my miles than to just pay cash. However, if I never use my miles, they just accumulate and run the risk of being devalued. It is difficult to know how selective I should be.

Case in point, I am planning to fly to Alaska, and the cash fare is about $300, but it would cost 25k points, which are worth 1.3 cents each. That's $325 + $5.60 = ~$331.

Does anyone else run the numbers when they decide whether it's worth it to use points? I'm probably going to have to start using points even when the cash fare is cheaper. The question is what the threshold should be. Should I start spending when the point value is 90% of cash? 80%? 70%? Anyone else struggle with this?

[8arclay]

Does anyone else run the numbers when they decide whether it's worth it to use points? I'm probably going to have to start using points even when the cash fare is cheaper. The question is what the threshold should be. Should I start spending when the point value is 90% of cash? 80%? 70%? Anyone else struggle with this?

Unless its egregious, I use the points. My only reason to use them is travel, so I try to earn and burn without much extra thought. Getting 1 v1.3 cents/pt isnt enough for me to start paying out of pocket for travel expenses that would otherwise be free with points.

[bovie]

I pay cash unless the fare is cheaper with points.

I’m usually looking for something along the lines of >$0.03/point, sometimes more, depending on the program.

The key is to find high-value redemptions, typically international first/business class.

[Lithium]

My problem is I am just too cheap to fly anything but coach

[bovie]

My problem is I am just too cheap to fly anything but coach

For most domestic flights, sure.

But take a flight to Asia in coach. Then fly back in first/business.

That will change your thinking forever.

[Lithium]

For most domestic flights, sure.

But take a flight to Asia in coach. Then fly back in first/business.

That will change your thinking forever.

I look forward to the lifting of COVID restrictions and the return of international travel as I know and remember.

[Craigslist]

I look forward to the lifting of COVID restrictions and the return of international travel as I know and remember.

Just finished travelling internationally to south america, other than the required covid test when flying back and the mask, its like pretty much normal.

[Hank]

Just finished travelling internationally to south america, other than the required covid test when flying back and the mask, its like pretty much normal.

Paid an extra $500 per person to upgrade to lie flat seats on a red eye to South America. It was quite nice. Not ready to spend $15,000 for a trans Atlantic flight, but the marginal cost on this flight was well worth it.

[JBME]

Just finished travelling internationally to south america, other than the required covid test when flying back and the mask, its like pretty much normal.

just did the same. The baggage handlers broke my wife's luggage and on our flight ack we missed our domestic connection so had to unexpectedly stay overnight in Chicago to catch a 630am flight the next morning. They didn't give taxi vouchers so I had to take the receipts and send them to the airline customer service email to ask for reimbursement (as if that will happen). Yep, the flight experience truly has not changed one bit!