Why Points vs. Cash Is Confusing

Confused by points vs. cash? Discover how to stretch your miles further and save on your next trip.

Should you use points or cash for your next flight? How do you find award availability that’s worth booking? Hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle dig into points redemption and partner programs to help you understand when it makes the most sense to redeem miles, when to pay cash, and how to surface real award seats without the spreadsheet headache. But first, they break down the latest travel headlines, including Marriott credit card limited-time offers, the European Union’s new EES biometric border checks, and Spirit’s new two-checked-bag perk for its co-branded card.

Then, Julian Kheel, founder of Points Path, joins Sally to discuss making smarter redemptions inside Google Flights, using partner programs for better deals, and spotting transfer bonuses in time to save points. He offers tips and tricks on comparing points vs. cash in seconds, filtering for nonstop and sane itineraries, and deciding when to “earn and burn.” They also discuss dynamic award pricing vs. old award charts, last-minute award sweet spots, leveraging transfer partners, stacking portal and transfer promos, common pro-level traps (like how to balance points redemptions with the value of your time and comfort), and trends in premium travel cards and annual fees.

Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews:

• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Review: Free Night Award, Elite Status https://www.nerdwallet.com/reviews/credit-cards/marriott-bonvoy-boundless 

• Marriott Bonvoy Bold Review: Hotel Perks for No Annual Fee https://www.nerdwallet.com/reviews/credit-cards/marriott-bonvoy-bold 

• Spirit Travel More Card Review: Some Useful Perks for Loyal Flyers https://www.nerdwallet.com/reviews/credit-cards/free-spirit-travel-more 

• Bilt Credit Card Review: Charge Rent and Earn Rewards https://www.nerdwallet.com/reviews/credit-cards/bilt-credit-card 

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Best Airline Credit Cards of October 2025 https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/credit-cards/best-airline-credit-cards 

Want even more tips and tricks to get the most out of your travel dollars? Subscribe to TravelNerd, our free newsletter designed to help you crack the code on spending less on your travel.  

In this episode, the Nerds discuss: award travel tools, transfer partners, miles inflation, earn and burn strategy, airline partner redemptions, Alaska miles sweet spots, Condor business class 45k, Bilt Rewards program, Bilt Rent Day bonus, Bilt Neighborhood Benefits, Capital One transfer bonus, Chase Ultimate Rewards partners, Citi ThankYou transfer, Avianca LifeMiles, Turkish Airlines award booking, Virgin Atlantic transfer bonus, premium travel credit cards, high annual fee credit cards, travel card perks, airline baggage fees, Google Flights filters, nonstop flight search, award availability search engines, stacking rewards programs, free travel browser extension, dynamic award charts, partner award tickets, OneWorld Alliance partners, Star Alliance booking, SkyTeam partner flights, tracking award prices, award search alerts, last minute points deals, midweek flight discounts, cheap Europe flights, Hawaii travel demand, and Caribbean travel trends.

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