Last Modified: 08/28/26
When I first got into Points & Miles, I saw a lot of posts about cent-per-point (CPP) calculations and how to maximize them. I spent a lot of time trying to fit my redemptions and travel budget into this ideal calculation.
I quickly realized it doesn’t fit into my interests, budget, or goals to have an overwater bungalow in the Maldives or take an Emirates lay-flat with a shower in the air to Dubai (no shade to those who have that goal).
But optimizing for the highest cent-per-point value can lead you away from the trips that actually fit your life and budget.
This post walks through a goal-based framework instead that has helped us travel internationally & domestically 2-3 times per year without chasing the perfect redemption.
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The CPP Optimization Trap
Once I stopped chasing the highest CPP and got clear on my travel goals, booking redemptions became a lot easier.
My philosophy on points and miles redemptions is similar to my concert philosophy.
If you are a Swiftie, you know there are no bad seats. The goal is to get in the door and experience the show. Travel works the same way for me.
My travel goals include:
- Take 2-3 international & domestic trips for our family of 5 per year
- Arrive safely in reasonable comfort at my destination
- Stay in a clean hotel close to transit in a safe neighborhood, within 15-20 minutes of the sites I want to visit
- Have a real bed (no pullouts or rollaways) for all 5 of us
- Have a full breakfast and ideally a lounge for snacks & drinks
Why we skip positioning flights and central hotels (in general)?
In practice, we generally fly economy, pay for extra legroom, and stay at Hyatt Regency hotels with a lounge that are typically not centrally located.
We live close to two major, international airports (CLT and RDU) so it doesn’t make sense to opt for a positioning flight just to get business class when we can take a direct economy flight and save hours or even a day of travel with a lot fewer points and taxes/fees.
Rather than trying to optimize the perfect, first-class or business class trip and stay in a high-demand, high-point hotel, I have found just focusing on getting there, using the hotel for breakfast and sleep only, and saving tons of money from the points booking that we are able to eat at nicer restaurants and do more activities like our amazing trip to Giverny!
Finally, I found that if I waited until I found the perfect redemption, I missed out on great options that would have fit the goals above.
Booking decision paralysis can be the difference between a dream trip and a trip that is just a dream.
What is CPP?
CPP stands for Cent-Per-Point and is a simple ratio: (cash price- taxes & fees)/points required X 100
The points and miles community considers a “good” redemption value anything over 2 CPP.
For example, I am in the process of booking a trip to the UK (yes another one)…
RDU → LHR Late March 2027
| Cabin | Cash Price ($) | Points Required | Taxes & Fees ($) | CPP |
| Economy | $590 | 27.5K Alaska (via Bilt) | $5.60 | 2.12 |
| Business | $3,800 | 104K | $5.60 | 3.60 |
Edinburgh → Philadelphia Early April 2027
| Cabin | Cash Price ($) | Points Required | Taxes & Fees ($) | CPP |
| Economy | $744 | 22.5K Alaska (via Bilt to AA) | $165 | 2.57 |
| Business | $2,679 | 136K AA | $396 | 1.68 |
So, yes getting there on Business class cost almost nothing in taxes and fee’s but it would eat up all of our points that we accumulated just to get there. Plus the taxes and fees to return would cut into our dining and activities budget.
What About Positioning?
Positioning is the concept of booking a flight from an airport different from your home airport to take advantage of better redemptions. This is a major strategy used to experience aspirational business and first-class flights.
So, let’s say we position ourselves out of JFK. There are lots of British Airways Business class flights for only 45K points, bookable through Alaska Airlines. Great, I can earn plenty Bilt and Rakuten points to make this happen.
But the taxes and fees are $1000 per person or $5000 for our family just to get over the Atlantic. Not including we need to get to JFK the night before and book a hotel to avoid any issues with delays.
Those out-of-pocket costs and points would drastically limit the number and types of trips we could take.
Plus our now 7.5-hour flight from RDU to LHR in economy is now a 2-day trip between navigating 3 airports and an overnight hotel stay.
Where CPP math breaks down
Don’t get me wrong, I would LOVE to take a First Class flight with all the food and drinks. And I probably will at some point. But for our family, travel goals, and budget, the math doesn’t work out for several reasons.
CPP doesn’t account for:
- Opportunity cost of trips missed while trying to find the “best” redemption
- Family size or budgets
- Intangible costs of time, inconvenience, stress, and potential delays during positioning.
What does “value” look like with a goals-based approach?
When booking a flight with points, here are some questions to ask:
Does this booking get me closer to the trip we want to take?
Does this route work for our time-frame, budget, and bandwidth to handle disruptions?
Is this trip worth having a longer travel day to get there?
Am I okay with going through security multiple times and staying at an airport hotel to make this trip happen?
Is increasing my bougie travel factor super important to me?
Finding Flights That Work For You
Sometimes it feels like a crapshoot finding flights for a trip. But a few things that help me are:
Start looking early: Most airlines open their flights about a year in advance. That is when I have found the best deals.
Wait until the last minute: Sometimes, rechecking or booking last minute can be a nice way to get a great points or cash deal. I’m a bit too cautious to do this but I’ve rebooked a flight when a better deal popped up.
Build up points two years in advance: I know this sounds crazy, but the points I earn now are going to be for trips that I take about two years from now. So I need to have in the back of my mind what trips I am considering when planning what card to open. Focusing on transferable points and miles can be the best option because when you aren’t sure where you want to go yet.
Be flexible (if you can): We are on the traditional school calendar, so we aren’t very flexible at all. But sometimes, missing a day of school is worth getting a more affordable flight (don’t tell my teacher husband). If you don’t have kids in school, take advantage of the shoulder seasons.
Use search portals: Portals like PointsYeah can make searching for flights super easy, but also search airline booking sites to get a true idea of points and out-of-pocket costs.
Takeaways
CPP is just one tool when using points and miles but is not the end-all, be-all determinant of value.
Want to learn more about Points & Miles 101? Check out my How I Got Started Post and Multipliers & Points Potential post.
Are you still figuring out your travel goals? Shoot me a message on my Instagram!
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