Booking flights with miles or points can be confusing. Follow this super simple rule to do it like a pro.

Step 1- Find the Flight’s Price

Say we want to see real mountains instead of a concrete mountains for a few days and decide to trade in New York City for hiking Mount Rainier in Seattle.

We go to United.com and see the following flight departing on 7/17 at 11:25am. Looking at available fares, we see it costs $559 to book the economy ticket.

Before we purchase the Economy ticket, we see the same exact flight is selling for 40,000 miles.

So the question is now “should we book this flight using money or miles?”

Step 2- Compare the Flight Prices Using the Sky Key Method

Follow this simple rule to compare the prices of both flights:

1. Take the money price: $559
2. Take the miles price: 40,000 miles
   • Divide the miles price by 100 (i.e., 40,000 / 100 = 400)
3. Divide $559 by 400 = 1.4

Step 3- Use the Sky Key Method to Assess the Money vs. Miles Flight Price

From the step above, we got 1.4. What does 1.4 represent? It’s the conversion rate between money and miles on this flight. If we have a higher number, it means we are getting more value out of our miles; if lower, we are getting less value out of our miles.

Generally speaking, any flight that’s:

• < 2: we should book using money
• ≥ 2: we should book using miles

So, for the above^ example, we should use money.

Conclusion

By following our simple but effective rule each time we fly, our miles/points will go farther. Instead of wondering if we got a good deal or not by booking our flight with miles or by booking it with money, we can be confident we are purchasing our tickets effectively.

Looking for Other Ways to Maximize Your Flight Savings?

Simply upload your ticket to Sky Key. We will ensure you never overpay for a flight again. Whenever the price of your flight drops (about 50% of the time), we save you money while keeping you on the same flight and in the same seats.

– Billy Bund. Co-Founder @ Sky Key