Running the honest math…
Before you trust a number from any points tool, ask these seven questions. They work on every tool, ours included. Under each one is what Honest Points does, with a link to the proof.
Baseline source date June 8, 2026.
A number with no arithmetic behind it cannot be checked. You should be able to see the cash fare, the points the trip needs, and how one became the other.
What to look for. A good answer lists the inputs and the steps in order, with units, so you can redo the arithmetic on a calculator.
What Honest Points does. Every answer lists the points the trip needs. An answer that has a fare also lists the fare and the cents per point, and one panel walks through the steps. If you leave the fare out, the answer says it is an estimate. See how a verdict is decided.
A point is worth different amounts at different times. A value with no date tells you nothing about when it was true.
What to look for. A good answer prints a date beside every value, and says what the date covers.
What Honest Points does. Every ruler, example receipt and example trip on How it works and When to pay cash prints our baseline and its source date, now June 8, 2026. The date is when the baseline figure was set. It does not mean we checked prices today. See how we value points.
A tool that always finds a use for your points is not grading anything. Look for one that can tell you to keep your money and your points.
What to look for. A good answer includes at least one example where the tool says not to use points, and gives the reason.
What Honest Points does. Pay cash is one of four answers. It appears when a trip costs under $200, or when the points would redeem below 80% of the baseline. See six trips where it does.
Some tools earn money when you pick a card or book a stay. Ask whether what the tool earns can change what it recommends.
What to look for. A good answer says what the tool earns, and says the ranking does not use it. Ask how that is checked.
What Honest Points does. Our ranking code does not read payout fields, and a test fails if it starts to. How we make money: No affiliate links configured. See every source.
Every estimate leaves something out. A tool you can trust names it and tells you what to do about it.
What to look for. A good answer names the gaps, such as live seats, fees and offers, and says what to do about each.
What Honest Points does. We list what we leave out, where each choice can be wrong, and a fix for each. Read the list.
A sample trip that looks like a live result can mislead. An example should say it is an example.
What to look for. A good answer marks every sample as a sample, and lets you rerun it with your own numbers.
What Honest Points does. Every example receipt and example trip on How it works and When to pay cash carries the word Example, and each one opens in the planner so you can run it yourself. See four labeled examples.
You should be able to find where a figure came from, and read it without taking anyone's word.
What to look for. A good answer links to the data and the method, so you can read both without asking anyone.
What Honest Points does. Our baselines for all 16 programs are published with their dates, in a machine-readable file and on the methodology page. Award prices are labeled planning estimates, not live quotes. Read the data or read the method.
Planning a trip? Compare a fare with estimated award costs. Found an actual points price? Grade that redemption.
Need live seats? Search the airline or hotel program directly. Check current transfer terms and fees there too. For a card offer, use the issuer sources on the recorded card pages.
Use these seven on any tool you try, including ours. Then run your own trip.
Printed from honest-travel-ten.vercel.app/ask-any-points-tool. Baseline source date June 8, 2026. Not financial advice.