At what fare do your points win?

Choose the points you hold and a route. See the estimated fare regions where cash wins, either choice is close, or points win, assuming enough points are available.

Points you hold

Whole points, in one program.

Program

Route

New York to London. Economy, round trip, holding 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

You have the points, but cash is the smarter play here.

$240

cash fare per person, round trip

Points win from $400.

Cash wins below $320. In between is a close call.

Cash fare, to scale

Drag the marker, or tab to the rule and use the arrow keys.

Cash vs. points, to scale

Pay cashCheaper$240

Cash you'd actually pay for the whole trip

Use points$400

What your 40,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth at our . You spend the points, not this cash

Our engine at the fare you set, not a live fare. Baseline 1¢ per point, source date June 8, 2026.

Open this fare in the optimizer

How to use it

Use it before you book. If the fare you see is at or above the printed break-even, your points are worth less than the cash you would spend, at our baseline, so it is worth checking award space. Below the lower boundary, cash wins. Between that boundary and the points-win fare, the engine calls it a close call. Check that you hold enough points before using them.

How the number is found

We do not work the break-even fare out with a formula on this page. We search whole-dollar fares with the same engine the trip optimizer uses to find where its answer changes. The strip prints the first fare where the engine says Use points.

Below a lower fare, cash wins outright. Between the two, the engine calls it a close call. The engine compares the fare with what your points are worth at our baseline for the program you chose.

Three worked examples

Example. New York to London. Economy, round trip, holding 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Points win from $400. At $650, the engine says Use points, at 1.6¢ per point against our 1¢ baseline.
Open this trip
Example. Los Angeles to Tokyo. Economy, round trip, holding 100,000 Amex Membership Rewards points.
Points win from $771. At $480, the engine says Pay cash, at 0.7¢ per point against our 1.1¢ baseline.
Open this trip
Example. Chicago to Paris. Economy, round trip, holding 80,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Points win from $700. At $620, the engine says Close call, at 0.9¢ per point against our 1¢ baseline.
Open this trip

What this does not tell you

This is not a live fare or an award search. Award prices and space change, so check the airline or a live award tool before you move any points.

Baselines are our conservative planning estimates. Source date June 8, 2026. See how we value points.

How to use it

How the number is found

Below a lower fare, cash wins outright. Between the two, the engine calls it a close call. The engine compares the fare with what your points are worth at our baseline for the program you chose.

Three worked examples

Example. New York to London. Economy, round trip, holding 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Points win from $400. At $650, the engine says Use points, at 1.6¢ per point against our 1¢ baseline.

Open this trip

Example. Los Angeles to Tokyo. Economy, round trip, holding 100,000 Amex Membership Rewards points.

Points win from $771. At $480, the engine says Pay cash, at 0.7¢ per point against our 1.1¢ baseline.

Open this trip

Example. Chicago to Paris. Economy, round trip, holding 80,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Points win from $700. At $620, the engine says Close call, at 0.9¢ per point against our 1¢ baseline.

Open this trip