How We Use Credit Card Points to Fly for (Almost) Free

The website we use to search for reward flights, How to get the most out of your points--Our no-fluff guide to turning points into plane tickets,

JD here with another “JD’s Shorts” — sharing quick travel tips and hacks.
This week’s edition is a bit longer than usual, but so worth it. It could save you some serious money. Let’s dive in!

Here’s a quick rule of thumb to help you decide if it’s a good use of points:
Assume 1 point = 1 cent.

So, if a flight costs 10,000 points, it should be worth about $100.

This isn’t a perfect formula, but it gives you a solid starting point when evaluating reward flights. You can sometimes get way more value than 1 cent per point, but this makes the math simple when you're comparing options.

If you haven’t read my post on EARNING points and the credit cards we use—start here.

For our upcoming trip, we used points to book 5 tickets from JFK to Milan using the steps below. The cost? 150,000 Miles + $266.50 in taxes and fees. Pretty sweet, right?

✈️ How we Use Credit Card Points to Book Flights

Let’s be honest: credit card points can feel like airline miles crossed with algebra. You know they’re valuable, but figuring out how to actually use them to book flights can be overwhelming.

So this is your no-fluff, real-talk guide to turning points into plane tickets. Whether you’ve got 10,000 points or 1,000,000 — here’s how to make them work for you.

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💳 Step 1: Know What Kind of Points You Have

All points are not created equal. First, figure out what kind of credit card points you're working with:

• Transferable Points:

  • Examples: Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou, or BILT Points

  • These are the most flexible (and valuable). You can transfer them to a variety of airline or hotel partners.

• Co-Branded Points:

  • Examples: Delta Skymiles (Amex), United MileagePlus (Chase), American AAdvantage (Citi)

  • These points are tied to a specific airline. Great if you’re loyal to one or live in a city with a major hub.

• Cash-Back or Travel Portal Points:

  • Examples: Bank of America Travel Rewards, Wells Fargo Autograph

  • These are usually redeemed directly through your bank’s portal or as statement credit.
    
    

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✈️ Step 2: Decide How You Want to Use Them

You’ve got two main paths:

1. Transfer to Airline Partners (for max value)

• This is where you can get those jaw-dropping deals: think round-trip business class to Europe for 80,000 points or less.

• But: It takes a little more work and a lot of flexibility.

2. Book Directly Through Your Credit Card Provider (lowest value, but easier)

• Simple. Search like you would on Expedia or Booking.com etc.

• Good for domestic flights or when you need specific dates.

• Fixed value (e.g. Chase Sapphire Preferred gives you 1.25 cents per point).

• The big downside — you will usually spend a lot more points on a plane ticket.
  
  

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🔁 Step 3: Learn the Art of Transferring Points