Premium Cabin Miles vs Cash Value Calculator

Decide whether to burn miles or swipe your card for a premium cabin itinerary. Enter the cash fare, award pricing, taxes, and any rebate or transfer bonus to uncover the effective value per mile, net miles consumed, cash savings, redemption value as a percent of the fare, and a recommendation benchmarked against premium cabin averages. Optionally include the miles you would earn on a cash ticket plus their value to factor in opportunity cost.

All-in cash fare for the premium cabin seat, including taxes and surcharges.
Total miles or points charged for the one-way or round-trip award.
Carrier-imposed surcharges plus government fees owed on the award ticket.
Post-booking rebate or transfer bonus percentage that reduces net miles required (negative for transfer bonuses).
Defaults to 0. Add redeemable plus elite miles you would earn on a cash fare to capture opportunity cost.
Defaults to $0.015 if left blank when cash-ticket miles are entered. Use your personal cents-per-mile valuation.

Award availability and pricing change frequently. Confirm space before transferring points or canceling cash tickets.

Examples

  • $4,200 cash fare, 120,000 miles, $150 fees, 10% rebate ⇒ Value per mile: $0.0375 • Net miles spent after rebate: 108,000 miles • Cash savings versus paying cash: $4,050.00 • Adjusted savings after opportunity cost: $4,050.00 • Taxes and fees due: $150.00 • Award value as % of cash fare: 96.43% • Recommendation: Redeem miles (exceptional value) • No cash-ticket mileage opportunity cost entered.
  • $2,800 cash fare, 180,000 miles, $60 fees, no rebate, 15,000 cash-ticket miles worth $0.018 ⇒ Value per mile: $0.0152 • Net miles spent after rebate: 180,000 miles • Cash savings versus paying cash: $2,740.00 • Adjusted savings after opportunity cost: $2,470.00 • Taxes and fees due: $60.00 • Award value as % of cash fare: 97.86% • Recommendation: Either option is comparable • Cash-ticket miles forgone: 15,000 worth $270.00

FAQ

How do I account for credit card statement credits on cash fares?

Subtract the credit from the cash ticket price before running the calculation so the comparison reflects your true out-of-pocket and the value per mile stays realistic.

What if the award includes a carrier-imposed surcharge?

Include all surcharges in the taxes and fees field so they reduce the cash savings and the value per mile calculation. Carrier-imposed fees can materially change the cents-per-mile result.

Can I model round-trip itineraries with mixed cabins?

Yes. Add the total cash fare and miles required for the entire itinerary. If one segment is in economy, average the expected value of that segment into your assumptions before running the comparison so the cents-per-mile output stays representative.

How can I account for credit card points with different transfer partners?

Run the calculator for each partner's award pricing and fees, using the same cash fare. Comparing value per mile across partners reveals which transfer yields the highest cents-per-point.

Additional Information

  • Point rebates reduce the net miles consumed by the percentage entered, while transfer bonuses effectively act as negative rebates because you need fewer miles upfront.
  • Opportunity cost defaults to 1.5¢ per mile when you enter cash-ticket miles but omit a custom valuation so you can still factor in elite qualifying value.
  • Recommendation tiers assume 3.5¢+ is excellent for premium cabins, ~2.5–3.4¢ is solid, 1.75–2.49¢ is borderline, and below 1.75¢ favors paying cash.
  • Value per mile is calculated on the cash you avoid by redeeming miles (cash fare minus award taxes) divided by net miles.
  • Award value percentage compares the total redemption value (cash fare minus taxes) to the original cash fare to highlight how much of the price the award covers.

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