Addressing your pressing points and miles inquiries

We're pausing our usual weekly column to focus on questions related to France or trusted travelers, instead honing in on TPG's core mission — leveraging our points and miles expertise to assist you in planning your trips.

To tackle this week's top questions, I reached out to some knowledgeable friends — my resourceful colleagues.

1. I'm based in Chicago and planning a journey to Australia and New Zealand. What's the most effective way to utilize these points for both myself and my daughter?

Current points balance: 130,000 British Airways Avios.

"One hundred thirty thousand Avios won't get you far for a business class flight to Australia," said TPG Points and Miles editor Andrew Kunesh. "Flights from LAX are 60,000 Avios one-way, while business class costs 180,000. So, they could afford two one-way tickets in coach or one round-trip if award space is available."

2. What’s the best method to use points for a round-trip business class flight from NYC to Singapore? I prefer a nonstop flight with Singapore Airlines.

Current points balance: A significant collection of points — Chase Ultimate Rewards points, Citi ThankYou points, American Express Membership Rewards points, and Marriott Bonvoy points.

"I would recommend Singapore Airlines’ nonstop service as the best option unless they prefer the New York City (JFK)-Frankfurt (FRA)-Singapore (SIN) route with a layover in Frankfurt for a few days," Kunesh suggests. "Chase, Amex, Citi, Capital One, and Marriott all transfer to Singapore Airlines, and a round-trip in business class costs 198,000 KrisFlyer miles for a nonstop flight. They should keep in mind that Star Alliance partners can't book Singapore award tickets in premium classes."

3. Do I need to create an account with specific airlines to transfer alliance points, such as those from Japan Airlines?

"To address the first part of your question, transferring points to Japan Airlines from any of the major programs isn't possible," explained TPG strategic travel reporter Benji Stawski. What a letdown! "You must have a frequent flyer account with the program you're transferring to. Otherwise, where would the points go?"

I hate to admit it, but he has a valid point.

Now, let’s dive into a couple of general questions about points and miles:

4. How do you decide when it's better to use cash instead of miles for airfare?

Ah, finally a question I can tackle. Fortunately for both you and me, TPG created a points calculator to support our monthly valuations for the most popular travel loyalty programs.

The TPG points calculator is a fantastic and user-friendly tool that assists in comparing the value of cash redemptions against award redemptions, helping to evaluate your reward currency.

If you're a journalist like me (and not exactly a math enthusiast) or simply want to save time, make sure to bookmark our calculator for easy access whenever you're looking to snag a deal.

5. What’s the best way to figure this out on my own without relying on expert advice?

"My primary advice is to always compare the cash price of an award with its points cost to ensure you're maximizing the value of your points," recommends Stawski. "Keep in mind that TPG releases monthly valuations for points and miles, which can help you gauge the value you should expect. And don’t forget to use the calculator!"

When assessing whether you're receiving the maximum value that Stawski mentions, you might find yourself "navigating through award charts," notes TPG senior writer Katie Genter, who urges newcomers to "explore the programs where you hold points."

To estimate a potential redemption value, she suggests you consider two key factors:

1. Are you achieving at least TPG's valuation?
2. Is there another way you could utilize those rewards that you might find more beneficial?

"If you're traveling to a specific destination, verify whether TPG has a guide on redeeming points and miles for that location — and ensure your redemption doesn't come at a significantly higher cost than what's outlined in that guide," she advised. "You can also utilize the TPG app or a tool like AwardHacker to explore the types of flight redemptions available on certain routes."

For what it's worth, I joined TPG last summer with no points, and even though I'm still quite a novice in points and miles, I'm gradually learning along the way thanks to my TPG expert colleagues like Andrew, Benji, and Katie, whom I must thank for their generous assistance in addressing questions from both you and me.

In the meantime, here are a few reading recommendations:

• Beginner's guide to points, miles, airlines, and credit cards
• What is the value of points and miles? TPG's January 2022 monthly valuations
• How to maximize American Express Membership Rewards points
• How to maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards points
• How to maximize Citi ThankYou points

Got a question for next week? Feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or [email protected].