The Points Guy just dropped a new report that reveals just how far your points and miles can take for holiday travel this year. Partnering with Points Path, the browser extension that compares cash and frequent flyer prices when you search Google Flights, TPG crunched the numbers from over 7.2 million searches across Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue and United Airlines. The gist? Rewards lose their luster over the holiday season.
Holiday airfare always skyrockets around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. Using miles can take the sting out of forking over a hefty fee, but using those rewards probably won’t go as far as they could for those fares. TPG found that the average economy ticket typically costs 38,473 miles, but over Thanksgiving, that number jumps to 49,680 miles—a 29 percent bump. Christmas is even worse, climbing to 60,518 miles—a brutal 57 percent spike.
Not only will flights require more rewards, the value of your points or miles also dips during the holidays. A mile or point, on average, is worth about 1.39 cents, but if you’re traveling over Thanksgiving, you’re losing about 6.47 percent of that value. Christmas? Slightly less painful at a 3.6 percent drop. Basically, your miles aren’t stretching as far when everyone’s trying to get home for turkey and presents.
There are ways to get more from your miles over the holidays, however. You can go ahead and treat yourself to a premium seat. First or business-class awards offer a better bang for your buck during the holidays. International flights are also a solid play, with redemption values shooting up over 10 percent compared to domestic flights. Timing is everything, too—definitely avoid peak days. Your points go further if you travel on off-peak days (the Friday after Thanksgiving or late December can score you better deals).
TPG found that Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles retain the most value during the holidays though still a good 6-9 percent lower than non-holiday periods. Surprisingly, JetBlue TrueBlue points are worth slightly more during the holidays. American Airlines miles lose the most value during the holidays, nearly 10 percent.
The full report offers more specifics and ways to stretch your miles. Check it out here.