Hilton HHonors - Calculator that shows if you should spend cash or points?

Hey guys, I remember this website (not affiliated with any hotel programs) that could calculate whether to spend cash or points based on the price of the room and how many points it would cost. If anyone remembers or knows about a website like this, it'd be great if you could post it. Thanks.

I can't imagine a calculator that would take in all the variables for each individual - tons of points to burn, saving for trip to the Maldives, economic situations, AXON, etc. For me, I value HHonors points at $.01 each so the calculation is very easy.

At best, a tool could tell you what sort of yield you'd get using points vs. cash. (Whether a given yield makes sense is, within a fairly broad range, subjective.) For a basic formula, if not a nice GUI interface, see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/16579700-post14.html.

You can just do it yourself:

(Room Rate) / (Points Cost) = (Points per $)

You're going to have decide what you value Hilton points at. Most people are somewhere around $0.01, but there are plenty of reasons to still redeem for less than that.

You can just do it yourself:

(Room Rate) / (Points Cost) = (Points per $)

That doesn't account for combined cash & points options.

That doesn't account for combined cash & points options.

(Room Rate - P&M Cash Fee) / (Points Cost) = (Points per $)

A majority of the time that Points & Money is available it is a pretty good value, usually I see something like half the points but more than 50% off the room rate.

You can just do it yourself:

(Room Rate) / (Points Cost) = (Points per $)

You're going to have decide what you value Hilton points at. Most people are somewhere around $0.01, but there are plenty of reasons to still redeem for less than that.

I'm not good at math, but using the above formula, I can't get the Points per $ to exceed 0.01 unless the room rate is really high (say, over $800) and the points cost is relatively low (80,000 or below, for example).

How often does this scenario actually exist?

I'm not good at math, but using the above formula, I can't get the Points per $ to exceed 0.01 unless the room rate is really high (say, over $800) and the points cost is relatively low (80,000 or below, for example).

How often does this scenario actually exist?

Has worked everytime I booked an award but I only book when rates are high.

DT Times Square last two new years rooms were very expensive (like over $7K for new years night) and I got the hotel for 150K points for 3 nights so well over 1 cent a point. Miami Bentley in March, room rate was $1K a night and got 2 nights for 100K (and actually ended up getting 50K points refunded because they closed the pool early due to a wedding and the party was very loud late into the night) and 1 qf3n for the third night.

(Room Rate - P&M Cash Fee) / (Points Cost) = (Points per $)

I'm not good at math, but using the above formula, I can't get the Points per $ to exceed 0.01 unless the room rate is really high (say, over $800) and the points cost is relatively low (80,000 or below, for example).

Part of the problem is that this formula doesn't calculate "points per $."

For a more accurate (and useful) formula, see the one referenced in post #3, which also provides a realistic example.

Found the site, it's https://www.pointhub.com/hotels Thanks for the help though^

Found the site, it's https://www.pointhub.com/hotels Thanks for the help though^

I just used that and it doesn't show VIP award rate or AXON even if you enter multiple nights stay. And I am not sure what points value are they using.

(Room Rate - P&M Cash Fee) / (Points Cost) = (Points per $)


Part of the problem is that this formula doesn't calculate "points per $."

For a more accurate (and useful) formula, see the one referenced in post #3, which also provides a realistic example.

That's exactly where I got my equation from.

A sample analysis: if a room available at $300/night can be had for a P&M rate of $60 + 20,000 points, grab it. Your 20,000 points are effectively buying $240 worth of room stay, a superb yield of 1.2 cents/point.

(300 - 60) / 20,000 = $240/20,000 = $0.012 /point
And $0.012 per point is 1.2 cents/point.

That's exactly where I got my equation from.

"Exactly" is the wrong word here.

(300 - 60) / 20,000 = $240/20,000 = $0.012 /point
And $0.012 per point is 1.2 cents/point.
"points per $" -- which you wrote -- is not the same as "cents/point," even if you ignore the x100 multiplier. #reciprocal

For me I earn by points on business travel(company paid). When burning points its for leisure travel. The only time I don't use points is when for example i'm going to stay at The Boulders WA this summer for $95 per night. Normally I don't pay for leisure travel but no way I'd burn 50,000 points for a $95 a night property.