Originally Posted by
Frequent Miler
Exactly. These are the prices people pay for points / miles using the best available common option. Usually, people buy miles by putting spend on a points earning credit card. The values in the chart are determined by assuming that when someone spends with a point/mile earning card, they are giving up 2 cents per dollar that they could have gotten by using a 2 percent back card. If you follow the links on the referenced page, there are better/more complete explanations.
It is much harder to estimate redemption value since that will be all over the board. Are you redeeming for domestic flights, international, coach, business, first class? Are you redeeming well in advance or last minute, etc. all of these things have a huge impact on how much value you can get from redeeming points.
Frequent Miler, thanks for explaining the chart so well. I agree, it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to make one that is a basis for what people value their miles at. So many factors play in to it. Sure, you have the basic stuff that is the same for everyone (how much flights costs, does it have fuel surcharge or not, etc) but really, everyone is different. If you live at a United hub, well then they are much more valuable. If you live at an AA hub, well there you go, AA is better for you. Same with hotels. Does little good to have hotel points if you travel to places without those hotels.
So yeah, I think it would be possible for people to make a personal chart, unique to them, which is what I think the OP was asking, but almost impossible for a catch all chart that everyone would fit in to.