Originally Posted by
letopeto
Thanks for the reply. I value UR points, but isn't it rarer/difficult to get it higher than 2 cents per mile? I guess what I'm saying is, even if I get 2 cents per mile with UR points, that is equivalent to a 2% cashback card, so I might as well just collect the cash correct?
There is no absolute answer to this question. There are a lot of intangible or personal factors to determining the best course of action. Just a few of these are:
- How often do you obtain 2 cents per point or more using award bookings?
- How many points in each program do you have and need? Do you have a specific goal you're building towards?
- How much of your time does it take to find and book an award flight versus booking a cash flight? How much is your time worth?
- How much (if any) added value do you assign to booking a trip for (virtually) no cash?
- How much is it worth to you not to carry 8 cards in your wallet, but rather just one or two?
- How likely are you to actually use the cash from the cashback card strictly for travel, if that is indeed your purpose?
Some of these may seem silly to some. And to some people, maybe they are. I have a stack of cards an inch thick that I carry, because I have a game plan for every card and expense (5% here, 3% there, 2% there, that card for EDS working towards a goal, this card for purchase protection, etc). It's cumbersome, though. I love points and rewards, so I don't view time invested as opportunity cost, but rather just as a hobby. I generally average 2.5cpp+, so I would take 1 UR/MR point over 2% Cashback. But, I also earn enough UR and TY points with 5x/2x that I wouldn't mind having some spend shifted to 2% cash.