Yes, PWM are generally better deals than award redemptions when looking at mileage run type fares. On the other hand, I can usually get better deals than 1 cent per mile from my miles (to places I actually want to go to instead of a mileage run where I may just be flying for the miles). This is particularly true if you look to use your miles for J class redemptions. So to me, it makes more sense to just pay cash for such mileage runs rather than use PWM and save my miles for something better than 1 cent per mile redemptions.