Hello to everyone. I'm new here and have been doing tons of reading. It takes a while for a complete newcomer to even start to understand all of what goes on here.

I have been looking at all the bonuses Delta has for hotel stays, ordering from certain websites, and credit card bonuses, etc. My problem right now is trying to value these points. The reward fares I have seen seem way to high for the number of points.

I would just like to know you opinions on the value of say 10,000 non MQM points. Or 100,000 if it's any easier to consider it that way.

Thanks for the help.

It depends on how you would use the miles and how much time you would like to spend.

I can buy $100 AmEx gift card for 11000 miles, but I prefer to book ~$5000 Transatlantic trip in Business in summer for 100000 miles (+ $60...$300 depending on stopover and direction).

The first way to use SM is easy but gives you just $0.0091 per mile. The second one demands some time and efforts but the rate would be more than $0.05/mile.

Welcome to FT!

Over the last three years I have averaged about $.020/mile for domestic and international flying in Y. I don't have and won't have the miles or $ to burn on business class. Latest purchase this year is MSP-ATH RT for 60,000 miles.

I have run some samples of possible redemption benefits for travel I might plan over the next year or so and found an average of $.017/mile vs DL tickets. However, the cost would be less at Orbitz lowest available price, maybe about $.014/mile. That would be for me.

Despite the abundance of people - including very experienced FTers - asserting fixed values - there is no set fair value for miles (MQMs nor EQMs). The value of a mile is exactly what you'd be willing to pay for what it gets for you in the long run. That varies by person. Consider others' thinking, but don't consider others' values. Analyze what a mile will do for you.

Examples:

Someone who travels almost exclusively internationally and rarely seeks discretionary travel might find Delta RDMs (Skymiles) and MQMs worth very little. This is because, despite having some very valuable exceptions, SkyMiles are generally difficult to redeem for low/saver international awards, especially in advance and especially for multiple travelers. The MQMs yield perks that are best in class for domestic travel, but largely irrelevant for international travel. How much would this person be willing to pay to for priority lines, early boarding, savings on bag and other fees, and get a bit better service? That's about the extent of the value to this person.

Someone who flies primarily domestically, with a fair amount of it either discretionary, last-minute, or both, might find both Delta RDMs and MQMs immensely valuable. The perks that come with status, especially the upper tiers, are immense domestically. Truly best in class in almost every category, with just a couple exceptions. Moving from Silver Medallion to Gold Medallion adds, among other things, the ability to get free upgrades on domestic awards (roughly 60% systemwide success), so 10K MQMs that would move you from Silver to Gold might be worth a lot to you if you plan to redeem quite a few domestic awards. Similarly, when you move from Gold to Platinum, you gain waived change fees, so someone who often makes changes to awards might find this extremely valuable. I happen to fit this profile closely... I'm Diamond, and I fly domestically and last minute for both business and leisure all the time, often booked near-term. I replace first class tickets that would cost me $1K plus, including changes, with 25K miles all the time. I gift status to family that travels with me, so they get some of the same. Therefore, my MQMs and RDMs alike are immensely valuable.

Relevant to RDMs only, remember that you can cash in miles for 1 CPM via a couple of methods, so 1 CPM is generally the price floor. MQMs aren't so straightforward, as they are worth 0 if not used, and per my last example above, can be worth many CPM each if utilized optimally.

The bottom line is that you should weigh all factors pertinent to *your* unique situation, see what you'd gain, how you'd utilize the gain, and then decide what you'd actually be willing to pay in cash to have that gain, if it weren't for the MQMs. There's your value.