Award Travel: The 5 Trips That Give Points the Most Value in 2026
Trying to maximize your credit card points on your next trip? Most people make the mistake of measuring travel points in quantity instead of value.
That’s according to Kevin Shahnazari, CEO of Savvo Technology Inc., who said that a point is only worth what you redeem it for, and that number swings widely.
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“A card point cashed out for a statement credit is often worth about a cent, while the same point transferred to an airline partner for a business-class seat can be worth four or five times that,” he said. “The best-value trips in 2026 are the ones where cash prices are highest, such as long-haul international premium cabins and peak-season flights, where paying with points beats paying dollars by the widest margin.”
Here are five destinations where your points will take you both furthest and farthest.
1. Guatemala
Nick Romito, founder of Points Theory, puts a roundtrip vacation from Chicago to Guatemala on his list of good values. Romito said he used 12,000 Delta SkyMiles for the route, which runs about $350 cash. If you do the math, that means roughly 2.9 cents per point.
“It’s a booking anyone can search and duplicate directly on the Delta website,” he said.
2. Colombia
Romito said he and his wife flew roundtrip to Colombia from Chicago for 15,000 points and about $150 in fees per person. They used 7,000 points each for the Delta flight and then 8,000 Avianca Lifemiles to fly back. He said the cash price for the same flights would’ve been close to $700 per person.
3. New Zealand
You may be in luck if you want to head to New Zealand for a trip this year. But you'll have to be canny and quick.
“I used 48,000 American Express National Bank, Member FDIC points transferred to Delta for a Los Angeles to Auckland roundtrip, caught through a deal alert during a promo window," Romito said, "versus $1,100-plus cash for one of the harder international routes to find value on.”
4. England
Pointhound puts an economy trip to London on its list of best award flight deals for this year. In fact, the editors said it’s the cheapest full-service way across the Atlantic.
According to the website, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club lets you pick Saver economy seats from some American cities to London for 6,000 Virgin points one-way.
5. United States
You don’t need to leave the U.S. to find a good value in using award travel points. Per Pointhound, you may want to check out a short trip for 4,500 points.
The editors said Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards uses a distance-based partner chart. You can find short economy flights on American Airlines starting at around 4,500 points one way. You may see the value in scoring a $250 weekend trip for 4,500 points.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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