Knowledge Hub · Glossary
Points Plus Cash
Points plus cash is a redemption option that lets you cover part of a flight or hotel stay with points and the rest with money. It lowers the points needed in exchange for a cash co-payment. Useful when you are short on points or want to stretch a balance.
What it means in practice
Many airline and hotel programs offer a sliding scale: pay fewer points and add cash, or pay more points and less cash. The value of each point in these blends varies, so it pays to check what each point is effectively buying before choosing the mix.
It is a handy way to top off a stay or flight when your balance is just short. The downside is that the cash portion sometimes prices your points below what a straight award redemption would, so it is not always the best value.
Example
Instead of 50,000 points for a flight, you pay 30,000 points plus $150 in cash, covering the gap when your balance runs low.
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