Best and Worst Travel Programs for Award Chart Transparency
One of the biggest ways many airline and hotel loyalty programs have been robbing consumers is by eliminating award charts, which instantly devalue points. What’s a “travel award chart”? It’s a published chart showing how many points you need for a free flight, room night, or upgraded seat or room.
For airlines, the charts were usually broken down by geography (e.g., within the Domestic US, US to Hawaii, US to Asia) and seat tier (e.g., economy, economy plus, business). Hotels were broken down by class (e.g., a St Regis was worth more points than a Marriott) and peak/non-peak weeks. Free travel wasn’t cheap and still required a lot of points, but you could hoard and save up for what you desired.
These award charts were standard until 2015, when Delta had the bright idea (for themselves) to switch to dynamic award pricing. They got rid of the award chart, which showed how many points you needed for free flights and upgrades, and instead, the consumer had to search for your preferred flight and find out how many points you needed if you wanted it for free. Now, the number of points you need fluctuates based on the price of the flight, which is called “dynamic award pricing”. This is great for the airline as they had the ultimate flexibility with point redemption amounts.
But, travelers are left to play a guessing game. Airlines and hotels can change the value of their points whenever they want, and consumers are none the wiser. Ideally, as cash fares fluctuate, award seat pricing would follow suit. US airlines (especially the biggest ones) don’t disclose the exact value of a point, making it nearly impossible for travelers to gauge whether they're getting a fair deal.
Dynamic award pricing devalued loyalty points overnight, making airline programs richer while members’ point values declined. Imagine signing up for a 5K race, expecting a free flight as a reward at the finish line, only to find out just before the end that you must run a marathon for the same prize. Or worse, you’re just told to keep running without understanding where the prize is. That’s dynamic award pricing. You’re unsure how many points you save because it constantly changes.
Unfortunately, this devaluation tactic reached hotel program leaders in the last few years, who felt they were missing out on a way to instantly improve their program's internal economics and capture the hearts of their respective CFOs.
the good, the eh, and the very bad:
Airline PROGRAMS:
🤬 Worst Offenders: No award chart at all
• Delta SkyMiles
• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Southwest Rapid Rewards
• Spirit Free Spirit (Technically no chart, but they advertise redemptions starting at 2,500 points)
👎Not Great: No standard seat award chart, but some transparency in other areas
• United MileagePlus (No award chart for flights, but provides one for upgrades)
😐 Barely Passing: Offers some award charts, but with caveats
• American AAdvantage (It has an award chart but only lists “starting at” values, with no maximums. Partner awards have a full chart.)
• Alaska Mileage Plan (Same as AA: “starting at” pricing and a full partner chart.)
👍Best of the Bunch (Clear and transparent award pricing):
• HawaiianMiles (Fully published award chart)
• Frontier Miles (Fully published award chart)
• Sun Country Rewards (Points convert at a fixed rate: 100 points = $1)
HOTEL PROGRAMS:
🤬Worst Offenders: No award chart at all
• Marriott Bonvoy
• Hilton Honors
• IHG One Rewards
• Sonesta Travel Pass
• Radisson Rewards
👎Not Great: Minimal Transparency
Choice Privileges (“Free nights start at 6,000 points”—but no clear structure beyond that.)
Best Western Rewards (Provides a minimum points requirement for “Pay with Points” and is upfront about points-to-gift-card conversions.)Barely Passing: Offers some award charts, but with caveats
😐 Barely Passing:
• Wyndham Rewards (Three redemption tiers, but no chart showing which hotels fall into each tier. At least you know the min/max you’ll spend.)
👍 Best of the Bunch (Clear and transparent award pricing):
• Hyatt World of Hyatt (Full, published award chart)
• Accor Live Limitless (Points have a fixed value: 1,000 points = €20 off your stay.)
So What Does This Mean for You?
Even when award charts existed, airlines and hotels still found ways to devalue points through blackout dates, limited award availability, and constant increases in redemption rates. But it was still more transparent than today.
Now, most loyalty programs expect members to navigate a complex, ever-changing system, like trying to complete a jigsaw puzzle without the picture on the box. That’s why websites like point.me. Loyalty Lobby, The Points Guy, have gained traction by offering point value estimates and tools (or even concierge services) to help travelers maximize their points. It’s wild that loyalty programs have gotten so complicated that the average consumer now needs a third-party service to use their points to their full potential.
That doesn’t mean you should avoid travel loyalty programs altogether or prioritize brands with award charts. If you travel frequently, prioritizing a brand for elite perks (like lounge access or late checkout) can still be valuable. Many programs offer solid redemption options beyond flights and hotel stays, sometimes providing better point value.
But are you a casual traveler hoping to earn points for free flights and hotel nights? Good luck. You might feel like a blindfolded kid swinging at a piñata—praying for candy but mostly hitting air.
Leave us a comment! Do you agree or disagree? Any further tips about Travel Award Charts?
